12 WHEN LOVE WAS THE ADVENTURE
On a cold January morning in 1936, George V was given a king’s burial. Following his coffin was his eldest son, the handsome, much loved, Prince of Wales. He was about to be proclaimed the next king of England. He was that 1)exceptional thing: a model 2)royal. He was at ease in every company. Everyone expected him to shake the 3)stuffiness out of the 4)monarchy. But as time passed, as he span between the royal duties, people began to 5)remark that the prince was approaching 40 and still unmarried. Only a privileged few knew that he’d been 6)stepping out with the mysterious American, a woman who was cheating on her husband with the future king of England. This was the lady known as Wallis Simpson, whom he was determined to marry.
So now he was king, but no one could persuade him to give up Wallis. Not even Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin who spoke for the nation when he said Britain did not want an American divorcee for a queen. Ministerial car shuttled between Westminster and Buckingham Palace but the king could not be 7)budged. He was forced to 8)abdicate and all over the country flags flew at 9)half-mast.
In the summer of 1937 there was a quiet wedding in France. The couple looked a bit nervous, especially the groom, but only a year before he’d been a king. Now he and his wife would be called the 10)Duke and 11)Duchess of Windsor.
So now the man who’d given up a kingdom and a woman who’d given up two husbands 12)embarked on their endless round of fun and 13)gaiety. In the war years they’d been trapped in the Bahamas, but emerged every now and then to attend the great cultural festivals where they startled the locals with the brilliance of their 14)attire. But the man who’d been a king found he was now only a 15)celebrity. There were even rumors that he and the duchess were breaking up so they had to parade their 16)devotion for the cameras.
Four years later it was the nation’s turn to mourn the Duke and to reflect on one man’s decision to trade the crown of England for the love of Wallis and the price they had both had to pay.
1、exceptional a. 特殊的，罕见的
2、royal n. 王室成员
3、stuffiness n. 憋闷，不透气
4、monarchy n. 君主，元首
5、remark v. (正式，旧)注意到，觉察
6、step out 出去赴约会，从事娱乐活动
7、budge v. 稍微移动，改变态度
8、abdicate v.(国王)退位
9、mast n. 杆，柱
10、Duke n. (英)公爵
11、Duchess n. (英)公爵夫人
12、embark on 从事，着手，开始
13、gaiety n. 欢乐，愉快
14、attire n. 服装，衣饰
15、celebrity n. 名望，著名人士
16、devotion n. 献身，忠实，热爱
