新西兰英语 209 Guy Fawkes

　　November 5th is Guy Fawkes night, the time when people celebrate with fireworks. In Christchurch and Wellington, there are public fireworks displays that people can attend. Many families also buy their own fireworks and light them in their back yards. It’s fun to see sky rockets and throw crackers¹ or hold sparklers. However, every year, the fire department worries about fires and medical people worry about injuries. In the past, people have received burns or eye injuries, sometimes serious, through careless use of fireworks. This is the reason for large public displays, to avoid accidents but also to give people a spectacular show. Stupid behaviour with fireworks is also the reason the government has banned the sale of fireworks before November 1st and restricted the sale to people over the age of 18.
The reason we celebrate Guy Fawkes is hard to understand. The occasion, November 5th 1605, 400 years ago, had nothing to do with New Zealand. It was the date for the opening of the English Parliament for the year. Guy Fawkes was a Catholic who wanted to blow up Parliament and kill James 1st. However, he was discovered the day before, in the cellar of the Houses of Parliament with 20 barrels of gunpowder², enough to kill the king and members of the House of Commons as well as the House of Lords. He and his mates were executed.
Since then, November 5th has been celebrated³ in England as a day of thanksgiving. It is a reminder⁴ to be thankful for democracy and freedom of religious belief. People build bonfires, children make a ‘guy’ out of straw and old clothes and burn him on the bonfire. The fireworks are a symbol of the explosion that Guy Fawkes planned.

1 crackers   

adj.精神错乱的，癫狂的n.爆竹( cracker的名词复数 )；薄脆饼干；（认为）十分愉快的事；迷人的姑娘

参考例句：

• That noise is driving me crackers. 那噪声闹得我简直要疯了。
• We served some crackers and cheese as an appetiser. 我们上了些饼干和奶酪作为开胃品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 gunpowder   

n.火药

参考例句：

• Gunpowder was introduced into Europe during the first half of the 14th century.在14世纪上半叶，火药传入欧洲。
• This statement has a strong smell of gunpowder.这是一篇充满火药味的声明。

3 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。

4 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。