【跟着英剧练发音】The Queens Palaces E1-20

 Once George had escaped the stifling¹ restraints of family life in Buckingham House, he decided² to create a rival palace of pleasure just half a mile away. There was nothing anywhere in the country to touch Carlton House for luxury and extravagance. Many of its most sumptuous³ furnishings are in Buckingham Palace today.

The name of this street is really all that's left of the much-admired Carlton House. If it were still here today, it would be one of Britain's most exquisite⁴ architectural gems⁵.

We can get a sense of its splendour from a set of watercolours painted at the time. George never tired of redecorating the interiors or buying ever more furniture to fill them. His grand receptions and fetes were the talk of London.

 

 翻译：

乔治四世摆脱了白金汉宫沉闷的生活后，他决定在离白金汉宫半英里之遥的地方修建一座新的宫殿。卡尔顿宫的豪华和奢侈是前所未有的，卡尔顿宫很多奢华的家具，现在都放置于白金汉宫，备受称道的卡尔顿宫，如今只剩下了以此命名的街道。如果卡尔顿宫还留存的话，将会是英国最高雅的建筑精品之一。从那个时候画的水彩画里，我们甚至可以感知它的壮丽。乔治四世不厌其烦地进行内部装修，或者不断买家具，摆设在卡尔顿宫。他豪华的宴会成了伦敦人茶余饭后的谈资

1 stifling   

a.令人窒息的

参考例句：

• The weather is stifling. It looks like rain. 今天太闷热，光景是要下雨。
• We were stifling in that hot room with all the windows closed. 我们在那间关着窗户的热屋子里，简直透不过气来。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 sumptuous   

adj.豪华的，奢侈的，华丽的

参考例句：

• The guests turned up dressed in sumptuous evening gowns.客人们身着华丽的夜礼服出现了。
• We were ushered into a sumptuous dining hall.我们被领进一个豪华的餐厅。

4 exquisite   

adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的

参考例句：

• I was admiring the exquisite workmanship in the mosaic.我当时正在欣赏镶嵌画的精致做工。
• I still remember the exquisite pleasure I experienced in Bali.我依然记得在巴厘岛所经历的那种剧烈的快感。

5 gems   

growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长

参考例句：

• a crown studded with gems 镶有宝石的皇冠
• The apt citations and poetic gems have adorned his speeches. 贴切的引语和珠玑般的诗句为他的演说词增添文采。