彭蒙惠英语：Queen Elizabeth I-英语课

时间：2018-12-19 作者：英语课 分类：彭蒙惠英语

英语课

Queen Elizabeth I

The glorious victory

An ominous 1 threat arose from abroad. Elizabeth knew that Philip II of Spain intended to attack England, so she turned England’s minuscule 2 navy into a fearsome fighting force, equipping it with a lighter 3 and faster fleet than Spain’s.

On July 19, 1588, the Spanish Armada was finally sighted. In the ensuing battle, England lost 100 men, while Spain lost 20,000. It was a humiliating defeat for Spain. This victory of Protestant over Catholic forces helped ease England’s religious turmoil 4. The victory, people said, was by the hand of God.

However, Elizabeth’s joy in victory was short-lived when soon after, her beloved friend, Robert Dudley, died. Afterward 5, she appeared old and tired. Her glorious military victory could not begin to compensate 6 for her terrible personal loss.

Elizabeth’s final days

It was, in fact, a time of overwhelming loss. Almost all her councilors were dead. Deeply in debt, she was forced to sell off Tudor family treasures. There were physical losses, too: She had few teeth left and her eyesight and memory were failing.

However, this woman whose life had been defined by her ferocious 7 will to survive was still fighting. She became terribly ill, yet she refused to go to her deathbed. Instead, she sat on a pile of cushions, not eating. The 69-yearold Queen soon became unable to speak. She died on March 24, 1603, and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

Her life had been one of overwhelming glory. And yet, it had also been filled with hardship and loneliness. Perhaps she best summed it up in her last speech, when she said: “To be a king and wear a crown is more glorious to them that see it, than it is pleasant to them that bear it.”

Vocabulary Focus

minuscule (adj) [mi5nQskju:l] extremely small

ensuing (adj) [en5FuiN] happening after or following something else

sum up (idiom) to express briefly 8 the important points about something or someone

Specialized 9 Terms

Westminster Abbey (n phr) 威斯敏斯特大教堂 a large, historic church in London, England, where British rulers are traditionally crowned and where many rulers and famous people of high standing 10 are buried

英国女王伊莉莎白一世

光荣的胜利

不祥的威胁从国外而生。伊莉莎白知道西班牙的菲利浦二世打算进攻英格兰，所以她把英格兰的迷你海军转变成一股骇人的战斗力量，配备了比西班牙更轻，更快的舰队。

1588年7月19日，西班牙的无敌舰队终于现身了。在接下来的战役中，英格兰损失了100人，西班牙损失了2万人。对西班牙来说，此战是羞辱性的失败。这场新教徒击败天主教军队的胜利帮助减缓了英格兰的宗教动乱。人们说，这场胜利是藉着上帝之手达成的。

然而，伊莉莎白胜利的喜悦并不长久。不久之后，她挚爱的朋友罗伯·杜德雷去世了。此后，她显得苍老而疲惫。军队光荣的胜利无法弥补她悲惨的个人损失。

最后的日子

事实上，那是一段遭逢重大损失的时光。她所有的策士几乎都已不在人世。债台高筑下，她被迫出售都铎王朝的宝物。身体上也有损失：她没剩几颗牙齿，逐渐丧失了视力和记忆力。

然而，这位一生都以勇猛的生存意志著称的女性仍坚持奋斗着。她病得极为严重，却拒赴死亡之床。她坐在一堆垫子上，不吃东西。这位69岁的女王很快就变得不能说话。她在1630年3月24日去世，葬在威斯敏斯特大教堂。

她的一生享有无可比拟的荣耀，但也充满了艰辛和寂寞。也许她最后的演说最能总结她的一生，她说：“戴着皇冠当个国王，看的人感觉到的荣耀，比当的人感觉到的快乐要来得多。”