[ti:Britain Marks 70 Years of Change under Queen Elizabeth] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Britain will mark the 70th anniversary [00:03.20]of Queen Elizabeth II's rule on Sunday. [00:07.04]The 25-year-old Elizabeth became queen on February 6, 1952, [00:13.16]following the death of her father King George VI. [00:16.80]She took over a country that survived the damages of World War II [00:21.68]with Winston Churchill as prime minister. [00:24.80]Since then, prime ministers, popes, and presidents have come and gone. [00:31.64]The Soviet Union has collapsed, [00:34.16]and Britain's own empire has disappeared. [00:38.28]On June 2, 1953, Elizabeth's coronation was the first event seen [00:44.24]on live television by millions around the world. [00:48.00]The broadcast brought the British royal family into people's living rooms. [00:53.92]Elizabeth then made her first televised Christmas broadcast in 1957, [00:59.80]saying she hoped the new medium [01:01.96]would make her message "more personal and direct." [01:05.44]"At least for a few minutes, I welcome you [01:08.96]to the peace of my own home," she said at the time. [01:13.32]From weddings to funerals, the ceremonies became must-see television. [01:19.04]An estimated 750 million people around the world [01:23.48]watched the wedding between Prince Charles [01:26.48]and Lady Diana on July 29, 1981. [01:31.76]A Spaniard reportedly told King Charles I [01:35.88]that "the sun never sets" on the British Empire. [01:39.64]Historians estimated [01:41.88]the empire once ruled more than 400 million people [01:45.64]and had 25 percent of the earth's landmass. [01:49.72]It was so huge that there was always daylight in one of the territories. [01:55.64]Under Elizabeth, Ghana became the first British colony in Africa [02:00.68]to celebrate independence in 1957. [02:04.64]Three years later, then British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan [02:08.80]made his famous "winds of change" speech in South Africa. [02:12.84]By 1970, most of Britain's African and Caribbean colonies [02:18.40]had gained independence. [02:20.28]And Britain handed over Hong Kong to China in 1997. [02:26.28]The queen, however, remains the head of state [02:29.16]in 15 Commonwealth countries [02:31.16]including Australia, New Zealand and Canada. [02:35.92]Elizabeth's rule has often been compared, good or bad, [02:40.76]to the "Golden Age" of the first Elizabeth in the 16th century. [02:45.08]That was a time when England grew its economy, [02:48.80]expanded its influence, and celebrated the great William Shakespeare. [02:54.96]British historian David Starkey observed [02:58.16]that there would be no second Elizabethan age. [03:01.60]He said the queen views her role as simply doing a job. [03:07.28]He told Reuters, "I say this not as criticism, [03:11.16]but simply as a statement of fact... [03:13.88]For she came to the throne with one thought only: [03:17.48]to keep the royal show on the road." [03:21.16]Anna Whitelock is Professor of the History of Monarchy [03:24.92]at London's City University. [03:27.40]She noted, "The definition of success for any monarch over time [03:32.48]is to preserve the monarchy and ensure the succession. [03:37.20]That is the primary job, and that's what she's done." [03:41.72]Matthew Dennison recently wrote a book about the queen. [03:45.28]He said the way Elizabeth performed her role [03:49.20]has given her a moral position [03:51.52]beyond anything she had as a monarch. [03:55.08]Constitutionally, the British monarch now has few practical powers [04:00.56]and is expected to be non-political. [04:04.28]However, historians say Elizabeth has used "soft" power [04:09.32]and made the monarchy a unifying force for the nation. [04:14.12]At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, [04:17.36]the queen used her broadcast to calm the public. [04:21.80]Former British leaders have said her years of experience [04:25.48]have proved of great help. [04:27.56]They said they could speak freely [04:29.68]without fear of their conversations ever being made public. [04:34.04]Former prime minister Tony Blair said: [04:37.24]"She will assess situations and difficulties [04:40.72]and can describe them without ever ... giving any clue [04:44.44]as to political preference or anything like that. [04:47.56]It's quite remarkable to see." [04:51.16]Some historians say the queen will be viewed as the last of her kind, [04:56.08]a monarch who commands unquestioned respect. [05:00.24]And Whitelock observed that "She the queen [05:03.60]will be up there as one of the greatest monarchs [05:06.96]not just for her longevity, [05:08.96]but for the period of change which she has witnessed." [05:13.04]I'm Dan Novak. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM