|
Queen Elizabeth's office says sorry for a swan bite英女王許你一個道歉
Wednesday, Mar 05, 2008,Page 17
|
|
A swan is pictured in Strasbourg, France, on Feb. 23, 2008,
上個月二十三日，一隻在法國史特拉斯堡的天鵝。 照片︰法新社
PHOTO: AFP
|
Elishia Stevenson wanted an apology when she was bitten by a swan. So she wrote to Queen Elizabeth II.
Elishia is a six-year-old girl from Cornwall, in southwestern England. She wrote to Buckingham Palace because her mother told her the queen owns all the swans in Britain. She decorated her letter with flowers and a picture of a swan with a sad face.
A lady-in-waiting responded, saying the queen was "sorry to hear about the swan."
The queen doesn't own every swan in Britain. But she does own certain mute swans in the Thames. This tradition goes back to the 12th century, when roast swan was considered a delicious dish. It continues today with the annual "Swan Upping," a census of swans on the Thames.
David Pogson, a Buckingham Palace spokesman, said the idea that the queen owns all the swans is a myth. (AP)
被天鵝咬了的艾莉夏．史蒂文森想要一個正式的道歉，所以她提筆寫信給英國女王伊麗莎白二世。
六歲的艾莉夏來自英格蘭西南部的康威爾，因為她母親說全英國的天鵝都是屬於女王的，所以她就寫信到白金漢宮，她用小花裝飾這封信，還附上一張表情憂鬱的天鵝照片。
女王的女仕臣回信說，女王「對天鵝咬傷人一事感到遺憾」。
事實上，英女王並未擁有全英國的天鵝，但是她的確擁有泰晤士河上一些疣鼻天鵝。這個傳統要追溯到十二世紀，當時人們很喜歡吃烤天鵝，所以女王會普查泰晤士河上的天鵝數量，一直到今天，每年仍會舉辦「數天鵝」活動。
白金漢宮發言人大衛．波格森說，以為女王擁有全英國的天鵝是一種迷思。
（美聯社／翻譯：袁星塵）
| Today's Words |
| 1. lady-in-waiting n.
女王的女仕臣 (nu3 wang2 de5 nu3 shi4 chen2)
例: A lady-in-waiting attends to the queen.
(女仕臣負責照料女王。)
2. mute adj.
啞的 (ya3 de5)
例: People who are mute aren't able to talk.
(喑啞人士無法說話。)
3. census n.
人口普查 (ren2 kou2 pu3 cha2)
例: Has anyone ever asked you questions for a census?
(你有因人口普查而被問過問題嗎？)
4. myth n.
迷思 (mi2 si1)，神話 (shen2 hua4)
例: I think some Greek myths are very interesting.
(我覺得有些希臘神話相當有趣。)
|
|
|
This story has been viewed 1497 times.
|
Print
Mail