VOA慢速英语--泰国议会正式邀请王子成为国王

Thailand’s Parliament Officially Invites Prince to Be King 泰国议会正式邀请王子成为国王

Thailand’s parliament has officially invited Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn to become the country’s next king.

The parliament acted after Thailand’s cabinet named the prince to be the new king.

The president of the National Assembly, Pornpetch Wichitcholchai, officially nominated the prince. He urged legislators to “give their blessings” to the new king. Parliament members then stood up and replied, “Long live the king.”

Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej died last month at the age of 88. He was the world’s longest serving monarch² and served as king for 70 years.

The process for choosing a new king is described in a 1924 Thai law. The law gives the king power to choose who should succeed him. In 1972, Bhumibol chose Vajiralongkorn – his second child and only son - to be his successor.

The last step is for the prince to meet with leaders of the National Assembly before being formally named king. Government officials said that meeting is expected to happen soon.

The 64-year-old prince spends much of his time outside Thailand. He is often in Germany, where he owns property.

The prince has yet to gain the same respect in Thailand as his father. King Bhumibol was greatly beloved across Thailand, a mainly Buddhist³ country. He was known as a humble⁴ leader who directed many social and economic development projects.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said shortly after Bhumibol's death, the prince told him he did not want to immediately become king. He said he needed more time to mourn his father.

The government declared a full year of mourning for all public offices after the king’s death. Many Thais have dressed in black or white since then to honor him.

The king's remains⁵ have been on display at the Grand Palace in Bangkok so Thai people can pay their respects. His body will be cremated⁷ in a special ceremony likely to take place a year or more after his death.

The official coronation of Vajiralongkorn will happen after the cremation⁸.

Words in This Story

blessing¹ – n. approval that allows something to go forward

monarch – n. a king or queen

humble – adj. not proud or believing you are important

cremate⁶ – v. to burn a dead body

coronation – n. a ceremony to officially crown a king or queen

1 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

2 monarch   

n.帝王，君主，最高统治者

参考例句：

• The monarch's role is purely ceremonial.君主纯粹是个礼仪职位。
• I think myself happier now than the greatest monarch upon earth.我觉得这个时候比世界上什么帝王都快乐。

3 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

4 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

6 cremate   

v.火葬，烧成灰

参考例句：

• She wants Chris to be cremated.她想把克里斯的尸体火化。
• Laowang explains: "Combustion is cremate, degenerating is inhumation. "老王解释道：“燃烧就是火葬，腐朽就是土葬。”

7 cremated   

v.火葬，火化（尸体）( cremate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He wants to is cremated, not buried. 他要火葬，不要土葬。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The bodies were cremated on the shore. 他们的尸体在海边火化了。 来自辞典例句

8 cremation   

n.火葬，火化

参考例句：

• Cremation is more common than burial in some countries. 在一些国家，火葬比土葬普遍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Garbage cremation can greatly reduce the occupancy of land. 垃圾焚烧可以大大减少占用土地。 来自互联网