The Virgin Queen 女王未出嫁
by Matthew Brown
Like many historical figures that keep people fascinated, Elizabeth I remains somewhat enigmatic. No one knows the whole truth about the personal aspects of Elizabeth's story. Of course, these things are difficult to know from a historical distance, but even in her own time, her success, power, and mystery were legendary.
Elizabeth became Queen of England when she was only 25 years old. Probably the most talked about aspect of her rule remains her romantic life. Elizabeth was an effective and impressive young queen, but she never married. Much has been made of this fact, and even today, people speculate and disagree about her reasons for remaining "The Virgin Queen." This is so partly because she never offered a complete explanation herself and partly because she displayed an intriguing mix of intelligence and reserve that still keeps people wondering what she was thinking.
Elizabeth undoubtedly had accomplishments outside of her private life which have cemented her place in history. One of the most significant is her role in the establishment of the Protestant Church in England. For reasons both personal and political, she sided with the general feelings of the people and moved to separate the Church in England from the authority of the Pope. Elizabeth is seen as having led England into a "golden age," a time that saw England rise to a place of unprecedented global importance.
It was a time when England produced renowned playwrights, most notably Shakespeare, and several famous adventurers. As we can see from the recent release of the Hollywood movie on the subject, the story of Elizabeth I has not lost its appeal.
1. Which of the following is TRUE of Elizabeth I?
(A) She established the Church of England when she was only 25.
(B) She was intelligent and said whatever was on her mind.
(C) She was credited with contributing to a very prosperous time for England.
(D) She had Shakespeare produce many plays for her.
2. According to the article, what can we infer about Elizabeth's love life?
(A) It was more important than the rest of the things she did.
(B) It is not clear why she never married, and this keeps people interested.
(C) While she was successful as a queen, she was a failure with men.
(D) It's the main reason why she wanted to abolish the Church.
3. The people of England probably _____.
(A) had no interest in religion at all
(B) thought the Church should be led by the Pope
(C) didn't care about Elizabeth's religious preference
(D) were pleased with Elizabeth's decision about the Church
单字小铺
1. virgin a. 处女的 & n. 未婚女子，处女
2. historical a. 历史上的；（有关）历史的
historic a. 历史性的；有历史意义的
3. enigmatic a. 如谜一般的；费解的
enigma n. 谜；难以理解的事物
4. aspect n. 方面
5. legendary a. 传奇的；传说的
6. romantic a. 浪漫的；多情的
romance n. 爱情故事
7. impressive a. 令人印象深刻的
8. intriguing a. 令人感兴趣的
9. reserve n. 寡言；含蓄
10. accomplishment n. 成就
11. significant a. 重大的；有意义的
12. establishment n. 建立，创立
13. Protestant a. 新教徒的 & n. 新教徒
14. authority n. 权力，权威
15. Pope n. 罗马教皇
16. unprecedented a. 空前的
17. playwright n. 剧作家
18. notably adv. 显著地；尤其是
19. release n. 发行，发表
20. prosperous a. 繁荣的
21. infer vt. 推断
22. abolish vt. 废除
词组小铺
1. from a historical distance 从长久的历史来看
2. outside of... 在……之外；除了……
3. be seen as... 被视为……
= be viewed/regarded as...
= be looked upon/thought of as...
4. be on one's mind 某人心中想着（某事）
5. contribute to + N/V-ing 对……作出贡献
精解字词词组
1. fascinate vt. 使着迷
be fascinated by/with... 为……所著迷
= be enthralled by...
例: I am fascinated by Medieval European history.
（我对中古世纪的欧洲历史深感着迷。）
2. somewhat adv. 有点，稍微
注意:
somewhat 使用时，通常置于形容词或副词之前修饰。
例: Willy acted somewhat distressed after receiving his report card.
（威利接到成绩单后显得有些沮丧。）
3. effectivea.（人）有能力的；有效的
efficient a. 效率高的
注意:
effective 是指能够迅速地产生某种期待的效果或结果，如：effective medicine（有效的药物）。
efficient 则指有能力达成工作目的而不浪费时间与精力，如：an efficient worker（有效率的员工）。
例: The new drug is effective in the treatment of liver diseases.
（这种新药对治疗肝脏疾病很有效。）
例: This new machine is more efficient than that old one.
（这部新机器比那部旧的有效率。）
4. speculate vi. 猜测，臆测（与介词 about 或 on 并用）
speculate about/on... 猜测……，臆测……
例: Everyone is speculating on who will be elected the US president.
（每个人都在猜测谁会当选美国总统。）
5. partly because (of)...and partly because (of)...
部分因为……，部分因为……
例: Partly because I overslept and partly because the traffic was heavy, I was late for school this morning.
（部分因睡过头，部分因为塞车，我今早上学迟到了。）
6. undoubtedly adv. 毫无疑问地
= doubtless(ly)
= no doubt
= without (a) doubt
例: Stan is no doubt the nicest neighbor we have.
（史丹无疑是我们碰过最和善的邻居了。）
7. cement vt. 巩固 & n. 水泥
例: His visit cemented our friendship.
（他的来访巩固了我们之间的友谊。）
8. side with... 支持……，站在……那一边
= take sides with...
例: We sided with the home team even though their opponents were from our hometown.
（虽然客队来自我们的家乡，我们仍支持地主队。）
9. separate A from B 把 A 与 B 分开
例: The teacher separated John from other boys because of his misbehavior.
（因为行为不端，老师将约翰和其它男孩隔离。）
10. renowned a. 有名的
be renowned/famous for sth 以……（事物）闻名
be renowned/famous as + 身分 以某身分为人所知
例: Simon is renowned for his ability to write touching speeches.
（赛门最广为人知的是他撰写动人演讲稿的功力。）
例: He is renowned as a talented singer.
（他是位才华洋溢的知名歌手。)
11. appeal n. 吸引力 & vi. 吸引
appeal to sb 受某人欢迎；吸引某人
例: Rap and hip-hop music appeal to many young people.
（绕舌乐及嘻哈音乐受到许多年轻人欢迎。）
12. be credited with... 具有……的功劳（某事是某人做的）
be credited to sb 归功于某人
例: Thomas Edison is credited with the invention of the light bulb.
（电灯泡是爱迪生发明的。）
例: The discovery of this plant was credited to Prof. Stevenson.
（发现这种植物要归功于史蒂文森教授。）
13. preference n. 偏好
have a preference for... 偏好……
例: Mike has a preference for Mexican food.
（麦克偏好墨西哥菜。）
14. be pleased with... 对……感到满意
= be satisfied with...
例: The track coach was not satisfied with the performance of his team.
（那位田径教练对全队的表现不满意。）
中文翻译
和许多历史人物一样，带点神秘感的伊丽莎白一世让世人着迷。没有人真正了解伊丽莎白女王的私人世界。当然，因为年代久远使我们很难了解这些事情，但即使在她的年代，她的成就、权力和神秘都具有传奇性。
伊丽莎白 25 岁时继位成为英国女王。谈到她的统治，或许最为人津津乐道的就是她的感情生活。伊丽莎白是个有能力又令人印象深刻的年轻女王，但她却终身未嫁。关于这点曾有诸多说法，即使到今天，世人仍在猜测与争论她成为『童贞女王』的原因。部分是因为她自己从未完整交代为何保持单身，部分则是因为她拥有结合聪颖慧黠与内敛的迷人特质，不让人知道她内心的想法。
毫无疑问，伊丽莎白在私人生活以外的领域成就非凡，巩固了她在历史上的地位。她最重大的成就之一是在英国建立新教教会。基于个人和政治上的因素，她支持一般大众的想法，进而带领英国教会脱离教皇的管辖。一般认为伊丽莎白带领英国进入『黄金年代』，让英国在国际站上前所未有的重要地位。英国在这段时期出现许多著名的剧作家，其中最有名的就是莎士比亚，还有许多著名的冒险家。我们可从最近发行的好莱坞电影中发现，伊丽莎白一世的魅力仍丝毫不减。
1. 关于伊丽莎白一世的叙述下列何者正确？
(A) 她建立英国国教时年仅 25 岁。
(B) 她很聪明，而且有话直说。
(C) 她对英国的兴盛繁荣居功厥伟。
(D) 她让莎士比亚为她写了许多戏剧。
题解: 根据本文第三段，一般认为伊丽莎白带领英国进入『黄金年代』，让英国在国际站上前所未有的重要地位，与 (C) 选项相近，故选之。
2. 根据本文，我们可推论伊丽莎白的感情生活为何？
(A) 她的感情生活远比其它作为来得重要。
(B) 她未婚的理由并不清楚，这使得人们很感兴趣。
(C) 她是个称职的女王，但是和男人的关系却很糟。
(D) 这是她要废除教会的原因。
题解: 根据本文第二段，伊丽莎白女王最为人津津乐道的就是她的感情生活，她终身未嫁，即使到今天，世人仍在猜测与争论她成为『童贞女王』的原因，故选 (B)。
3. 英国人民也许 _____。
(A) 对宗教毫无兴趣
(B) 认为教会应该由教皇来领导
(C) 不在乎伊丽莎白的宗教偏好
(D) 很满意伊丽莎白对教会的决策
题解: 根据本文第三段，女王支持一般大众的想法，进而带领英国教会脱离教皇的管辖，故选 (D)。
标准答案: 1. (C) 2. (B) 3. (D)
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