彭蒙惠英语：Queen Elizabeth I

Queen Elizabeth I

 

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The glorious victory

An ominous¹ threat arose from abroad. Elizabeth knew that Philip II of Spain intended to attack England, so she turned England’s minuscule² navy into a fearsome fighting force, equipping it with a lighter³ and faster fleet than Spain’s.

 

On July 19, 1588, the Spanish Armada was finally sighted. In the ensuing battle, England lost 100 men, while Spain lost 20,000. It was a humiliating defeat for Spain. This victory of Protestant over Catholic forces helped ease England’s religious turmoil⁴. The victory, people said, was by the hand of God.

 

However, Elizabeth’s joy in victory was short-lived when soon after, her beloved friend, Robert Dudley, died. Afterward⁵, she appeared old and tired. Her glorious military victory could not begin to compensate⁶ for her terrible personal loss.

 

Elizabeth’s final days

It was, in fact, a time of overwhelming loss. Almost all her councilors were dead. Deeply in debt, she was forced to sell off Tudor family treasures. There were physical losses, too: She had few teeth left and her eyesight and memory were failing.

 

However, this woman whose life had been defined by her ferocious⁷ will to survive was still fighting. She became terribly ill, yet she refused to go to her deathbed. Instead, she sat on a pile of cushions, not eating. The 69-yearold Queen soon became unable to speak. She died on March 24, 1603, and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

 

Her life had been one of overwhelming glory. And yet, it had also been filled with hardship and loneliness. Perhaps she best summed it up in her last speech, when she said: “To be a king and wear a crown is more glorious to them that see it, than it is pleasant to them that bear it.”

 

 

Vocabulary Focus

minuscule (adj) [mi5nQskju:l] extremely small

ensuing (adj) [en5FuiN] happening after or following something else

sum up (idiom) to express briefly⁸ the important points about something or someone

 

Specialized⁹ Terms

Westminster Abbey (n phr) 威斯敏斯特大教堂 a large, historic church in London, England, where British rulers are traditionally crowned and where many rulers and famous people of high standing¹⁰ are buried

 

英国女王伊莉莎白一世

 

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光荣的胜利

不祥的威胁从国外而生。伊莉莎白知道西班牙的菲利浦二世打算进攻英格兰，所以她把英格兰的迷你海军转变成一股骇人的战斗力量，配备了比西班牙更轻，更快的舰队。

1588年7月19日，西班牙的无敌舰队终于现身了。在接下来的战役中，英格兰损失了100人，西班牙损失了2万人。对西班牙来说，此战是羞辱性的失败。这场新教徒击败天主教军队的胜利帮助减缓了英格兰的宗教动乱。人们说，这场胜利是藉着上帝之手达成的。

然而，伊莉莎白胜利的喜悦并不长久。不久之后，她挚爱的朋友罗伯·杜德雷去世了。此后，她显得苍老而疲惫。军队光荣的胜利无法弥补她悲惨的个人损失。

 

最后的日子

事实上，那是一段遭逢重大损失的时光。她所有的策士几乎都已不在人世。债台高筑下，她被迫出售都铎王朝的宝物。身体上也有损失：她没剩几颗牙齿，逐渐丧失了视力和记忆力。

然而，这位一生都以勇猛的生存意志著称的女性仍坚持奋斗着。她病得极为严重，却拒赴死亡之床。她坐在一堆垫子上，不吃东西。这位69岁的女王很快就变得不能说话。她在1630年3月24日去世，葬在威斯敏斯特大教堂。

她的一生享有无可比拟的荣耀，但也充满了艰辛和寂寞。也许她最后的演说最能总结她的一生，她说：“戴着皇冠当个国王，看的人感觉到的荣耀，比当的人感觉到的快乐要来得多。”

 

 

 

 

1 ominous   

adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的

参考例句：

• Those black clouds look ominous for our picnic.那些乌云对我们的野餐来说是个不祥之兆。
• There was an ominous silence at the other end of the phone.电话那头出现了不祥的沉默。

2 minuscule   

adj.非常小的；极不重要的

参考例句：

• The human race only a minuscule portion of the earth's history.人类只有占有极小部分地球历史。
• As things stand,Hong Kong's renminbi banking system is minuscule.就目前的情况而言，香港的人民币银行体系可谓微不足道。

3 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

4 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

5 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

6 compensate   

vt.补偿，赔偿；酬报 vi.弥补；补偿；抵消

参考例句：

• She used her good looks to compensate her lack of intelligence. 她利用她漂亮的外表来弥补智力的不足。
• Nothing can compensate for the loss of one's health. 一个人失去了键康是不可弥补的。

7 ferocious   

adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的

参考例句：

• The ferocious winds seemed about to tear the ship to pieces.狂风仿佛要把船撕成碎片似的。
• The ferocious panther is chasing a rabbit.那只凶猛的豹子正追赶一只兔子。

8 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

9 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。

10 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。