VOA慢速英语2018--皇室婚礼有什么值得期待
时间：2019-01-03 作者：英语课 分类：2018年VOA慢速英语(五)月
What to Expect at the Royal Wedding
Britain's Prince Harry 1 and American actor Meghan Markle are set to marry Saturday in the British city of Windsor. For many fans, it is a fairy-tale romance 2.
The 36-year-old Markle does not fit the traditional image of a British princess, said Richard Fitzwilliams, an expert on the royal family.
"Meghan is an American biracial divorcee who is an activist 3, a feminist 4 and former actress.”
In the past, those facts might have barred her from marrying Prince Harry.
"Now, they're being positively 5 welcomed."
Markle and Harry, who is 33, began dating in 2016. They reportedly met in Canada, although not much is known about their early relationship. The couple announced their engagement 6 last November at London's Kensington Palace, where Harry and his older brother were raised.
The wedding details
Invitations were sent to about 600 of the couple’s friends and family. Many government officials are also invited.
Weather experts have said they expect a mostly sunny day for the royal wedding.
Sunshine would be helpful, as the couple has chosen to ride in an open vehicle, a carriage, for the parade following the ceremony.
?Four horses will pull the carriage from Windsor Castle through the town center and back for the wedding celebration. Thousands of people are expected to line the sides of the road and watch.
Wedding press
Around 80 international broadcasters, including some from Australia, New Zealand and Japan, are expected to report on the wedding. More than 5,000 British and foreign media and support employees have permission to cover the action in Windsor. The town is a little less than 200 kilometers from London.
Millions of people around the world are expected to watch the day’s events on television or online. Many plan to hold or attend parties to watch the press coverage 8.
But, Harry is believed to have a deep mistrust of the media. His mother, Princess Diana, died of injuries from a car crash in 1997. A news photographer on a motorcycle was chasing 9 the car she and her boyfriend, Dodi Fayyad, were in. Fayyad was killed as well.
Duncan Larcombe, writer of the book “Prince Harry: The Inside Story,” told Town and Country magazine: “In Harry’s mind, it was the press that killed his mother.”
The place
Harry, one of the least traditional young royals, has chosen a most traditional place to marry. St. George’s Chapel 10 at Windsor Castle has seen many royal weddings. A number of children and grandchildren of Queen Victoria were married there.
The town of Windsor has been preparing. Roads have been repaired and smoothed, street signs are being repainted, and stores are stocked 11 with royal wedding-related products.
Phillip Bicknell is Windsor’s town councilor.
“Everything is now in place, we’re 99.9 percent of the way there,” he said. He expects more than 100,000 people will come to the town for the event if the weather is good.
He said, “We believe this is going to be the biggest number of people fitting 12 into Windsor for any event. It’s going to be quite tight, but the atmosphere will be electric.”
Along with the 600 guests invited to the ceremony in St. George’s Chapel, another 2,640 are invited to be on the grounds at Windsor Castle.
The wedding party
Kensington Palace officials said Wednesday that Henry’s nephew and niece, four-year-old George and three-year-old Charlotte, will take part in the ceremony. They are the two oldest children of Harry’s brother and sister-in-law, Prince William and Kate Middleton. The couple’s third child, Prince Louis, was born last month and will not be attending.
Ten children in all will have roles in the service.
Prince William will be Prince Harry’s best man. Markle has chosen not to have a maid of honor 13 for the ceremony.
Dress carefully
Guests of the wedding are expected to follow church and royal rules, or at the very least basic British tradition, in behavior and appearance.
Permissible 14 clothing for men are military uniforms, morning coats or business suits in restrained 15 colors. For women, a “day dress with hat.”
Myka Meier is an expert on royal protocol 16. She said women should keep their shoulders covered. Dresses should not be short.
“You won’t see a lot of skin,” Meier said. “At least you shouldn’t. It would be seen as disrespectful.”
And shoes should shine. Meier said men can be more imaginative 17 with color and patterns in ties and socks. But shoes are to be black and well-polished.
Medals for those wearing military uniforms are common.
Only one dress really matters
The clothing most people are most excited to see is the bride’s. Markle’s wedding dress is a deep secret.
Experts say she is likely to have requested a custom-made dress from a top designer. It was almost surely handmade in Britain.
Her future sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, wore a long-sleeved lace 7 and satin gown 18 with a nine-foot-train. It reportedly cost more than $400,000.
Prince Harry and Markle plan to return to royal service three days following the wedding. They said they had promised to attend events, including some to honor Harry’s father, Prince Charles. He is turning 70 this month. However, later the couple is expected to take a celebratory trip to Namibia.
I'm Bryan Lynn. And I'm Caty Weaver 20.
Words in This Story
fairy-tale romance – an expression describing a love relationship so perfect it seems imagined
royal – adj. of or relating to a king or queen
engagement – n. an agreement to be married : the act of becoming engaged or the state of being engaged to be married
role – n. a part that someone or something has in a particular activity or situation
pattern – n. a repeated form or design especially that is used to decorate something
tie – n. a long piece of cloth that is worn by men around the neck and under a collar and that is tied in front with a knot 21 at the top
sock – n. a piece of clothing that is worn on your foot and that covers your ankle and sometimes the lower part of your leg
polish – v. to make (something) smooth and shiny by rubbing 22 it
uniform – n. a special kind of clothing that is worn by all the members of a group or organization (such as an army or team
train – n a part of a long dress that trails behind the woman who is wearing it
- Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
- Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。
- She wrote a romance about an artist's life in Tokyo.她写了一个关于一位艺术家在东京生活的浪漫故事。
- They tried to rekindle the flames of romance.他们试图重燃爱火。
- He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
- He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。
- She followed the feminist movement.她支持女权运动。
- From then on,feminist studies on literature boomed.从那时起，男女平等受教育的现象开始迅速兴起。
- She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
- The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。
- I can't see you on Monday because I have a previous engagement.星期一我不能见你，因为我有约在先。
- It was my mother's very own engagement ring.这正是我母亲自己的订婚戒指。
- She let a piece of lace into her dress.她在衣服上镶了一块花边。
- The bride is wearing a wedding dress made of lace.新娘穿一件蕾丝婚纱。
- There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
- This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。
- My dog likes chasing rabbits. 我的狗喜欢追捕兔子。
- The children were having fun, chasing each other's shadows. 孩子们追逐着彼此的影子，玩得很开心。
- 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。
- The shop is well stocked with goods of all kinds. 商店里各色货物，一应俱全。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- He stocked his shop with tinned goods. 他为自己的商店补充罐装食品。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- I'm going to a fitting tomorrow.明天我要去试穿新衣。
- The President's address was a fitting end to a bitter campaign.总统的讲话为一场激烈的竞选运动适时画上了句号。
- I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
- It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。
- Is smoking permissible in the theatre?在剧院里允许吸烟吗？
- Delay is not permissible,even for a single day.不得延误，即使一日亦不可。
- The prisoner had to be restrained by the police. 警察只好强行制住囚犯。
- The costumes and lighting in the play were restrained. 这出戏的服装和灯光都很朴实。
- We must observe the correct protocol.我们必须遵守应有的礼仪。
- The statesmen signed a protocol.那些政治家签了议定书。
- The imaginative child made up fairy stories.这个想像力丰富的孩子自己编神话故事。
- Scott was an imaginative writer.司格特是位富于想象力的作家。
- She pinned the gown at the neck with a safety pin.她在领子那儿用一枚别针把睡衣别住。
- He threw on his gown.他穿上他的礼服。
- While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。
- The happy pair are leaving for their honeymoon.这幸福的一对就要去度蜜月了。
- She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
- The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。
- He made a knot in the rope.他在绳子上打了个结。
- The knot has come untied.扣儿开了。