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绝对冷门的英国冷知识

1. The ticket of entry to a zoo in 18th century England was a cat or a dog: they were fed to the lions. In fact visitors had a choice, instead of sacrificing an animal they could pay a half-pence.

18世纪，进入英国动物园的门票是一只猫或一条狗，用来喂狮子的。其实游客也有别的选择，不愿牺牲动物的话，付半个便士也可以。

2. America spells grey as gray and England spells gray as grey. It's easy to keep in mind: simply associate "A" with America, "E" with England.

“灰色”这个单词，美国人拼成“gray”而英国人拼成“grey”。其实非常好记，美国（America）的“gray”里有个“A”，英国（England）的“grey”里有个“E”。

3. In England, a failed suicide attempt used to be illegal and was punishable by death. People who attempted suicide were punished by hanging in Great Britain until 1961.

在英国，自杀未遂曾经是违法的，并要判处死刑。1961年前的大不列颠，企图自杀的人会受到绞刑的惩罚。

4. French was the official language of England for about 300 years, from 1066 till 1362. The influence of French in England started with the Norman Conquest of 1066 by William the Conqueror.

法语曾是英国的官方语言，且从1066年到1362年长达大约三百年。法语对英国的影响可以追溯到1066年威廉一世的诺曼征服。

5. In 1811, 1/4 woman in England were named Mary. Can you imagine that the quarter of all British women had the same name then? Perhaps it was rather confusing in everyday life.

在1811年，四分之一的英国女人都叫玛丽。你能想象那个时候四分之一的英国女人都拥有同一个名字吗？她们的生活或许会很困扰吧。

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