VOA慢速英語：全球在位時間最長的君主泰國國王逝世

Thailand’s Long Serving King Dies

 

全球在位時間最長的君主泰國國王逝世

Thailand is mourning King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

泰國正在哀悼普密蓬國王的去世。

King Bhumibol died Thursday in Bangkok. He was 88 years old.

普密蓬國王于周四在曼谷去世，享年88歲。

In recent years, the king suffered from a series of age-related health problems that mostly kept him in a Bangkok hospital.

近年來，泰王患上了一系列與年齡相關(guān)的疾病，這使得他長期住在曼谷一家醫(yī)院養(yǎng)病。

Last weekend, Thai officials announced that his health had worsened and his condition was "not stable."

上周末，泰國官員宣布泰王的健康惡化并且狀況極不穩(wěn)定。

Officials said on Thursday his health never improved and that he died peacefully.

官員周四表示，泰王的健康沒有好轉(zhuǎn)，他平靜地離開了人世。

A large crowd had gathered outside the hospital where the king was being treated. Many in the crowd broke down with emotion after hearing of his death. Some held photographs of the king and wore yellow or pink clothing in his honor.

一大群人聚集在泰王接受治療的醫(yī)院門外。很多人在聽到泰王去世后情緒崩潰。一些人舉著泰王的照片，穿著黃色或粉色的衣服紀(jì)念泰王。

King Bhumibol came to power 70 years ago. He was the world's longest serving monarch.

普密蓬國王于70年前上臺，他是全球在位時間最長的君主。

He was born in 1927 in the American community of Cambridge, Massachusetts, where his father was studying medicine. The future king was educated mostly in Europe, attending secondary school and a university in Switzerland.

他于1927年出生在美國馬薩諸塞州的劍橋社區(qū)，他的父親在此學(xué)醫(yī)。這位未來的國王主要在歐洲接受教育，中學(xué)和大學(xué)都在瑞士就讀。

He studied music, and was a skilled saxophone player and composer of jazz. He also liked sailing and wrote several books, including a best-seller about his favorite dog.

他學(xué)習(xí)了音樂，是一位熟練的薩克斯管演奏家和爵士樂作曲家。他還喜歡帆船，并且寫了幾本書，包括一本關(guān)于他愛犬的暢銷書。

He became Thailand's king in 1946 after the mysterious shooting death of his older brother.

1946年，普密蓬在他的哥哥被神秘槍殺后成為了泰國國王。

King Bhumibol was greatly respected and beloved in Thailand, a deeply Buddhist country. He was known as a humble leader who directed many social and economic development projects.

普密蓬國王在泰國深受人們的尊敬和愛戴，這是一個深信佛教的國家。他被稱為一位謙遜的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人，領(lǐng)導(dǎo)了許多社會和經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展項目。

His wife, Queen Sirikit, is also a beloved figure in the country. She has been in poor health for several years.

他的妻子詩麗吉王后在泰國也是一位受人愛戴的人物。她多年來也一直健康狀況不佳。

Supporters believe King Bhumibol provided unity and stability at a time when Thailand faced many social and economic problems. The country experienced political unrest several times during his rule. The current leadership took power after the military ousted the civilian government in 2014.

支持者們認(rèn)為，普密蓬國王在泰國面臨社會和經(jīng)濟(jì)問題時提供了團(tuán)結(jié)和穩(wěn)定。在他的統(tǒng)治期間，該國經(jīng)歷了數(shù)次政治動亂?，F(xiàn)任領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人在2014年軍隊推翻民選政府后上臺掌權(quán)。

At times, King Bhumibol acted as a negotiator in disputes between competing military leaders. Sometimes, he approved army requests to overthrow elected governments.

有時，普密蓬國王在彼此競爭的軍隊領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人之間的糾紛中擔(dān)任協(xié)商者角色。有時，他批準(zhǔn)軍隊推翻民選政府的要求。

The 70th anniversary of the king's rule was celebrated in Thailand in June, when millions of people wore yellow shirts to show their support.

今年6月泰國慶祝了泰王統(tǒng)治70周年，當(dāng)時數(shù)百萬人身穿黃衫展示他們的支持。

In a nationwide broadcast, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha called the death a tragedy for all of Thailand.

泰國總理巴育在一次全國廣播中稱泰王去世是泰國所有人的不幸。

"He was a king that was loved and adored by all. The reign of the king has ended and his kindness cannot be found anywhere else," he said.

他說，“他是一位受所有人愛戴和尊敬的國王。他的統(tǒng)治已經(jīng)結(jié)束，他的仁慈再也無處可尋。”

Next in line to Thailand's royal throne is the king's son, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn. The crown prince, who returned home from Germany on Wednesday, has yet to gain the same respect in Thailand as his father.

泰王的繼位者是他的兒子哇集拉隆功王儲。這位王儲周三從德國回國，他在泰國尚未獲得像他的父親一樣的尊重。

The prime minister confirmed on Thursday that the crown prince will become the new king. Prayuth added that the government will observe one year of mourning for King Bhumibol.

泰國總理巴育周四確認(rèn)，這位王儲將成為新任國王。巴育補充說，政府將為普密蓬國王舉行為期一年的哀悼。

I'm Caty Weaver.

卡蒂·韋弗報道。

Thailand is mourning King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

King Bhumibol died Thursday in Bangkok. He was 88 years old.

In recent years, the king suffered from a series of age-related health problems that mostly kept him in a Bangkok hospital.

Last weekend, Thai officials announced that his health had worsened and his condition was “not stable.”

Officials said on Thursday his health never improved and that he died peacefully.

A large crowd had gathered outside the hospital where the king was being treated. Many in the crowd broke down with emotion after hearing of his death. Some held photographs of the king and wore yellow or pink clothing in his honor.

King Bhumibol came to power 70 years ago. He was the world’s longest servingmonarch.

He was born in 1927 in the American community of Cambridge, Massachusetts, where his father was studying medicine. The future king was educated mostly in Europe, attending secondary school and a university in Switzerland.

He studied music, and was a skilled saxophone player and composer of jazz. He also liked sailing and wrote several books, including a best-seller about his favorite dog.

He became Thailand’s king in 1946 after the mysterious shooting death of his older brother.

King Bhumibol was greatly respected and beloved in Thailand, a deeply Buddhist country. He was known as a humble leader who directed many social and economic development projects.

His wife, Queen Sirikit, is also a beloved figure in the country. She has been in poor health for several years.

Supporters believe King Bhumibol provided unity and stability at a time when Thailand faced many social and economic problems. The country experienced political unrest several times during his rule. The current leadership took power after the military ousted the civilian government in 2014.

At times, King Bhumibol acted as a negotiator in disputes between competing military leaders. Sometimes, he approved army requests to overthrow elected governments.

The 70th anniversary of the king’s rule was celebrated in Thailand in June, when millions of people wore yellow shirts to show their support.

In a nationwide broadcast, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha called the death a tragedy for all of Thailand.

“He was a king that was loved and adored by all. The reign of the king has ended and his kindness cannot be found anywhere else,” he said.

Next in line to Thailand’s royal throne is the king’s son, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn. The crown prince, who returned home from Germany on Wednesday, has yet to gain the same respect in Thailand as his father.

The prime minister confirmed on Thursday that the crown prince will become the new king. Prayuth added that the government will observe one year of mourning for King Bhumibol.

I’m Caty Weaver.

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Words in This Story

monarch – n. a king or queen

saxophone – n. musical instrument with a curved metal tube at the bottom played by blowing into mouthpiece

composer – n. someone who writes music

circumstance – n. a condition or fact that affects a situation

humble – adj. not proud or believing you are important

stability – n. the state of something not easily changed

adore – v. to like something very much

reign – n. period of time a king or queen is ruler of a country