VOA文化艺术2022 国庆祝伊丽莎白女王在位70周年

Britain will mark the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's rule on Sunday.

英国将于周日纪念女王伊丽莎白二世在位70周年。

The 25-year-old Elizabeth became queen on February 6, 1952, following the death of her father King George VI. She took over a country that survived the damages of World War II with Winston Churchill as prime minister.

1952年2月6日，25岁的伊丽莎白在父亲乔治六世国王去世后成为了女王。她接掌了一个由温斯顿·丘吉尔担任首相，经历了二战破坏的国家。

Since then, prime ministers, popes, and presidents have come and gone. The Soviet¹ Union has collapsed², and Britain's own empire has disappeared.

自那时起，总理、教皇和总统走马灯般更替。苏联解体了，英国自己的帝国也消失了。

Coronation in the age of television

电视时代的加冕

On June 2, 1953, Elizabeth's coronation was the first event seen on live television by millions around the world.

1953年6月2日，伊丽莎白的加冕典礼成为了世界各地数百万人在电视直播中看到的第一个大事件。

The broadcast brought the British royal family into people's living rooms. Elizabeth then made her first televised Christmas broadcast in 1957, saying she hoped the new medium would make her message "more personal and direct."

这场直播把英国王室带入了人们的客厅。伊丽莎白随后在1957年进行了她的第一次圣诞节电视直播，她说希望这种新媒体能让她的消息“更加个性化和直接。”

"At least for a few minutes, I welcome you to the peace of my own home," she said at the time.

她当时表示：“至少在接下来的几分钟里，我邀请你们与我共享王室的祥和。”

From weddings to funerals, the ceremonies became must-see television. An estimated 750 million people around the world watched the wedding between Prince Charles and Lady Diana on July 29, 1981.

从婚礼到葬礼的各种仪式成为了必看的电视节目。1981年7月29日，全球约有7.5亿人观看了查尔斯王子和戴安娜女士的婚礼。

Winds of change

变革之风

A Spaniard reportedly told King Charles I that "the sun never sets" on the British Empire. Historians estimated the empire once ruled more than 400 million people and had 25 percent of the earth's landmass. It was so huge that there was always daylight in one of the territories.

据报道，有位西班牙人告诉查理一世国王，太阳在大英帝国永远不会落下。历史学家估算这个帝国曾经统治过超过4亿人口，并占领了地球25%的陆地。它是如此辽阔，以至于总有一块领土是白天。

Under Elizabeth, Ghana became the first British colony in Africa to celebrate independence in 1957. Three years later, then British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan made his famous "winds of change" speech in South Africa. By 1970, most of Britain's African and Caribbean colonies had gained independence. And Britain handed over Hong Kong to China in 1997.

在伊丽莎白治下，加纳于1957年成为非洲首个庆祝独立的英国殖民地。三年之后，时任英国首相哈罗德·麦克米伦在南非发表了著名的“变革之风”演讲。到1970年，英国大部分非洲和加勒比殖民地都获得了独立。1997年，英国将香港交还给中国。

The queen, however, remains³ the head of state in 15 Commonwealth⁴ countries including Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

然而，女王仍然是包括澳大利亚、新西兰和加拿大在内的15个英联邦国家的国家元首。

No second Elizabethan Age

不会再有第二个伊丽莎白时代

Elizabeth's rule has often been compared, good or bad, to the "Golden Age" of the first Elizabeth in the 16th century. That was a time when England grew its economy, expanded its influence, and celebrated⁵ the great William Shakespeare.

无论好坏，人们经常会将伊丽莎白的统治与16世纪伊丽莎白一世的黄金时代相比较。那是英格兰发展经济、扩大影响力并歌颂伟大莎士比亚的时期。

British historian David Starkey observed that there would be no second Elizabethan age. He said the queen views her role as simply doing a job.

英国历史学家大卫·斯塔基评论称，不会再有第二个伊丽莎白时代。他称女王认为自己的角色只是做一项工作。

He told Reuters, "I say this not as criticism, but simply as a statement of fact... For she came to the throne with one thought only: to keep the royal show on the road."

他对路透社表示：“我不是在批评，而只是在陈述事实。她登上王位只有一个想法，那就是让这场王室演出继续下去。”

Anna Whitelock is Professor of the History of Monarchy⁷ at London's City University. She noted⁸, "The definition of success for any monarch⁶ over time is to preserve the monarchy and ensure the succession. That is the primary job, and that's what she's done."

安娜·怀特洛克是伦敦城市大学的君主制历史学教授。她指出：“随着时间推移，任何君主成功的定义是维护君主制并确保传承下去。这是首要工作，也正是她所作的。”

Matthew Dennison recently wrote a book about the queen. He said the way Elizabeth performed her role has given her a moral position beyond anything she had as a monarch.

马修·丹尼森最近写了一本关于女王的书。他说，伊丽莎白履行角色的方式赋予了她超越君主的道德地位。

Soft power

软实力

Constitutionally, the British monarch now has few practical powers and is expected to be non-political.

从宪法上讲，英国君主现在几乎没有实际权力，它被期望是非政治性的。

However, historians say Elizabeth has used "soft" power and made the monarchy a unifying⁹ force for the nation. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the queen used her broadcast to calm the public.

然而，历史学家表示，伊丽莎白利用软实力，使君主制成为了国家的凝聚力。在新冠肺炎大流行开始时，女王发表电视讲话让民众冷静下来。

Former British leaders have said her years of experience have proved of great help. They said they could speak freely without fear of their conversations ever being made public.

前英国领导人表示，她多年的经验证明对她有很大帮助。他们表示，他们可以自由发言，而不用担心他们的谈话会被公开。

Former prime minister Tony Blair said: "She will assess situations and difficulties and can describe them without ever ... giving any clue as to political preference or anything like that. It's quite remarkable¹⁰ to see."

前首相托尼·布莱尔表示：“她会评估现状与困难，并且能够在不提供任何政治偏好迹象的前提下描述它们。这非常了不起。”

Some historians say the queen will be viewed as the last of her kind, a monarch who commands unquestioned respect.

一些历史学家表示，女王将被视为最后一位她这类博得毋庸置疑的尊重的君主。

And Whitelock observed that "She [the queen] will be up there as one of the greatest monarchs¹¹ not just for her longevity¹², but for the period of change which she has witnessed."

怀特洛克评论称，“女王将成为最伟大的君主之一，不仅是因为她的长寿，还因为她所见证的变革时期。”

1 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

2 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

3 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。

4 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。

5 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

6 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。

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 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 unifying   

使联合( unify的现在分词 )； 使相同； 使一致； 统一

参考例句：

• In addition, there were certain religious bonds of a unifying kind. 此外，他们还有某种具有一种统一性质的宗教上的结合。
• There is a unifying theme, and that is the theme of information flow within biological systems. 我们可以用一个总的命题，把生物学系统内的信息流来作为这一研究主题。

10 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

11 monarchs   

君主，帝王( monarch的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Monarchs ruled England for centuries. 世袭君主统治英格兰有许多世纪。
• Serving six monarchs of his native Great Britain, he has served all men's freedom and dignity. 他在大不列颠本国为六位君王服务，也为全人类的自由和尊严服务。 来自演讲部分

12 longevity   

n.长命；长寿

参考例句：

• Good habits promote longevity.良好的习惯能增长寿命。
• Human longevity runs in families.人类的长寿具有家族遗传性。