by Matthew Brown

Like many historical figures that keep people fascinated, Elizabeth I remains somewhat enigmatic. No one knows the whole truth about the personal aspects of Elizabeth's story. Of course, these things are difficult to know from a historical distance, but even in her own time, her success, power, and mystery were legendary.

Elizabeth became Queen of England when she was only 25 years old. Probably the most talked about aspect of her rule remains her romantic life. Elizabeth was an effective and impressive young queen, but she never married. Much has been made of this fact, and even today, people speculate and disagree about her reasons for remaining "The Virgin Queen." This is so partly because she never offered a complete explanation herself and partly because she displayed an intriguing mix of intelligence and reserve that still keeps people wondering what she was thinking.

Elizabeth undoubtedly had accomplishments outside of her private life which have cemented her place in history. One of the most significant is her role in the establishment of the Protestant Church in England. For reasons both personal and political, she sided with the general feelings of the people and moved to separate the Church in England from the authority of the Pope. Elizabeth is seen as having led England into a "golden age," a time that saw England rise to a place of unprecedented global importance.

It was a time when England produced renowned playwrights, most notably Shakespeare, and several famous adventurers. As we can see from the recent release of the Hollywood movie on the subject, the story of Elizabeth I has not lost its appeal.

和许多历史人物一样，带点神秘感的伊丽莎白一世让世人着迷。没有人真正了解伊丽莎白女王的私人世界。当然，因为年代久远使我们很难了解这些事情，但即使在她的年代，她的成就、权力和神秘都具有传奇性。
　　
伊丽莎白 25 岁时继位成为英国女王。谈到她的统治，或许最为人津津乐道的就是她的感情生活。伊丽莎白是个有能力又令人印象深刻的年轻女王，但她却终身未嫁。关于这点曾有诸多说法，即使到今天，世人仍在猜测与争论她成为『童贞女王』的原因。部分是因为她自己从未完整交代为何保持单身，部分则是因为她拥有结合聪颖慧黠与内敛的迷人特质，不让人知道她内心的想法。
　　
毫无疑问，伊丽莎白在私人生活以外的领域成就非凡，巩固了她在历史上的地位。她最重大的成就之一是在英国建立新教教会。基于个人和政治上的因素，她支持一般大众的想法，进而带领英国教会脱离教皇的管辖。一般认为伊丽莎白带领英国进入『黄金年代』，让英国在国际站上前所未有的重要地位。英国在这段时期出现许多著名的剧作家，其中最有名的就是莎士比亚，还有许多著名的冒险家。我们可从最近发行的好莱坞电影中发现，伊丽莎白一世的魅力仍丝毫不减。


单字小铺

1. virgin a. 处女的 & n. 未婚女子，处女
2. historical a. 历史上的；（有关）历史的
historic a. 历史性的；有历史意义的
3. enigmatic a. 如谜一般的；费解的
enigma n. 谜；难以理解的事物
4. aspect n. 方面
5. legendary a. 传奇的；传说的
6. romantic a. 浪漫的；多情的
romance n. 爱情故事
7. impressive a. 令人印象深刻的
8. intriguing a. 令人感兴趣的
9. reserve n. 寡言；含蓄
10. accomplishment n. 成就
11. significant a. 重大的；有意义的
12. establishment n. 建立，创立
13. Protestant a. 新教徒的 & n. 新教徒
14. authority n. 权力，权威
15. Pope n. 罗马教皇
16. unprecedented a. 空前的
17. playwright n. 剧作家
18. notably adv. 显著地；尤其是
19. release n. 发行，发表
20. prosperous a. 繁荣的
21. infer vt. 推断
22. abolish vt. 废除

词组小铺

1. from a historical distance　　从长久的历史来看
2. outside of...　　在……之外；除了……
3. be seen as...　　被视为……
= be viewed/regarded as...
= be looked upon/thought of as...
4. be on one's mind　　某人心中想着（某事）
5. contribute to + N/V-ing　　对……作出贡献