英伦广角 2013-06-15 91岁菲利普亲王顺利完成腹部探查手术

 The Queen was supposed to be part of a double act when she arrived to open new BBC headquarters, but with the Duke of Edinburgh in hospital, she performed her duties as a soloist¹. There was never any possibilty of cancelling. This is the day job for the Queen, and the firm, as it's known, doesn't close down just because a key executive is sick. 

 

It was hard to tell whether Prince's health was playing on her mind as Her Majesty² pressed the BBC flash. There were live performance by the script, didn't appear to do much to lighten her mood, if it was. 

 

The Queen passed up a chance to give an update on her husband's condition in her formal opening announcement, but instead only mentioned the Duke of Edinburgh's BBC visit 60 years ago. 

 

I came again with the Duke of Edinburgh just before the coronation in 1953. I was struck then as I am now by the sheer pace of change, which has transformed the whole industry over the past 60 years.

 

But veteran interrogator³ John Humphrys couldn't resist asking the question on everyone's lips.

 

I wanted to ask you: how's the Duke? Do you know how he is?

 

I have no idea. I mean, he's just gone in.

 

He looked in awfully⁴ good form yesterday.

 

Yes, he did, I suppose.

 

Tonight, we are told the Duke has had his exploratory opreation and the results will be analyzed⁵. He's said to be progressing satisfactorily, but it doesn't sound as if Prince Philips' two-week stay in hospital is likely to be cut short. So the man who for more than 60 years has been the Queen's side as her consort⁶ won't be for some time yet, and that means he'll miss a string of events.

 

On Sunday the Duke was meant to attend a Lords Taveners' cricket match in Windstor. He'll also spend his 92nd birthday in hospital on Monday. Next Thursday, he'll miss a big military showpiece, Beating Retreat on Horse Guards Parade. The Queen will have to go on her own. And on Saturday the 15th, the Duke will miss all the pomp of Trooping the Colour to celebrate the Queen's official birthday. But royal author Ingrid Sewed says for the Queen duty always comes before everything else, including bed-ridden husband.

 

One of their golden rules is if you can possibly avoid it, never cancel an engagement, and the Queen and Prince Philips do most of their engagements together nowadays, and if he can't be there because of ill health,  no way that the Queen would dream of dropping out herself. She knows how important it is not to let people down.

 

And that means for the next few weeks at least, as that at the BBC, the crowds and the camera phones will all be focusing solely⁷ on the Queen.

1 soloist   

n.独奏者，独唱者

参考例句：

• The soloist brought the house down with encore for his impressive voice.这位独唱家以他那感人的歌声博得全场喝彩。
• The soloist had never performed in London before.那位独唱者过去从未在伦敦演出过。

2 majesty   

n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权

参考例句：

• The king had unspeakable majesty.国王有无法形容的威严。
• Your Majesty must make up your mind quickly!尊贵的陛下，您必须赶快做出决定！

3 interrogator   

n.讯问者；审问者；质问者；询问器

参考例句：

• No,I was not mad, but my interrogator was furious. 不，我没疯，只是质问我的人怒不可遏。 来自互联网
• Miss Fan lacked such an interrogator with whom she could whisper intimately. 范小姐就缺少这样一个切切私语的盘问者。 来自互联网

4 awfully   

adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地

参考例句：

• Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
• I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。

5 analyzed   

v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析

参考例句：

• The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The young man did not analyze the process of his captivation and enrapturement, for love to him was a mystery and could not be analyzed. 这年轻人没有分析自己蛊惑著迷的过程，因为对他来说，爱是个不可分析的迷。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 consort   

v.相伴；结交

参考例句：

• They went in consort two or three together.他们三三两两结伴前往。
• The nurses are instructed not to consort with their patients.护士得到指示不得与病人交往。

7 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。