11-5 11月4日恶作剧之夜

November 4: Mischief¹ Night

 

A time of misrule¹, when every principle is turned on its head, is a tempting² thing indeed. Some sociologists have theorized that such festivals of chaos³ are necessary for the running of a decent culture.

 

From time immemorial², British children have celebrated⁴ a Mischief Night. This is the time for plugging neighbors’ chimneys, whitewashing⁵ enemies’ windows, and setting fire to piles of dog dung on doorsteps so that the unfortunate householder gets an unpleasant surprise while stamping out³ the flames. Until relatively⁶ recently, different regions celebrated their Mischief Nights at different times of year. In Cornwall and Devon Mischief Night fell on Shrove Monday⁴. Other regions preferred May Day; others Halloween. But during the last century, Mischief Night has attached itself to November 4, Guy Fawkes Eve. Especially popular in Lancashire, Yorkshire, and the northern Midlands, as well as New Zealand and Australia, Mischief Night is loud with firecrackers⁵ and bright with bonfires⁶.

 

注释：

1. misrule [5mis5ru:l]n.混乱，骚动

2. immemorial [7imi5mC:riEl]a.古老的，远古的

3. stamp out 踩灭，扑灭，消灭

4. Shrove Monday [宗]（基督教）忏悔星期一（大斋首日[即AshWednesday]前的星期一）

5. firecracker [5faiEkrAkE(r)] n. 爆竹，鞭炮

6. bonfire [5bCn7faiE] n. 篝火，营火

 

11月4日恶作剧之夜

 

如果有一天人们都不按规矩办事，把每一条原则都颠倒过来，那该是十分诱人的。有些社会学家对这个问题从理论上加以论证，认为这种“混乱的节日”，对于一个健康的文？的正常运转是必要的。

自远古以来，英国儿童就庆祝恶作剧之夜了。在这个夜晚，他们堵塞邻居的烟囱；将仇敌的窗户刷白；将一堆堆的狗粪放在别人门阶上点起火来，让那些倒霉的屋主又沮丧又吃惊，赶快将火踩灭。一直到近代，英国不同的地区一年中恶作剧之夜的日期并不相同。在康沃尔郡和德文郡，恶作剧之夜是在基督教的忏悔星期一那一天。另一些地区在五朔节（5月1日）。还有一些地区则在万圣节前夕。但是在上个世纪，恶作剧之夜定在了11月4日盖伊·福克斯节前夕这一天。恶作剧之夜在兰开夏郡、约克郡和英格兰中部地区的北部以及新西兰和澳大利亚尤其受欢迎。这是一个放烟花的喧闹之夜，一个点篝火的明亮之夜。

 

 

1 mischief   

n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹

参考例句：

• Nobody took notice of the mischief of the matter. 没有人注意到这件事情所带来的危害。
• He seems to intend mischief.看来他想捣蛋。

2 tempting   

a.诱人的, 吸引人的

参考例句：

• It is tempting to idealize the past. 人都爱把过去的日子说得那么美好。
• It was a tempting offer. 这是个诱人的提议。

3 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

4 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

5 whitewashing   

粉饰，美化，掩饰( whitewash的现在分词 )； 喷浆

参考例句：

• Tom went on whitewashing the fence, paying no attention to Ben. 汤姆没有理睬本，继续在粉刷着篱笆。
• When whitewashing the wall, he painted with a roller in his hand. 刷墙的时候，他手里拿个辊子，挥舞着胳膊。

6 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。