每天一点英文 37 when love was the adventure

On a cold January morning in 1936, George V was given a king’s burial. Following his coffin¹ was his eldest² son, the handsome, much loved, Prince of Wales. He was about to be proclaimed the next king of England. He was that 1)exceptional thing: a model 2)royal. He was at ease in every company. Everyone expected him to shake the 3)stuffiness out of the 4)monarchy. But as time passed, as he span between the royal duties, people began to 5)remark that the prince was approaching 40 and still unmarried. Only a privileged few knew that he’d been 6)stepping out with the mysterious American, a woman who was cheating on her husband with the future king of England. This was the lady known as Wallis Simpson, whom he was determined³ to marry.

So now he was king, but no one could persuade him to give up Wallis. Not even Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin who spoke⁴ for the nation when he said Britain did not want an American divorcee for a queen. Ministerial car shuttled between Westminster and Buckingham Palace but the king could not be 7)budged. He was forced to 8)abdicate and all over the country flags flew at 9)half-mast.

In the summer of 1937 there was a quiet wedding in France. The couple looked a bit nervous, especially the groom⁵, but only a year before he’d been a king. Now he and his wife would be called the 10)Duke and 11)Duchess of Windsor.

So now the man who’d given up a kingdom and a woman who’d given up two husbands 12)embarked on their endless round of fun and 13)gaiety. In the war years they’d been trapped in the Bahamas, but emerged every now and then to attend the great cultural festivals where they startled the locals with the brilliance⁶ of their 14)attire. But the man who’d been a king found he was now only a 15)celebrity. There were even rumors⁷ that he and the duchess were breaking up so they had to parade their 16)devotion for the cameras.

Four years later it was the nation’s turn to mourn the Duke and to reflect on one man’s decision to trade the crown of England for the love of Wallis and the price they had both had to pay.

1 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

2 eldest   

adj.最年长的，最年老的

参考例句：

• The King's eldest son is the heir to the throne.国王的长子是王位的继承人。
• The castle and the land are entailed on the eldest son.城堡和土地限定由长子继承。

3 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 groom   

vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁

参考例句：

• His father was a groom.他父亲曾是个马夫。
• George was already being groomed for the top job.为承担这份高级工作，乔治已在接受专门的培训。

6 brilliance   

n.光辉，辉煌，壮丽，（卓越的）才华，才智

参考例句：

• I was totally amazed by the brilliance of her paintings.她的绘画才能令我惊歎不已。
• The gorgeous costume added to the brilliance of the dance.华丽的服装使舞蹈更加光彩夺目。

7 rumors   

n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》