中國網(wǎng)站品牌欄目（頻道）
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 Who's been sitting in my throne? Miss Slack rehearsing for the State Opening of Parliament and the Queen taking part in the real thing |
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In 60 years, the Queen has never put a foot wrong in public. And for the last 24 of them, it turns out she’s had a secret weapon – the unassuming Ella Slack. The former BBC manager has, unbeknown to anyone except a handful of key advisers, spent the last quarter of a century acting as the Queen’s official stand-in at rehearsals for royal events. The 69-year-old from the Isle of Man has never accepted a penny for her loyal service, considering it ‘a(chǎn) pleasure and an honour’ to ensure that everything runs smoothly for the sovereign. ‘How many people in the world have had a chance to sit in a royal landau or walk onto the dais at Windsor Castle even before the Queen has done so?’ she said. While Miss Slack may not resemble the Queen facially, she has a similar build to the monarch, standing just shy of 5ft. The Queen is 5ft 2in. She began her remarkable role in 1988, when she was working as manager of the BBC’s sports and events department. A producer asked her if she could stand in for the Queen to check camera angles at a rehearsal for Remembrance Day at the Cenotaph – and her second career was born. Since then, from the State Opening of Parliament to the 50th anniversary of VE day, wherever the Queen is on duty Miss Slack is likely to have been there first. She has perfected her own version of the Queen’s wardrobe, including a black patent handbag she bought in a charity shop for ￡1, and even styles her hair like the Queen. Most recently, Miss Slack has been rehearsing for next weekend’s Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, braving the wind and rain on the royal barge. And she has won a coveted place in the flotilla on the day itself – in a boat named, appropriately enough, the Queen Elizabeth. (Read by Emily Cheng. Emily Cheng is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies) |
60年來，英國女王在公眾場合從來沒有走錯過一步路。 原來在過去的24年里她一直有個秘密武器，那就是她的替身——謙遜低調(diào)的艾拉?斯萊克。 她曾經(jīng)是英國廣播公司的一個主管，除了女王身邊的幾個資深顧問外，沒有人知道她的存在。過去的四分之一個世紀(jì)里，她一直是女王皇室活動彩排的御用替身。 這位來自曼島的69歲的老太太從未對自己提供的忠誠服務(wù)收過一分錢。她認(rèn)為確保女王的活動一切順利是“讓人愉快和榮幸的事情”。 她說：“世界上有多少人有機(jī)會坐上皇家朗道馬車、走上溫莎堡的講臺，還能先于女王這么做呢？” 盡管斯萊克的臉長得并不像女王，但她的體型和女王相近，身高接近5英尺。 而女王的身高為5英尺2英寸。 她從1988年開始承擔(dān)這一不平凡的使命，當(dāng)時她在英國廣播公司的體育賽事部擔(dān)任主管。 那天一位制片人問她能否在紀(jì)念塔的紀(jì)念日儀式彩排上代替女王試鏡，于是她的第二職業(yè)就誕生了。 從那以后，不論是英國國會開幕大典，還是歐洲勝利日50周年紀(jì)念慶典，只要是女王出席的場所，斯萊克總會先到那里。 她還完善了她的“女王穿戴”，包括一只黑色漆皮手提包，那是她在慈善商店花一英鎊的價錢買的，甚至連她的發(fā)型也做成和女王相近的式樣。 她最近一次當(dāng)女王替身是為這周末舉行的女王登基60周年鉆石慶典泰晤士河巡禮做預(yù)演，風(fēng)雨無阻地在皇家游艇上“工作”。 在巡禮當(dāng)天，她也會在游行船隊中獲得自己夢寐以求的位置，沒錯，就是那艘名為“伊麗莎白女王”的航船。 相關(guān)閱讀 （中國日報網(wǎng)英語點津 陳丹妮 編輯：Julie） |
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Vocabulary: unassuming: 謙虛的；不出風(fēng)頭的 unbeknown: 不為……所知的 stand-in: 替身 landau: 朗道馬車（一種四輪馬車） dais: 高臺；講臺 shy of: 接近 brave: 勇敢地面對 |
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