This is the South Bank in London. 2,000 years ago,if you'd heared a human voice around here,the language would have been incomprehensible.1,000 years ago,the English language had established its first base camp.Today English circles the globe.It inhabits the air we breathe.What started as a guttural,tribal dialect,seemingly isolated in a small island,is now the language of well over a thousand million people around the world.The story of the English language is an extraordinary one. It has the characteristics of a bold and successful adventure.Tenacity,luck,near extinction on more than one occasion,dazzling flexibility,and an extraordinary power to absorb.And it's still going on.New dialects,new Englishes are evolving all the time, all over the world.

comprehensible：that can be understood by sb 可理解的

circle：盘旋，环行，转圈◆ Seagulls circled around above his head. 海鸥在他的头顶上盘旋

【资料图】

inhabit：to live in a particular place 居住在；栖居于

guttural：made or seeming to be made at the back of the throat （似）喉间发出的

tribal：部落的；部族的 ◆ tribal leaders 部落首领

bold：(of people or behaviour 人或举止 ) brave and confident; not afraid to say what you feel or to take risks 大胆自信的；敢于表白情感的；敢于冒险的

tenacity：continuing to exist, have influence, etc.顽强

dazzle：（强光等）使目眩、眼花；使倾倒、赞叹不已，使眼花缭乱◆ dazzling = brilliant

evolve：to develop gradually

Successive invasions introduced then threatened to destroy our language.Our first programme tells that story. 

invasion：武装入侵；侵略

programme：（on TV/radio）节目

For 300 years,English was forced underground.Our second programme tells how it survived and how it fought back. 

Our third programme will tell how the English language took on the power blocks of church and state.

take on：把sb.带上（雇用sb.，与sb.对抗，携带◆ The bus taked on more passengers. 公交让其他乘客上车）；把sth.带上（承担sth.，具有、呈现，带上sth.◆ The ship took on more fuel. 轮船加了更多燃料）

the English language took on the power blocks of church and state：英语借用了教会和国家的力量

church & state：教会 & 国家

On fourth,how it became the language of Shakespeare.

In later programmes,we're going to leave these shores,as English did,to tell the story of how,in America,the language of one great empire became that of another.We'll go to the Caribbean,where a variety of new part-English dialects took root.India,where English became a commanding,unifying language in a country of a thousand tongues.And Australia,where a confident new English was invented by a people many of whom had been expelled from their mother country.

shore：海岸，海滨

Caribbean：adj，n.加勒比海地区

unify：使成一体，使统一

tongue：( formal or literary) a language 语言 ◆ None of the tribes speak the same tongue. 这些部落所说的语言都不相同

expel：把…开除（或除名），驱逐出境

We'll travel through time,too,to explore how English in the 21st century has become the international language of business,the language in which the world's citizens communicate.

Over the last 1,500 years,this small islands have achieved much that is remarkable.But in my view,England's greatest success story of all is the English language.

These programmes are about the words we think in,talk in, write in,sing in,the words that describe the life we live.

These is where we can begin,just after dawn in a foreign country,on a flat shore by the North Sea,in what we now call the Netherlands.

Netherlands：荷兰（尼德兰）

This is Friesland,and it's in this part of the world that we can still hear the modern language that we believe sounds closest to what the ancestor of English sounded like 1,500 years ago.In Friesland,many people start their day listening to the weather forecast from popular weatherman Piet Paulusma.Some of this words might sound familiar,like "three" and "four" "frost " and "freeze" "mist" and "blue".The reason we can recognise these words is that modern Frisian and modern English can both be traced back to the same family —— the Germanic family of languages,and some words have stayed more or less the same down the centuries. Butter (bûter) , bread (brea) , cheese (tsiis) ,meal (miel) , sleep (sliepe) , boat (boat) , snow (snie) , sea (see) , storm (stoarm).

Friesland：位于荷兰北部的一个省

the Germanic family of languages：日尔曼语族

The West Germanic tribes who invented these words were a warlike,adventurous        people.They'd been on the move through Europe for the best part of 1,000 years and now had settlements in what we would call the lowlands of northern Europe — Holland , Germany and Denmark.But they were still greedy for land,ready to move on.

tribe：部落

the best part of：除...最好的部分，还有the majority of something ◆ for the best part of 1,000 years 在1000年里的大部分时间里

the West Germanic tribes：（见地图）荷兰在德国西部

lowland：低地、洼地

Holland：荷兰，侧重于代指荷兰的Noord-Holland（英文North Holland）和Zuid-Holland （英文South Holland）两个省

Denmark：丹麦王国，（见地图）荷兰、德国、丹麦接壤，本是同源

greedy：wanting more money, power, food, etc. than you really need 贪婪的

This is the island of Terschelling.The English coast is about 250 miles to the southwest behind me.It is from these islands and the low-lying Frisian mainland that,in the 5th century,a Germanic tribe part of the family that also contained Jutes , Angles , and Saxons，made sail to look for a better life.And they took their language(our language) with them.

Terschelling：Frisian最大的岛

Angles（盎格鲁族）

Saxon（撒克逊族）

Jutes（朱特族）

The Germanic tribes weren't the first to invade our shores.More than 500 years before,the Romans had also come by sea to impose their will.Now their empire had crumbled and they'd abandoned these islands,leaving the native tribes,the Britons or Celts,to their fate.

invade：武装入侵，侵略

impose：推行，采用（...规章制度）；强迫，把...强加于

crumble：变成碎片（国家崩溃、瓦解）

Briton ：英国人 ◆ the ancient Britons 古英国人

Celt：凯尔特人

公元383年，罗马面临着蛮族对于帝国中心的巨大威胁，不得不将驻扎在英国的军队撤回本土以充兵源

This is Pevensey Castle,an ancient Roman fort that used to stand on the very shoreline of the south coast.The chronicle of the period reports that in the year 491,Germanic invaders laid siege and slaughtered the Celts who had taken refuge here.Not one of them was left alive.Other Celts did survive the invasion,a million or more of them in England.But they were a broken people.The clue to their fate lies in the world the Germanic tribes used to describe them.It was 'wealas',a name that lives on in our modern language as 'Welsh'.1,500 years ago,it meant both 'foreigner' and 'slave'.The Celts became servants and followers,second-class citizens.The only way up was to become part of the invaders' teribes,to adopt their culture and their language.

fort：要塞；堡垒；军营

chronicle：a written record of events in the order in which they happened 编年史；历史 ◆ the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle 《盎格鲁 – 撒克逊人编年史》

siege：（军队对城镇的）围困，包围，围攻，封锁 ◆ the siege of Troy 特洛伊之围

lay：放置，铺设→筹备谋划（铺设计划）◆ to lay a trap for sb 给某人设下圈套；lie-lay-lain ；lay-laid-laid；lay siege：铺开包围住

slaughter：屠杀

refuge：shelter or protection from danger, trouble, etc. 庇护，避难；避难所

lie：躺（lie in the sun躺在阳光下、沐浴在阳光里）；但这里their fate lies in the world，是lie的另一种用法，大意是他们的命运留存/存在于这个单词里

lie(in sth)： (of ideas, qualities, problems, etc. 思想、特征、问题等 ) to exist or be found

second-class：次要的，次等的，二流的

The Celts and their language were pushed to the margins.Only a handful of words from the Celtic languages survive into modern English.In the north,where I come from,we have "crag",meaning "rock","coombe",meaning "deep valley",and dialect words like "brat" and "brock" for "badger".There are traces in place names.The "tor" in Torpenhow,spelled as Torpenhow,a neighbouring village to my own,that comes from the Celtic for "peak".The "car" of "Carlisle" means "a fortified place".In the South,they left us the names of Thames and Avon,Dover and London,but these were fragments.The language that prevailed was that of the victors.

margin：the extreme edge or limit of a place 边缘，极限，界限→边缘部份；非主体部份◆ people living on the marginsof society 生活在社会边缘的人

valley：山谷；溪谷

badger：獾（挖洞居住，夜间活动）

fortify：fort+ify：to make a place more able to resist attack, especially by building high walls 筑防御工事，筑城防御→加强、增强

fragment：a small part of sth that has broken off or comes from sth larger 碎片；片段

prevail：to exist or be very common at a particular time or in a particular place 普遍存在；盛行；流行

By the end of the 6 th century,These Germanic tribes occupied half of mainland Britain.They had divided into a number of kingdoms.Kent,Sussex,Essex and Wessex , denoting the settlements of southern,eastern,and western Saxon tribes ; East Anglia,named after the Angles who gave England its name ; Mercia in midlands ; Northumbria in the north.Throughout these areas,many modern places names come from that settlement or use the words they brought.We live with them.We live in them every day.(Ealing;Dorking;Worthing;Reading)The "ing" in modern place names means "the people of".(Bridlington;Wigton;Taunton;Chessington)"Ton",as in Wigton,where I come from,means "enclosure" or "village".(Birmingham ; Grantham ; Cheltenham ; Tottenham) "Ham" means "farm",which might surprise one or two Tottenham supporters.

denote：to be a sign of sth 标志；预示；象征 ◆ A very high temperature often denotes a serious illness. 高烧常常表示病得很重

enclosure：a piece of land that is surrounded by a fence or wall and is used for a particular purpose 圈占地

Tottenham Hotspur：托特纳姆 热刺（英国球队）

"Glory,glory,Tottenham Hotspurs"

"Glory,glory,Tottenham Hotspurs"

"Glory,glory,Tottenham Hotspurs"

"And the Spurs go marching on"

"Tottenham are the greatest team the world has ever seen"

march：齐步走，行进（像军人一样）；向...进发

The Germanic tribes,now settled around the country,all spoke their own dialects.From among them would emerge one language,Anglo-Saxon or Old English.And we all speak it every day.Examine the language you use today,and you'll still find hundreds of words from a language over 1,500 years old,key words ranging from the names we give family members to numbers.“bala bala...”Most of those words were from Old English,nouns like "youth""son""daughter""field""friend""home" and "ground",prepositions like "in" and "on","into""by",and "from"."And" and "the" are from Old English.All the numbers and verbs like "drink""come" and "go","sing""like" and "love".But would these words have sounded different all those years ago?In a slightly quieter pub,I asked language expert katie Lowe.

emerge：（从隐蔽处或暗处）出现；to become known 暴露，被知晓；to start to exist开始显露

She:"They sound a little differnt.I mean,the old English for 'sun' is 'sunu'.That's not so very different.'Game' is 'gamen'.'Ground' is 'grund'.And I notice that Steve says his daughter loves singing songs.If you said that in Old English,it would be 'His dochter luvath tha sange singen(听起来简直是德语)'.You can see that sounds pretty much like modern English."

He:"So,in fact,you can have a good concersation in Old English."

She:"Oh,yes,you can,indeed.I mean,each word I'm saying now is from Old English."

He:"Have you any estimate how many words there were swirling around compared with how many words we have now?"

swirl：（使）打旋，旋动，起漩涡 ◆ A long skirt swirled around her ankles. 她的长裙在脚踝旁边摆动

She:"I think it was in the region of 25,000 words.Compare that with an average desk dictionary,which maybe contains something like 100,000 words.It sounds pretty small.But if you think about the fact that an averagely educated person would probably have about 10,000 words in their active vocabulary,there are plenty of words to go round."

in the region of ：used when you are giving a number, price, etc. to show that it is not exact （表示不确切的数字等）大约，差不多

desk dictionary：an abridged dictionary of a size convenient to hold in the hand.要便携所以一定会有删减的

English took its first steps away from its tribal roots with a revival of Christianity.

revival：an improvement in the condition or strength of sth （状况或力量的）进步，振兴，复苏；再流行

christianity：基督教

"Let us praise the king of Heaven,the power of the Creator and His conception,the work of the glorious Father,who created every wonder,the eternal Lord."

creator：创造者，创作者，发明者 ； the Creator = God 造物主

conception：（...创造出的idea or a plan） 构思；构想

eternal：without an end; existing or continuing forever 不朽的；永久的；永恒的

In 597,the monk and prior Augustine led a mission from Rome to Kent.Around the same time,Irish monks of the Celtic church were establishing a presence in the north.Within a century,Christians build churches and monasteries.This is St.Paul's in Jarrow,part of which date from the 7th century.

monk：僧侣；修道士

prior：adj.先前的，之前的，早的；有优势的，重要的，优先的。n.1.a person who is in charge of a group of monksor nunsliving in a priory （小隐修院）上司；2. (in an abbey) a person next in rank below an abbotor abbess （隐修院）会长，副院长 

lead-led-led：带路（He led us out into the grounds. 他领我们进了庭园）→引导出；处于优势地位；be the leader of...（to lead an expedition 率领探险队）

mission：最早指派传教士传教，后引申为任务，所以lead a mission是率领宗教队伍

Irish：爱尔兰的，爱尔兰人的，爱尔兰语的

Celtic：凯尔特人的；凯尔特语的（the Celtic language of Ireland 爱尔兰语；爱尔兰盖尔语also Irish Gaelic , Gaelic）

establish a presence：初步建立，有点名堂的感觉

presence：(of a thing or a substance 事物或物质 ) the fact of being in a particular place or thing 存在；出现

monastery：a building in which monks live together 隐修院；修道院；寺院

date back (to…) = date from…：to have existed since a particular time in the past 追溯到；始于；自…至今

Faith and stone weren't the only things the Christian missionaries brought to the country.They brought the international language of the Christian religion,Latin.Latin terms became part of the English word hoard."Altare" became "altar"."Apostolus" became "apostle"."Mass""monk" and "verse" and many others all come from the Latin.This would become a pattern of English,the layering of words,taken from different source languages.And from Latin,too,the English took their script.

missionary：传教士

hoard：a collection of money, food, valuable objects, etc（钱、食物、贵重物品等的）贮存，聚藏；（尤指）秘藏

altar：圣坛，祭坛，祭台

apostle：使徒（耶稣十二门徒之一）

mass：弥撒（拉丁语是 Missa），一种圣体圣事或圣餐的仪式

verse：诗、韵文、打油诗，《圣经》的节

layer：n.层；v.使成层，分层堆放，这里...the layering of words...指来自不同语言的文字（单词）一层一层地叠加

script：a set of letters in which a language is written （一种语言的）字母系统，字母表

The Angles,Saxons,Frisians and Jutes who would become the English hadn't brought script as we know it with them,but runes.The runic alphabet was made up of symbols formed mainly of straight lines,so that the letters could be carved into stone or wood.Those were their media,rather than parchment or paper.（展示一小段runes样本）Though this is a short poem,most examples of runic writing that survive suggest runes were mainly used for short,practical messages or graffiti.

rune：如尼字母（属于北欧古文字体系），叫符文比较有感觉

symbol：a sign, number, letter, etc. that has a fixed meaning, especially in science, mathematics and music 符号；代号；记号 ◆ What is the chemical symbol for copper? 铜的化学符号是什么

parchment：羊皮纸

writing：写出来的东西→著作；words that have been written or painted on sth （书写或涂画的）文字

graffiti：涂鸦，胡写乱画

The Latin alphabet was different.With its curves and bows,it allowed words to be easily written,using pen and ink,onto pages of parchment or vellum,which,gathered together into a book,could be widely circulated.Christianity brought the book to these shores—Verbum,the word.Soon,a native culture of scholarship began to flower,a culture based on Latin and on writing.The magnificent Lindisfarne Gospels were created in the 8th century,on the island of Lindisfarne,just off the northeast coast.A few miles south,at the monastery of St.Paul's in Jarrow,the great English monk and scholar Bede,born and educated in Northumbria,began writing the first-ever history of the English-speaking people.He wrote,of course,in Latin,the language of scholarship.The prevailing language among the people was still Old English,but Latin,this powerful medium,was now amongst them.Now Old English was written down using the Latin alphabet,while retaining some of the old runes as letters.From the 7th century,we find English itself written on parchment in a language and a script which we can just about recognise as our own.

curves and bows：曲曲绕绕

vellum：（书封或旧时书写用的）羊皮纸，犊皮纸

Verbum：也就是the word，词语，圣言

scholarship：学问；学术；学术研究

magnificent：extremely attractive and impressive; deserving praise

Gospel： one of the four books in the Bible about the life and teaching of Jesus 福音（《圣经》中关于耶稣生平和教诲的四福音书之一）

off：介词，离开；（时空上）离，距 ◆ an island off the coast of Spain 西班牙海岸附近的岛

retain：to keep sth; to continue to have sth 保持；持有；保留；继续拥有

With writing,Old English stole a march on other languages spoken in Europe at the time.Prayers were recorded and books of the Bible translated.The laws of the land were written down,and the language soon became capable of recording and expressing an increasingly wide and subtle range of human experience.

steal a march (on sb)： to gain an advantage over sb by doing sth before them 抢先（某人）一步；抢得先机

subtle：not very noticeable or obvious 不易察觉的；不明显的；微妙的◆ There are subtle differences between the two versions. 两个版本之间有一些细微的差异。生活中的细微之处

And in the right hands,Old English was now powerful and supple enough to take you to imaginary worlds,fire the blood,be poetry.以下是古诗《贝奥武夫》节选段落大意："So,the Spear-Danes in days gone by and the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness.We have heard of those princes' heroic campaigns."No one knows who composed the epic "Beowulf" sometime between the mid 7th and end of the 10th century.It's the first great poem in the English language,the beginning of a glorious tradition which will lead to Chaucer,Shakespeare and beyond.The poem celebrates the glory days of the Germanic tribes,epitomised in the heroic warrior who gives the poem its name.

supple：soft and able to bend easily without cracking 易弯曲的；柔韧的

compose：to combine together to form a whole 组成，构成（一个整体）

epic：a long poem about the actions of great men and women or about a nation's history; this style of poetry 叙事诗；史诗

epitomise：to be a perfect example of sth 成为…的典范（或典型），体现出，表现出

Seamus用古英文读了一段...

He:"What does that tell us about English at that time,Seamus?What sort of language was it when you come to it?Do you think is a fully developed poetic language?"

Seamus:"It's certainly a fully developed poetic language.It's capable of great elaboration.But what struck me generally about Old English ,from the monent I read the bits of 'The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle' right through to 'Beowulf',is it's terrific for telling what happened.It's a wonderful sense of the indicative mood all through it.It's terrific for action,terrific for description.There's a wonderful forthright capacity to make up extra language in Anglo-Saxon.The words are very clear and direct.'Bone' and 'house',for example.'Bone-house'.There you have the house for the body.(ban-hul→bone-house:body)Beautiful words for instruments.The harp is called 'gleo-beam',the glee beam,the happy wood,or else the joy wood,I think 'gomen-wudu'.(gomen-þuʂu→joy-wood:harp)" Swords or shields.The shield is the war-board,"wig-bord".(þıʒ-bonʖ→war-board:shield)That is a specific poetic energy that's in the language,the ability to make compounds,which is still in German,I guess,that gives it great beauty.

elaborate：very complicated and detailed; carefully prepared and organized 复杂的；详尽的；精心制作的---The importance of the plan needs no further elaboration. 这个计划的重要性无须赘述

strike：1.(of a thought or an idea 想法或念头 ) to come into sb's mind suddenly 突然想到，一下子想起，猛地意识到  ◆ An awful thought has just struck me. 刚才我脑子里突然闪过一个可怕的念头  2.to give sb a particular impression 给（某人以…）印象，让（某人）觉得 ◆ His reaction struck me as odd. 他的反应令我诧异

indicative：adj.( grammar 语法 ) stating a fact 陈述的，指示的；另一个同时也是为我们所熟知的意思是 暗示、表明

forthright：direct and honest in manner and speech 直率的，直截了当的，坦诚的

harp：竖琴

compound：( grammar 语法 ) a noun, an adjective or a verb made of two or more words or parts of words, written as one or more words, or joined by a hyphen. Travel agent, dark-hairedand bathroomare all compounds. 复合词。混合物，复合物；化合物

He:"How extensive is the vocabulary?"

extensive：including or dealing with a wide range of information 广泛的，广博的

Seamus:"I think there are 4,000 words recorded in 'Beowulf'.But a lot of the words repeat themselves.Now probably this is in poetry more than in prose.If we heard an Anglo-Saxon speaker speaking under his roof to his companion,we'd probably hear a very quicker,different,less elaborate language from 'Beowulf'."

prose：散文

He:"Would you say it is very cleary written to be read aloud?"

Seamus:"It's certainly written to be read aloud.The question that agitates some scholars is whether it was written?But I think the general consensus now is that by the time you get to 'Beowulf',you have a writer dealing with a traditional oral language.Certainly,you open the book.'Hwat!We gardena inyear dagum' asks to be uttered,and there are many speeches in it.And it comes off the tongue with terrific directness."

agitate：有种文法修饰性意味的“使动、摇”→1.（尤指为法律、社会状况的改变而）激烈争论，鼓动，煽动---Her family are agitating to have her transferred to a prison in the UK. 她的家人正多方游说把她转到英国监狱 ；2. agitate sth ( technical 术语 ) to make sth, especially a liquid, move around by stirring or shaking it 搅动，摇动（液体等）

consensus：an opinion that all members of a group agree with 共识

utter：v. to make a sound with your voice; to say sth 出声，说，讲 ◆ to utter a cry 发出喊叫声；2. used to emphasize how complete sth is 完全的，十足的，彻底的  ◆ He felt an utter fool. 他觉得自己蠢到家了

Latin and Greek had created great bodies of literature in the classical past.In the East,Arabic and Chinese were being used in the 8th and 9th century as languages of poetry.But at that time,no other language in the Christian world could match the achievement of the 'Beowulf' poet,and his anonymous contemporaries.Old English was flourishing.The adventure was under way.But while the seeds of English had come from these Frisian shores in the 5th century,so now,in the late 8th century,a potential destroyer was preparing his battle fleet 500 miles or so to the north.

Arabic：n.阿拉伯语；adj.阿拉伯语的

match：匹配，配对，匹敌

anonymous：匿名的，不知道名字的

contemporary：同代人

flourish：to develop quickly and be successful or common 繁荣，昌盛，兴旺 ； 2.to grow well; to be healthy and happy 茁壮成长，健康幸福

fleet：a group of military ships commanded by the same person 舰队

or so = about ；It'll cost €100 or so. 这大约要花 100 欧元

In the late 8th century,the Latin-based culture of scholarship,which had grown up in places like Lindisfarne and which had also been the cradle of old English,faced extinction from across the sea.

cradle：1.the place where sth important began 发源地，发祥地；2.摇篮

These ruins are of the medieval monastery that stood on the island of Lindisfarne.It was the Vikings who sacked and burned the religious centre that stood here before.To these pagan pirates rampaging out of their longship in 793,this great centre of Cristian piety and scholarship,a pivotal place in the survival of the Word and the Gospels,was no more than an undefended treasure house.The jewels that graced the books of the church became baubles around a Viking's neck.

medieval：connected with the Middle Ages (about AD 1000 to AD 1450) 中世纪的（约公元 1000 到 1450 年）

sack：to destroy things and steal property in a town or building （尤指旧时军队等）破坏，劫掠

pagan：a person who holds religious beliefs that are not part of any of the world's main religions 异教徒（信奉非主流宗教者） 2 used in the past by Christians to describe a person who did not believe in Christianity 教外人（旧时的基督徒用以指非基督徒）

rampage:to move through a place in a group, usually breaking things and causing damage 横冲直撞

piety：the state of having or showing a deep respect for sb/sth, especially for God and religion; the state of being pious 虔诚

pivotal：of great importance because other things depend on it 关键性的；核心的

grace：to make sth more attractive; to decorate sth 为…增色；为…锦上添花；装饰

bauble：1.( BrE) a decoration for a Christmas tree in the shape of a ball 圣诞树装饰球；2.便宜的、低廉花哨的首饰

Today the Vikings may seem romantic,re-enacting their rituals a good day out.Over 12th centuries ago,their arrival was not so cheerful.To many,it seemed to signal the end for civilisation.A year after razing Lindisfarne,the Vikings returned and sacked Jarrow,the abbey where Bede had been the greatest scholar in one of the finest libraries in Christendom.This stronghold of the Latin word,where English was also being written down uniquely among European dialects,was burned to the ground,its books with it.It was the start of 70 years of attack during which the Vikings savaged this eastern half of the country.Few stories survive of exactly where and when they attacked,perhaps,chillingly,because few were left to tell the tale.At first,the raiders went home with their plunder.Then,they decided to take the land itself.In 865,the Vikings landed a great army south of here,in East Anglia.Within 5 years,the Vikings invaders who were now called Danes,controlled the north and east of the country.Of the old Anglo-Saxon kingdoms,only Wessex still held out.Old Norse,the language of the conquerors,was spreading throughout the land.Old English potentially faced the same fate as the Celtic language it had supplanted, virtual oblivion.English was in need of a champion,and it found one.

re-enact：to repeat the actions of a past event 重做；再次进行 ◆ Members of the English Civil War Society will re-enact the battle. 英国内战协会的成员将再次展现那场战争

ritual：a series of actions that are always performed in the same way, especially as part of a religious ceremony 程序；仪规；礼节；（尤指）宗教仪式

raze sth: to completely destroy a building, town, etc. so that nothing is left 彻底摧毁；将…夷为平地

abbey：大教堂 --- Westminster Abbey 威斯敏斯特教堂

Chris·ten·dom ：all the Christian people and countries of the world （全世界的）基督教徒，信奉基督教的国家 

stronghold：1.有广泛支持的地方；势力强大的地方 ◆ a stronghold of Republicanism 共和党势力强大的地区 ；2.堡垒；要塞；据点； 3. （某种动物的）主要栖息地 ◆  strongholds of the Siberian tiger. 西伯利亚虎的主要栖息地

savage：to attack sb violently, causing serious injury 凶狠地攻击（或伤害）；残害

chilling：frightening, usually because it is connected with sth violent or cruel （常与残暴有关）令人恐惧的，令人害怕的 ◆ a chilling story 令人毛骨悚然的故事

plunder：1.the act of plundering 抢掠，掠夺 ；2. things that have been stolen, especially during a war, etc.

supplant ≈ replace：to take the place of sb/sth (especially sb/sth older or less modern) 取代，替代（尤指年老者或落后于时代的事物）

virtual：almost or very nearly the thing described, so that any slight difference is not important 很接近的；几乎…的；事实上的；实际上的；实质上的◆ The company has a virtual monopoly in this area of trade. 这家公司实质上已经垄断了这种贸易

oblivion：the state in which sb/sth has been forgotten and is no longer famous or important 被遗忘，湮没；a state in which sth has been completely destroyed 被摧毁，被毁灭

champion：a person who fights for, or speaks in support of, a group of people or a belief 斗争者；捍卫者；声援者；拥护者 ◆ She was a champion of the poor all her life. 她终身都是穷苦人的卫士

King Alfred's statue stands here in Winchester,the capital of his ancient kingdom of Wessex.He is the only monarch in our history to be known as "the Great",and he is often been hailed as the saviour of England.That may be debatable,as the idea of a single,unified England didn't really exist in Alfred's day.What is certain is that he was a great defender of the English language.It was the Victorians who had dubbed Alfred "the Great".He was one of their darlings,an English hero whose exploits were enthusiastically woven into the fabric of national myth.But he very nearly didn't make it.

monarch：a person who rules a country, for example a king or a queen 君主；帝王

hail：to describe sb/sth as being very good or special, especially in newspapers, etc. 赞扬（或称颂）…为（尤用于报章等）◆ Teenager Matt Brown is being hailed a hero for saving a young child from drowning. 因救起一名溺水儿童，少年马特 · 布朗被誉为英雄

saviour：1. a person who rescues sb/sth from a dangerous or difficult situation 救助者，拯救者，救星 ；2. the Saviour [singular ] used in the Christian religion as another name for Jesus Christ 救主，救世主

Victorian：adj.维多利亚女王时代（1837–1901 年）的；n.维多利亚女王时代的英国人

dub：to give sb/sth a particular name, often in a humorous or critical way 把…戏称为；给…起绰号

exploit：a brave, exciting or interesting act 英勇（或激动人心、引人注目）的行为，壮举

weave-wove-woven：to put facts, events, details, etc. together to make a story or a closely connected whole （把…）编成，编纂成，编造（故事等）

the fabric(of sth) ：( formal) the basic structure of a society, an organization, etc. that enables it to function successfully （社会、机构等的）结构。weave有“编、织”，fabric有“织物”之意，所以...

myth：神话；神话故事 = legend ◆ ancient Greek myths 古希腊神话

He'd come to the throne of Wessex within a year of the first Danish attacks in the southeast,and at first,he could hardly hold them back.In 878,the Danes won what appeared to be a decisive battle at Chippenham in Wiltshire.Alfred,with only a few followers,went on the run into the marshes of Somerset,moving ,as a contemporary wrote,"under difficulties,through woods,and into inaccessible places".Legend has Alfred,unrecognised,taking shelter in a poor woman's cottage and being scolded for burning the wheaten cakes he'd been set to mind.But the reality was less cosy.His situation was desperate,and if Alfred's kingdom fell,the whole country would be controlled and settled by conquerors whose language would inevitably crush English.But Alfred proved to be an enterprising warrior and strategist.Running free in the Somerset Levels,he discovered the arts of irregular warfare and mounted guerilla attacks against the occupying forces of Guthrun,the Danish invader.But he knew that wasn't going to be enough.For Wessex to be regained,the Danes had to be brought to battle and defeated.The fighting men of Wessex had been scattered.But in the spring of 878,Alfred sent out a call for the men of the Shire Fyrds,the county armies,to join him.Around 4,000 men,mainly from Wiltshire and Somerset,armed only with battle-axes and throwing spears,responded to the call.They mustered at Egbert's Stone,where trackways and ridgeways met.48 hours later,they advanced,shields drumming against the Danish army of 5,000,holding high ground at Ethandune on the western edge of Salisbury Plain.Contemporary English accounts describe the battle that followed as a slaughter and a rout of the Danes by the West Saxons.Modern historians question that,but there's no doubt that Alfred prevailed.His crown and his kingdom were secured.And more importantly for our story,so was the English language.

throne：1.国王的宝座；2.the throne [singular ] the position of being a king or queen 王位；王权；帝位 ◆  come/succeed to the throne即位╱登基 ◆ when Henry VIII was on the throne (= was king) 亨利八世在位时

within：The ambulance arrived within minutes of the call being made. 打电话后几分钟内救护车就到了。870年，丹麦人入侵英格兰；871年，Alfred即位。所以Alfred登基肯定是在丹麦人第一次入侵后的事了。

decisive：decide→decisive决定性的

marsh：沼泽，湿地

cottage：小屋，（尤指）村舍

scold：to speak angrily to sb, especially a child, because they have done sth wrong 训斥，责骂（尤指孩子）

mind the shop ( BrE) ：( NAmE mind the store ) to be in charge of sth for a short time while sb is away 临时代管；帮忙关照

cosy：warm, comfortable and safe, especially because of being small or confined 温暖舒适的，温馨

inevitably：from Latin inevitabilis（unavoidable），from in- （not, opposite of）+ evitabilis（avoidable）from evitare（to avoid）；不可避免地；必然地

enterprise：the ability to think of new projects and make them successful 事业心，进取心，创业精神→enterprising 有事业心的；有进取心的；有创业精神的

The Somerset Levels and Moors is a unique flat landscape that extends for about 170,000 acres (70,000 ha) across parts of the north and centre of the county of Somerset in the West of England. Somerset平原和旷野

warfare：the activity of fighting a war, especially using particular weapons or methods 战；作战；战争

guerrilla = guerilla：adj.游击的，非正规的，非正式的 ；n.游击队员

scatter：散，四散◆ Scatter the grass seed over the lawn. 把草籽撒到草坪上 ◆ At the first gunshot, the crowd scattered. 枪声一响，人群便逃散了

muster：to come together, or bring people, especially soldiers, together for example for military action 集合，召集，集结（尤指部队）

track是“小径，车辙痕迹，轨道”；ridge是“山脊，山脉”。ridgeway可以指“山脊”也可以是“沿着山脊的小路”，和trackway（小径）差不多，英国有许多这样的ridgeway，如The Wessex Ridgeway, a conduit for shepherds, farmers and travellers across the downs from Avebury to the River Thames and beyond, is often called Europe’s oldest road.

hold high ground：把持着、据守着高地

plain：a large area of flat land 平原 ◆ the flat coastal plain of Thassos 萨索斯岛平坦的滨海平原 ◆ the Great Plains 北美洲大平原

account：（思想、理论、过程的）解释，说明，叙述；（description）描述，叙述，报告。account，源于法语acont，a-（拉丁词缀ad-）+cont（counting计算）；account有“银行账户”“商业记录、账目”，本质上是对数据的处理计算，解释说明。

rout：a situation in which sb is defeated easily and completely in a battle or competition 溃败；彻底失败

prevail：普遍存在，盛行，流行◆ Those beliefs still prevail among certain social groups. 那些观念在某些社会群体中仍很盛行

secure：to obtain or achieve sth（经过努力）获得，取得，实现；to attach or fasten sth firmly 拴牢，扣紧；protect from harm 使不受危害

The Danes surendered,their leader was baptised as a Christian,and Alfred's crucial victory was memorialised here in Wiltshire in an earlier version of a Great White Horse,carved into the land he'd saved.

baptize ( BrE also -ise ) ： to give sb baptism 授洗；付洗；施洗 ◆ She was baptized Mary. 她受洗时取名为玛丽。 ◆ I was baptized a Catholic. 我领洗成为天主教徒

crucial：extremely important至关重要的；关键性的

memorize（BrE se）- v. 记住；memorial - n.纪念品，纪念碑 adj. ；memorialize（BrE se）- v.纪念

Alfred left an even more significant mark on the country.He signed a peace treaty with the Danes which established a border running up through the country,from the Tames to the old Roman road of Watling Street.The land to the north and east,to be known as the Danelaw,would be under Danish rule.The land to the south and west would be for the English.No one was to cross the line unless to trade.

treaty：a formal agreement between two or more countries （国家之间的）条约，协定

In the course of time,because of Alfred's peace treaty,when Danes and English met,they didn't do so to fight,but to do business,even to intermarry.Communities mixed,and so did the languages.And English,rather than being engulfed by the Danes'languages,began to absorb it.

in course of sth： ( formal) going through a particular process 在…的过程中 ◆ The new textbook is in course of preparation. 新的教科书正在准备之中

course：源自法语cors，拉丁语cursus，即“跑，运动，（水的）流动”（to run）→“进程，过程”（某事是如何发展的 develop）→“课程”（a series of lessons or lectures，a period of study），“一道菜”（part of meal），“医疗疗程”；run → “道路”（line in which something moves），“方向，航向”（direction），所以of course是不偏离方向、道路，即“当然”，off course是背离了路线

intermarry：不同种族（或国家、教派）间通婚；近亲结婚

engulf sb/sth：to surround or to cover sb/sth completely 包围；吞没；淹没 ◆ He was engulfed by a crowd of reporters. 他被一群记者团团围住