VOA新闻杂志2022--英国庆祝伊丽莎白女王白金禧年

Britain Celebrates Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum¹ Jubilee²

Britain is celebrating Queen Elizabeth II's 70th year on the throne.

The four-day celebration, called Platinum Jubilee, began Thursday with a parade called Trooping the Color. The yearly military parade has marked the monarch³'s official birthday since 1760. The queen appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with a small group of family members for a military flyover⁴.

Thousands of people were on the parade route. Many carried British flags, party hats or plastic crowns.

"You're never going to see this again in your lifetime," one woman said. "At least not in mine, maybe not in my daughter's. ... 70 years -- it is all I have ever known."

The 96-year-old queen is Britain's longest-serving monarch. She is the first to reach 70 years on the throne.

The celebration of Elizabeth's reign⁵ includes a service Friday at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. There will also be a concert at Buckingham Palace on Saturday and a performance put on by thousands of people from schools and community groups around the country on Sunday.

Thousands of street parties are planned around the country, a tradition that began with the queen's coronation in 1953.

Several protesters were arrested Thursday after getting past barriers and onto the parade route. The group Animal Rebellion claimed responsibility, saying the protesters were "demanding that royal land is reclaimed⁶."

The jubilee is giving many British people a chance to think about the monarchy⁷ and the changes that have happened to the country since she took the throne. Fourteen prime ministers have taken office since Elizabeth became queen. Former Prime Minister John Major said her presence has helped provide direction for the country.

"The queen has represented our better selves for over 70 years," he told the BBC.

In a written jubilee message, the queen thanked people in Britain and across the Commonwealth⁸ involved in organizing the celebrations. The Commonwealth is a group of 54 nations, most of which are former territories of the British Empire. For many, the event is the first chance for a big party since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Other world leaders also sent their congratulations. French President Emmanuel Macron said the Queen is one of "very few constants" in the world. And former U.S. President Barack Obama added, "Your life has been a gift, not just to the United Kingdom but to the world."

The long weekend's first event, Trooping the Color, refers to a battle flag, or "color." The yearly tradition is a reenactment of the way battle flags were once shown to soldiers during fighting.

Each year a different unit in the army's Household Division has the honor of trooping its color. The 1st Battalion⁹ of the Irish Guards has the spotlight¹⁰ during the Platinum Jubilee.

Riding on horseback, Prince Charles, representing the Queen, received the salute¹¹ from the guards along with his sister, Princess Anne, and his son Prince William.

There is also some attention on those who will not be present.

Prince Andrew, the queen's second son, settled a lawsuit¹² in which he was accused of sexually abusing an underage woman. He is not expected to attend the celebration.

The Queen's grandson Prince Harry¹³ and his American wife Meghan stepped down from royal duties. They watched the parade but were not present at the palace.

Opinion studies show Elizabeth remains¹⁴ very popular and respected among British people. One study showed eight in 10 people held a positive view of her. Another one found that three-quarters of British people thought she had done a good job as queen.

Words in This Story

jubilee — n. a special anniversary

monarch — n. a person such as a king or queen who rules a kingdom or empire

coronation — n. a ceremony in which a crown is placed on the head of a new king or queen

constant — adj. happening all the time or very often over a period of time

reenactment — n. to repeat the actions of

salute — n. an act or ceremony that shows respect for someone

1 platinum   

n.白金

参考例句：

• I'll give her a platinum ring.我打算送给她一枚白金戒指。
• Platinum exceeds gold in value.白金的价值高于黄金。

2 jubilee   

n.周年纪念；欢乐

参考例句：

• They had a big jubilee to celebrate the victory.他们举行盛大的周年纪念活动以祝贺胜利。
• Every Jubilee,to take the opposite case,has served a function.反过来说，历次君主巡幸，都曾起到某种作用。

3 monarch   

n.帝王，君主，最高统治者

参考例句：

• The monarch's role is purely ceremonial.君主纯粹是个礼仪职位。
• I think myself happier now than the greatest monarch upon earth.我觉得这个时候比世界上什么帝王都快乐。

4 flyover   

n.立交桥，天桥

参考例句：

• It took workers more than one year to build this flyover.建造这座立交桥破费工人一年多时间。
• All that came to his bakery should go over a flyover first.所有来他店的人都必须先经过一座立交桥。

5 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

6 reclaimed   

adj.再生的；翻造的；收复的；回收的v.开拓( reclaim的过去式和过去分词 )；要求收回；从废料中回收（有用的材料）；挽救

参考例句：

• Many sufferers have been reclaimed from a dependence on alcohol. 许多嗜酒成癖的受害者已经被挽救过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They reclaimed him from his evil ways. 他们把他从邪恶中挽救出来。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

7 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。

8 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

9 battalion   

n.营；部队；大队(的人)

参考例句：

• The town was garrisoned by a battalion.该镇由一营士兵驻守。
• At the end of the drill parade,the battalion fell out.操练之后，队伍解散了。

10 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

11 salute   

vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮

参考例句：

• Merchant ships salute each other by dipping the flag.商船互相点旗致敬。
• The Japanese women salute the people with formal bows in welcome.这些日本妇女以正式的鞠躬向人们施礼以示欢迎。

12 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

13 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

14 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。