9-5 9月18日——约翰逊博士诞辰纪念日

September 18—Dr. Johnson’s Birthday

 

The son of a Lichfield bookseller, Samuel Johnson¹ lived to become one of the English language’s most profound influences. His 1755 dictionary was the most thorough lexicon¹² of its time, remarkable² for its previously³ unheard-of use of famous literary quotes to illustrate⁴ words’ meanings. But Johnson, apart from “Dictionary Johnson,” wore other hats, too. No mere⁵ egghead³, he was at various points in his life a travels writer, a hack⁶ writer⁴, an Oxford⁷ dropout⁸⁵, and a hypochondriac⁶. He also experienced poverty and was married to a woman twenty years his senior.

 

He was born September 18, 1709. Every year on that day or the Saturday nearest, members of the Johnson Society gather in the author’ s hometown where at noon the Lichfield mayor ceremoniously lays a wreath at the foot of Johnson’ s statue. Meanwhile, the cathedral choir⁹ sings hymns¹⁰ and the Johnson Anthem¹¹. After a visit to the house where the author was born, the group sits down to its annual Johnson Supper in the Lichfield Guildhall⁷. On the following Monday, the nearby town of Uttoxeter performs its own Johnson memorial. A wreath is laid on the spot where, Johnson did public penance¹²⁸ for having hurt his father’s feelings -- all of fifty years previous -- when he fled the county rather than be a clerk at the old man’ s bookstall.

 

注释：

1. Samuel Johnson 塞缪尔·约翰逊（1709～1784，英国作家、评论家、辞书编纂者，编有《英语辞典》、《莎士比亚集》，作品有长诗《伦敦》、《人类欲望的虚幻》等）

2. lexicon [5leksikEn] n. 词典，字典（尤指希腊、拉丁等古代语言的辞书）

3. egghead [5e^hed] n. [美口] 知识分子，自以为有大学问的人

4. hack [hAk] a. 受雇的；～writer 雇佣文人

5. dropout [5drCpBut] n. 退学生，流生

6. hypochondriac [7haipEu5kCndriAk] n. 疑病症患者

7. guildhall [5^ild7hC:l] n. 市政厅

8. penance [5penEns] n. 悔过，悔罪

 

 

9月18日——约翰逊博士诞辰纪念日

 

塞缪尔·约翰逊是利奇菲尔德市一位书商的儿子，后来成为对英国语言具有最深远影响的人物之一。他于1755年编纂了一部当时最详尽的辞书，用文学名著中的著名引语解释词义，这种做法可谓前无古人，卓越非凡。除了“辞典约翰逊”这一头衔之外，他还有其他身份。他绝不是什么自以为了不起的学问家，在生命的不同时期，他曾经是游记作家、雇佣文人、牛津大学的退学生、疑病症患者。他也曾经历过贫困，娶了一位比自己年长20岁的女子为妻。

约翰逊生于1709年9月18日。在每年的这一天或离这天最近的那个星期六，约翰逊社团的成员都聚集在他的家乡。中午时分，利奇菲尔德市的市长在约翰逊雕像前献上花圈。与此同时，大教堂的唱诗班唱起赞美诗和《约翰逊赞歌》。成员们在参观了约翰逊诞生的住所之后，就在利奇菲尔德市政厅享用约翰逊年度晚餐。接下来的星期一，在附近的尤托克西特镇，那里的人则以自己的方式纪念约翰逊。约翰逊曾违背父亲的愿望，不当老先生书店里的职员而逃离了家乡，使父亲伤心不已。50年后，约翰逊为此当众悔过。如今，人们在他当众悔过的地方放上花圈。

 

1 lexicon   

n.字典，专门词汇

参考例句：

• Chocolate equals sin in most people's lexicon.巧克力在大多数人的字典里等同于罪恶。
• Silent earthquakes are only just beginning to enter the public lexicon.无声地震才刚开始要成为众所周知的语汇。

2 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

3 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

4 illustrate   

v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图

参考例句：

• The company's bank statements illustrate its success.这家公司的银行报表说明了它的成功。
• This diagram will illustrate what I mean.这个图表可说明我的意思。

5 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

6 hack   

n.劈，砍，出租马车；v.劈，砍，干咳

参考例句：

• He made a hack at the log.他朝圆木上砍了一下。
• Early settlers had to hack out a clearing in the forest where they could grow crops.早期移民不得不在森林里劈出空地种庄稼。

7 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

8 dropout   

n.退学的学生；退学；退出者

参考例句：

• There is a high dropout rate from some college courses.有些大学课程的退出率很高。
• In the long haul,she'll regret having been a school dropout.她终归会后悔不该中途辍学。

9 choir   

n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• The church choir is singing tonight.今晚教堂歌唱队要唱诗。

10 hymns   

n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌( hymn的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At first, they played the hymns and marches familiar to them. 起初他们只吹奏自己熟悉的赞美诗和进行曲。 来自英汉非文学 - 百科语料821
• I like singing hymns. 我喜欢唱圣歌。 来自辞典例句

11 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
• As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

12 penance   

n.（赎罪的）惩罪

参考例句：

• They had confessed their sins and done their penance.他们已经告罪并做了补赎。
• She knelt at her mother's feet in penance.她忏悔地跪在母亲脚下。