英語美文朗讀 第381期 Queens speech

As a child, I never imagined that one day a man would walk on the moon. Yet this year we marked the 50th anniversary of the famous Apollo 11 mission.

 

當我小的時候,從來沒有想象過，有一天人類會在月球上行走。但是今年，我們紀念了阿波羅11號登月行動50周年。

 

"It's still looking very good. Your go. The Eagle has landed. "

As those historic pictures were beamed back to earth, millions of us sat transfixed to our television screens as we watched Neil Armstrong taking a small step for man, and a giant leap for mankind – and indeed for womankind. It's a reminder for us all that giant leaps often start from small steps.

當這些歷史照片傳回地球時，成千上萬的人坐在電視屏幕邊上，看著尼爾·阿姆斯特朗邁出了一小步，但為人類邁出了一大步。這提醒我們，不積跬步無以至千里。

 

This year we marked another important anniversary – D-day. On June 6 1944, some 156,000 British, Canadian and American forces landed in Northern France. It was the largest ever seaborne invasion, and was delayed due to bad weather.

今年還是一個重要的周年紀念日：諾曼底登陸紀念日。1944年6月6日，大約有15.6萬英國、加拿大和美國的部隊在法國北部登陸。這是史上規(guī)模最大的海上登陸戰(zhàn)役，但當時因惡劣天氣而推遲。

 

I well remember the look of concern on my father's face. He knew the secret D-day plans, but could of course share that burden with no-one.

我依舊記得父親臉上擔憂的表情。他已經知道秘密登陸的計劃，但必須獨自承受這份重擔,無法與他人分攤。

 

For the Seventy-Fifth Anniversary of that decisive battle, in a true spirit of reconciliation, those who had formerly been sworn enemies came together in friendly commemorations either side of the Channel, putting past differences behind them.

在諾曼底登陸75周年，那些曾經是敵人的各方本著真正的和解精神，在英吉利海峽兩岸舉行友好紀念活動，將過去的分歧拋在腦后。

 

Such reconciliation seldom happens overnight. It takes patience and time to rebuild trust, and progress often comes through small steps.

這種和解很少在一夜之間發(fā)生。重建信任需要耐心和時間，而且這些進展通常是一小步一小步來實現(xiàn)的。

 

Since the end of the Second World War, many charities, groups and organisations have worked to promote peace and unity around the world, bringing together those who have been on opposing sides.

自第二次世界大戰(zhàn)結束以來，許多慈善機構，團體和組織致力于在世界范圍內促進和平與團結，將對立的各方聚集在一起。

 

By being willing to put past differences behind us and move forward together, we honour the freedom and democracy once won for us at so great a cost.

我們愿意放下過去的分歧攜手并進，我們也尊重曾經以巨大代價贏得的自由和民zhu。

 

The challenges many people face today may be different to those once faced by my generation, but I have been struck by how new generations have brought a similar sense of purpose to issues such as protecting our environment and our climate.

今天許多人面臨的挑戰(zhàn)可能與我們這一代人所面臨的挑戰(zhàn)不同，我也對新一代在面對如何解決環(huán)境保護和氣候的“目標感”感到驚訝。

 

My family and I are also inspired by the men and women of our emergency services and armed forces; and at Christmas we remember all those on duty at home and abroad, who are helping those in need and keeping us and our families safe and secure.

我和我的家人也被仍在緊急服務和武裝部隊的工作人員們所感動；不管男女，不管在國內外，在圣誕節(jié)，讓我們記住那些在國內外值勤的人們，他們幫助那些需要幫助的人，保障我們和家人的安全。

 

Two hundred years on from the birth of my great, great grandmother, Queen Victoria, Prince Philip and I have been delighted to welcome our eighth great grandchild into our family.

從我高祖母維多利亞女王出生的兩百年后，我和菲利普很高興歡迎我們的第八位曾孫進入我們的家庭。

 

Of course, at the heart of the Christmas story lies the birth of a child: a seemingly small and insignificant step overlooked by many in Bethlehem.

當然,圣誕節(jié)故事的核心在于孩子的誕生：但伯利恒（耶su誕生地）許多人忽略了看似微不足道的關鍵。

 

But in time, through his teaching and by his example, Jesus Christ would show the world how small steps taken in faith and in hope can overcome long-held differences and deep-seated divisions to bring harmony and understanding.

但是隨著時間的流逝，耶su將通過他的教導和榜樣向世界展示，在信仰和希望邁出的一小步可以克服長期而根深蒂固的分歧，從而帶來和諧與諒解。

 

Many of us already try to follow in his footsteps. The path, of course, is not always smooth, and may at times this year have felt quite bumpy, but small steps can make a world of difference.

我們中的許多人已經嘗試跟隨他的腳步。當然，路途并不總是那么順利，今年也許有時會感到坎坷，但一小步就能改變世界。

 

As Christmas dawned, church congregations around the world joined in singing It Came Upon The Midnight Clear. Like many timeless carols, it speaks not just of the coming of Jesus Christ into a divided world, many years ago, but also of the relevance, even today, of the angel's message of peace and goodwill.

圣誕節(jié)來臨之際，世界各地的教tang會眾齊聲演唱《在晴朗午夜降臨（或譯為星夜頌贊、圣誕夜歌）》。就像許多永恒的頌歌一樣，它不僅說明了多年前耶su基du進入一個分裂世界的故事，而且還說明了即使在今天,天使傳達的平安與善意依舊重要。

 

It's a timely reminder of what positive things can be achieved when people set aside past differences and come together in the spirit of friendship and reconciliation. And, as we all look forward to the start of a new decade, it's worth remembering that it is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change.

這就提醒我們，當人們拋棄過去的分歧并本著友誼與和解的精神團結在一起時，可以取得積極的成就。而且，當我們都期待下一個10年時，我們要相信，最終能改變一切的，往往是我們的前進的這些一小步，而不是大的飛躍。

 

And so, I wish you all a very happy Christmas.

最后，祝大家圣誕快樂。