One of the greatest contributors to the first Oxford English Dictionary was also one of its most unusual. In 1879, Oxford University in England asked Prof. James Murray to serve as editor for what was to be the most ambitious dictionary in the history of the English language. It would include every English word possible and would give not only the definition but also the history of the word and quotations(引文) showing how it was used.
This was a huge task, so Murray had to find volunteers from Britain, the United States, and the British colonies to search every newspaper, magazine, and book ever written in English. Hundreds of volunteers responded, including William Chester Minor. Dr. Minor was an American surgeon who had served in the Civil War and was now living in England. He gave his address as “Broadmoor, Crowthorne, Berkshire,” 50 miles from Oxford.
Minor joined the army of volunteers sending words and quotations to Murray. Over the next 17 years, he became one of the staff’s most valued contributors.
But he was also a mystery. In spite of many invitations, he would always decline to visit Oxford. So in 1897, Murray finally decided to travel to Crowthorne himself. When he arrived, he found Minor locked in a book-lined cell at the Broadmoor Asylum(精神病院) for the Criminally Insane.
Murray and Minor became friends, sharing their love of words. Minor continued contributing to the dictionary, sending in more than 10,000 submissions in 20 years. Murray continued to visit Minor regularly, sometimes taking walks with him around the asylum grounds.
In 1910, Minor left Broadmoor for an asylum in his native America. Murray was at the port to wave goodbye to his remarkable friend.
Minor died in 1920, seven years before the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was completed. The 12 volunteers defined 414,825 words, and thousands of them were contributions from a very scholarly and devoted asylum patient.
小题1:According to the text, the first Oxford English Dictionary ____.
A．came out before Minor died
B．was edited by an American volunteer
C．included the English words invented by Murray
D．was intended to be the most ambitious English dictionary小题2:How did Dr. Minor contribute to the dictionary?
A．He helped Murray to find hundreds of volunteers.
B．He sent newspapers, magazines and books to Murray.
C．He provided a great number of words and quotations.
D．He went to England to work with Murray.小题3:Which of the following best describes Dr. Minor?
A．Brave and determined.
B．Cautious and friendly.
C．Considerate and optimistic.
D．Unusual and scholarly.小题4:What does the text mainly talk about?
A．The history of the English language.
B．The friendship between Murray and Minor.
C．Minor and the first Oxford English Dictionary.
D．Broadmoor Asylum and its patients.
