2007年VOA标准英语-White House Rolls Out Pomp and Pageantry for Qu

By Paula Wolfson
White House
07 May 2007

Pomp and ceremony is the order of the day at the White House for the state visit of Britain's Queen Elizabeth. VOA's Paula Wolfson has details.

Queen Elizabeth II and U.S. President Bush stand at attention during an official state arrival ceremony for the queen, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, 07 May 2007

They rolled out the red carpet at the White House for the Queen.

Bands played, military units stood at attention, and 7,000 people filled the White House south lawn - all part of the pageantry surrounding the arrival of the British monarch¹.

President Bush is a leader known for his love of informal gatherings². But on this day, there was nothing but formality - from the strict protocol³ of the arrival ceremony with its 21-gun salute⁴, to a white-tie state dinner.

"Your majesty⁵, the United States receives with honor the sovereign of the United Kingdom," he said.

On a morning of blue skies and soft breezes, the president and the Queen stood together before the flags of their two countries - a symbol of the ongoing⁶ relationship between the United States and Great Britain. President Bush spoke⁷ of the Queen's compassion⁸ and commitment during their joint⁹ struggle against terrorism and extremism in the Middle East.

"I appreciate your leadership during these times of danger and decision," he said. "You have spoken out against extremism and terror. You have encouraged religious tolerance¹⁰ and reconciliation¹¹. You have honored those returning from battle, and comforted the families of the fallen."

But despite the reference to the war, the day provided a brief respite¹² from the trials of a conflict half a world away. All eyes were on the 81-year-old British monarch who spoke in stately, even tones.

"In Washington, we have a further opportunity to acknowledge the present strength of our relationship," she said. "I shall enjoy not only renewing old acquaintances and making new ones, but also recognizing the depth and breadth of the friendship we have shared for so long."

Washington is the last stop on a six-day visit to the United States by Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Phillip. They began their trip in the nearby state of Virginia, where they visited Jamestown, which is marking its 400th anniversary of its founding as the first permanent English settlement in the Americas.

1 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。

2 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

3 protocol   

n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节

参考例句：

• We must observe the correct protocol.我们必须遵守应有的礼仪。
• The statesmen signed a protocol.那些政治家签了议定书。

4 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。

5 majesty   

n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权

参考例句：

• The king had unspeakable majesty.国王有无法形容的威严。
• Your Majesty must make up your mind quickly!尊贵的陛下，您必须赶快做出决定！

6 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

7 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。

8 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

9 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

10 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

11 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

12 respite   

n.休息，中止，暂缓

参考例句：

• She was interrogated without respite for twenty-four hours.她被不间断地审问了二十四小时。
• Devaluation would only give the economy a brief respite.贬值只能让经济得到暂时的缓解。