VOA标准英语2010年-Queen Elizabeth Addresses UN General A

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (l) follows Queen Elizabeth ll and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as they enter the United Nations headquarters, 06 Jul 2010

Britain's Queen Elizabeth told member states of the United Nations on Tuesday that for more than 60 years, the world body has helped shape the international response to global dangers and must continue to show clear leadership.  The 84-year-old monarch¹ last addressed the United Nations 53 years ago.  She made a whirlwind visit to New York, where she also honored the victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks. 

Queen Elizabeth told a full General Assembly hall that she has witnessed great change - much of it good - during her more than 50 year-long reign².  She said advances in science and technology, and shifts in social attitudes have come about more because of people than governments.  She noted³ that many important things have not changed, including the aims and values that inspired the United Nations Charter.

 

"To promote international peace, security and justice; to relieve and remove the blight⁴ of hunger, poverty and disease; and to protect the rights and liberties of every citizen," said Queen Elizabeth.

The queen praised the United Nations for its role in reducing conflict, offering humanitarian⁵ assistance and tackling the effects of poverty in many parts of the world.  But she acknowledged that much more remains⁶ to be done.

"For over six decades, the United Nations has helped to shape the international response to global dangers," said the Queen. "The challenge now is to continue to show this clear and convening⁷ leadership, while not losing sight of your ongoing⁸ work to secure the security, prosperity and dignity of our fellow human beings."

Wearing a summery aqua, white and beige floral print jacket and skirt ensemble⁹, with a coordinating¹⁰ hat and her signature pearls and diamond brooch, the queen spoke¹¹ for a little less than ten minutes.

While at U.N. headquarters, she placed a wreath for staff killed in the line of duty.  She also met with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who, in his welcoming remarks in the General Assembly told the queen she is "an anchor for our age" and a "living symbol of grace, constancy and dignity."

After a brief reception that included ambassadors from the 54 countries that make up the British Commonwealth¹² of former colonies, the Queen and her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, departed for the site of the September 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. 

There, the royal couple paid tribute to the victims and met some of their families.  The queen also inaugurated an English Garden of Remembrance dedicated to the 67 Britons killed in the terrorist attacks before departing for London Tuesday evening
 

1 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。

2 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

3 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

4 blight   

n.枯萎病；造成破坏的因素；vt.破坏，摧残

参考例句：

• The apple crop was wiped out by blight.枯萎病使苹果全无收成。
• There is a blight on all his efforts.他的一切努力都遭到挫折。

5 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 convening   

召开( convene的现在分词 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• When convening the assembly, however, you shall blow without sounding an alarm. 民10:7但招聚会众的时候、们要吹号、不要吹出大声。
• We warmly welcome the convening of Asia-Europe meeting in London. 热烈欢迎亚欧会议在伦敦召开。

8 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

9 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。

10 coordinating   

v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的现在分词 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• He abolished the Operations Coordinating Board and the Planning Board. 他废除了行动协调委员会和计划委员会。 来自辞典例句
• He's coordinating the wedding, and then we're not going to invite him? 他是来协调婚礼的，难道我们不去请他？ 来自电影对白

11 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。

12 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。