一個時代結束了! 痛失14年的忠誠伴侶，女王傷心欲絕!

By CuffedRocker, 2018/04/19 @ 易言堂 (ID: easy-peasy)

閱讀下文並完成判斷對錯題目，文章共計437單詞，建議10分鐘哦。

The End of an Era

The Queen has been left heartbroken after the death of her last corgi.

Willow, who was almost 15, was put to sleep at Windsor Castle on Sunday.

The dog had a cancer-related illness and the Queen did not want her beloved pet to suffer further. Willows death comes 18 months after the loss of Holly, who died aged 13. Both appeared with Daniel Craig in the James Bond sketch for the opening of the London Olympics in 2012.

The death brings to an end a remarkable history between the Queen and corgis dating back more than eight decades. Willow was the 14th generation descended from Susan, a gift to the then Princess Elizabeth on her 18th birthday. But her heritage dates back even further, to 1933, when the Queens father George VI (then Duke of York) introduced a corgi, Dookie, into the Royal Family.

Insiders say the Queen has been hit 「extremely hard」 by the loss of Willow who had become her most devoted companion, accompanying her as she moved between her four royal homes.

「She has mourned every one of her corgis over the years, but she has been more upset about Willows death than any of them,」 says a Buckingham Palace source. 「It is probably because Willow was the last link to her parents and a pastime that goes back to her own childhood. It really does feel like the end of an era.」

This is not, however, the end of the Queens dog-owning life, she has two dorgis — corgi-dachsund crosses — Vulcan and Candy. And last year she

agreed to adopt a corgi, Whisper, after the death of his owner.

Since 1945, she has had more than 30 corgis – many of them direct descendants

of Susan, whose first puppies, Sugar and Honey, born in 1949, marked the beginning of a new royal dynasty.

However, the link with Willow, who was pictured in the official portrait to mark

the Queens 90th birthday two years ago, was a precious one.

「Willow represents a significant thread running through the Queens life from her teenage years to her 90s,」 says a courtier. 「For many, many years she bred and raised corgis and to think that the last one has now gone is something of a milestone」.

Her Majesty was still feeding and exercising Willow until the weekend, when

the dogs condition worsened. On Sunday afternoon, the decision was taken to call a vet. It is understood the dog has been buried in the castle. In time there will be a headstone bearing the pets name and the words 「a faithful companion of the Queen」.

Quiz

根據文章內容，判斷下列各句是否正確，T (True)、F (False)、N (Not stated)

• The Queens corgi Willow died of cancer.
• The Queen has been living with corgis for more than 80 years.
• The death of Willow caused the Queen to cry.
• The Queen is now raising three purebred dogs.
• Willow will be buried inside the Queens residence.

Notes

put sth. to sleep

委婉的表達方式，使年老或重傷的動物無痛死去。關於委婉語，可閱讀文章 I12 做人要有禮貌 。

sketch

a short comedy or humorous play；短劇、小品，= skit

cross

就是俗稱的 串兒，與 purebred (純種) 對應

參考譯文

一個時代的落幕

失去最後一條威爾士短腿犬令女王心痛不已。周日，快15歲的圍柳兒安眠於溫莎城堡。

短腿犬的病和癌症有關，女王不想自己鍾愛的寵物繼續遭受折磨。圍柳兒離開一年半以前，13歲的冬青去世了。2012年為倫敦奧運會拍攝了一部詹姆斯·邦德的短片，他們兩個曾與丹尼爾·克雷格一同出鏡。

女王和短腿犬的牽絆可以追溯到80多年以前，這是一段不同凡響的歷史，圍柳兒的離開為此畫上了句號。圍柳兒是蘇珊的第14代後裔，而蘇珊是伊麗莎白公主18歲的生日禮物。但她繼承的遺產可以回溯到更早的1933年。那一年，女王的父親喬治六世(當時的約克公爵)將短腿犬道奇引進了王室。

知情人士說圍柳兒是女王最忠實的伴侶，伴隨女王周轉於四處王室住所，失去圍柳兒對女王打擊"極大"。

"這些年來，女王哀悼過每條短腿犬，但沒有比圍柳兒的死亡更讓她難過的了，"一名提供消息的白金漢宮人士說。"圍柳兒是聯結女王父母和童年快樂時光的最後紐帶。原因可能就是這樣，好比一個時代的落幕。"

但是，女王的養狗生涯不會到此結束。她還有祝融和冰糖，他們都是多吉犬 — 威爾士短腿犬和獵獾犬的雜交品種。另外，去年她答應了收養短腿犬喃喃，它的主人去世了。

1945年至今，女王養過30多條威爾士短腿犬，其中很多都是蘇珊的直系後代。最早的幼犬是糖糖和蜜蜜，他們出生於1949年，是一個全新王朝開啟的標誌。

但是，女王十分珍視與圍柳兒的聯繫。兩年前，為慶祝女王90歲壽誕，官方拍攝了照片，其中就有圍柳兒。

"圍柳兒代表了女王生命的一條主線，從妙齡少女一直到90高齡，"一位侍者說。"女王養狗多年，現在最後一條離去，她會覺得是個裡程碑"。

女王陛下一直在餵養和鍛煉圍柳兒，直到周末狗的病情加重了。周日下午做出了請獸醫的艱難決定。據悉，狗已葬於城堡內。最終會安放一塊墓碑，鐫刻狗的名字並附言: "女王的忠誠伴侶"。

Key

FTNFF

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