2010/09/27

This Day in History September 27 歷史上的今天 9月27日

The movie Titanic made everyone dream of traveling on an ocean liner and finding adventure and maybe even love at sea. For many people years ago, this was not just a dream. It was actually the only way to travel from one place to another. On this date in 1938, the ship Queen Elizabeth was christened and launched. Queen Elizabeth of England, whom the ship was named after, had the honor of breaking the bottle on the side of the ship, which signified its launch. The Queen Elizabeth wasn't used as an ocean liner at first, though. Due to World War II, it served as a warship for six years before being turned into a luxury ship for civilian use. The Queen Elizabeth was the first in a series of QE ocean liners that continue to sail the high seas today.
電影《鐵達尼號》讓每個人都夢想搭乘遠洋郵輪,在海上進行冒險甚或愛之旅。對於多年前的民眾來說,這不僅僅是個夢想,而是從某處遠行到另一地的唯一方法。在1938年的今天,《伊利莎白女王號》正式命名啟用。這艘郵輪得名於英國的伊利莎白女王,而她正是受邀進行破瓶儀式以象徵船隻啟用的貴賓。不過《伊利莎白女王號》一開始並非當成郵輪使用。由於第二次世界大戰的關係,它頭六年的時間先是充當戰艦,然後再改造成豪華郵輪供一般百姓搭乘。《伊利莎白女王號》是一系列同名郵輪的第一艘,而這個系列的郵輪至今仍持續航行四海。

單字片語

★christen vt.為(船等)命名;給……起綽號
例:She was christened the queen of glam by the media.(她被媒體封為華麗女王。)
★launch vt. & n. 使(船隻)下水;發射(飛彈等);發起(活動)
★signify vt. 象徵,代表,意味著
例:My tattoo signifies my devotion to my children.(我這個刺青是代表我對子女全心全意的愛。)
★serve as... 充當……,當作……之用
例: Grandfathers umbrella also serves as his cane.(爺爺的雨傘也拿來當拐杖用。)
★civilian a.民用的,平民的& n.平民,百姓
例: All civilian aircraft must submit a flight plan before takeoff.(所有的民用飛機在起飛前必須呈交飛航計劃。)

知識大補帖

伊利莎白女王號(圖,翻攝網路) 全長1031英尺,排水量(displacement)達83600噸,是1930至1970年代世界上最大最豪華的郵輪。1971年,香港船商董浩雲 (也就是香港前特首董建華之父)斥資350萬美元購入該郵輪,並計劃耗資1200萬港幣,將其改裝成一所教育用途的流動大學,命名為「海上學府」,不過卻 在1972年改裝(remodeling)接近完成時遭大火完全燒毀。經調查指出,這場大火的起火原因是由於縱火(arson)所致,但至今仍查不出誰是真兇。

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