2016-06-24

【Aiden in English】

        The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is one of the countries in the world still ruling a monarchy system. Although Her Majesty isn't in that much power anymore, the country has its unique attributes coming from the government's history. One such tradition is the changing of the guard. 

        Being the only one I control of an entire country, the Queen of the UK requires much protection, whereas a president isn't the only one who controls a nation and passes the laws. Having an interesting history of Knights in shining armors, Her Majesty used to have groups of Knights stand guards to her, but nowadays, security people can sit on their lazy butts and watch cameras, disregarding any privacy. I'm also pretty sure they can't "guard" the Queen from a nuke or something, so I think it has just become a tourist attraction. 

        The fascinating part of seeing a group of guards is nothing much more than their attire. I always wonder if the changing of post added just to make things more enjoyable, as they have the full package included. Who needs Broadway when you have guards who can dress up in medieval gears and play instruments? Okay, maybe this isn't Broadway, but it is very amusing to watch a simple thing go down, such as the changing of a guard post. As we approached the spot of the action, the first thing I realized about the guards was that they were so formal. Everything was in line, everyone had the same outfit, everyone did the same motions, and nobody had any expression. Each and everyone's face looked as if he was going to war. At the motion of a conductor, the guards raised their instruments, which included the entire concert band. Sucking in a breath, the band began to play... 

        Stevie Wonder is not a type of American composer that, to my standards, writes formal, medieval music. So the band surprised the audience with some fancy jazz, using one of his hottest jazz songs, Sir Duke. The song has become an intonational sensation, which its main melody transformed into a jingle that everyone could recognize over the years. The song itself is not long at all, so within minutes, the band had turned around and marched away, playing a different, more appropriate piece of music. 

        The other main headline is the one everyone probably saw on CNN one time or another. The U.K. was leaving the EU, which is big news. During a walk around the Palace of Westminster or Houses of Parliament, we happened to jump upon a news export station, and the attracting factor was the number of protestors. The signs ranged from pictures to words, but most share a common meaning of "don't leave the EU". The area was sectioned off, so the public couldn't enter, but mom did so anyway. Multiple stations were set up, with newscasters reporting random topics. I really don't know how they feel when mom goes up to one of them and snaps a photo with flash right in his face while the camera is alive, though. No one will see in the audience, so it is alright. They'll just witness a mysterious flash of white light in the reporter's eyes which made him blink a bunch of times.

【红霞译文】

        大不列颠及北爱尔兰联合王国是世界上仍然实施君主立宪的政体国家之一，尽管女王陛下不再拥有更多实权，但政府坚持弘扬民族传统，其中之一就是卫兵换岗。

        作为掌控国家命脉的最高君主，英国女王需要加强保护；相形之下，总统却无法成为统治政权签署法令的唯一领袖。历史上金甲武装的骑士团身手不凡，女王陛下往往把他们当作自己的贴身护卫；如今保安屁股坐稳用不着挪窝，只要盯住摄像机就成，况且无需顾虑任何隐私。我敢打赌这些卫兵根本没法“保驾”女王免遭核弹或其它武器威胁，所以说换岗仪式不过是吸引观光客眼球的景点而已。

        其实卫队换岗的魅力在于服饰行头，因其整套动作规范标致，我禁不住暗自思忖，莫非换岗真是为了迎合大众喜好而增设的游览项目。这群士兵身着中世纪服装，手握乐器吹吹打打，有谁还想去看百老汇歌舞表演？对喽，它也许不能与百老汇相提并论，但是亲眼目睹像卫队换岗这么一个简单过程还是蛮有意思的。等来到现场后我才意识到换岗仪式相当讲究，卫兵们列成方队，身着统一制服，步伐协调整齐，表情严肃不苟言笑，好像要赶赴战场冲锋陷阵似的。方队指挥官手臂一挥，卫兵们高举各种管乐乐器，先深吸一口气，然后开始合奏……

        以我个人之见，史蒂夫·旺德并不是那种擅长谱写规范化中世纪音乐的美国作曲家，因此当卫兵乐队吹奏其脍炙人口的爵士作品《达克先生》时，大大出乎我们观众所料。这首曲子韵律感极强，多少年来其主旋律早已成为家喻户晓的经典之作。乐曲音节不多，因此卫兵们花不了几分钟时间吹奏便转到下面更适合换岗仪式的音乐主题上。

        今天其它主要新闻大概就是人们从美国有线电视新闻网上时不时发布的跟踪报道中了解的内容，英国离开欧洲联盟，这可是头版头条。我们沿着威斯敏斯特宫闲逛，无意走近各国媒体临时搭建的新闻发布中心，最引人注目的非抗议示威的人群莫属，他们举着印有图片或者写成文字的标语牌，旨在表达“切勿离开欧盟”的共同心愿。记者站被圈成特区，闲人一概免进，但妈妈我行我素，继续深入猎奇。诸多电台就地设点，播音员及时报道随机新闻，我真不知道他们看到妈妈对准其中一位被采访的国会议员按下快门作何感想。当时摄像机开着，一切都采用现场直播，好在无人把注意力放到观众一边，拍张相片倒也没啥了不起的，不过他们将亲自目击一道神秘的闪光灯突现在记者面前，害得他不停地眨巴眼睛。

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