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1、江苏省常州市西夏墅中学高中英语Unit2Language文化背景牛津译林版必修3TowerofBabelTheTowerofBabel,describedintheOldTestament(Genesis11:1-9),wasstartedbydescendantsofNoahontheplainofShinarinBabylonia.Thebuildersintendedthetowertoreachintoheavenandmakeanameforthem.God,however,wasnotpleasedwiththepeople,becausetheyweredisobeyi
2、ngthecommandgiventoNoahtofilltheearth.Thepeople'spridewasleadingthemintorebellionagainstGod,justasthosepeoplewhomGodhadjustdestroyedbytheFloodinNoah'stime.Tokeepthemfrombringinggreaterpunishmentonthemselvesinthenearfuture,Godstoppedthebuildingbyconfusingthelanguageofthepeople,causingthemtobesca
3、tteredthroughouttheearth.TheplacewherepeoplebuiltthetoweriscalledBabel,sothetowerisreferredastheTowerofBabel.Today,theword"babel"inEnglishmeansasceneofconfusion,disorder,ornoisefrommanydifferentvoices.WilliamShakespeareOfallthefamousEnglishwriters,probablythebestknownisWilliamShakespeare.Hewasb
4、orninStratford-upon-Avonin1564onAprilthe23rd.HisfatherwasanimportantmanintownsoShakespearehadagoodupbringing.Shakespeareprobablywenttoschool(althoughnorecordssurvivetoprovethis)butnotuniversity.Hegotmarriedwhenhewas18toAnneHathawayandthecouplehad3children.Shakespearewrote38playsand154sonnets(as
5、onnetisakindofpoem).HebeganworkinginhishometownofStratfordbutby1592waswritinginLondon.HebecamerichenoughtobuyahouseinthecapitalandoneinStratford.Hewrotesadstoriescalledtragedies,likeRomeoandJuliet,funnystoriesorcomedies,romanticstoriesandstoriesabouthistoricalfiguressuchasJuliusCaesar.Shakespea
6、rediedonhisbirthdayin1616,almost400yearsago.Butwhyishisworkstillpopulartoday?Hisworklookedatcommonhumanthemes,suchasbetrayal,murder,lust,power,ambitionandlove.ThesethemesareasmuchapartofhumannaturetodayastheywereallthoseyearsagoandarethethemesweseeinmodernsoapoperasandHollywoodfilms.Eventhoughh
7、istheatre,TheGlobe,burneddownin1613itwasrebuiltinLondonin1997andyoucanstillseehisplaysperformedtheretoday.Shakespeare'sinfluenceontheEnglishlanguagecanstillbefelttoday.Wetalkabout"fairplay",meaninghonestbehaviourbutthisphrasewasfi
