新西兰英语 31 Queen’s Birthday

　　Today is the official Queen’s Birthday. It is not the Queen’s actual birthday. That is April 21st, but every year on the first Monday in June, we honour the Queen.
The Queen also honours 175 New Zealanders on this day. She makes awards to people who have served this country or who have achieved something extra-ordinary with their talents. It is a way for New Zealand to say thank you and well done to those people. It is also a way to show that we are a society which believes in equality¹: ordinary people are given these awards for serving others or achieving.
Some of the people who are honoured today are musicians, writers, sports people, scientists, farmers, business people, health workers, teachers, people who care for the environment and those who work for the Maori, Chinese or Pacific Island community, in fact men and women from every kind of background. They are ordinary people who have done more than most of us to help others or to use their talents.
There are different kinds of awards. The top award is The Order of New Zealand. Only one person received this honour today – Sir Murray Halberg. He won the 5000m running race at the 1962 Olympics in Rome. He was an unusual winner because he has a paralysed² arm. In 1963, he set up the Halberg Trust, an organisation³ to help disabled children. His award is because of the work he has done with disabled children.
Most of the awards are the Queen’s Service Medal (QSM) and they are mostly given for service to the community.
Friends, colleagues⁴ and others nominate⁵ people for awards. They have to write letters saying exactly why the person should receive an award. They send their letters to a special Honours committee⁶ of the Prime⁷ Minister. This committee and the Prime Minister look at all these nominations⁸, they choose the people they think deserve⁹ an award and then send the list to the Queen for her agreement. Awards are made twice a year, on Queen’s Birthday and New Year’s Day. The Governor-General will present the awards to these people in a special function at Government House in Wellington at some later date.

1 equality   

n.等同性，同等，平等，相等，等式

参考例句：

• They are fighting for the equality of women.她们在为争取男女平等而奋斗。
• Women must battle on until they have gained equality.妇女必须坚奋战到底，直至取得平等权利。

2 paralysed   

使瘫痪[麻痹]( paralyse的过去式和过去分词 )； 使不能正常活动

参考例句：

• The accident left him paralysed from the waist down . 那场事故使他腰部以下都瘫痪了。
• The country was paralysed by a series of strikes. 一系列的罢工使那个国家陷于瘫痪之中。

3 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

4 colleagues   

n.同事，同僚( colleague的名词复数 )；同人

参考例句：

• He wanted to confer with his colleagues before reaching a decision. 他想与他的同事先商议一下再作出决定。
• She is held in high esteem by her colleagues. 她深受同事的敬重。

5 nominate   

vt.提名，推荐，任命

参考例句：

• I nominate Tom to make the tea.我指派汤姆去沏茶。
• The EU would nominate two members to the committee.欧盟将为该委员会指定两名成员。

6 committee   

n.委员会，全体委员

参考例句：

• We referred the matter back to the Finance Committee.我们把这事转回给财政委员会处理。
• I am going to speak out against the committee's decision.我打算直言反对委员会的决定。

7 prime   

adj.首要的，主要的；最好的，第一流的

参考例句：

• The prime minister spoke of the general insecurity in the country.总理谈到了全国普遍存在的不安全。
• He met with the Prime Minister of Japan for an hour.他和日本首相会见了一个小时。

8 nominations   

n.提名，任命( nomination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句

9 deserve   

vt.应受，值得；vi. 应受报答，值得受赏

参考例句：

• You really deserve a good beating,you naughty boy.你这个调皮孩子真该打。
• I do not deserve all the praises bestowed upon me.我不配得到这些赞扬。