英语沙龙：佛罗伦萨•南丁格尔的诞辰

May 12 Florence Nightingale’s Birthday

In 1837，to the age of seventeen，Florence Nightingale decided¹ to become a nurse，which horrified² her whimsical mother．In those days，nurses were little more than janitors，and hospitals were pits of squalor and neglect．Nightingale pressed on，and in 1853she became superintendent³ of a small London hospital．She went on to the Crimea when war broke out there between Britain and Russia．She established the first of what we now know as war hospitals：sanitary，safe，and stocked with supplies．Her tireless ministrations to the wounded soldiers made her famous all over the world．Following the war，Nightingale avoided fame and continued to train nurses，ever battling against what she herself declared“a commonly received idea．．．that it requires nothing but a disappointment in love，or incapacity in other things，to turn a woman into a good nurse．”Since 1921，her birthday has been the centerpiece of National Hospital Week，observed in British and American hospitals with special exhibitions，workshops，and publicity⁴ drives．

佛罗伦萨•南丁格尔的诞辰

1837年，将满17岁的佛罗伦萨•南丁格尔决定当一名护士，这个想法让她多奇思怪想的母亲惊骇不已。当时，护士的地位比看门人高不了多少，而医院又是肮脏不堪无人关怀的地方。南丁格尔却坚持不渝，并在1853年成为伦敦一家小医院的院长。英俄战争爆发后，她前往克里米亚。她建立了第一所我们现在所说的战地医院：卫生、安全、设备充足。她对伤员不知疲倦的照顾使她誉满全球。克里米亚战后，南丁格尔不计个人的美名，继续培养护士，并一直与人们对护士的偏见进行着斗争。她自己把这种偏见描述作“一种普遍为人所接受的看法---要使一位女性成为一名好护士，惟一的条件是情场失意或在其他方面一无所能。”1921年以来，她的生日一直是英美全国医院周的中心内容，各医院都在这一周举办特别的展览、讨论会和宣传活动。

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 horrified   

a.(表现出)恐惧的

参考例句：

• The whole country was horrified by the killings. 全国都对这些凶杀案感到大为震惊。
• We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. 地方监狱的普遍状况让我们震惊。

3 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

4 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。