《英语流行话题阅读:语境识词3500》Unit58:狂欢节的起源

　　Unit 58
The Origin of Carnival¹
Carnival is a Christian² creation derived³ from the Latin "Carne vale", meaning "farewell meat". And this referred to stop eating the meat. Despite its religious origin, Carnival has developed a secular⁴ meaning.
Today, Carnival is time for a revelry for all. It is a celebration for life and revival⁵. Thus parades, parties, with music and dances are part of it. Wild, noisy, colorful parades of revelers in bright costumes go to main streets to participate and share the joy. Carnival took on aspects of some spring rites⁶ and still keeps them.
In the ancient festival of Saturnalia the Romans used to burn the statue of the king of ancient Saturnalia. He was an ugly-looking man and the master of revels⁷. He suffered a real death when the revels were over.
In the countries like Italy, Spain, and France where the influence of Rome has been deepest and most lasting⁸, the statue of Carnival is burnt, drowned, or beheaded to the pretended sorrow or true delight of the revelers. This burnt out statue, as pointed⁹ out by the famous anthropologist¹⁰ Sir James Frazer, is no other than the direct ruler after the old king of Saturnalia. In fact, this tradition of statue burning had come as a part of an ancient rites of celebrating the end of the battle between summer and winter.
The wild revelry, which is an important part of Carnival, is also what is left of the same ancient tradition of spring festival. They are believed to imitate the wars between summer and winter so commonly fought at the coming of spring. The colorful costumes of the revelers are also said to represent the spring when the white face of nature is cast aside for a colorful look. The popular tradition of wearing masks during the Carnival also comes from the feature of the New Year festivals. The masks are said to represent the dead or spirits from the nether¹¹ world who come closest to the human at his time of changeover.
Carnival is still a wonderful festival of joy in Brazil, Peru, and other parts of South America. It is also celebrated¹² with much excitement in the European countries ruled by the Catholics. Thus it is widely celebrated in Italy, France, Spain and Portugal.

1 carnival   

n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演

参考例句：

• I got some good shots of the carnival.我有几个狂欢节的精彩镜头。
• Our street puts on a carnival every year.我们街的居民每年举行一次嘉年华会。

2 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

3 derived   

vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

5 revival   

n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振

参考例句：

• The period saw a great revival in the wine trade.这一时期葡萄酒业出现了很大的复苏。
• He claimed the housing market was showing signs of a revival.他指出房地产市场正出现复苏的迹象。

6 rites   

仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to administer the last rites to sb 给某人举行临终圣事
• He is interested in mystic rites and ceremonies. 他对神秘的仪式感兴趣。

7 revels   

n.作乐( revel的名词复数 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉v.作乐( revel的第三人称单数 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉

参考例句：

• Christmas revels with feasting and dancing were common in England. 圣诞节的狂欢歌舞在英国是很常见的。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Dickens openly revels in the book's rich physical detail and high-hearted conflict. 狄更斯对该书中丰富多彩的具体细节描写和勇敢的争斗公开表示欣赏。 来自辞典例句

8 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

9 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

10 anthropologist   

n.人类学家，人类学者

参考例句：

• The lecturer is an anthropologist.这位讲师是人类学家。
• The anthropologist unearthed the skull of an ancient human at the site.人类学家在这个遗址挖掘出那块古人类的颅骨。

11 nether   

adj.下部的，下面的；n.阴间；下层社会

参考例句：

• This terracotta army well represents his ambition yet to be realized in the nether-world.这一批兵马俑很可能代表他死后也要去实现的雄心。
• He was escorted back to the nether regions of Main Street.他被护送回中央大道南面的地方。

12 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。