目不转睛、冰释前嫌、崎岖坎坷
用英语怎么说？
圣诞节已经过了，春节还会远吗？
我们过春节的传统节目，是除夕夜晚上8点，一家人围坐在电视机前看春晚，而英国人的圣诞节保留节目，一定是一家人在圣诞节当天下午3点围坐在电视机前，收看女王圣诞致辞。
近年来，王室渐渐走出宫墙，突破传统，也尝试用社交媒体和普罗大众“亲密接触”起来。
早在节日当天凌晨，王室便在社交媒体上发布了女王从2010年至2019年的致辞定妆照。正片未出，花絮先吊足大家的胃口。
在给大家分享今年女王致辞视频之前，小编也来卖下关子，看看下面这5个问题，你都能回答上来吗？
01
“女王圣诞致辞”（The Queen’s Speech or The Queen’s Christmas Message）是它的标准名称吗？
点击空白处查看答案
不是！
女王圣诞致辞的官方标准名其实是“女王陛下最为亲民的讲话”（Her Majesty’s Most Gracious Speech）
02
女王是第一位发表圣诞致辞的英国君主吗？
点击空白处查看答案
不是！
第一个通过广播发表圣诞致辞的英国君主是女王的爷爷，乔治五世。他在1932年第一次通过电台，向当时还是大英帝国的臣民发表演讲。
这篇演讲为之后王室的圣诞演讲奠定了温暖人心的基调，乔治五世在结尾处这样说道：
“I speak now from my home and from heart to you all; to men and women so cut off by the snow, the desert, or the sea, that only voices out of the air can reach them; to those cut off from fuller life by blindness, sickness or infirmity; and to those who are celebrating this day with their children and their grandchildren. To all – to each, I wish a Happy Christmas.”
我在我的家里，说出我的心声，这番讲话给所有人，或许此时你们正被大雪隔绝，困在沙漠，漂流在海上，唯有通过电波，才能传递给你们；或许你们备受失明、疾病或虚弱之苦，无法过上更充实的生活；或许你们正和孩子和孙子们一起庆祝这一节日。对所有人 –对每一个人，祝你们圣诞快乐。
大家注意到没有，女王并不是第一个嫌merry不够得体的君主，她的爷爷用的也是Happy Christmas。
03
女王在位68年，圣诞致辞有没有中断过？
点击空白处查看答案
有！
伊丽莎白二世女王的第一次圣诞致辞在1952年，除了1969年外，几乎从未中断。
那么1969年究竟发生了什么？
那年女王的儿子查尔斯被册封为威尔士亲王（Prince of Wales），还播出了一部名为《王室》的纪录片。可能是女王觉得王室在公众面前曝光过于频繁，于是决定不再直播圣诞致辞，而是发表了一篇文字讲话。
不过，小编觉得现在王室的曝光程度肯定比当年厉害的多，今年对王室来说就是挺“糟心”的一年。先是年初90多岁的菲利普亲王自驾撞人后，没有及时道歉，遭到公众批评；之后安德鲁王子卷入美国富豪爱泼斯坦性丑闻事件，被暂停履行王室公务；哈里夫妇多次坐私人飞机出行挨批，等等。
今年，女王还是如约发表圣诞致辞，看来随着时代的进步，王室的心态也越来越开放了。
04
圣诞致辞是女王自己写的吗？
点击空白处查看答案
是的！
While poet and author Rudyard Kipling drafted the first speech for King George V, the Queen writes her own Christmas speeches and it is one of only a few instances where she is able to speak publicly without any advice from her ministers.
乔治五世国王的第一篇演讲是由诗人兼作家吉卜林（Rudyard Kipling）起草的，而女王则是亲自执笔自己的圣诞节演讲稿，这是为数不多的几次女王可以在没有部长的任何建议的情况下公开演讲的场合之一。
Planning begins months earlier once the Queen decides on her theme of the year. From there appropriate archive footage is collected and assembled for the speech which is recorded a few days before Christmas.
一旦女王决定了当年致辞的主题，就会提前几个月开始准备。根据主题，开始收集并整理适当的档案素材用于演讲，并在圣诞节前几天进行录制。
那么女王通常会说点什么呢？
其实和所有的新年致辞都大同小异，也是“回首过去，展望未来”。女王通常会围绕一年中发生的重大事件，确定一个主题。例如，今年的主题是“通向和谐的坎坷旅程”。此外， 她还会对自己个人生活的重要里程碑发表评论，并表达对圣诞总体的感觉。
05
女王的圣诞致辞有没有出过岔子？
点击空白处查看答案
还真有！
和万众期待的《庆余年》盗版流出一样，92年《太阳报》提前两天泄露了女王圣诞致辞的讲稿。女王一气之下，把《太阳报》告上法庭，报社因此被罚给慈善机构捐款20万英镑。
还有，1957年，因为技术原因，女王致辞的广播信号在北美地区和警察的通讯频段相同，人们在收听女王讲话的时候，听到一位美国警官说“Joe, I’m gonna grab a quick coffee”。
下面就让我们一起来欣赏和学习女王的2019年圣诞演讲吧！
英文全文
As a child, I never imagined that one day a man would walk on the moon. Yet this year we marked the fiftieth anniversary of the famous Apollo 11 mission. As those historic pictures were beamed backed to earth, millions of us sattransfixed（被……牢牢吸引住，目不转睛）to our television screens, as we watched Neil Armstrong taking a small step for man and a giant leap for mankind and, indeed, for womankind.It's a reminder for us all that giant leaps often start with small steps.
This year we marked another important anniversary:D-Day（诺曼底登陆）. On 6th June 1944, some one hundred and fifty-six thousand British, Canadian and American forces landed in Northern France. It was the largest ever seaborne invasion and was delayed due to bad weather. I well remember the look of concern on my father's face. He knew the secret D-Day plans but could of course share that burden with no-one.
For the Seventy-Fifth Anniversary of that decisive battle, in a true spirit ofreconciliation（和解）,those who had formerly beensworn enemies（不共戴天的仇敌）came together in friendly commemorations either side ofthe Channel（指英吉利海峡）,putting past differences behind（冰释前嫌）them.
Such reconciliation seldom happens overnight. It takes patience and time to rebuild trust, and progress often comes through small steps.Since the end of the Second World War, many charities, groups and organizations have worked to promote peace and unity around the world, bringing together those who have been on opposing sides. By being willing to put past differences behind us and move forward together, we honour the freedom and democracy once won for us at so great a cost.
The challenges many people face today may be different to those once faced by my generation, but I have been struck by how new generations have brought a similar sense of purpose to issues such as protecting our environment and our climate.
My family and I are also inspired by the men and women of our emergency services and Armed Forces; and at Christmas we remember all those on duty at home and abroad, who are helping those in need and keeping us and our families safe and secure.
Two hundred years on from the birth of my great, great grandmother, Queen Victoria, Prince Philip and I have been delighted to welcome our eighth great grandchild into our family. Of course, at the heart of the Christmas story lies the birth of a child: a seemingly small and insignificant stepoverlooked（忽视）by many inBethlehem（伯利恒，耶稣出生地）.
But in time, through his teaching andby his example（以身作则）, Jesus Christ would show the world how small steps taken in faith and in hope can overcome long-held differences anddeep-seated（根深蒂固的）divisions to bring harmony and understanding. Many of us already try to follow in his footsteps. The path, of course, is not always smooth, and may at times this year have felt quitebumpy（崎岖的，坎坷的）, but small steps can make a world of difference.
As Christmas dawned,church congregations（教众）around the world joined in singing It Came Upon the Midnight Clear. Like many timelesscarols（颂歌）, it speaks not just of the coming of Jesus Christ into a divided world, many years ago, but also of the relevance, even today, of the angels' message of peace andgoodwill（善意）.
It's a timely reminder of what positive things can be achieved when peopleset aside（把......抛诸脑后）
past differences and come together in the spirit of friendship and reconciliation. And,
as we all look forward to the start of a new decade, it's worth remembering that it is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change.
And so, I wish you all a very happy Christmas.
文字参考：The Guardian, The Telegraph
视频来源：英国报姐
图片来源于网络
独到英语
transfixed 呆住的，被......深深吸引的
reconciliation 和解
sworn enemies 不共戴天的仇敌
put past differences behind 冰释前嫌
lead by example 以身作则
deep-seated 根深蒂固的
bumpy 崎岖的
独到英语
精彩回顾
