题目内容
The men and women of Anglo-Saxon England normally bore one name only. Distinguishing epithets were rarely added. These might be patronymic, descriptive or occupational. They were, however, hardly surnames, Heritable names gradually became general in the three centuries following the Norman Conquest in 1066. It was not until the 13th and 14th centuries that surnames became fixed, although for many years after that, the degree of stability in family names varied considerably in different parts of the country.
British surnames fall mainly into four broad categories: patronymic, occupational, descriptive and local. A few names, it is true, will remain puzzling: foreign names, perhaps, crudely translated, adapted or abbreviated; or artificial names.
In fact, over fifty percent of genuine British surnames derive from place names of different kinds, and so they belong to the last of our four main categories. Even such a name as Simpson may belong to this last group, and not to the first, had the family once had its home in the ancient village of that name. Otherwise, Simpson means "the son of Simon", as might be expected.
Hundreds of occupational surnames are at once familiar to us, or at least recognizable after a little thought: Arther, Carter, Fisher, Mason, Thatcher, Taylor, to name but a few. Hundreds of others are more obscure in their meanings and testify to the amazing specialization in medieval arts, crafts and functions. Such are "Day", (Old English for breadmaker) and "Walker" (a fuller whose job was to clean and thicken newly made cloth).
All these vocational names carry with them a certain gravity and dignity, which descriptive names often lack. Some, it is true, like "Long", "Short" or "Little", are simple. They may be taken quite literally. Others require more thinking: their meanings are slightly different from the modem ones. "Black" and "White" implied dark and fair respectively. "Sharp" meant genuinely discerning, alert, acute rather than quick-witted or clever.
Place-names have a lasting interest since there is hardly a town or village in all England that has not at some time given its name to a family. They may be picturesque, even poetical; or they may be pedestrian, even trivial. Among the commoner names which survive with relatively little change from old-English times are "Milton" (middle enclosure) and "Hilton" (enclosure on a hill).
Surnames are said to be ______ in Anglo Saxon England.
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听力原文： Along with jogging and swimming, cycling is one of the best all-round forms of exercise. It can help to increase your strength and energy, giving you more efficient muscles and a stronger heart. But increasing your strength is not the only advantage of cycling. Because you are not carrying the weight of your body on your feet, it's a good form. of exercise for people with painful feet or backs. However, with all forms of exercises it is important to start slowly, and build up gradually. Doing too much too quickly can damage muscles that aren't used m working. If you have any doubts about taking up cycling for health reasons, talk to your doctor and ask his/her advice.
Ideally you should be cycling at least two or three times a week. For the exercise to be effective, when cycling you should become a little out of breath. Don't worry if you begin to lose your breath; You might think this could be dangerous and there might be something wrong with your heart, but this is simply not true. Shortness of breath shows that the exercise is having the desired effect. However, if you find you are in pain, then you should stop and take a rest.
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