美国国家公共电台 NPR--As the U.K. preps for Charles' coronation, what do Britons think of their new king?

As the U.K. preps for Charles' coronation, what do Britons think of their new king?

Transcript¹

NPR's A Martinez talks to Arianne Chernock, professor and historian of monarchy³ at Boston University, about popular opinions of Britain's King Charles in the days before his coronation.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

Charles III will be officially crowned Britain's king in a jewel-studded ceremony this weekend. So what do people in the U.K. think of their new monarch²?

ARIANNE CHERNOCK: Well, the buzzwords this week have been apathy⁴, ambivalence⁵ and indifference⁶.

MART?NEZ: Arianne Chernock is a professor of history at Boston University. I asked her about the shift in public opinion since the coronation of Charles' mother, Elizabeth II, 70 years ago next month.

CHERNOCK: I was really struck looking at coverage⁷ of Queen Elizabeth's coronation. The New York Times said in 1953, we might be less interested if instead of a charming young woman, some dignified⁸ middle-aged⁹ man were being crowned. Flash forward to 2023, and that is what we have - not just a middle-aged man, an older man in his 70s and one who's not exactly dignified, right? We know so much about this person who's about to be crowned, probably too much.

MART?NEZ: And maybe not necessarily in touch with the culture today and how this society sees things. I want to bring up the allegations of racism¹⁰ in Harry's book, "Spare." They didn't point at Charles directly, but could he have done maybe more to create a greater sense of inclusiveness at the palace?

CHERNOCK: I think he needs to if he is going to have a relevant reign¹¹, one that actually speaks to his increasingly diverse constituents¹², not just at home, but in this Commonwealth¹³ where we're seeing so much transition. Australians have expressed ambivalence about this coronation. That is certainly troubling for Charles.

MART?NEZ: Charles is 74. How much does that play into any efforts he might have to maybe connect with younger generations?

CHERNOCK: He has to really show that he hears his constituents. By the end of her reign, Queen Elizabeth could just kind of make appearances with her corgis and curry¹⁴ quite a bit of favor. Charles and Camilla are going to have to work so much harder to connect with people by showing that they are going to lean in to some of these difficult conversations, not run away from them.

MART?NEZ: In what way could Camilla be a good partner for Charles right now?

CHERNOCK: Well, Camilla comes with her own baggage, there's no question. But both are extremely human. They can talk about their life experiences. They can talk about the messiness of their own lives, and they can continue to pursue the issues they've been really passionate¹⁵ about for some time. For Camilla, she's become a real advocate for domestic abuse victims. I think that kind of work could resonate with British publics and global publics, as well.

MART?NEZ: Do you think they could still do that, though? Because I know as Prince of Wales, Charles has been an advocate for several causes - curbing¹⁶ climate change, preserving historic architecture. You mentioned what Camilla has been into. I mean, how do you think they'll be able to balance advocacy with a tradition of apolitical objectivity in the future?

CHERNOCK: I think they could take a real cue from Princess Diana, actually, who is, in many ways, the other woman in the room in the coronation on Saturday. Diana really showed the world, I think, how you can use the role of princess to destigmatize AIDS, bring awareness¹⁷ to issues like landmines¹⁸, all of these really important issues.

MART?NEZ: And how important is public opinion to the job of the king of England?

CHERNOCK: The job of the king or queen is a long one. It's not like being an American president. He will be on that throne for some time. So they have to think about this beyond the polling. Polls go up and down. They have to think beyond the polls of the moment.

MART?NEZ: What will Charles need to do - No. 1 thing to keep public opinion on his side, for now at least?

CHERNOCK: I think they have to make a real case for the continuing relevance¹⁹ of the monarchy. Britons don't have to have a monarchy. They rule with the consent of the people. And I think to create that sense of relevance and connection, they need to lead conversations about race, slavery, imperialism²⁰, all these complex legacies²¹, what it means to be part of a multicultural²² society today.

MART?NEZ: The thing is, I mean, there are some people who, no matter how much they try to unite, they divide despite good intentions. Do you see Charles as a uniter, a divider or it doesn't matter?

CHERNOCK: The role of the sovereign in Britain is one that has to be uniting. Britain right now is a nation facing economic crisis, lots of questions about dissolution, the future of the nation, struggling with racism and with its imperial legacies. He has to help bring people together around these issues and become that symbol that is above politics if he is going to be successful.

MART?NEZ: That is Professor Arianne Chernock at Boston University. Thank you very much.

CHERNOCK: Thanks so much.

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 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。

4 apathy   

n.漠不关心，无动于衷；冷淡

参考例句：

• He was sunk in apathy after his failure.他失败后心恢意冷。
• She heard the story with apathy.她听了这个故事无动于衷。

5 ambivalence   

n.矛盾心理

参考例句：

• She viewed her daughter's education with ambivalence.她看待女儿的教育问题态度矛盾。
• She felt a certain ambivalence towards him.她对他的态度有些矛盾。

6 indifference   

n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎

参考例句：

• I was disappointed by his indifference more than somewhat.他的漠不关心使我很失望。
• He feigned indifference to criticism of his work.他假装毫不在意别人批评他的作品。

7 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

8 dignified   

a.可敬的，高贵的

参考例句：

• Throughout his trial he maintained a dignified silence. 在整个审讯过程中，他始终沉默以保持尊严。
• He always strikes such a dignified pose before his girlfriend. 他总是在女友面前摆出这种庄严的姿态。

9 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

10 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。

11 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。

12 constituents   

n.选民( constituent的名词复数 )；成分；构成部分；要素

参考例句：

• She has the full support of her constituents. 她得到本区选民的全力支持。
• Hydrogen and oxygen are the constituents of water. 氢和氧是水的主要成分。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

14 curry   

n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革

参考例句：

• Rice makes an excellent complement to a curry dish.有咖喱的菜配米饭最棒。
• Add a teaspoonful of curry powder.加一茶匙咖喱粉。

15 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

16 curbing   

n.边石，边石的材料v.限制，克制，抑制( curb的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Progress has been made in curbing inflation. 在控制通货膨胀方面已取得了进展。
• A range of policies have been introduced aimed at curbing inflation. 为了抑制通货膨胀实施了一系列的政策。

17 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

18 landmines   

潜在的冲突； 地雷，投伞水雷( landmine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The treaty bans the use production and trade of landmines. 该条约规定，禁止使用地雷相关产品及贸易。
• One of the weapon's of special concern was landmines. 在引起人们特别关注的武器中就有地雷。

19 relevance   

n.中肯，适当，关联，相关性

参考例句：

• Politicians' private lives have no relevance to their public roles.政治家的私生活与他们的公众角色不相关。
• Her ideas have lost all relevance to the modern world.她的想法与现代社会完全脱节。

20 imperialism   

n.帝国主义，帝国主义政策

参考例句：

• They held the imperialism in contempt.他们鄙视帝国主义。
• Imperialism has not been able to subjugate China.帝国主义不能征服中国。

21 legacies   

n.遗产( legacy的名词复数 )；遗留之物；遗留问题；后遗症

参考例句：

• Books are the legacies that a great genius leaves to mankind. 书是伟大的天才留给人类的精神财富。 来自辞典例句
• General legacies are subject to the same principles as demonstrative legacies. 一般的遗赠要与指定数目的遗赠遵循同样的原则。 来自辞典例句

22 multicultural   

adj.融合多种文化的，多种文化的

参考例句：

• Children growing up in a multicultural society.在多元文化社会中长大的孩子们。
• The school has been attempting to bring a multicultural perspective to its curriculum.这所学校已经在尝试将一种多元文化视角引入其课程。