[E403]Long to reign over us
本文音频及原文摘自杂志The Economist 2016年第17期，Britain版块。
Queen Elizabeth at 90
Familiarity with this long-serving monarch has not bred contempt
Apr 23rd 2016
THE queen celebrated her 90th birthday on April 21st and notched up[1] her 23,451st day on the throne[2]. While other monarchs[君主] succumb to[3] the Grim Reaper[4] or the discreet[5] charm of retirement, she remains a firm fixture on the list of the world’s most durable rulers. Only Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej has been calling shots for longer[6], and that is because he ascended the throne[7] as a teenager (see chart).
······
注释
[1]notch up：to achieve something 险胜,侥幸取胜
She has recently notched up her third win at a major tennis tournament.、
最近，她在一项重要的网球锦标赛中获胜，取得了她的第三次胜利。
[2]on the throne 在位
[3]succumb to 服从,屈从;让步;死于
[4]The Grim Reaper is an imaginary character who represents death. He looks like a skeleton, wears a long, black cloak with a hood, and carries a scythe. 死神
[5]discreet：careful not to cause embarrassment or attract too much attention, especially by keeping something secret 审慎的，谨慎的，小心的
[6]call the shots：to decide on the course of action; to be in charge;to be in the position of being able to make the decisions which will influence a situation 控制，操纵；处于决策地位
[7]ascend the throne 登基/就任或继任王位
······
The queen and her British subjects have had their fallings-out[1]—most notably when many thought the queen insufficiently[不够地;不能胜任地] moved by the death of the “people’s princess”, her daughter-in-law[儿媳妇] Diana. These are now behind her. Polling by Ipsos-MORI this month shows that the older she gets, the less people want her to retire. Belief in the monarchy[君主制;王室] as an institution remains strong: 76% of respondents think Britain should continue with a king or queen as head of state[2], up from 65% in 2005. When the explicit alternative is an elected president, 86% think so.
······
注释
[1]fallings-out 吵架；争吵
[2]head of state 国家元首
······
Outside Britain the queen is head of state in 15 countries. There the picture is more mixed. Australians like “Lizzie[1]” better as she ages, it seems, and jolly visits from Princes William and Harry have no doubt helped. The desire for a republic down under[2] has dropped from over two-thirds in 2010 to less than half. New Zealanders too are disinclined to[3] replace their British sovereign[君主;主权]. Polls show Canadians are cooler, especially towards the queen’s heir[继承人], Prince Charles.
······
注释
[1]Elizabeth的昵称,亦作 Lizzy
[2]People sometimes refer to Australia and New Zealand as down under. 澳大利亚及新西兰
[3]be/feel disinclined to do sth：to not want to do something 不想做…，不愿意做… I am/feel disinclined to offer him a job if he hasn't got a degree. 如果他拿不到学位，我可不愿意给他一份工作。
······
It is in the West Indies[1] that republicanism is brewing[2]. On April 14th the governor-general[3] of Jamaica[牙买加] announced that a constitutional amendment[4] to make the island a republic was on the agenda[5]. The prime minister of Barbados[巴巴多斯] is thinking along the same lines as his country approaches the 50th anniversary of its independence from Britain in November. One thing seems clear: when the queen eventually slips off[6] the list of long-serving royals, her successor will have fewer crowns to juggle[7].
······
注释
[1]西印度群岛（拉丁美洲）
[2]brew：If an unpleasant situation or a storm is brewing, you feel that it is about to happen （坏事或暴风雨）即将来临，酝酿
It was too quiet - I felt that trouble was brewing.
太安静了——我觉得要出事了。
[3](英联邦国家里的)总督
[4]宪法修正案，修宪
[5]提上议程
[6]slip off 溜走;滑落;悄悄溜走,不辞而别
[7]crown：a circular decoration for the head, usually made of gold and jewels (= precious stones), and worn by a king or queen at official ceremonies 王冠，皇冠；冕
juggle：to throw several objects up into the air, and then catch and throw them up repeatedly so that one or more stays in the air, usually in order to entertain people （用…）玩杂耍
······
以上言论不代表本人立场。
原文摘自The economist，仅外语学习之用。
其中生词解释来源于Cambridge Dictionaries
回复“eco”或点击下方“阅读原文”查看系列笔记。