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It’s not easy being queen, but Elizabeth managed to bring the monarchy into the 21st century. This is her story.
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Part I
Lilibeth
IN 1936, King Edward VIII shocked Britain and the empire: “I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility, and to discharge my duties as king … without the help and support of the woman I love.” Edward was giving up the throne to marry the twice-divorced Wallis Simpson, considered a fortune hunter, Nazi sympathiser, and “tart” by the establishment. 5 The shock fell especially heavily on an 10-year-old girl nicknamed “Lilibeth” by her family. In many ways she was like any other little girl: she loved horses and parties with her friends, going to the countryside, and was excited when she lost a tooth. But Elizabeth- her real name- was a princess, destined to be queen. Her uncle was the abdicating king, Edward, who escaped into a life of jet set parties and travels with his new wife. Her father was the new King George VI, who was shy and 10 retiring, and not physically strong. He would be thrust into the role of king during the hardest, darkest years of the coming war. Beside George stood his devoted wife, Elizabeth (later the queen mother) and the young but mature Elizabeth. She was already preparing to help her father and, one day, assume her place as queen. She studied French and learned to speak it well. She took courses in constitutional law and the law of the 15 church. As queen, she would be the official head of the Church of England. As a teenager, Elizabeth began to play her part in the “family business”, serving as the patron of charities and making public appearances. When the bombs started falling daily on London, and with the Germans preparing to invade England, it was suggested that Elizabeth and her younger sister Margaret be evacuated to Canada. Elizabeth’s 20 mother was adamant : “The children won't go without me, and I won't leave the King”. The young Elizabeth was as determined as her mother to contribute to the war effort. Although George was against the idea, Elizabeth served as an army lorry driver. By the end of the war, Elizabeth, not yet 20, was a prominent and active member of the royal family. In 1947, Elizabeth made her first official overseas visit to South Africa. But things were about to change for Elizabeth. Romance had touched 25 her life. Check your comprehension 1/ Elizabeth probably disapproved of her uncle’s behaviour. 2/ Elizabeth had the same personality as her father. 3/ Elizabeth’s mother wanted to go to Canada. Answers page 7 / language in bold explained on page 8 T T T F F F
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Part II
When Elizabeth met Phillip
ELIZABETH was only 13 when she met Phillip, a handsome 18year-old Navy cadet. He was athletic, charming, and courageous, as his war record would later prove, and rose quickly to become one of the youngest first lieutenants in the Royal Navy. Elizabeth and 5 Phillip exchanged letters throughout the grim war years and, when peace dawned, Elizabeth decided she would marry him. Elizabeth’s mother thought that Elizabeth just wanted to marry the first attractive man she had met, and she did not like the man. Phillip was in fact a member of the Greek royal family who, as a 10 baby, had escaped with his family from the revolution in his home country. His religion was Greek Orthodox. Worst of all, his relatives were mostly German. But if Phillip was German, he was no more German than Elizabeth herself. The British Royal Family had been named Saxe-Coburg Gotha until World War I forced them to adopt the more British-sounding Windsor. Princess Elizabeth prevailed, and married Phillip in 1947 in Westminster Abbey. A year later, Charles15 the future king- was born, and two years Elizabeth had a daughter, Anne. Elizabeth, Phillip, and their two bright children were rays of light in a bleak post-war Britain of bombed out cities and rationing. The couple were warmly welcomed wherever they went. Phillip the husband has apparently not always been easy to get on with. Whereas Elizabeth is very diplomatic and tactful, Phillip can be gruff, and has a talent for saying the wrong things in public. 20 However, it seems Elizabeth has never regretted her choice of a husband who gave up his promising navy career to play second fiddle to his famous wife. Elizabeth once said of Phillip: “He is someone who doesn't take easily to compliments, but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years.”
Check your comprehension 1/ The romance between Elizabeth and Phillip developed quickly. T F F F
2/ Elizabeth’s mother did not like Phillip because he was a foreigner. T 3/ Phillip is not very helpful to Elizabeth. Answers page 7 / language in bold explained on page 8 T
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Part III
A working queen
KING George VI died in 1952 and the next year, in a glittering ceremony at Westminster Abbey, the Princess was crowned “Queen Elizabeth the Second of the United Kingdom”, and also of Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, and colonies in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, 5 and the Caribbean. The Queen has never dodged the heavy responsibilities of her office. In Britain, no law can be valid until it is signed by the Queen. Although the Queen cannot defy a democratic government, or comment on politics, she is a highly-respected figure, the theoretical 10 commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and an obstacle to any prime minister who would be dictator. She has met weekly with prime ministers, from Winston Churchill to Margaret Thatcher to Gordon Brown, and stays well-informed about politics. The Queen is also the head of hundreds of charities and organisations, and has attended thousands of public ceremonies. She launches ships, opens public buildings, watches royal theatre performances, and has sat for 120 portraits. 15 The Queen’s reign has coincided with the end of the British Empire and the birth of the Commonwealth, an association of former colonies turned independent states that she heads. So she has travelled widely, to Australia 14 times, to Canada 20 times, to New Zealand 10 times, and to China, India, Nepal, the United States, France, Germany, and Fiji. Every tour includes a packed program of official meetings, dinners, receptions, and ceremonies. The Queen has received some strange gifts, for 20 example an elephant given by the president of Cameroon. The Queen must always be patient, polite, impeccably presented, and cool under pressure. In 1981, the Queen was leading the Trooping of the Colour ceremony in London when six gunshots rang out and panic gripped the crowd. The Queen did not flinch. A prime minister once said that Elizabeth had “the heart and stomach of a man”.
Check your comprehension 1/ Elizabeth has no real power. 2/ Elizabeth is head of state of Nepal. 3/ Someone tried to assassinate Elizabeth. Answers page 7 / language in bold explained on page 8 T T T F F F
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Part IV
The Di fiasco
ELIZABETH built a new style of monarchy. She wanted her children to live a more-or-less normal life, and was the first monarch to send her children to school with other children. She lowered the wall of reserve so the people could see their royal family. In 1968, the BBC made a film showing the daily life of the royals. Back then, the media was respectful, but the family would sometimes seem a little 5 than less normal, and the media less than respectful. Princess Anne and Prince Andrew divorced, and Prince Edward was not tough enough for the Royal Marines. But the real problem was Charles. As future king, Charles’ private life was a matter of national 10 importance. One of his children would become monarch. Charles was romantically linked to a number of glamorous young women but still there was no wife and no heir. In 1980, Charles was in mourning for his uncle, Louis Mountbatten, assassinated by the IRA, when a young Diana Spencer appeared with words of 15 sympathy. A year later the couple were married in a fairytale wedding broadcast around the world. They had two sons, William and Harry, and the media was enchanted by the modern, pretty princess. So when the marriage began to fall apart, the tabloids lapped it all up. Charles and Diana found comfort with old and new lovers, and used the media to make war on each other. Diana told the media: “There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded”. Charles’s friends hinted that 20 Diana was crazy. The couple divorced in 1996, and a year later Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris. There was an unprecedented outpouring of public emotion, and anger. Elizabeth misjudged the public mood, and was accused of being too reserved, too cold. At Diana’s funeral, her brother Charles Spencer publicly attacked the royal family. The Queen went on radio to say of Diana: “I admired her and respected 25 her.” It was the low point of Elizabeth’s reign. Check your comprehension 1/ Elizabeth adopted a policy of total transparency. 2/ Diana said Charles had a mistress. T T T F F F
3/ The Queen admired and respected Diana.
Answers page 7 / language in bold explained on page 8
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Part V
Elizabeth now
TODAY, at 81-years of age, Elizabeth spends a little more time at her Sandringham country estate. One of her passions is horses, and she ranks among Britain’s top breeders. Elizabeth adores watching her own horses run at Royal Ascot, Britain’s most 5 famous horse racing event. Elizabeth also breeds dogs and has created a new type, the dorgi, a corgi crossed with a dachshund. Elizabeth still maintains a solid work schedule. There are still hospitals to open, knighthoods to grant, state visits to Uganda, and problems at home. Palaces and castles are not cheap to run and her annual government grant has been decreasing. It now stands at £37 10 million, and some begrudge such a sum going to someone with a personal fortune of £280 million. The ghost of Diana continues to haunt the royal family, more than 10 years after her death. The media gave a lot of coverage to the recent official British inquiry into the fatal car crash. When an important witness told the inquiry that he DIDN’T think Diana was murdered, it made the front pages. However, time is on the side of the royal family. Charles is now married to the “other woman”, and slowly but 15 surely, Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles are being accepted by the British people. The palace is quietly preparing for the day when Charles will be king. There have even been rehearsals for Elizabeth’s own funeral, which will be an important state event. Such preparations cannot be very pleasant for Elizabeth. Her sister Margaret died in 2002, and her mother a couple of months later. Elizabeth and Phillip are the last of their generation. 20 However, Elizabeth can look back on her 55-year reign knowing that she has accomplished her mission. Despite the ups and downs of the last half century, the British monarchy is stronger than ever. In 2008, more people in Britain believe in extraterrestrials than believe in a British republic. The biggest republican group in Britain recently organised a petition calling for a debate on abolishing the monarchy. In a nation of more than 60,000,000 people, 3000 people signed the petition.
Check your comprehension 1/ Elizabeth does not work as hard as in the past. 2/ Many people believe that Diana was murdered. 3/ The republican movement threatens the monarchy. Answers page 7 / language in bold explained on page 8 T T T F F F
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Answers
Part I 1/ Elizabeth probably disapproved of her uncle’s behaviour. T (This is not stated, but certainly implied in the article. The uncle, the abdicating Edward, escaped into a life of jet set parties and travels with his new wife –8-9 . Elizabeth is presented as a more serious member of the royal family. 2/ Elizabeth had the same personality as her father. F (9-10: Her father is described as shy and retiring – and being thrust – pushed somewhat reluctantly- into being king, whereas Elizabeth is evidently not timid and not reluctant about assuming her responsibilities. 3/ Elizabeth’s mother wanted to go to Canada. F (19-20: She is insistent – adamant- that she will not leave the King, and is supportive of the King’s decision to not leave England). Part II 1/ The romance between Elizabeth and Phillip developed quickly. F (1-6: The romance developed slowly, during the war years). 2/ Elizabeth’s mother did not like Phillip because he was a foreigner. T (Lines 8-11 explain the views of Elizabeth’s mother). 3/ Phillip is not very helpful to Elizabeth. F (20-23: We learn that Phillip surrendered his own ambitions to play second fiddle, a supporting role, to his wife, who describes him as a strength and stay). Part III 1/ Elizabeth has no real power. F (7-11: The article explains that the Queen serves as a guarantee of the democratic system, who could act in extreme circumstances to prevent absolute power passing to a politician). 2/ Elizabeth is head of state of Nepal. F (16-18: The article says that Elizabeth is head of the Commonwealth and has travelled to Nepal. It does not say Nepal is a member of the Commonwealth, or that Elizabeth is Queen of Nepal. In fact, Nepal is not a member and this nation has its own king). 3/ Someone tried to assassinate Elizabeth. F (21-23: The article says shots were fired somewhere near the Queen, but does not say they were fired at the Queen. Although this incident was frightening when it happened, it was later discovered that the “assassin” was a man with mental problems and his gun was loaded with blank bullets). Part IV 1/ Elizabeth adopted a policy of total transparency. F (2-3: Elizabeth lowered the wall, but did not completely dismantle it). 2/ Diana said Charles had a mistress. T (18-20: When Diana said there were three of us in the marriage, she was referring to Charles’ mistress). 3/ The Queen admired and respected Diana. F (21-25: The article does not say that. It gives the strong impression that Elizabeth’s comments were meant to pacify public hostility towards the royal family arising from the death of Diana. One could imagine that- given what happened between Diana and Charles- Elizabeth probably did not like Diana very much). Part V 1/ Elizabeth does not work as hard as in the past. T (1-2: If she spends a little more time on her estate, that implies less time on public duties. 2/ Many people believe that Diana was murdered. T (12-13: If a claim that Diana was not murdered were considered important by the press, it indicates that many people believe she was or might have been murdered). 3/ The republican movement threatens the monarchy. F (21-24: The text indicates that the republicans have almost no popular support, 3000 out of 60 million people).
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Words and expressions from the text
Part I Tart (noun) is most commonly a type of cake (torte) , but here it is a familiar word to describe a woman of easy virtue, who is sexually immoral. It is not a pleasant word, but not as strong as certain others, for example slut. English is rich in words for sexually immoral women, but poor in words to describe sexually immoral men. Part II Handsome (adjective) is physically attractive, good looking, usually for a man. Grim, bleak (adjectives) mean cold, difficult, unwelcoming, without comfort etc. Dawn (noun and verb) is the rising of the sun, but it can also be used to describe the beginning of a new era or époque, particularly after a difficult period. Gruff (adjective) brusque, tactless etc. To play second fiddle (expression) a fiddle is a musical instrument like a violin, and this common expression means to play a secondary or supporting role, usually without recognition for that role. Part III Glittering (adjective) means bright and shiny, and can describe gold or diamonds, or an event like the Oscars, for example, with many stars and famous people. Flinch (verb) means to move suddenly in response to fear or some threat. Part IV Tough (adjective) for a person, physically or mentally strong and resistant. In mourning (expression) en deuil. Fairytale (noun/ adjective) compte de fée. To lap something up (verb) means to consume something with pleasure. A cat laps milk or cream, and enjoys it, and the idea can be transposed to other situations. It is a fairly familiar expression. Crowded/ crowd (adjective/ noun) refer to many people or perhaps too many people. We talk about a crowded bus, or big crowds at a football match. When referring to human relations, the word crowd usually indicates dissension. The old saying goes: two’s company but three’s a crowd. Part V Breeder (noun) éleveur. Begrudge (verb) means to be reluctant in the act of giving something. Ghost (noun) is a phantom or spirit. The other woman (expression) is- in the context of marriage- a discreet way of saying mistress.
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