新西兰英语 571 The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

 　　This year, Queen Elizabeth celebrates 60 years as Queen of Great Britain and the Commonwealth¹.

　　Her father, King George VI, died on February 6th 1952. Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, were visiting Kenya at the time, on their way to Canada. They returned to England immediately. She became Queen from that day but her coronation was not until June 1953.

　　This year, there will be four months of celebrations, finishing with a celebration of the Diamond Jubilee² in London from June 2nd to the 5th. Other members of the royal family will travel to a number of Commonwealth countries this year. Prince William and his wife will visit New Zealand in November. The Queen is now 85 and does not travel much herself.

　　The Queen sent a message to all the people in Britain and the Commonwealth thanking them for the support they have given to her and Prince Philip over the 60 years.

　　Queen Victoria reigned⁴ for more than 63 years, from May 1819 to January 1901.

　　To find out more about the Commonwealth, listen to November 24th 2007

　　Vocabulary

　　jubilee – a happy anniversary

　　coronation – a ceremony where the king or queen receives the crown

　　to reign³ – (pronounced like ‘rain’) – to be king or queen

　　Questions

　　Do you know who is the next heir to the throne (the person who will be King when the Queen dies)? It is not Prince William.

　　Do you think New Zealand should become a republic with a President instead of a Queen?

1 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。

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 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。

4 reigned   

vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式）

参考例句：

• Silence reigned in the hall. 全场肃静。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Night was deep and dead silence reigned everywhere. 夜深人静，一片死寂。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》