Michael Chugani 褚简宁 - Platinum Jubilee｜又中又英

During a four-day weekend last week Britain had street parties, carnivals, parades, a special horse-racing day, and a fly-past to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. A fly-past means a group of aircraft that flies in a special pattern during a celebration. The word "jubilee" means a celebration of the day an important event happened many years ago. Platinum is an expensive silver metal but it can also mean the 70th anniversary of an event, such as a wedding. A 50th wedding anniversary is a golden anniversary. Elizabeth II, aged 96, has been monarch (king or queen) of the United Kingdom for 70 years. That's why the four-day celebration is called the Platinum Jubilee.

It is the first time in history a British monarch has celebrated a Platinum Jubilee. The Queen skipped (didn't attend) some of the celebrations because she is in frail (weak) health. But the Archbishop of York said at a special church service at St Paul's Cathedral that she is "still in the saddle" and thanked her for "staying the course." A saddle is a leather seat on a horse. The Queen is known for her love of horses and horse-racing. When the Archbishop said she was "still in the saddle" he used her love of horses as a way of saying she is still the monarch despite her age.

To stay the course means to continue doing something until it is finished or until you have achieved what you want to do. When the Archbishop said the Queen had stayed the course he meant she had been monarch for 70 years already. But should she still stay the course when she is 96 years old and has been the Queen for 70 years or should she abdicate and let her son Prince Charles be the King? If a monarch abdicates it means he or she makes a formal statement to no longer want to be king or queen. British people love their Queen but I feel she should consider abdicating because of her frail health.
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上星期周末一连四天，英国为了庆祝伊利沙伯二世登基白金禧纪念（Platinum Jubilee），举办了街头派对、嘉年华、巡游、一个特别的赛马日，以及一个fly-past。A fly-past是指庆祝活动期间的编队飞行表演，该组战机会组成特定的队形。Jubilee是指重大事件的周年庆祝；platinum是昂贵的白金，但它也可以指一个事件，例如结婚七十周年。结婚五十周年就叫金禧。年届九十六岁的伊利沙白二世，就任成为英国的君主（monarch）已有七十年，因此这个四天的庆祝活动就叫Platinum Jubilee。

这是史上首次有一位英国君主（monarch）庆祝登基七十周年（Platinum Jubilee）。英女皇略过（skipped）没出席一些庆祝活动，因她身体虚弱（frail）。但约克大主教在圣保罗大教堂的特别崇拜上说，她是 "still in the saddle"，也多谢她 "staying the course"。A saddle就是马鞍，英女皇出了名酷爱马匹和赛马。当大主教说她是 "still in the saddle"，他是借用她对马匹的热爱，去形容她虽然年纪老迈，但仍稳坐君主（monarch）之位。

To stay the course即坚持到底，直至完成某事，或直至你想做的已达成了。当大主教说英女皇had stayed the course，他的意思是她已经作君主（monarch）七十年了。然而，当她已经九十六岁，做了女皇七十年了，是否应该坚持下去（stay the course），还是应该abdicate，让她的儿子查理斯王子作王？若一个君主（monarch）abdicates，意即他或她正式宣布退位。英国人爱他们的女皇，但我认为，念到她身体虚弱（frail），好应考虑退位（abdicating）。[email protected]
中译：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚简宁