美国国家公共电台 NPR Tolkien's Plant Passion Moves Botanist To Create Guide To Middle Earth

 

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

To Middle Earth - that's where author J. R. R. Tolkien transported readers in "The Hobbit" and "The Lord Of The Rings" to follow the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf and this creature?

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS")

ANDY SERKIS: (As Gollum) Must have the Precious.

CHANG: Ugh, Gollum.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

The Precious. While most fans were captivated by the characters and the plot, Walter Judd - well, he couldn't stop thinking about the plants.

WALTER JUDD: I started underlining every name of a plant as I was reading "The Lord Of The Rings."

MARTIN: Professor Walter Judd had spent decades studying plants. He's a botanist¹. And he was moved by Tolkien's passion for them.

W. JUDD: One of the quotes I love that is in one of Tolkien's letters is he says, "I am obviously much in love with plants and, above all, trees - and always have been."

CHANG: Judd decided² to create a botanical guide to Middle Earth. It's a book describing 141 plants that populate Tolkien's mythical³ universe.

MARTIN: The book has illustrations by another Judd, the grown-up son to whom Walter used to read Tolkien years ago. Graham Judd, now an artist, spent four years helping⁴ his dad with this literary quest.

GRAHAM JUDD: We started breaking it down into memorable⁵ quotes in which plants were listed and how those plants affected⁶ the story.

CHANG: They looked for passages like this one from "The Lord Of The Rings." Frodo's been wounded, and the hobbits are seeking cover.

G. JUDD: (Reading) As quickly as they could, they scrambled⁷ off the beaten way and up into a deep heather and bilberry brushwood on the slopes above, until they came to a small patch of thick-growing hazels.

CHANG: So even the most ardent⁸ fans might be wondering, do we really need to know what bilberry brushwood is?

MARTIN: For Walter Judd, the project is more than a gateway⁹ to a fantasy world. It is a reminder¹⁰ to appreciate nature as it really is.

W. JUDD: And I think that's because Tolkien specifically wants us to reconnect with the world around us, the real world - and that he is correct when he says that his writing is not escapism but it has a view of reconnection.

CHANG: Walter Judd - he's written a new book with his son Graham called "Flora¹¹ Of Middle-Earth: Plants of J. R. R. Tolkien's Legendarium."

(SOUNDBITE OF HOWARD SHORE'S "FOUNDATIONS OF STONE")

1 botanist   

n.植物学家

参考例句：

• The botanist introduced a new species of plant to the region.那位植物学家向该地区引入了一种新植物。
• I had never talked with a botanist before,and I found him fascinating.我从没有接触过植物学那一类的学者，我觉得他说话极有吸引力。

2 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。

3 mythical   

adj.神话的；虚构的；想像的

参考例句：

• Undeniably,he is a man of mythical status.不可否认，他是一个神话般的人物。
• Their wealth is merely mythical.他们的财富完全是虚构的。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

6 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 scrambled   

v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 ardent   

adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的

参考例句：

• He's an ardent supporter of the local football team.他是本地足球队的热情支持者。
• Ardent expectations were held by his parents for his college career.他父母对他的大学学习抱着殷切的期望。

9 gateway   

n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法

参考例句：

• Hard work is the gateway to success.努力工作是通往成功之路。
• A man collected tolls at the gateway.一个人在大门口收通行费。

10 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

11 flora   

n.(某一地区的)植物群

参考例句：

• The subtropical island has a remarkably rich native flora.这个亚热带岛屿有相当丰富的乡土植物种类。
• All flora need water and light.一切草木都需要水和阳光。