The phoenix was, according to legend, a bird which died in a fire but came out of the flames alive. In ancient Egypt, the phoenix was connected with the worship of the sun. According to some stories, it was like a large eagle, with red and gold feathers. It lived for hundreds, or even thousands of years. But when its death was near, it built a nest of the scented branches of trees and spices. It then sang a beautiful, haunting and sad song, and fanned the nest until it burst into flames. The phoenix died in the fire it had made, but from the flames and ashes came a new phoenix, which would live for many years.
In other legends, the phoenix was like an Egyptian heron called the bennu. It was also associated with the worship of the sun and is found carved on ancient Egyptian monuments as a symbol of the rising sun and life after death. Because the
phoenix was regarded as immortal, it was adopted by the Christian Church as a symbol of the Resurrection of Jesus and of eternal life. It has also been used as a sign over chemists’ shops from its association with alchemy and the search for immortality.
【題組】47 What is the main idea of this passage?
(A) The phoenix was to the Egyptians what the sun was to the Christians.
(B) The phoenix played an important role in Greek mythology.
(C) A phoenix was burned to ashes before it was reborn and it symbolized immortality.
(D) The account of western civilization would not be complete without mentioning the phoenix.
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