英语听力—环球英语 1140 Diamond Jubilee: Sixty Years as Queen

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　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Betty Watts².

 

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　　And I’m Mike Procter. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand - no matter where in the world they live.

 

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　　The people of Great Britain are celebrating! There is a special parade in the city of London. It is a parade of boats. One thousand boats are on the River Thames. The boats are all different shapes, sizes and colours. There are historic³ boats, working boats and steam boats. Thirty thousand members of the public are in the boats. Other boats carry members of the military and the rescue services. Everyone wants to be a part of this great celebration.

 

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　　Crowds of people are standing⁴ beside the river and on the bridges. They are cheering and waving flags. Bands are playing music and church bells are ringing. The boats are hooting⁵ their horns and blowing their whistles.

 

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　　In the middle of all this happy noise is a large, beautiful boat covered with flowers. It is the Royal Barge⁶. This special boat is carrying Queen Elizabeth the Second. She has been Queen for 60 years. It is her Diamond Jubilee⁷. The parade of boats is celebrating this great event. Today’s Spotlight is on Queen Elizabeth and her Diamond Jubilee.

 

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　　Elizabeth’s father was King George the sixth. He died in 1952. Elizabeth was visiting Kenya with her husband. It was a very sad time for her. But she could not mourn in private. She was now the Queen. She returned immediately to the United Kingdom. She was only 25 years old.

 

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　　Since then Queen Elizabeth has devoted⁸ herself to the service of her people. Many of Queen Elizabeth’s ancestors used a little saying. This saying helped them to rule the country well. The two words are ‘I serve’. These two words are very important to Queen Elizabeth. Even before she became Queen, Elizabeth promised to serve the people of Great Britain and the Commonwealth⁹. When she was 21, she made a speech to her people. In the speech she made a serious promise. She said,

 

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　　I declare before you all that my whole life ... will be devoted to your service ... God help me to keep my promise.

 

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　　Queen Elizabeth has kept that promise. She has served her people for sixty years. But Queen Elizabeth is not the longest ruling monarch¹⁰ in the world. The king of Thailand has ruled his country for about 66 years. In the past there have been even longer reigns¹². The longest reign¹¹ of all was the king of Swaziland. He ruled for almost 82 years and nine months!

 

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　　The Queen has many responsibilities. One important part of her work is to travel round the world, meeting people. She has been on 261 official visits to 116 different countries. She is now 86 years old. But she still attends hundreds of events every year. Crowds of people come to see her. She walks among them. She talks to them. And she listens carefully to what they say.

 

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　　After reigning¹³ for 60 years, the Queen understands her people well. People all over the world respect her for her knowledge and her good judgement. During her reign there have been 12 Prime Ministers in Britain. Every week the Queen has a private meeting with the Prime Minister. Sir John Major is a former Prime Minister. In a book for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, he wrote:

 

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　　“In matters of state, I would not trust the judgement of anyone more than the Queen. It is unequalled, informed, experienced yet fair wisdom.

 

　　It is the most important part of her duties as a queen, but it is a duty that remains¹⁴ largely unknown.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Every year the Queen sends a Christmas message to her people. It is broadcast on radio and television. In the message, she often talks about what is happening in the world. She also speaks about her own experiences of family life. She has the same worries and fears as many other people. Her family has had many difficulties. She mourns when people she loves die. She worries, when her children are in trouble. In 2011 the Queen praised families and communities who supported each other through difficult times.

 

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　　Queen Elizabeth also often talks about her faith in God during her Christmas broadcasts. Last year she talked about hope. She said that finding hope in the middle of trouble is part of the Christian¹⁵ faith. She said,

 

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　　“Jesus was born into a world full of fear. The angels came to frightened people. The angels had hope in their voices. They said, ‘Do not be frightened. We bring very good news of great joy. This news is for you and all people. Today the Messiah has been born in the city of David. He is Christ the Lord.’ ... I pray that we all find room in our lives for the message of the angels and the love of God.”

 

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　　During 2012 there are many events to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee. They are happening all over the British Isles¹⁶ and in many Commonwealth countries. On the 4th of June, people will light more than 2000 beacon¹⁷ fires in the United Kingdom alone. They will build these large fires on the top of hills. People will be able to see them for many miles around. Lighting¹⁸ beacons¹⁹ is a traditional British way to celebrate great events.

 

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　　Special exhibitions are being held in the Queen’s palaces and castles. These displays in the Queens’s homes contain many beautiful objects. The public will be able to see these treasures.

 

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　　In the country areas there is a different kind of project. People are planting six million trees during the year. They will create 60 Diamond Woods - special forests. Each forest will be 60 acres or more in size. They will be full of trees for the public to enjoy.

 

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　　In villages, towns and cities, people get together. They hold street parties. The police help by closing the road to traffic. People make the street beautiful with balloons and flags. They put tables and chairs in the road. They all bring food. And then they share a celebration meal together in the street.

 

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　　All these Diamond Jubilee celebrations honour Queen Elizabeth’s life of loyal service. On the 7th of March 2012 the Prime Minister, David Cameron, told Parliament,

 

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　　“The nation holds the Queen in its heart. ... The diamond jubilee gives us the chance to show our thanks.”

 

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　　The writer of this program was Joy Smith. The producer was Nick Mangeolles. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called, ‘Diamond Jubilee: Sixty Years as Queen’.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.

1 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。

2 watts   

（电力计量单位）瓦，瓦特( watt的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• My lamp uses 60 watts; my toaster uses 600 watts. 我的灯用60瓦，我的烤面包器用600瓦。
• My lamp uses 40 watts. 我的灯40瓦。

3 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

4 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。

5 hooting   

（使）作汽笛声响，作汽车喇叭声( hoot的现在分词 )； 倒好儿； 倒彩

参考例句：

• He had the audience hooting with laughter . 他令观众哄堂大笑。
• The owl was hooting. 猫头鹰在叫。

6 barge   

n.平底载货船，驳船

参考例句：

• The barge was loaded up with coal.那艘驳船装上了煤。
• Carrying goods by train costs nearly three times more than carrying them by barge.通过铁路运货的成本比驳船运货成本高出近3倍。

7 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。

8 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

9 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。

10 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。

11 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。

12 reigns   

n.君主的统治( reign的名词复数 )；君主统治时期；任期；当政期

参考例句：

• In these valleys night reigns. 夜色笼罩着那些山谷。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The Queen of Britain reigns, but she does not rule or govern. 英国女王是国家元首，但不治国事。 来自辞典例句

13 reigning   

adj.统治的，起支配作用的

参考例句：

• The sky was dark, stars were twinkling high above, night was reigning, and everything was sunk in silken silence. 天很黑，星很繁，夜阑人静。
• Led by Huang Chao, they brought down the reigning house after 300 years' rule. 在黄巢的带领下，他们推翻了统治了三百年的王朝。

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。

15 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

16 isles   

岛( isle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the geology of the British Isles 不列颠群岛的地质
• The boat left for the isles. 小船驶向那些小岛。

17 beacon   

n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔

参考例句：

• The blink of beacon could be seen for miles.灯塔的光亮在数英里之外都能看见。
• The only light over the deep black sea was the blink shone from the beacon.黑黢黢的海面上唯一的光明就只有灯塔上闪现的亮光了。

18 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

19 beacons   

灯塔( beacon的名词复数 )； 烽火； 指路明灯； 无线电台或发射台

参考例句：

• A chain of beacons was lit across the region. 整个地区点起了一系列灯塔。
• Lighthouse and beacons flash at night. 晚上灯塔与信号台闪着光。