London in party mood on royal wedding day

     LONDON, April 29 (Xinhua) -- British Prince William and Kate Middleton on Friday had their fabulous¹ wedding ceremony amid people's cheers and well wishes from all over London and from around the world.

    Waves of joyful² people gathered along the procession route of the newlyweds as well as Hyde Park and Trafalgar Square, to catch a glimpse of the royal family or watch the live broadcast on big outdoor screens.

    Crowds cheered and waved as the royal convoy⁴ carrying the newly- weds³ drove by and stayed at Westminster Abbey for the grand wedding ceremony. Then, an open-topped carriage took the new couple to the Buckingham Palace, where the two showed up and kissed on the balcony, reminding people of a similar scene of Prince Charles and Princess Diana making their classical kiss in 1981. After a lunchtime reception held by the Queen, William drove his princess back to his living place, Clarence House.

    London Metropolitan⁵ Police said up to 1 million people were on the streets to watch and celebrate the royal wedding.

    Vivian, 75 years old, from central Britain's Yorkshire, camped overnight with seven people of three generations from her family. "I'm a royalist. The royal family made great contribution to the stability of our country. So I came all the way to support them," he said.

    Along with four friends from San Diego, California, Mill camped nearby the Buckingham Palace and had their tent pinned with pictures of Princess Diana. "I am so excited to see the charming new couple and the gorgeous Royal Horse Guards. We come over to see this because we do not have this kind of stuff in the United States," she said.

    Some young couples disguised as William and Kate were seen among the crowds, with people taking pictures of them or with them. Many others wore crown models and masks of the royal family members, mostly of the bride and groom⁶.

    Banners dotted a sea of people at the square, scintillating⁷ congratulatory as well as bantering⁸ messages: "Congratulations Will and Kate," "I Love Royal Wedding," "Don't Worry Harry⁹ is Still Single," "Harry Marry Me" and "I Do Too!"As the royal wedding fever swept Britain, parties were held in public spaces -- streets, squares, parks, pubs and churches, with union flags flying across the nation to mark the occasion. Local media reported over 5,500 street parties were organized across Britain on Friday.

    Robyn Marchall from Australia was having a good drink with family members. "My daughter and I booked flights and accommodations for this trip on the day when this royal wedding date was announced," she said excitedly. "The ceremony is just so beautiful and fantastic. Kate looks relaxed and perfect. She is just a natural born princess."Skepel Horn from northern Britain was dancing in the grass with friends. She said she was particularly excited because she had just seen the newlyweds at the same place where she and her friends witnessed Diana's wedding 30 years ago. "It's a way for us to recapture our youth," she said.

    British Prime Minister David Cameron also held a special street party at Downing Street in celebration of the royal family's historic wedding with about 100 guests, which was completed with cupcakes baked by the prime minister's wife Samantha.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 fabulous   

adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的

参考例句：

• We had a fabulous time at the party.我们在晚会上玩得很痛快。
• This is a fabulous sum of money.这是一笔巨款。

2 joyful   

adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的

参考例句：

• She was joyful of her good result of the scientific experiments.她为自己的科学实验取得好成果而高兴。
• They were singing and dancing to celebrate this joyful occasion.他们唱着、跳着庆祝这令人欢乐的时刻。

3 weds   

v.嫁，娶，（与…）结婚( wed的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Confetti showered down on the newly-weds. 彩屑撒在一双新人身上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The newly-weds are head over heels in love. 这对新婚夫正情溶意蜜。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 convoy   

vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队

参考例句：

• The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
• Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。

5 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

6 groom   

vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁

参考例句：

• His father was a groom.他父亲曾是个马夫。
• George was already being groomed for the top job.为承担这份高级工作，乔治已在接受专门的培训。

7 scintillating   

adj．才气横溢的,闪闪发光的; 闪烁的

参考例句：

• Statistics on unemployment levels hardly make for scintillating reading. 失业统计数据读来不大会有趣味。
• You were scintillating on TV last night. 您昨晚在电视上妙语如珠。

8 bantering   

adj.嘲弄的v.开玩笑，说笑，逗乐( banter的现在分词 )；（善意地）取笑，逗弄

参考例句：

• There was a friendly, bantering tone in his voice. 他的声音里流露着友好诙谐的语调。
• The students enjoyed their teacher's bantering them about their mistakes. 同学们对老师用风趣的方式讲解他们的错误很感兴趣。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。