COP26全球气候峰会最近在格拉斯哥召开，英国女王伊丽莎白二世通过录制视频的方式发表了开幕演讲，呼吁世界各国团结起来共同应对气候变化。这篇演讲稿写得很精彩，从遣词造句上来看有很多值得我们学习的地方，我选取了一些精彩片段进行了分析：
Thank you, Prime Minister Holness, for your kind words of introduction.
I am delighted to welcome you all to the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference; and it is perhaps fitting that you have come together in Glasgow, once a heartland of the industrial revolution, but now a place to address climate change.
This is a duty I am especially happy to discharge, as the impact of the environment on human progress was a subject close to the heart of my dear late husband, Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh.
I remember well that in 1969, he told an academic gathering:
“If the world pollution situation is not critical at the moment, it is as certain as anything can be, that the situation will become increasingly intolerable within a very short time … If we fail to cope with this challenge, all the other problems will pale into insignificance.”
It is a source of great pride to me that the leading role my husband played in encouraging people to protect our fragile planet, lives on through the work of our eldest son Charles and his eldest son William. I could not be more proud of them.
Indeed, I have drawn great comfort and inspiration from the relentless enthusiasm of people of all ages – especially the young – in calling for everyone to play their part.
In the coming days, the world has the chance to join in the shared objective of creating a safer, stabler future for our people and for the planet on which we depend.
None of us underestimates the challenges ahead: but history has shown that when nations come together in common cause, there is always room for hope. Working side by side, we have the ability to solve the most insurmountable problems and to triumph over the greatest of adversities.
For more than seventy years, I have been lucky to meet and to know many of the world’s great leaders. And I have perhaps come to understand a little about what made them special.
It has sometimes been observed that what leaders do for their people today is government and politics. But what they do for the people of tomorrow — that is statesmanship.
I, for one, hope that this conference will be one of those rare occasions where everyone will have the chance to rise above the politics of the moment, and achieve true statesmanship.
It is the hope of many that the legacy of this summit – written in history books yet to be printed – will describe you as the leaders who did not pass up the opportunity; and that you answered the call of those future generations. That you left this conference as a community of nations with a determination, a desire, and a plan, to address the impact of climate change; and to recognise that the time for words has now moved to the time for action.
Of course, the benefits of such actions will not be there to enjoy for all of us here today: we none of us will live forever. But we are doing this not for ourselves but for our children and our children’s children, and those who will follow in their footsteps.
And so, I wish you every good fortune in this significant endeavour.
亮点分析：
…it is perhaps fitting that you have come together in Glasgow, once a heartland of the industrial revolution, but now a place to address climate change.
…it is perhaps fitting that…这里it是形式主语，用来指代that后面的内容。
heartland意思是“中心地带，核心区域”，a heartland of the industrial revolution即“工业革命的中心地带”，我们可以在话题写作中用到这个说法，比如：
Once a small fishing village until the 1970s, Shenzhen has now become a heartland of high technology.
address在这里是作为动词使用，意思相当于“解决、处理（问题）”。
This is a duty I am especially happy to discharge, as the impact of the environment on human progress was a subject close to the heart of my dear late husband, Prince Philip
"discharge your duty"是一个固定搭配，意思是“履行你的职责”。
close to one’s heart含义是“为……所重视/关注”，要表达“某人对某话题/事件很重视”，我们可以借鉴句子中的表达XX is a subject close to the heart of somebody，比如：
The government has introduced a number of stringent laws to curb pollution, as environmental protection is a subject close to the heart of the public.
late在这里是熟词生义，意思是“过世的”，late husband即“已故的丈夫”。
If we fail to cope with this challenge, all the other problems will pale into insignificance.
在对事物进行比较时有一个很好用的表达：A pales into insignificance when compared with B，即“A与B相比是小巫见大巫”，比如：Her problems paled into insignificance when compared with this family’s tragedy.
I could not be more proud of them.
could的否定形式couldn't与more或形容词和副词的比较级连用，可以表示“无以复加”的意思，因此"I could not be more proud of them. "可以理解为“我对他们感到非常骄傲”。
I have drawn great comfort and inspiration from the relentless enthusiasm of people of all ages – especially the young – in calling for everyone to play their part.
draw comfort and inspiration from somebody/something即“从某人或某事身上获得慰藉和鼓舞”，"in calling for everyone to play their part"这一部分是介词短语作后置定语，修饰enthusiasm，相当于the relentless enthusiasm in calling for everyone to play their part.
Working side by side, we have the ability to solve the most insurmountable problems and to triumph over the greatest of adversities.
这句话写得非常好，可以整句背起来，用在合作类的话题作文中。
It has sometimes been observed that what leaders do for their people today is government and politics. But what they do for the people of tomorrow — that is statesmanship.
government在这里指的并不是“政府”，而是“国家治理，政府管理”（the process, method, or effects of governing），statesmanship指的是“政治才能”。
英语中politician和statesman都能表示“从事政治活动的人”，但前者通常带有贬义，表示“政客”，后者带有褒义，表示“政治家”，通常用在正面语境中。比如新加坡前总理李光耀去世后，《经济学人》杂志对他的评价就是Asia’s city-statesman，而不是Asia’s city-politician，从这里可以看出杂志对他的肯定。
上面这两句话可以理解为：人们有时会观察到，当代领导人为他们的人民所做的就是参与国家治理和政治活动。但当他们能够为未来的人民考虑时，真正的治国才干才能体现出来。
I, for one, hope that this conference…
I, for one,…是一个固定句式，意思相当于“就我个人而言……”
…and to recognise that the time for words has now moved to the time for action.
"the time for words has now moved to the time for action"可以理解为“光有承诺的时代已经过去了，现在要开始行动起来”，这一表达可以应用到话题写作中，比如：
The time for words has now moved to the time for action, and we should play our part to protect the planet.
via 英文悦读
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