2007年VOA标准英语-Queen Elizabeth Tours Colonial Settlement of Ja

By Margaret Besheer
Washington
04 May 2007

Britain's Queen Elizabeth visited the historic Jamestown Settlement Friday, in the U.S. state of Virginia. Jamestown was the first permanent English colony in what would become the United States. The Queen's visit is part of commemorations of the Virginia settlement's 400th anniversary. From Washington, VOA's Margaret Besheer has more on the royal visit.

Vice1 President Dick Cheney during a visit to the Jamestown Settlement in Williamsburg, Virginia, 04 May 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070604/0956350.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

Queen Elizabeth II looks over at US Vice President Dick Cheney during a visit to Jamestown Settlement in Williamsburg, Virginia, 04 May 2007

The Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, accompanied by U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife Lynne, arrived at the historic settlement Friday morning.

In May 1607, 104 English settlers landed at the site on the James River. The dangerous Atlantic crossing took five difficult months, and nearly half the original group died within months of their arrival. But despite great difficulty, what began as a commercial venture and a search for a new water route to the Pacific, became the foundation of a new nation.

Vice President Cheney said the settlers' arrival changed the world.

"Inside a little three-sided fort in this corner of Virginia large events were set in motion and great and noble traditions were introduced to America," he said. "So we pay homage² to the first English settlement on the North American shore and we mark the 14th of May 1607 as a providential moment in the life of this nation."

This is the 81-year-old monarch³'s fourth State visit to the United States. Her first was 50 years ago, just after she had become queen, and it was also to Jamestown for the 350th anniversary celebrations.

The queen, wearing a teal coat and matching hat, did not address the crowd. Later she toured the fort with the vice president. Her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, a former officer in the Royal Navy, accompanied Mrs. Cheney aboard a replica⁴ of the Susan Constant, the largest of the three ships that brought the Jamestown settlers to North America.

After Jamestown, the royal couple visited the nearby College of William & Mary. Founded by a royal charter in 1693, it is the second oldest college in the United States. At a luncheon⁵ at the Governor's Palace in Colonial Williamsburg in her honor, the Queen, now in a raspberry-colored ensemble⁶, spoke⁷ about the symbolism of the Jamestown landing.

"[It is] A symbol of the convergence of civilizations, of the spread of the rule of law, of the growth of representative democracy, and also the symbol of friendship, the deep and enduring friendship between the United States and the United Kingdom," she said.

Saturday, the horse-loving monarch will travel to the state of Kentucky to attend the famous Kentucky Derby horse race. Monday night, the Bushes will entertain the royals at a White House State Dinner.

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 homage   

n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬

参考例句：

• We pay homage to the genius of Shakespeare.我们对莎士比亚的天才表示敬仰。
• The soldiers swore to pay their homage to the Queen.士兵们宣誓效忠于女王陛下。

3 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。

4 replica   

n.复制品

参考例句：

• The original conservatory has been rebuilt in replica.温室已按原样重建。
• The young artist made a replica of the famous painting.这位年轻的画家临摹了这幅著名的作品。

5 luncheon   

n.午宴，午餐，便宴

参考例句：

• We have luncheon at twelve o'clock.我们十二点钟用午餐。
• I have a luncheon engagement.我午饭有约。

6 ensemble   

n.合奏(唱)组；全套服装；整体，总效果

参考例句：

• We should consider the buildings as an ensemble.我们应把那些建筑物视作一个整体。
• It is ensemble music for up to about ten players,with one player to a part.它是最多十人演奏的合奏音乐，每人担任一部分。

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。