英语新闻视频：从A到Z解读英国女王伊莉莎白二世

Just over a month ago, Britain's Queen Elizabeth the second turned 86. She's now spent six decades as Queen of the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the other countries of the Commonwealth¹.      She is a familiar face across the world, and the broad narrative² of her life is well-known-- not least the more tumultuous episodes involving her offspring's marriages, indiscretions and divorces, and the tragic³ death of Diana, Princess of Wales. But to commemorate⁴ her Diamond Jubilee⁵, we now bring you an A to Z guide to some of the less familiar, though no less revealing, aspects of her royal life.
     A is for Anniversary: 60 years separate these two portraits. Most British people have only known one Queen,Elizabeth II. Only her illustrious ancestor Victoria has reigned⁶ longer -- 64 years on the throne.
     B is for BritaNnia: the name of her yacht. Decommissioned in 1997, it is the only time the Queen has shed a tear in public. A floating palace in which she sailed the world, it was capable of carrying 5 tonnes of cargo,including the famed Rolls Royce Phantom⁷ V.
    C is for Corgi: her favorite dogs. Young Elizabeth received her first at 7 years old, a gift from her beloved father.
Since then, the family has expanded, and any true royalist tends to have a collection too.
    D is for Diana. A ray of sunshine for many, she represents the Queen's darker years. Britons were initially⁸ shocked by the Queen's detachment when the princess died. But since then, she has managed to regain⁹ her popularity, with more than 80% of her subject's content.
    K is for Kids and Kate, four children, Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward. And three divorces. Thankfully, her grandchildren have improved the Queen's image, particularly the Royal Family’s latest addition, Kate the commoner, now one of the Royal's best assets.
   G is for Gin. Unknown by many of her Majesty's subjects, it is her favorite tipple¹⁰. According to her biographers,she enjoys a daily glass, along with her husband, Prince Philip.
    H is for Hats. Her collection is endless. The key ingredient: it must be visible from a distance. Each of the Queen's outfit¹¹ reflects the requirements of the day: in this instance, green for Ireland, for her first trip to the country, last year.
    R is for the Racing¹² post, her favorite newspaper. The Queen breeds racing horses, who have won several prestigious¹³ derbies.
   And finally W is for Windsor, one of her palaces, which also include Holyrood and Balmoral in Scotland.
   Her London home is Buckingham Palace which, according to her biographers, she hates because of its deserted¹⁴ corridors. But the Palace is the palace of Kings and Queens, so it where she spends much of her time. Duty always comes first.
 

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 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

3 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

4 commemorate   

vt.纪念，庆祝

参考例句：

• This building was built to commemorate the Fire of London.这栋大楼是为纪念“伦敦大火”而兴建的。
• We commemorate the founding of our nation with a public holiday.我们放假一日以庆祝国庆。

5 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。

6 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》

7 phantom   

n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的

参考例句：

• I found myself staring at her as if she were a phantom.我发现自己瞪大眼睛看着她，好像她是一个幽灵。
• He is only a phantom of a king.他只是有名无实的国王。

8 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

9 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

10 tipple   

n.常喝的酒；v.不断喝，饮烈酒

参考例句：

• My favourite tipple is a glass of port.我最喜欢喝的酒是波尔图葡萄酒。
• Scotch drinkers around the world tend to associate their favourite tipple with success and achievement.世界各地喝苏格兰威士忌的人，往往把他们最喜欢的这种烈酒，与成功和成就联系在一起。

11 outfit   

n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装

参考例句：

• Jenney bought a new outfit for her daughter's wedding.珍妮为参加女儿的婚礼买了一套新装。
• His father bought a ski outfit for him on his birthday.他父亲在他生日那天给他买了一套滑雪用具。

12 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

13 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

14 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。