VOA新闻杂志2022--Queen Elizabeth II Mourned at Funeral

Britain and the world said a final goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II at her state funeral Monday. Presidents, prime ministers, kings and princes came to honor her 70 years in power.

It was Britain's first state funeral since Winston Churchill's in 1965. Before the service, a bell rang 96 times — once a minute for each year of Elizabeth's life. Then, 142 Royal Navy sailors pulled the gun carriage with her coffin¹ to London's Westminster Abbey, where around 2,000 people gathered for the ceremony.

The coffin was covered with the Royal flag. Atop it sat the Imperial State Crown, with almost 3,000 diamonds, along with the royal orb² and scepter. Her son, King Charles III, and other members of the royal family followed the coffin into the church.

David Hoyle is the head clergyman of Westminster Abbey. As the funeral opened, he said: "Here, where Queen Elizabeth was married and crowned, we gather from across the nation, from the Commonwealth³, and from the nations of the world, to mourn our loss, to remember her long life of selfless service..."

The service ended with two minutes of silence observed across Britain. And the attendees sang "God Save the King."

The day began early when the doors of the British Parliament closed to mourners. Many had waited for hours in line to walk by her coffin lying in state. Hundreds of thousands lined the sidewalks of central London to watch the coffin travel through the city after the service. Others went to parks and public spaces across Britain to watch the funeral on large screens. Millions more watched live television broadcasts around the world.

After the passage through central London, the coffin headed for Windsor Castle, where Elizabeth was buried in a private ceremony in St. George's Chapel⁴.

Tracy Dobson was among the last people to join the line in London. "I felt like I had to come and pay my final respects to our majestic⁵ queen," she said. "She has done so much for us and just a little thank you really from the people."

Jilly Fitzgerald was in Windsor. She said there was a feeling of community among the mourners as they prepared to wait hours to see the queen's coffin.

"It's good to be with all the people who are feeling the same. It's like a big family because everyone feels that ... the queen was part of their family," she said.

U.S. President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and Japan's Emperor Naruhito were among the world leaders at the ceremony. Others included all living former British prime ministers as well as European royalty⁶.

On the evening before the funeral, King Charles III sent a message of thanks to people in Britain and around the world. He said he and his wife Camilla have been "moved beyond measure" by the large numbers of people who are mourning the queen.

Elizabeth was the 40th monarch⁷ in a family line that dates its history back to 1066. She came to power in 1952 and became Britain's first monarch after the end of the British Empire.

She oversaw⁸ her nation trying to build a new place in the world. She was very important in helping⁹ create the Commonwealth of Nations, now a grouping of 56 countries.

Words in This Story

coffin — n. a box in which a dead person is buried

orb — n. a gold ball with a cross on top that is carried by a king or queen on formal occasions as a symbol of power and justice

scepter — n. a long decorated stick that is carried by a king or queen

majestic — adj. large and impressively beautiful

monarch — n. a person such as a king or queen who rules a kingdom or empire

1 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

2 orb   

n.太阳；星球；v.弄圆；成球形

参考例句：

• The blue heaven,holding its one golden orb,poured down a crystal wash of warm light.蓝蓝的天空托着金色的太阳，洒下一片水晶般明亮温暖的光辉。
• It is an emanation from the distant orb of immortal light.它是从远处那个发出不灭之光的天体上放射出来的。

3 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。

4 chapel   

n.小教堂，殡仪馆

参考例句：

• The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
• She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午，她在小教堂的演出，可以说是登峰造极。

5 majestic   

adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的

参考例句：

• In the distance rose the majestic Alps.远处耸立着雄伟的阿尔卑斯山。
• He looks majestic in uniform.他穿上军装显得很威风。

6 royalty   

n.皇家，皇族

参考例句：

• She claims to be descended from royalty.她声称她是皇室后裔。
• I waited on tables，and even catered to royalty at the Royal Albert Hall.我做过服务生， 甚至在皇家阿伯特大厅侍奉过皇室的人。

7 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。

8 oversaw   

v.监督，监视( oversee的过去式 )

参考例句：

• He will go down as the president who oversaw two historic transitions. 他将作为见证了巴西两次历史性转变的总统，安然引退。 来自互联网
• Dixon oversaw the project as creative director of Design Research Studio. 狄克逊监督项目的创意总监设计研究工作室。 来自互联网

9 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。