常春藤生活英语【99】All about November

November is the eleventh month of the year. The word November, however, comes from the Latin1 word novem, which means "nine." This is because November was originally the ninth month of the year. Before 713 BC, the Roman calendar was used and a year had roughly 304 days. Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome, added January and February to the calendar, and November became the eleventh month. People who are born before November 22 are Scorpios2. Those who are born after November 22 are Sagittariuses3. Both of the constellations4 that are connected to these star signs are visible from Taiwan.

　　In many parts of the world, November marks the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter. In North America, this is celebrated 2 by Thanksgiving, a holiday when people give thanks to God for the food He provides. Thanksgiving Day is the fourth Thursday of the month. Another important November holiday is November 11, Remembrance5 Day. This is a day to think about those who have died in war.

　　November 1 is a holiday, which is called All Saints'6 Day. This is a day when Christian 3 saints are remembered. Similar to the Chinese Tomb7 Sweeping 4 Day, on November 2, many people remember their loved ones who have passed away. This day is called All Souls' Day. Families take flowers to graves and go to church to honor their dead relatives.

All about November

November是一年中第十一个月。然而，November却是由拉丁文中代表『九』的novem这个字演变而来。这是因为November原是一年中的第九个月。在公元前713年之前，人们用的是罗马历法，那时一年约有三百零四天。罗马的第二位国王Numa Pompilius把January及February加入历法中，于是November就成了第十一个月。在十一月二十二日前出生的人为天蝎座。在十一月二十二日后出生的人则为射手座。与这两个星座有关的天文星座从台湾都可以看得到。

在世界上许多地方，十一月代表着丰收的结束及冬季的开始。在北美是藉由感恩节来庆祝，这是一个人们向上帝感谢祂恩赐食粮的节日。感恩节是当月的第四个星期四。另一个重要的节日是十一月十一日的Remembrance Day。这一天是让人们追思在战争中阵亡的人的日子。

十一月一日是一个称为All Saints' Day的节日。人们会在这个时候缅怀基督教的圣徒。与中国清明节相似的是，许多人在十一月二日悼念他们过世的挚爱。这个日子被称为All Souls' Day。各个家族会将鲜花献上坟前，然后上教堂向去世的亲戚致敬。

Building Your Vocabulary

1. roughly　adv. 粗略地，大致上

There are roughly 40 people in this room.

这个房间里大约有四十个人。

2. visible　a. 看得见的，可见的

The writing on the paper is barely visible.

这张纸上的字迹几乎快看不到。

3. mark　vt. 标志，代表（重要的变化或发展）

The death of that emperor marked the end of a golden era.

那位皇帝的驾崩代表着一段黄金时期的结束。

4. remember　vt. 悼念；纪念

This is a day to remember our ancestors.

这是个用来缅怀我们祖先的日子。

5. honor　vt. 表彰，表扬

The grand ceremony was held to honor the scientist for his achievements.

这场盛大的仪式是为了表扬那位科学家的成就而举办。

Phrases for Learning

pass away　　过世，逝世

The actor passed away at the age of 54.

那位演员过世时享年五十四岁。

Extra Words

1. Latin　a. 拉丁文的

2. Scorpio　n. 天蝎座的人；天蝎座

3. Sagittarius　n. 射手座的人；射手座

4. constellation 1　n.（天文）星座

5. remembrance　n. 悼念（本文中作形容词用）

6. saint　n. 圣人，圣徒

7. tomb　n. 墓，坟（本文中作形容词用）

Tips In Use

Before 713 BC, the Roman calendar was used...

（在公元前713年之前，人们用的是罗马历法……）

BC 表『公元前』，而 AD 则表『公元』。两者的分野为耶稣诞生那一年，其表示方法如下：

1. 500 BC → 公元前500年

BC 为"Before Christ"（耶稣诞生前）的缩写。

2. AD 2008 → 公元2008年

AD 为拉丁文 Anno Domini 的缩写，其意为"in the year of our lord"（我们活在主的年代）。

注意:

若是年份不特别注明是 AD 或 BC，通常指的是公元某某年。但若是某段文章内两者皆同时提及，则必须写上 AD 或 BC 以示区隔。