Oneofthegreatestcontributionst-查字典问答网

来自程显蒙的问题

　　OneofthegreatestcontributionstothefirstOxfordEnglishDictionarywasalsooneofitsmostunusual.In1879,OxfordUniversityinEnglandaskedProf.JamesMurraytoserveaseditorforwhatwastobethemostambitiousdictionaryinthehistoryoftheEnglishlanguage.ItwouldincludeeveryEnglishwordpossibleandwouldgivenotonlythedefinitionbutalsothehistoryofthewordandquotations(引文)showinghowitwasused.

　　Thiswasahugetask.SoMurraryhadtofindvolunteersfromBritain,theUnitedStates,andtheBritishcoloniestosearcheverynewspaper,magazine,andbookeverwritteninEnglish.Hundredsofvolunteersresponded,includingWilliamChesterMinor.Dr.MinorwasanAmericanSurgeonwhohadservedintheCivilWarandwasnowlivinginEngland.Hegavehisaddressas“Broadmoor,Crowthorne,Berkshire,”50milesfromOxford.

　　MinorjoinedthearmyofvolunteerssendingwordsandquotationstoMurray.Overthenextyears,hebecameoneofthestaff’smostvaluedcontributors.

　　Buthewasalsoamystery.Inspiteofmanyinvitations,hewouldalwaysdeclinetovisitOxford.Soin1897，MurrayfinallydecidedtotraveltoCrowthornehimself.Whenhearrived,hefoundMinorlockedinabook-linedcellattheBroadmoorAsylumfortheCriminallyinsane.

　　MurrayandMinorbecamefriends,sharingtheirloveofwords.Minorcontinuedcontributingtothedictionary,sendinginmorethan10,000submissionsin20years.MurraycontinuedtovisitMinorregularly,sometimestakingwalkswithhimaroundtheasylumgrounds.

　　In1910,MinorleftBroadmoorforanasyluminhisnativeAmerica.Murraywasattheporttowavegoodbyetohisremarkablefriend.

　　Minordiedin1920,sevenyearsbeforethefirsteditionoftheOxfordEnglishDictionarywascompleted.The12volumesdefined414,825words,andthousandsofthemwerecontributionsfromaveryscholarlyanddevotedasylumpatient.

　　小题1:Accordingtothetext,thefirstOxfordEnglishDictionary_________.A．cameoutbeforeminordiedB．waseditedbyanAmericanvolunteerC．includedtheEnglishwordsinventedbyMurrayD．wasintendedtobethemostambitiousEnglishdictionary小题2:HowdidDr.Minorcontr