彭蒙惠英语：Queen Elizabeth I

Queen Elizabeth I

 

By Melissa Burdick Harmon /

This article was published originally

In Biography Magazine © A&E Television

Networks. All rights reserved.

 

The woman who ruled England through four decades of danger and glory

 

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Seldom had the birth of a baby caused a father so much disappointment and rage. On September 7, 1533, when tiny, redheaded Elizabeth was born, the volatile¹ Henry VIII, King of England, wanted no part of her. He had, after all, divorced his first wife, broken relations with the Catholic Church and married Anne Boleyn for the sake of what was supposed to be a male heir.

 

The much-married Henry VIII

Boleyn, like Henry’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon, failed to give him a son. Soon Boleyn was beheaded in the Tower of London and immediately replaced in her husband’s affections by her lady in waiting Jane Seymour. Simultaneously², Henry revoked³ Elizabeth’s rights to the throne, having already pushed aside her older sister, Mary Tudor.

 

Seymour managed to produce the requisite⁴ son, Edward VI; unfortunately, she died in the process. Elizabeth then had three more stepmothers as Henry continued to remarry. After wife number five met her death on the chopping block, Elizabeth, who doubtless associated marriage with betrayal and danger, announced to her childhood friend Robert Dudley that she would never marry. It was a promise she would keep.

 

Succession to the throne

Henry’s sixth and final wife, Catherine Parr, convinced the king to restore his daughters to the succession. She then engaged some of the keenest minds in England to tutor the fiercely intelligent young Elizabeth. Henry VIII died in 1547, to be succeeded by his 10-year-old son Edward VI. Elizabeth moved to the home of Catherine Parr, her stepmother and new guardian⁵.

 

Five years later, young Edward VI died of tuberculosis⁶. Shortly thereafter, Elizabeth’s older sister Mary Tudor was crowned Queen Mary I. While Mary was generally popular at first, Protestants in England viewed her with suspicion that turned to unrest when she married the Catholic prince, Philip, heir to the Spanish throne.

 

Vocabulary Focus

volatile (adj) [5vClEtail] likely to change suddenly and unexpectedly, especially to become violent or angry

for the sake of (idiom) because of; for the purpose or reason of

requisite (adj) [5rekwizit] needed for a particular purpose or result

succession (n) [sEk5seFEn] the act of taking an official position of authority or job after someone else

 

Specialized⁷ Terms

Catholic (adj) 天主教的 relating to a member of the largest Christian⁸ religion that is ruled by the Pope in Rome

heir (n) 继承人 a person who will legally receive money, property or a title from another person when that person dies

lady in waiting (n phr) 侍女，宫女 a woman whose job is to help a queen or woman of high social position

chopping block (n phr) 断头板 a thick piece of wood on which heads were cut off as a form of execution

tuberculosis (n) 肺结核 a serious, infectious disease of the lungs

Protestant (n) 新教徒（基督徒） one who belongs to the part of the Christian religion that separated from the Roman Catholic Church in the 1500s

 

英国女王伊莉莎白一世

 

这位女士统治英格兰40年，历经危险与荣耀

 

许美鸾 译

 

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很少有一个婴儿的诞生会令父亲如此失望和愤怒。1533年9月7日，当小小的、红发的伊莉莎白出生时，善变的英国国王亨利八世一点都不想要她。毕竟，他当时已和第一任太太离了婚，和天主教教会关系破裂，并且和被认为怀了男继承人的安妮·布尔结了婚。

 

多婚的亨利八世

和亨利的第一任太太西班牙公主凯瑟琳一样，布尔没能生个男孩。她不久就上了伦敦塔的断头台，并且立即就被丈夫的新欢，也是她的侍女珍·西摩尔所取代。同时，亨利废除了伊莉莎白的王位继承权，之前他已经把她的姐姐玛丽·都铎置于一旁了。

西摩尔勉力生了个必要的男孩，爱德华六世；她不幸死于难产。因为亨利继续再婚，伊莉莎白接着又有了3个继母。当第五位太太被斩首后，伊莉莎白无疑地把婚姻和背叛及危险连在一起，乃向她的儿时玩伴罗伯·杜德雷宣称永不结婚。她遵守了这个诺言。

 

继承王位  

凯瑟琳·帕尔是亨利的第六任也是最后一任太太。她说服了国王恢复女儿们的继承权。接着，她请了英格兰一些最优秀的导师，来指导年轻且才思敏捷的伊莉莎白。亨利八世死于1547年，由他10岁大的儿子爱德华六世继承王位。伊莉莎白搬到她的继母，同时也成为她的监护人，凯瑟琳·帕尔的家。

5年后，年轻的爱德华六世死于肺结核。不久，伊莉莎白的姐姐玛丽·都铎加冕成为玛丽一世女王。玛丽最初普受欢迎，但当她嫁给了西班牙王位继承人，天主教的菲利浦王子时，英格兰的新教徒对她的疑心演变成了动乱。

 

 

1 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

2 simultaneously   

adv.同时发生地，同时进行地

参考例句：

• The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.雷达波几乎可以同时追着多个目标。
• The Windows allow a computer user to execute multiple programs simultaneously.Windows允许计算机用户同时运行多个程序。

3 revoked   

adj.[法]取消的v.撤销，取消，废除( revoke的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It may be revoked if the check is later dishonoured. 以后如支票被拒绝支付，结算可以撤销。 来自辞典例句
• A will is revoked expressly. 遗嘱可以通过明示推翻。 来自辞典例句

4 requisite   

adj.需要的，必不可少的；n.必需品

参考例句：

• He hasn't got the requisite qualifications for the job.他不具备这工作所需的资格。
• Food and air are requisite for life.食物和空气是生命的必需品。

5 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

6 tuberculosis   

n.结核病，肺结核

参考例句：

• People used to go to special health spring to recover from tuberculosis.人们常去温泉疗养胜地治疗肺结核。
• Tuberculosis is a curable disease.肺结核是一种可治愈的病。

7 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

8 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。