英语口语畅谈世界文化之英国83:The Royal Family皇室mp3

英语口语畅谈世界文化

之英国

83 The Royal Family 皇室

TG:Tour Guide    T:Tourist
TG：导游            T：游客

TG： And this is Buckingham Palace, home of the Queen of England.
TG：这里是白金汉宫，英国女王的家。

T：How long h.as England had a monarchy?
T:  英国君主立宪制的历史有多长？

T:G For well over a thousand years.
TG：有一千多年了。

T：Who was the most famous king of England?
T:  英国最有名的国王是谁？

TG: Perhaps it was Henry VIII who had six wives.
TG：也许是那位有6个妻子的亨利八世

T: Why did he have so many wives?
T:  他怎么有这么多妻子呢？

TG：He wanted a son and when none of his wives gave him one he would either divorce them or have them beheaded.
FG：他想要个儿子，当没有一个妻子能给他生儿子时，他要么离婚要么就把她们杀头。

T: Who was the most famous Queen of England?
T:  英国最有名的女王是谁？

TG: I think there are two contenders for that tide. Queen Elizabeth I who never married and was known as the Virgin Queen and Queen Victoria. Both lived for a long time and expanded Britain's trade and colonies overseas.
TG:对于这个名号，我想有两位女王不相上下。一个是终生未婚被称为“童贞女王”的伊丽莎白一世另一个是维多利亚女王，她们两个都活了很长时间，而且还向海外扩大了英国的贸易和殖民地。

T: Is the monarchy popular in England?
T:  君主立宪制存英国受欢迎吗？

TG: Yes, I think so. Queen Elizabeth II has ruled for over 50 years and is very popular with her subjects just like her mother who lived to be 101 years old.
TG：我认为是受欢迎的。伊丽莎r1二世统治了5lJ多年，和她那位活了101岁的母亲一样，受到臣民们的拥戴。

T: Who win succeed her?
T:  将来谁会继承她的王位？

TG: Her eldest son, Prince Charles, who recently married Camilla. His eldest son, Prince William will then succeed him.
TG：她的大儿子查尔斯工子，最近娶了R米拉的那个。查尔斯王子的人儿子，威廉王子以后也会继承他的王位。

T: So it's always the eldest son who succeeds?
T:  也就是说，一直都是长子继承王位了？

TG: Yes, but if there are no sons then it passes to the eldest daughter which is what happened in Queen Elizabeth's case.
TG: 是的。但如果没有儿子，就会传位给长女，伊丽莎白女王就是这样继承王位的。

T: Can you tell me something about Princess Diana.
T: 你可以跟我讲讲有关戴安娜土妃的事吗？

TG: Well she was certainly the most popular of the royal family in recent years.
TG：哦，她的确是近几年来王室成员巾最受欢迎的人，

T: I know she did a lot of charitable work but it was really tragic that she died to young.
T:  我知道她傲了很多慈善工作，但她那么年轻就去世的确是个悲剧。

TG: Yes. I remember that day and the national outpouring of grief that followed. I think everyone in the UK was glued to their seats watching the funeral on TV and there wasn't a dry eye in the whole of the country.
TG:是的。我记得，那天全国上下部沉浸在悲痛之中。我想所有的英国人都端坐在椅子上一刻不离地观看电视上直播的葬礼，没有一个不落泪的。

T: I think that Prince William is very handsome and I would love him to be king one day.I think he would make a better king than his father.
T:  我认为威廉王子长得很英俊，我希望他将来某一天能够做国王。我想他会成为一个比他父亲更好的国王．．

TG : I think most people think that but he will have to wait until his father dies just as Charles has to wait until his mother dies.
TG:我想大多数人也是这样认为的。不过他得等到他的父亲去世后才能继承王位，就像他父亲也得等到他的母亲去世后一样。

【单词词组】

Died so young英年早逝  
outpouring of grief沉浸在悲痛中
be glued to their seats 粘在座位上（指坐着不动）   
A dry eye不哭的人

【背景介绍】

英国王室是现存世界上最古老的王室之一，盎格鲁-撒克逊王室血统在1066年威廉一世继位短暂中断，威廉一世去世后拥有盎格鲁-撒克逊王室血统的威廉二世继位，王室血统就再没有中断过，由于英国允许与王室有血缘关系的女性继承王位，这造成了英国王室血缘相同而王朝名称不同的现象，英国是君主立宪制国家，英国皇室作为凝聚国家力量的象征发挥作用，并不具备实质性权力。国王是名义上的统治者，由世袭产生。首相是英国政府的最高领导人，通过民选产生，掌握最高行政权力。首相可就重大事项与国王磋商，但最终决定权由议会和首相做出。英国君主与其近亲的关系由其名号可知。王室成员虽然没有严格的法律或者正式的定义，并且不同的名单会有不同的成员，不过拥有国王/女王陛下(HM)或者王子/公主殿下头衔(HRH)的一般都被视为王室成员。