【跟着英剧练发音】The Queens Palaces E01-9

 文本：

The Duke was blessed with a rich wife. So he leased this land from the crown, and on it, built a lavish¹ mansion² equal to his ambitions. Although not a stone of it is visible today.

The Duke might have known how to make a big impression, but he wasn't too good at settling his debts. One day, while the house was being built, the architect took them both up on the roof and then threatened to throw them both off if the Duke didn't pay the wages he owed. Needless to say, the Duke paid up.

 

The Rest——

By the 1760s, the house was up for sale. The young king, George III, snapped it up as the perfect wedding present for his new wife, Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. An aristocratic mansion became the home of the British monarchy³.

 

 翻译：

公爵有个富有的妻子。他从皇室那里租下了这块土地建起了体现其雄心的奢华建筑。但今天已经看不到这栋建筑物的一砖一瓦了，大概公爵知道如何给人留下深刻印象，但他却不善处理债务。有一天，房子还在建造，建筑师把公爵拽到了房顶，威胁公爵，如果不给他付薪水的话，就把他从房顶推下去。不用说，公爵肯定支付了。

到1760年，房子准备要卖，年轻的乔治三世国王买下来了，作为给新婚妻子夏洛特王后的结婚礼物。他的妻子是梅克伦堡-斯特雷利茨公国的公主。这座贵族的宫殿就成了英国王室的寝宫。

1 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。

2 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

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。