冀教版九年级英语课外阅读2

Nobel Prize and The Nobel Peace Prize

1. Nobel Prize

Any of the prizes awarded annually by four institutions①(three Swedish

and one Norwegian) from a fund established under the will of Alfred B.

Nobel.

The will specified that awards should be given to those who, during the

preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind.

Since 1901, prizes have been awarded for physics, chemistry,

physiology

or medicine, literature, and peace; since 1969, a sixth prize, established

by the Bank of Sweden, has been awarded in economic sciences. The Nobel Prizes are regarded as the most prestigious②prizes in the world.

2. The Nobel Peace Prize

The Nobel Peace Prize (where Nobel is pronounced with the stress on the second syllable) is one of five Nobel Prizes be quested by the Swedish

industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel. Ironically③, as some point out,

Alfred Nobel was the man whose invention, dynamite④, led to the death of thousands if not millions of people. According to the will of Alfred

Nobel, the prize should be awarded to the person who shall have done the

most or the best work for fraternity⑤between the nations, for the

abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and

promotion of peace congresses.

- 1 -

Help:

①institution /‚ɪnstɪ'tuɪɪn/ n. 机构, 创立, 惯例

②prestigious /pre'stɪːdʒəs/adj. 享有声望的, 声望很高的

③ironically /aɪ'rɑnɪklɪ/adv. 说反话地; 讽刺地

④dynamite /'daɪnəmaɪt/n. 炸药;

⑤fraternity /frə'tɜrnətɪ/n. 友爱,

- 2 -