普通高中課程標準實驗教科書英語必修高二上必修5 Unit 2 The United Kingdom-Reading Ta

所屬教程:普通高中課程標準實驗教科書英語必修高二上

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A PARTICULAR BRITISH CELEBRATION

There is one celebration that happens in Britain and nowhere else in the world. It is called Guy Fawkes Night or Bonfire Night and takes place every year on November 5th. It is particular because, unlike most festivals, it celebrates something that did not happen.

Guy Fawkes lived in England in the 17th century. At this time in Europe there were two kinds of Christian and they were often at war with each other. Guy Fawkes was one kind of Christian, a Catholic (天主教), but the government of England usually supported the Protestant (新教) cause. When King James of Scotland became king of England in 1603, he seemed happy to be friendly to both Catholics and Protestants and let them both practise Christianity in their own ways. Later he changed his mind. This upset Guy Fawkes very much.

On October 10th, 1605 one of Fawkes' Catholic friends, named Catesby, asked him if he would support a plan to change the government and replace it with another that supported the Catholic cause. Fawkes, disappointed at the government's behaviour, agreed. Ten days before the plan, Fawkes and Catesby arranged to buy a house close to the Houses of Parliament. This house had cellars (地窖) that lay under the Houses of Parliament. During the next three days Catesby and Fawkes bought large containers of gunpowder and stored them in the cellar. They waited for the opening of Parliament on November 6th when the king and all his advisers would be there for the meeting. But, unfortunately for Fawkes and Catesby, King James heard about the plan and decided to search those cellars. Catesby took flight but Fawkes waited by the gunpowder to start the fire. Of course the soldiers found him before he could do anything and he was taken to the Tower of London to be killed.

The following day there were celebrations all over England because the plan had been discovered in time. Fireworks were lit and bonfires burned. King James decided that he did not want his people "to forget how close the government had come to disaster. So he made November 5th into a yearly celebration. That is why, even today, when people can follow any religion they like, families still have firework parties and burn cloth dolls of Guy Fawkes on a bonfire. They remember a time in England when people were not as tolerant (容忍的) of each other's ideas as they are now.