Voltaire: A Sketch of his Life and Works
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EARLY LIFE

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 Two hundred years ago, on November 21st, 1604, a child emerged on the world at Paris. The baptismal register on the following day gave the name Fran?ois Marie Arouet, and the youth afterwards christened himself Voltaire.(1) The flesh was so weakly that the babe was ondovc (the term employed for informal sprinkling with water at home), lest there might be no time for the ecclesiastical rite1.
1. He was a younger son. The name Voltaire is, perhaps, an anagram of the Arouet 1. j. (le jeune) the u being converted into r, and the j into r. In like manner, an old college- tutor of his, Père Thoulié, transformed himself, by a similar anagrammatic process, into the Abbé Olivet— omitting the unnecessary h from his original name. This method of reforming a plebeian2 name into one more distinguished-looking seems not to have been uncommon3 in those times, as Jean Baptiste Pocquelin took the name of Molière, and Charles Secondat that of Montesquieu.
Something may have been wrong with the performance of the sacred ceremony, since the child certainly grew up to think more of “the world, the flesh, and the devil” than of the other trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. His father was a respectable attorney, and his mother came of noble family. His godfather and early preceptor was the Abbé de Chateauneuf, who made no pietist of him, but introduced him to his friend, the famous Ninon l'Enclos, the antiquated4 Aspasia who is said to have inspired a passion in the l’Abbé Gedouin at the age of eighty, and who was sufficiently5 struck with young Voltaire to leave him a legacy6 of two thousand francs, wherewith to provide himself a library.
Voltaire showed when quite a child an unsurpassed facility for verse-making. He was educated at a Jesuit college, and the followers7 of Jesus have ever since reproached him with Jesuitism. Possibly he did

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1 rite yCmzq     
n.典礼，惯例，习俗
参考例句：
  • This festival descends from a religious rite.这个节日起源于宗教仪式。
  • Most traditional societies have transition rites at puberty.大多数传统社会都为青春期的孩子举行成人礼。
2 plebeian M2IzE     
adj.粗俗的；平民的；n.平民；庶民
参考例句：
  • He is a philosophy professor with a cockney accent and an alarmingly plebeian manner.他是个有一口伦敦土腔、举止粗俗不堪的哲学教授。
  • He spent all day playing rackets on the beach,a plebeian sport if there ever was one.他一整天都在海滩玩壁球，再没有比这更不入流的运动了。
3 uncommon AlPwO     
adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的
参考例句：
  • Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
  • Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。
4 antiquated bzLzTH     
adj.陈旧的，过时的
参考例句：
  • Many factories are so antiquated they are not worth saving.很多工厂过于陈旧落后，已不值得挽救。
  • A train of antiquated coaches was waiting for us at the siding.一列陈旧的火车在侧线上等着我们。
5 sufficiently 0htzMB     
adv.足够地，充分地
参考例句：
  • It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
  • The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。
6 legacy 59YzD     
n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西
参考例句：
  • They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
  • He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。
7 followers 5c342ee9ce1bf07932a1f66af2be7652     
追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件
参考例句：
  • the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
  • The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。
8 imbibe Fy9yO     
v.喝，饮；吸入，吸收
参考例句：
  • Plants imbibe nourishment usually through their leaves and roots.植物通常经过叶和根吸收养分。
  • I always imbibe fresh air in the woods.我经常在树林里呼吸新鲜空气。
9 hypocrisy g4qyt     
n.伪善，虚伪
参考例句：
  • He railed against hypocrisy and greed.他痛斥伪善和贪婪的行为。
  • He accused newspapers of hypocrisy in their treatment of the story.他指责了报纸在报道该新闻时的虚伪。
10 immorality 877727a0158f319a192e0d1770817c46     
n. 不道德, 无道义
参考例句：
  • All the churchmen have preached against immorality. 所有牧师都讲道反对不道德的行为。
  • Where the European sees immorality and lawlessness, strict law rules in reality. 在欧洲人视为不道德和无规则的地方，事实上都盛行着一种严格的规则。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
11 bestowed 12e1d67c73811aa19bdfe3ae4a8c2c28     
赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • It was a title bestowed upon him by the king. 那是国王赐给他的头衔。
  • He considered himself unworthy of the honour they had bestowed on him. 他认为自己不配得到大家赋予他的荣誉。
12 apprenticeship 4NLyv     
n.学徒身份；学徒期
参考例句：
  • She was in the second year of her apprenticeship as a carpenter. 她当木工学徒已是第二年了。
  • He served his apprenticeship with Bob. 他跟鲍勃当学徒。
13 lampoons 75b886c42b546df26e29550f17e201d5     
n.讽刺文章或言辞( lampoon的名词复数 )v.冷嘲热讽，奚落( lampoon的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
14 accosted 4ebfcbae6e0701af7bf7522dbf7f39bb     
v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 )；跟…搭讪；（乞丐等）上前向…乞讨；（妓女等）勾搭
参考例句：
  • She was accosted in the street by a complete stranger. 在街上，一个完全陌生的人贸然走到她跟前搭讪。
  • His benevolent nature prevented him from refusing any beggar who accosted him. 他乐善好施的本性使他不会拒绝走上前向他行乞的任何一个乞丐。 来自《简明英汉词典》
15 lodged cbdc6941d382cc0a87d97853536fcd8d     
v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属
参考例句：
  • The certificate will have to be lodged at the registry. 证书必须存放在登记处。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Our neighbours lodged a complaint against us with the police. 我们的邻居向警方控告我们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
16 imprisonment I9Uxk     
n.关押，监禁，坐牢
参考例句：
  • His sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment.他的判决由死刑减为无期徒刑。
  • He was sentenced to one year's imprisonment for committing bigamy.他因为犯重婚罪被判入狱一年。
17 sketched 7209bf19355618c1eb5ca3c0fdf27631     
v.草拟（sketch的过去式与过去分词形式）
参考例句：
  • The historical article sketched the major events of the decade. 这篇有关历史的文章概述了这十年中的重大事件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He sketched the situation in a few vivid words. 他用几句生动的语言简述了局势。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
18 epic ui5zz     
n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的
参考例句：
  • I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
  • They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。
19 depicts fd8ee09c0b2264bb6b44abf7282d37f6     
描绘，描画( depict的第三人称单数 )； 描述
参考例句：
  • The book vividly depicts French society of the 1930s. 这本书生动地描绘了20 世纪30 年代的法国社会。
  • He depicts the sordid and vulgar sides of life exclusively. 他只描写人生肮脏和庸俗的一面。
20 massacre i71zk     
n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀
参考例句：
  • There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
  • If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！
21 bigotry Ethzl     
n.偏见，偏执，持偏见的行为[态度]等
参考例句：
  • She tried to dissociate herself from the bigotry in her past.她力图使自己摆脱她以前的偏见。
  • At least we can proceed in this matter without bigotry.目前这件事咱们至少可以毫无偏见地进行下去。
22 beseech aQzyF     
v.祈求，恳求
参考例句：
  • I beseech you to do this before it is too late.我恳求你做做这件事吧，趁现在还来得及。
  • I beseech your favor.我恳求您帮忙。
23 lodging wRgz9     
n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍
参考例句：
  • The bill is inclusive of the food and lodging. 账单包括吃、住费用。
  • Where can you find lodging for the night? 你今晚在哪里借宿?
24 celebrated iwLzpz     
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。
25 derived 6cddb7353e699051a384686b6b3ff1e2     
vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取
参考例句：
  • Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》
26 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的，知名的
参考例句：
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
27 engraved be672d34fc347de7d97da3537d2c3c95     
v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中）
参考例句：
  • The silver cup was engraved with his name. 银杯上刻有他的名字。
  • It was prettily engraved with flowers on the back. 此件雕刻精美，背面有花饰图案。 来自《简明英汉词典》
28 animated Cz7zMa     
adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的
参考例句：
  • His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
  • We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。
29 ruffle oX9xW     
v.弄皱，弄乱；激怒，扰乱；n.褶裥饰边
参考例句：
  • Don't ruffle my hair.I've just combed it.别把我的头发弄乱了。我刚刚梳好了的。
  • You shouldn't ruffle so easily.你不该那么容易发脾气。

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