1、MythPAIREDREADThe Pro TwinsBy James mcNaugHToNiLLusTRaTeD By DaViD ouRoTwiNsProgram:CR 14Component:LRG6 U5 W1 BPDFVendor:Learning MediaLevel:70CV_CR14_LR_G6_U5W1L70_B_119270.indd 2CV_CR14_LR_G6_U5W1L70_B_119270.indd 214/02/12 3:10 PM14/02/12 3:10 PMSTRATEGIES&SKILLSAComprehensionStrategy:Make Predic
2、tionsSkill:Problem and SolutionVocabulary StrategyWord OriginsVocabularyaudacity,deception,desolate,exploits,oblivious,somber,steadfast,valiant Word Count:3,004Program:CR 14Component:LRG6 U5 W1 BPDFVendor:Learning MediaLevel:70Copyright The McGraw-Hill Companies,Inc.All rights reserved.No part of th
3、is publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means,or stored in a database or retrieval system,without the prior written consent of The McGraw-Hill Companies,Inc.,including,but not limited to,network storage or transmission,or broadcast for distance learning.Send all inquiri
4、es to:McGraw-Hill EducationTwo Penn PlazaNew York,New York 10121ISBN:978-0-02-119270-0MHID:0-02-119270-7Printed in the United States.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 DOC 15 14 13 12 11 10IFCIBC_CR14_LR_G6_U5W1L70_B_119270.indd 2IFCIBC_CR14_LR_G6_U5W1L70_B_119270.indd 214/02/12 3:11 PM14/02/12 3:11 PMBy James mcNau
5、gHToNiLLusTRaTeD By DaViD ouRoTwiNsEssential QuestionWhy do people tell and retell myths?PAIREDREADChapter 1The Twins.2Chapter 2The Lords of Darkness.6Chapter 3The Ball Game.9Chapter 4The Hero Twins Return .13Respond to Reading .16The Pro Twins.17Focus on Genre.20Program:CR 14Component:LRG6 U5 W1 BP
6、DFVendor:Learning MediaLevel:70001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U5W1L70_B_119270.indd 1001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U5W1L70_B_119270.indd 114/02/12 3:07 PM14/02/12 3:07 PMCHAPTER 1Many years ago,in the ancient civilization of the Mayan people,there lived two young brothers.They were twins,and their names were Xbalanque(shi
7、-BAY-lan-kay)and Hunahpu(WAH-nuh-pwuh).One day,the boys went out to clear a garden in the dense jungle for their grandmother.When the twins returned to the clearing the next morning,however,they found that the jungle had grown back overnight.Mystified,they cleared the ground again,and that evening,t
8、hey hid nearby to see what would happen.As soon as night fell,animals came out of the jungle and swiftly planted trees and vegetation in the clearing.“Aha!”cried the twins,leaping up to catch them,but the animals were too quick.The twins could only grab a deer and a rabbit by their tails,but the tai
9、ls broke off and the animals escapedwhich is why deer and rabbits now have little tails.Finally,by working together,the twins managed to catch a rat.“How shall we punish this little nocturnal gardener?”pondered Xbalanque.“Let s take him to the darkest depths of the jungle and leave him there,”sugges
10、ted Hunahpu.“Wait!”cried the rat.“Don t leave me in the jungle!I will tell you something important if you let me go.”THTTTTTTTTTTHHHHHHHHHHeeeeeeeeee T TTTTTTTTTTwwwwwwwwwwwINI I I I I I I I I INNNNNNNNNNsssssssssss2Program:CR 14Component:LRG6 U5 W1 BPDFVendor:Learning MediaLevel:70001_009_CR14_LR_G
11、6_U5W1L70_B_119270.indd 2001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U5W1L70_B_119270.indd 214/02/12 3:07 PM14/02/12 3:07 PM“All right,then,talk,”said the twinsbut just in case,they kept hold of the rat s tail.“Your long-lost father and uncle,who were also twins,were great ball players,”said the rat.“Their exploits on the c
12、ourt were legendary.”The twins were surprised to hear this,because their grandmother had never mentioned it.They demanded to know what had happened to the two men.“That I don t know,”answered the rat,“but having seen you two at work,I m sure you ll make great ball players as well.”“We d like to play
13、,but we re poor and don t have any protective gear,”said Xbalanque.“Take me to your grandmother s hut,”said the rat,“and I will show you something.”As soon as the rat entered the hut,he scurried up the wall and began gnawing at a cord in the roof.A few seconds later,a heavy bundle fell from its hidi
14、ng place onto the floor.The twins were amazed.There were two wonderful sets of protective gear:hip and waist protectors,kneepads,and boots of the finest leather and rubber.“Take them away quickly,”urged the rat,“before your grandmother returns.”3Program:CR 14Component:LRG6 U5 W1 BPDFVendor:Learning
15、MediaLevel:70001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U5W1L70_B_119270.indd 3001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U5W1L70_B_119270.indd 314/02/12 3:07 PM14/02/12 3:07 PMFrom the start of their very first ball game,the twins shone,exhibiting great natural skill and athleticism.Their greatest asset on the court was the amazing understanding
16、 they shared.Each somehow knew exactly what the other would do,and by the end of the first game,the other team had given up.They had no chanceit seemed they d hardly even had time to move before the twins had run into the end zone and put the ball through the hoop again.A small crowd of parents had
17、attended the first game.The second time the twins played,there were a lot more people watching,far more than usually attended children s games.Each time the twins played,the crowd of spectators grew larger.When the twins weren t playing,they were practicing,honing their skills,coming up with new,daz
18、zling combinations.It wasn t long before the boys were playing adults and beating them too.The cheering of the crowds was so loud that it reached all the way down to the Lords of Darkness in silent,somber Xibalba(shi-BOHL-buh).4Program:CR 14Component:LRG6 U5 W1 BPDFVendor:Learning MediaLevel:70001_0
19、09_CR14_LR_G6_U5W1L70_B_119270.indd 4001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U5W1L70_B_119270.indd 414/02/12 3:07 PM14/02/12 3:07 PMThe Lords of Darkness were disturbed by the cheering.They believed that people should carry out their lives in fear and sadness.Even when the cheering stopped,they were displeased by the co
20、nstant pounding of the twins rubber ball as they practiced far into the night.But most of all,the Lords of Darkness disapproved of the praise they were hearing.They didn t believe the twins could be as good as people said they were,so they sent an owl to summon the boys for a game on their Dark Cour
21、t.That night,the messenger owl fluttered into the twins hut.Their grandmother,who was visiting,began to weep,for she knew at once the desolate place from which the owl had come.“The Lords of Darkness summon you both to Xibalba,”announced the owl.“If you pass their challenges,you will be allowed to p
22、lay against them on their Dark Court.”Then,without waiting for an answer,the bird flew back into the night,leaving the twins wide-eyed with astonishment.“You must accept,”said their grandmother with tears running down her face.“But you will never return because no one ever returns from Xibalba.”5Pro
23、gram:CR 14Component:LRG6 U5 W1 BPDFVendor:Learning MediaLevel:70001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U5W1L70_B_119270.indd 5001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U5W1L70_B_119270.indd 514/02/12 3:07 PM14/02/12 3:07 PMCHAPTER 2The dark shore of Xibalba lay beyond a river of piranhas.This river was enough to dissuade most people,but the
24、twins were valiant.They dived into the water and swam so swiftly that the piranhas didn t have time to react.The fish bared their teeth and thrashed the water in anger as the twins stepped safely onto the shore of Xibalba.“We ll be ready for those twins next time,”the piranhas vowed to each other.St
25、anding at the entrance to the Dark Palace,the twins saw two figures inside.Xbalanque plucked a hair from his leg,and the hair turned into a mosquito and bit one of the figures.It didn t flinch,so the twins knew it wasn t one of the Lords of Darkness at all,but only a wooden statue.The mosquito then
26、bit one of the real lords,who was hiding in the shadows.He let out a cry.“What s wrong,Hun Came?”asked the other.“Vucub Came,something bit me!”The twins could now respectfully greet the Lords of Darkness by their proper names,which was the correct protocol upon entering the throne room in Xibalba.Th
27、e lords were very annoyed because without realizing it,the twins had passed the lords first challenge.THTTTTTTTTTTHHHHHHHHHHeeeeeeeeee L LLLLLLLLLoooooooooooRDRRRRRRRRRRDDDDDDDDDDsssssssssss oooooooooooF DFFFFFFFFFF DDDDDDDDDDaaaaaaaaaaaRRRRRRRRRRRkkkkkkkkkkkNNNNNNNNNNNesseeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssss
28、ss6Program:CR 14Component:LRG6 U5 W1 BPDFVendor:Learning MediaLevel:70001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U5W1L70_B_119270.indd 6001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U5W1L70_B_119270.indd 614/02/12 3:07 PM14/02/12 3:07 PM“Be seated,”barked the Lords of Darkness to the twins.But the twins saw that the seat was actually a cooking gridd
29、le.“Thank you,but we d prefer to stand,”replied Hunahpu.The Lords of Darkness realized that the twins wouldn t fall for simple acts of deception and that they must set the boys a harder challenge.So they took the twins to the Dark House,a place of fearsome blackness.Handing over two burning candles
30、for light,the Lords of Darkness told the twins that they must let the candles burn all night,yet return them in the morning in the same condition they had received them.Whenever the Lords of Darkness peered into the Dark House and saw the two faint glimmers of light,they congratulated themselves bec
31、ause it meant the candles were burning down and the twins were sealing their fate.But the twins had replaced the flames with fireflies,and in the morning,they returned the candles unburned.7Program:CR 14Component:LRG6 U5 W1 BPDFVendor:Learning MediaLevel:70001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U5W1L70_B_119270.indd 70
32、01_009_CR14_LR_G6_U5W1L70_B_119270.indd 714/02/12 3:07 PM14/02/12 3:07 PMThen the Lords of Darkness threw the twins into the Jaguar House with ten starving jaguarsbut the twins fed the cats leftovers they had brought and made friends with them.The Lords of Darkness next threw the twins into the Cold
33、 House,but the boys locked the cold out before it arrived.It battered and moaned at the door all night,rattling hail and pleading to be let in.Furious at the twins audacity,the Lords of Darkness threw them into the Bat House.The twins were mystified because they had no reason to fear bats.They were
34、standing in the dark,wondering what would happen,when something whizzed toward them.They ducked just in time,for the bat had a knife for a nose.It let out a shriek.More shrieking knife-bats began swooping down.After an hour of ducking and diving,the twins began to tire.They grabbed their blow-pipes
35、and whistled through them,and the bats fled from the high-pitched squeal.In the morning,the Lords of Darkness found the twins alive.Grinding their teeth in frustration,they said,“You have passed our challenges.Now you may play against us on the Dark Court.”8Program:CR 14Component:LRG6 U5 W1 BPDFVend
36、or:Learning MediaLevel:70001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U5W1L70_B_119270.indd 8001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U5W1L70_B_119270.indd 814/02/12 3:07 PM14/02/12 3:07 PMCHAPTER 3The Lords of Darkness led the twins out onto the Dark Court.It was huge and the stone hoops at each end were very high.As the twins looked around,taki
37、ng in the dimensions of the playing area,they became aware of a hissing sound from above.It was the spectators,the inhabitants of Xibalba.Their strange faces flickered in the light cast by their torches.“No one here will be cheering for us,”said Xbalanque to his brother.The Lords of Darkness took th
38、e center of the court.“It s time for you to lose!”declared Vucub Came.The twins stood opposite their opponents,looking up at the towering figures.“The first to score wins,”said Hun Came.A heavy ball appeared at his feet.He flicked it up with his foot and balanced it on one knee.Another flick and the
39、 ball flew up and rolled along his shoulders.It dropped,and the crowd gasped.But Hun Came bounced it off his hip,and the ball flew to the foot of Vucub Came,who balanced it effortlessly.The Xibalbans hissed their approval.“We ll start,”said Vucub Came.THTTTTTTTTTTHHHHHHHHHHeeeeeeeeee B BBBBBBBBBBaaa
40、aaaaaaaaLL LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL gameggggggggggaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmmmeeeeeeeee9Program:CR 14Component:LRG6 U5 W1 BPDFVendor:Learning MediaLevel:70001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U5W1L70_B_119270.indd 9001_009_CR14_LR_G6_U5W1L70_B_119270.indd 914/02/12 3:07 PM14/02/12 3:07 PM10Program:CR 14Component:LRG6 U5 W1 BPDFVen
41、dor:Learning MediaLevel:70010_016_CR14_LR_G6_U5W1L70_B_119270.indd 10010_016_CR14_LR_G6_U5W1L70_B_119270.indd 1017/02/12 11:58 AM17/02/12 11:58 AMThe Lords of Darkness rushed forward at great speed,using their feet,knees,and hips to pass the ball back and forth with pinpoint accuracy.The twins fell
42、back,barely managing to stay in front of their opponents.The Lords of Darkness cried out triumphantly,and the ball flew like an arrow toward the hoop.Hunahpu jumped high and long,landed halfway up the wall,sprang off it,and deflected the ball just in time.The ball fell near a rabbit in the jungle at
43、 the edge of the court.When the Lords of Darkness ran to retrieve the ball,the startled rabbit hopped away.Thinking it was the bouncing ball,the lords ran after it.The twins grabbed the ball unopposed and ran like lightning for the far end of the court.With a cry of disbelief,the Lords of Darkness t
44、urned and took up the chase.They were almost on top of the twins as the brothers swarmed up the wall for the hoop.One of the twins shot.The Lords of Darkness were a heartbeat too late,the ball went through the hoop,and a deathly silence fell over the Dark Court.11Program:CR 14Component:LRG6 U5 W1 BP
45、DFVendor:Learning MediaLevel:70010_016_CR14_LR_G6_U5W1L70_B_119270.indd 11010_016_CR14_LR_G6_U5W1L70_B_119270.indd 1117/02/12 11:58 AM17/02/12 11:58 AMThe torches of the Xibalban spectators disappeared as the crowd silently slunk away.The Lords of Darkness burned with humiliation.They marched the tw
46、ins to a pit of fire and demanded that they jump over it four times.The pit of fire was twice as big as the Dark Court.To jump it was an impossible feat.“Even if we found a way to do this,they d just find another challenge,”muttered Hunahpu to his brother.“We ll never win.”“Good-bye,brother,”Xbalanq
47、ue said glumly.“Good-bye,brother.”The twins held hands and jumped into the fire.But as the Lords of Darkness shouted in jubilation,something unexpected happened.The sky gods intervened,and the twins dropped clear through the flames and plunged into deep water.The brothers couldn t believe what was h
48、appening as they floated up to the surface.However,their relief was short-lived:the brothers had dropped into the river of piranhas.The vicious fish had been eagerly waiting for the twins to come back and were determined not to let them escape this time.But as they closed in on their prey,baring the
49、ir hideous teeth,the twins became catfish.They sank down to the muddy bottom and hid while the enraged piranhas swam up and down.12Program:CR 14Component:LRG6 U5 W1 BPDFVendor:Learning MediaLevel:70010_016_CR14_LR_G6_U5W1L70_B_119270.indd 12010_016_CR14_LR_G6_U5W1L70_B_119270.indd 1217/02/12 11:58 A
50、M17/02/12 11:58 AMTHTTTTTTTTTTHHHHHHHHHHeeeeeeeeee H HHHHHHHHHHeeeeeeeeeeRRRRRRRRRRRooooooooooo T TTTTTTTTTTwwwwwwwwwwwINI I I I I I I I I INNNNNNNNNNsssssssssss R RRRRRRRRRReeeeeeeeeeTURNTTTTTTTTTTUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNNNNCHAPTER 4Five days later,the twins swam to the shore of Xibalba and retu