英语听力文摘 English Digest 141、英国国王亨利八世

　　In 1509 Henry VIII ascended¹ the throne.He would be King of England until his death. Author Alison Weir² wrote the book, ‘Henry VIII: The King and Court’ and here are some extracts from it.
"Henry VIII succeeded to the throne in 1509 to great acclaim³. He had all the virtues⁴ of a Renaissance⁵ prince, yet by the time he died in 1547 he had acquired the reputation of a tyrant⁶ whose hands were soaked in the blood of the many he had executed – among them two of his six wives. Because he married so many times he has gone down in history as a veritable bluebeard.Over the centuries the truth about the King has become blurred⁷ by his legend.
How has the truth about him become blurred over the years? And what are some of the things people believe about him?
"Henry still lives in the popular imagination as a man who thought nothing of chasing the ladies, and who threw chicken bones over his shoulder as he presided over court feasts in the Great Halls. As a rule Henry did not dine in the great halls of his palaces. And his manners were highly refined as was the code of etiquette⁸ followed at his court. "
Well this year it’s 500 years since Henry VIII became King of England and it’s amazing that we still know so little about him.

1 ascended   

v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He has ascended into heaven. 他已经升入了天堂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The climbers slowly ascended the mountain. 爬山运动员慢慢地登上了这座山。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 weir   

n.堰堤，拦河坝

参考例句：

• The discharge from the weir opening should be free.从堰开口处的泻水应畅通。
• Big Weir River,restraining tears,has departed!大堰河，含泪地去了！

3 acclaim   

v.向…欢呼，公认；n.欢呼，喝彩，称赞

参考例句：

• He was welcomed with great acclaim.他受到十分热烈的欢迎。
• His achievements earned him the acclaim of the scientific community.他的成就赢得了科学界的赞誉。

4 virtues   

美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处

参考例句：

• Doctors often extol the virtues of eating less fat. 医生常常宣扬少吃脂肪的好处。
• She delivered a homily on the virtues of family life. 她进行了一场家庭生活美德方面的说教。

5 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

6 tyrant   

n.暴君，专制的君主，残暴的人

参考例句：

• The country was ruled by a despotic tyrant.该国处在一个专制暴君的统治之下。
• The tyrant was deaf to the entreaties of the slaves.暴君听不到奴隶们的哀鸣。

7 blurred   

v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离

参考例句：

• She suffered from dizziness and blurred vision. 她饱受头晕目眩之苦。
• Their lazy, blurred voices fell pleasantly on his ears. 他们那种慢吞吞、含糊不清的声音在他听起来却很悦耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 etiquette   

n.礼仪，礼节；规矩

参考例句：

• The rules of etiquette are not so strict nowadays.如今的礼仪规则已不那么严格了。
• According to etiquette,you should stand up to meet a guest.按照礼节你应该站起来接待客人。