He transformed a Welsh town into a “kingdom”of used books

湖南江华县第一中学 何高伦

体裁 篇幅 建议用时说明文323 6分钟

The historic Welsh town of Hay-on-Wye was once home to a few hundred people who made their living by farming sheep.But Richard Booth came and decided to fill the town with hundreds of thousands of used books.

Booth,who died on August 20 at the age of 80,helped change Hay-on-Wye into a literary center and a tourism attraction. Today, the town's famous Festival of Literature and the Arts,which started in 1987,draws writers,historians,musicians and politicians from around the world.

Born in 1938 in Plymouth,England,Booth came to Hay-on-Wye with his parents as a child. He studied history at Oxford and, on graduating,worked for a full three weeks as an accountant before deciding to head back home.Once back home,Booth bought the town's former fire station,its Norman castle and several warehouses.In the 1960s,he started to fill them with second-hand books,which he got at low cost from colleges and libraries.

As Hay Festival director Peter Florence puts it,he “wasn't really in it for money”.Instead,Booth saw a chance to revive his beloved Hay-on-Wye.He first opened six used bookstores in Hay and then nearly 30 others in this town of less than 2,000 people.

As Florence points out,Booth was fond of“the party and the good times”.On April Fools'Day of 1977, Booth wandered through the streets of Hay dressed in a home-made crown and announced himself king of the town.His horse,Booth declared,would be prime minister.And he would issue new passports for the townspeople and found a“secret”service known as the C.I.Hay.

Booth had lost most of his bookstores by the early 2000s.But this didn't seem to destroy Booth's spirit.Until his death,Booth operated a shop in his hometown called the King of Hay,which sold books,journals and things celebrating his reign.

阅读检测

1.What makes Hay-on-Wye a great tourist attraction now?

A.Its natural beauty.

B.Its cultural features.

C.Its unique bookstores.

D.Its beautiful artworks.

2.What did Booth do after he graduated from university?

A.He did business in Hay.

B.He bought many used books.

C.He taught history at a school.

D.He worked as an accountant.

3.Why did Booth open used bookstores in Hay?

A.To celebrate his own reign.

B.To build a town of his own.

C.To make money for his living.

D.To make a difference to the town.

4.What is the text mainly about?

A.The history of a small town.

B.A“kingdom”of used books.

C.A person's contributions to a town.

D.The influence of a town on a person.

语言学习

难句分析

Until his death,Booth operated a shop in his hometown called the King of Hay, which sold books,journals and things celebrating his reign.布斯死前在他的家乡经营着一家名为“海王”的商店，出售庆祝他统治的书籍、期刊和其他物品。

该句为主从复合句，句中的which 引导非限制性定语从句修饰名词a shop，其中a shop后还有一个过去分词短语called the King of Hay 作后置定语。

背景知识

威 尔 士

威尔士东临英格兰，南临布里斯托海峡，北与西滨临爱尔兰海，土地面积为20，779 平方公里，首府为卡迪夫（Cardiff）,人口约309 万人。威尔士通往欧洲各市场的交通十分便捷，也有铁路、公路直接通往英法海底隧道，新的欧洲铁路货运站也设在卡迪夫。

相对于英格兰的繁荣与都市化，威尔士在自然景致、风土民情及语言文化方面就显得纯朴与乡村化。威尔士拥有不受污染的自然美景以及千变万化的地理景观，境内处处是原乡之美。境内有三座国家公园，其中包括位于北部、囊括英格兰以及威尔士第一高峰的斯诺登尼亚（Snowdonia）国家公园。