英语访谈对话 389 The History of the Tie

 　　Todd: Mike, you were born in Croatia.

　　Mike: That's right.

　　Todd: Now you told me an interesting story about the necktie. Can you explain where the necktie came from?

　　Mike: Well, my understanding is that the necktie originated¹ from Croatia. Originally, several hundred years ago, when the Croatians went into battle they would have a scarf or a handkerchief that protected their necks when they went into battle, and when they fought, and what they started doing was wearing this scarf or this handkerchief around their neck almost as an accessory² and they wore this in the 17th, I believe it was 18th century maybe, or 17th century. They went to visit Louis the 14th in France on some sort of official visit, a delegation³ of Croatians, that rhymes, and they wore their handkerchiefs, and apparently⁴ Louis the 14th was so impressed and thought is was such a cool looking accessory that he adopted it as a fashion item for the French and it became the necktie, and the French word for necktie comes from the French word for Croatian, which is "cravate", so the cravate origin is from the Croatian. That's the story as far as I know it.

　　Todd: Wow, so today people wear neckties because of Croatia?

　　Mike: Because of Croatians and that doesn't make me feel any better because I hate wearing a necktie, but I guess I can't change history.

1 originated   

v.起源于，来自，产生( originate的过去式和过去分词 )；创造；创始；开创

参考例句：

• The disease is thought to have originated in the tropics. 这种疾病据说起源于热带地区。
• The art of portrait miniatures was originated in England. 微型画像艺术创始于英国。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 accessory   

n.附件，附属品，（为全套衣服增加美感的）服饰

参考例句：

• He is an accessory to the murderer.他是这个杀人凶手的同谋。
• A radio is an accessory to a car.收音机是汽车的附件。

3 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

4 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。