WE-练习 | CNN: Britain's Prince Phillip Announces Retirement from Public Life-听力资源

练习 | CNN: Britain's Prince Phillip Announces Retirement from Public Life

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政治带练习 CNN 新闻听力

英国菲利普亲王申请“退休”。（带练习|新闻听力）

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作为伊丽莎白女王的配偶，菲利普亲王每年都会陪伴她参与各种政治活动，出席重要社交场合。而今，96岁高龄的菲利普终于决定申请“退休”了，日后他将不再参与公众生活，重要活动也将由其他皇室成员代替他出席。

CNN 10: Britain's Prince Phillip Announces Retirement from Public Life
英国菲利普亲王申请“退休”

燕山大学刘立军宋葳编写

◇TRANSCRIPT

AZUZ: For decades, Philip, duke of Edinburgh, has shared the public life of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. They were married in 1947, and since February 6th, 1952 when she ascended the throne, the prince has participated in hundreds of public events with her each year. But an announcement was made yesterday that the public see a lot less of the prince.

CNN's Max Foster explains why from outside Buckingham Palace in London.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In the early hours of the morning, news leaked of an emergency meeting here at Buckingham Palace. It turns out that senior staff were called in for a special announcement. That announcement was in effect that Prince Philip is stepping back from public life.

He's not unwell, but he is about to turn 96 years old and he's made his own decision, we're told. He just pretty much doesn't want to do it anymore. So, the queen will carry on with her role in public life. We just won't see Prince Philip alongside her in a way that we used to. Occasionally, he'll turn up in public. It means that other members of the royal family will have to step up.

We know that Prince William and the duchess of Cambridge are moving down here to London. We'll see more of them. We'll see more Prince Charles as well.

So, this is part of a gradual transition process. Buckingham Palace stage - managing how things move on.

The next king, Prince Charles, will have a higher presence. Prince Philip will have almost no presence. And the queen probably will have a bit of a smaller presence as well.

He'll be missed in public life. He's known for his gaffes. He's said some pretty extraordinary things over the years. But clearly, he wants to sit back. It's time for him to take a backseat and we're not going to see him in public life. And that's pretty big moment in British and royal history.

From Buckingham Palace, I'm Max Foster.

Adapted from 英国菲利普亲王申请“退休”

◇VOCABULARY

1. ascend v. (formal) ascend (to sth.) to rise; to go up; to climb up 上升；升高；登高
例如：
○ The path started to ascend more steeply. 小径开始陡峭而上。
○ Mist ascended from the valley. 薄雾从山谷升起。
○ The air became colder as we ascended. 随着我们往上攀登，空气就寒冷起来。
○ The results, ranked in ascending order (= from the lowest to the highest) are as follows: 结果按由低到高的顺序排列如下：
○ (figurative) He ascended to the peak of sporting achievement. 他达到了运动成就的顶峰。
例如：
○ Her heart was thumping as she ascended the stairs. 她上楼梯时，心怦怦跳个不停
○ (figurative) to ascend the throne (= become king or queen)

2. throne n. the throne the position of being a king or queen 王位；王权；帝位。例如：
○ Queen Elizabeth came/succeeded to the throne in 1952. 伊丽莎白女王于1952年即位 / 登基。
○ when Henry VIII was on the throne (= was king) 亨利八世在位时

3. duchess n.
① the wife of a duke 公爵夫人。例如：the Duchess of York约克公爵夫人
② a woman who has the rank of a duke 女公爵

4. gaffe n. a mistake that a person makes in public or in a social situation, especially sth. embarrassing 失礼；失态；失言

◇QUESTIONS
Listen to the news and choose the best answer to each question you hear.

1.What's the news mainly about?
A. Prince Philip is stepping back from public life.
B. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is stepping back from public life.
C. Prince Charles is stepping back from public life.
D. Prince Philip and Prince Charles are stepping back from public life.

2.What's Prince Philip famous for?
A. Humour.
B. Gaffe.
C. Rudeness.
D. Endurance.

3.Which of the following statements is TRUE about Prince Philip?
A. He's about to turn 98 years old.
B. He and Queen Elizabeth II made the decision together.
C. He doesn't want to turn up in public anymore because of his health problems.
D. Occasionally, he'll turn up in public.

◇KEY

1.A. 命题依据：That announcement was in effect that Prince Philip is stepping back from public life.

2.B. 命题依据：He'll be missed in public life. He’s known for his gaffes. He's said some pretty extraordinary things over the years.

3.C. 命题依据：He's not unwell, but he is about to turn 96 years old and he's made his own decision, we're told. He just pretty much doesn't want to do it anymore. So, the queen will carry on with her role in public life. We just won't see Prince Philip alongside her in a way that we used to. Occasionally, he'll turn up in public.