美国国家公共电台 NPR--Encore: Queen Elizabeth II, who brought stability to a changing nation

Encore: Queen Elizabeth II, who brought stability to a changing nation

Transcript¹

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

The flag over the White House is flying at half-staff today. And the NFL season opener began with a moment of silence. They were tributes to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, who died at the age of 96 yesterday. She served as the U.K.'s constitutional monarch² for more than seven decades, making her the longest ruling monarch in British history. NPR's Frank Langfitt looks at her life and reign³.

FRANK LANGFITT, BYLINE⁴: Queen Elizabeth's life spanned a remarkable⁵ arc in British history. She was born into an empire on which the sun never set and witnessed the nation's great victory in World War II, when, Elizabeth recalled, she slipped out of Buckingham Palace to join the crowds.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

QUEEN ELIZABETH II: I remember lines of unknown people linking arms and walking down Whitehall, all of us just swept along on a tide of happiness and relief. I think it was one of the most memorable⁶ nights of my life.

LANGFITT: Later, she watched as Britain lost most of its colonies and much of its power. There were many personal lows - the divorces of three of her children, the death of her former daughter-in-law, Diana, a sex scandal involving her son, Prince Andrew. In addition, her grandson, Prince Harry⁷, left the family to settle in California with his American wife. Through it all, though, the queen worked to honor a pledge she'd made when she was just 21.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ELIZABETH II: I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted⁸ to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.

LANGFITT: Elizabeth was born in 1926, her ascension to the throne an accident of history.

CHRISTOPHER WARWICK: The queen, of course, was never born to be queen.

LANGFITT: Christopher Warwick has written a number of royal biographies.

WARWICK: For the first 10 years of her life, she was pretty much an ordinary little girl.

LANGFITT: All that changed in 1936, when her uncle, Edward VIII, abdicated⁹ to marry Wallis Simpson, a divorced woman from America. Elizabeth's shy, stammering¹⁰ father assumed the throne as George VI, placing her next in line. When the Second World War erupted three years later, Princess Elizabeth began performing official royal duties and delivered the first of many broadcasts billed as addresses to the children of the British Empire.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ELIZABETH II: When peace comes, remember; it will be for us, the children of today, to make the world of tomorrow a better and happier place.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #1: The day is November the 20, 1947, the time, 11 o'clock. A nation and a world watch.

LANGFITT: Elizabeth married Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, a naval¹¹ officer and distant cousin.

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UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #1: Once only in 1,100 years of British kingship has there been such a day. An heiress presumptive to the throne marries the man of her choice.

LANGFITT: She'd fallen in love with Philip in her early teens. While traveling in Kenya five years later, she received grim news from home.

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UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #2: The king, who returned to rest last night in his usual health, passed peacefully away in his sleep.

LANGFITT: Elizabeth's father died in 1952. The following year, her lavish¹² coronation drew a global TV audience.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Chanting) God save the queen. All hail the queen. All hail the queen (ph).

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

GEOFFREY FISHER: God crown you with a crown of glory and righteousness.

LANGFITT: Elizabeth made a glamorous¹³ young queen in the grey post-war years but also a remote one. Occasionally, she appeared to drop her guard and allow TV cameras into her home.

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ELIZABETH II: You live very much by tradition and by continuity. I find that's one of the sad things - that people don't take on jobs for life. They try different things all the time. I mean, as far as I'm concerned, you know, you know exactly what you're going to be doing two months hence or even beginning to know about next year. And I think that this is what the younger members find difficult - is the regimented side of it.

LANGFITT: Difficulties involving younger royals led to some of the most painful periods of the queen's life. In the space of a year, in 1992, the marriages of three of the queen's four children collapsed¹⁴. And that November, fire devastated¹⁵ Windsor Castle, her childhood home.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ELIZABETH II: In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an annus horribilis.

LANGFITT: A horrible year. Things got even worse.

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DERMOT MURNAGHAN: We have reports from Paris that Diana Princess of Wales has been killed in a car accident.

LANGFITT: The Mercedes she was traveling in crashed into a pillar in a tunnel along the Seine.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MURNAGHAN: They were apparently¹⁶ being pursued by paparazzi on two motorcycles.

LANGFITT: It was 1997, and instead of returning to London to lead her people in mourning, the queen remained in her castle in Balmoral, Scotland, comforting her grandchildren, Diana's sons, Princes William and Harry. She appeared out of touch and uncaring. Many Britons were furious. Bowing to public pressure, the queen eventually responded.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ELIZABETH II: I, for one, believe there are lessons to be drawn¹⁷ from her life and from the extraordinary and moving reaction to her death. I share in your determination to cherish her memory.

LANGFITT: With that tribute to Diana, the crisis faded.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Four - fire.

(SOUNDBITE OF CANNONS¹⁸ FIRING)

LANGFITT: When the queen celebrated¹⁹ her 60th year on the throne in 2012, she'd recovered her popularity. Years later, during the pandemic, the queen made a rare national speech that illustrated²⁰ the unique role she played in the United Kingdom as head of state and above politics. She reassured²¹ the British people and emphasized the country's traditional values.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ELIZABETH II: I hope in the years to come, everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge. And those who come after us will say the Britons of this generation were as strong as any, that the attributes of self-discipline, of quiet, good-humored resolve and a fellow feeling still characterize this country.

LANGFITT: But recent years brought a return of family turmoil²² and crises that undermined the monarchy²³, including allegations that a 17-year-old girl was coerced²⁴ into having sex with Prince Andrew, which he was forced to address in an interview with the BBC.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

EMILY MAITLIS: She went on to have sex with you in a house in Belgravia belonging to Ghislaine Maxwell, your friend. Your response?

PRINCE ANDREW: I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady.

LANGFITT: And claims by Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, of racism²⁵ inside the royal family.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL GROUP: (Singing) O sacred spirit, who didst brood upon the chaos²⁶ dark and rude...

LANGFITT: About a month later, Prince Philip, who the queen had called her strength and stay, died at age 99 after more than seven decades of marriage. Elizabeth became queen when Winston Churchill and Harry Truman were in power. She is the only monarch most Britons have ever known. A quarter of a century after assuming the throne, Queen Elizabeth summarized her role and her relationship with her subjects.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ELIZABETH II: When I was 21, I pledged my life to the service of our people, and I asked for God's help to make good that vow²⁷. Although that vow was made in my salad days when I was green in judgment²⁸, I do not regret nor retract²⁹ one word of it.

LANGFITT: Frank Langfitt, NPR News, London.

(SOUNDBITE OF TIM ALLHOFF'S "STILLNESS")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 monarch   

n.帝王，君主，最高统治者

参考例句：

• The monarch's role is purely ceremonial.君主纯粹是个礼仪职位。
• I think myself happier now than the greatest monarch upon earth.我觉得这个时候比世界上什么帝王都快乐。

3 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

6 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

7 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

8 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

9 abdicated   

放弃（职责、权力等）( abdicate的过去式和过去分词 )； 退位，逊位

参考例句：

• He abdicated in favour of his son. 他把王位让给了儿子。
• King Edward Ⅷ abdicated in 1936 to marry a commoner. 国王爱德华八世于1936年退位与一个平民结婚。

10 stammering   

v.结巴地说出( stammer的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He betrayed nervousness by stammering. 他说话结结巴巴说明他胆子小。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• \"Why,\" he said, actually stammering, \"how do you do?\" “哎呀，\"他说，真的有些结结巴巴，\"你好啊？” 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

11 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

12 lavish   

adj.无节制的；浪费的；vt.慷慨地给予，挥霍

参考例句：

• He despised people who were lavish with their praises.他看不起那些阿谀奉承的人。
• The sets and costumes are lavish.布景和服装极尽奢华。

13 glamorous   

adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的

参考例句：

• The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊，但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
• It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差，并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。

14 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

15 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

16 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

17 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

18 cannons   

n.加农炮，大炮，火炮( cannon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Cannons bombarded enemy lines. 大炮轰击了敌军阵地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One company had been furnished with six cannons. 某连队装备了六门大炮。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 celebrated   

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。

20 illustrated   

adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• His lecture was illustrated with slides taken during the expedition. 他在讲演中使用了探险时拍摄到的幻灯片。
• The manufacturing Methods: Will be illustrated in the next chapter. 制作方法将在下一章说明。

21 reassured   

adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The captain's confidence during the storm reassured the passengers. 在风暴中船长的信念使旅客们恢复了信心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The doctor reassured the old lady. 医生叫那位老妇人放心。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

23 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。

24 coerced   

v.迫使做( coerce的过去式和过去分词 )；强迫；（以武力、惩罚、威胁等手段）控制；支配

参考例句：

• They were coerced into negotiating a settlement. 他们被迫通过谈判解决。
• He was coerced into making a confession. 他被迫招供。 来自《简明英汉词典》

25 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

26 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

27 vow   

n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓

参考例句：

• My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
• I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。

28 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

29 retract   

vt.缩回，撤回收回，取消

参考例句：

• The criminals should stop on the precipice, retract from the wrong path and not go any further.犯罪分子应当迷途知返，悬崖勒马，不要在错误的道路上继续走下去。
• I don't want to speak rashly now and later have to retract my statements.我不想现在说些轻率的话，然后又要收回自己说过的话。