英伦广角 2012-03-31 皇家骑兵队为英女王登基60周年 钻石庆 备战

 It’s a rigorous routine, and if you thought it was a one-off for a Household Cavalry¹’s Mounted Regiment² in a Jubilee³ year, think again, from marking out to passing out, the turnout has to be immaculate, 365 days a year.

 

In June 170 houses will escort the Queen’s carriage during the Diamond Jubilee weekend, but behind this polished product, a sleek⁴ operation maintained by Hard Grant.

 

We hand make a lot of shoes to straight piece of metal, some measurements taken and then it’s hand forged to fit each individual horse.

 

These horses complete their training in a passing out parade tomorrow after 4 years of faking, breaking and schooling⁵. Also in training, Digger, the drum horse, the tallest horse he knew. 

 

He’s a massive 19 hands and 2 inches, he is still growing and apparently⁶ a little underweight, he needs to put on about 60 kg or so, but he has got a very healthy appetite. 

 

And then there’s sausage, filmed by one of the stable hands, sweeping⁷ his own yard, but for the Household Cavalry, it’s not just about ceremonial duties. 

 

For the soldiers you see behind me are all fully⁸ trained operational soldiers, they serve a 2 year posting here to do ceremonial duties, but a lot of these soldiers behind me will be serving in Afghanistan by this time next year, 

 

But by this time tomorrow, for the 350 of all rings and 200 horses, it will be back to the same old routine. 

 

Paul Harrison, Sky News with the Household Cavalry.

1 cavalry   

n.骑兵；轻装甲部队

参考例句：

• We were taken in flank by a troop of cavalry. 我们翼侧受到一队骑兵的袭击。
• The enemy cavalry rode our men down. 敌人的骑兵撞倒了我们的人。

2 regiment   

n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制

参考例句：

• As he hated army life,he decide to desert his regiment.因为他嫌恶军队生活，所以他决心背弃自己所在的那个团。
• They reformed a division into a regiment.他们将一个师整编成为一个团。

3 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。

4 sleek   

adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢

参考例句：

• Women preferred sleek,shiny hair with little decoration.女士们更喜欢略加修饰的光滑闪亮型秀发。
• The horse's coat was sleek and glossy.这匹马全身润泽有光。

5 schooling   

n.教育；正规学校教育

参考例句：

• A child's access to schooling varies greatly from area to area.孩子获得学校教育的机会因地区不同而大相径庭。
• Backward children need a special kind of schooling.天赋差的孩子需要特殊的教育。

6 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

7 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

8 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。