资源描述：
《短文阅读(student)》由会员上传分享，免费在线阅读，更多相关内容在行业资料-天天文库。
1、ReadingMaterials(week4)AOneofthegreatestcontributionstothefirstOxfordEnglishDictionarywasalsooneofitsmostunusual.In1879,OxfordUniversityinEnglandaskedProf.JamesMurraytoserveaseditorforwhatwastobethemostambitious（雄心勃勃的）dictionaryinthehistoryoftheEnglishla
2、nguage.ItwouldincludeeveryEnglishwordpossibleandwouldgivenotonlythedefinition（定义，解释）butalsothehistoryofthewordandquotations(引文)showinghowitwasused.Thiswasahugetask.SoMurraryhadtofindvolunteersfromBritain,theUnitedStates,andtheBritishcoloniestosearchevery
3、newspaper,magazine,andbookeverwritteninEnglish.Hundredsofvolunteersresponded,includingWilliamChesterMinor.Dr.MinorwasanAmericanSurgeonwhohadservedintheCivilWarandwasnowlivinginEngland.Hegavehisaddressas“Broadmoor,Crowthorne,Berkshire,”50milesfromOxford.M
4、inorjoinedthearmyofvolunteerssendingwordsandquotationstoMurray.Overthenextyears,hebecameoneofthestaff’smostvaluedcontributors（投稿者）.Buthewasalsoamystery.Inspiteofmanyinvitations,hewouldalwaysdeclinetovisitOxford.Soin1897，MurrayfinallydecidedtotraveltoCrow
5、thornehimself.Whenhearrived,hefoundMinorlockedinabook-linedcellattheBroadmoorAsylum（避难所）forthecriminallyinsane（精神病的）.MurrayandMinorbecamefriends,sharingtheirloveofwords.Minorcontinuedcontributingtothedictionary,sendinginmorethan10,000submissionsin20years
6、.MurraycontinuedtovisitMinorregularly,sometimestakingwalkswithhimaroundtheasylumgrounds.In1910,MinorleftBroadmoorforanasyluminhisnativeAmerica.Murraywasattheporttowavegoodbyetohisremarkablefriend.(www.yywords.com)第20页共二十页Minordiedin1920,sevenyearsbeforet
7、hefirsteditionoftheOxfordEnglishDictionarywascompleted.The12volumesdefined414,825words,andthousandsofthemwerecontributionsfromaveryscholarly（学识渊博的）anddevotedasylumpatient.1.accordingtothetext,thefirstOxfordEnglishDictionary_________.A.cameoutbeforeminord
8、iedB.waseditedbyanAmericanvolunteerC.includedtheEnglishwordsinventedbyMurrayD.wasintendedtobethemostambitiousEnglishdictionary2.HowdidDr.Minorcontributetothedictionary?A.HehelpedMurraytofindhundredsofvolunteers.B.Hesentnew
