Louis XIV

  Louis XIV was the king of France from 1643 to 1715. Many thought his birth was a miracle1. This is because King Louis XIII and his wife had been married for 23 years without having a child. When Louis was finally born, he was named Louis-Dieudonne, which means "given by God." The whole nation of France was relieved that there was an heir2 to take over the country, and they celebrated his birth.
  
  Louis became king of France at the age of four after his father passed away. When he was young, his mother and a cardinal3 helped him rule. During this time, there were several rebellions4 against the government, but they failed. When the cardinal died, Louis XIV declared that he would govern France all by himself. He was only 23 years old.
  
  Louis XIV thought he was very special. When he became king, he used pictures of the sun to represent himself. He believed that, like the sun, everything centered around him. He was called the Sun King and Louis the Great because he was so powerful.
Louis XIV




  路易十四是1643到1715年間的法國國王。許多人都將他的誕生視為奇跡。這是因為國王路易十三和他的妻子結褵二十三年來一直都膝下無子。當路易終於出生時,他被取名為Louis-Dieudonne,意指『上帝所賜』。全法國對有繼位者來掌管國家一事皆感寬慰,大家更一起歡慶他的誕生。

  年僅四歲的路易在他父王過世後,便即位成為法王。當他年紀尚輕時,他的母親和一位紅衣主教在旁輔政。在這段期間,反抗政府的叛亂活動頻頻發生,不過都終告失敗。紅衣主教過世時,路易十四便宣佈他會自力統馭法國。當時的他年僅二十三歲。

  路易十四覺得自己很特別。他在成為國王時,就用太陽的圖案來象徵自己。他相信自己就像太陽一樣,萬物都以他為中心。他是如此有權有勢,因而被稱為『太陽王』和『路易大帝』。


《Building Your Vocabulary》
1. relieved a. 寬慰的,不再憂慮的
Greg was relieved when he found his cat.
葛瑞找到他的貓時鬆了一口氣。
2. declare vt. 宣佈;聲稱
Rita declared that she would retire soon.
麗塔宣佈她即將退休。
3. govern vt. 管理,統治(國家)
That country is governed by a violent man.
那個國家是由一位暴君所統治。
4. powerful a. 權力強大的,有勢力的
Al is the most powerful person in this office.
艾爾是這間公司裡權力最大的人。

《Phrases for Learning》
1. take over...  接管∕接任……
Who will take over Ron's job after he quits?
朗恩辭職後,誰會接手他的工作?
2. center around...  以……為中心
Meg's life centers around her children.
瑪格的生活以她的孩子們為中心。

《Extra Word》
1. miracle n. 奇跡
2. heir n. 繼任人;繼承人
3. cardinal n. 紅衣主教,樞機主教
4. rebellion n. 叛亂;造反

《More to Know》
  路易十四是威震一時的法國國王,但您也許不知道,這位大名鼎鼎的鐵漢其實是個芭蕾愛好者。路易十四從四歲就開始習舞,自十三歲初次登台起,他陸續在二十六部大型芭蕾舞劇中擔綱主角,並經常在王室宴會的餘興節目裡親身演出。據說路易十四之所以重視舞蹈,是為了用藝術來提升他作為君王的威望;他認為扮演像是太陽之類的角色,能夠激發起他神聖的使命感。因此有人推論,路易十四曾演出希臘神話中的太陽神『阿波羅』一角,可能是他被尊稱為『太陽王』的原因之一。路易十四在三十多歲時,因中年發福而感覺自己的舞姿不再優雅,遂高掛舞鞋停止演出,但他仍持續熱心贊助並提倡舞蹈藝術。他要求他的朝臣們都要會跳舞,且舞蹈風格要高貴典雅。他於1661年成立了皇家舞蹈學院,該學院建立的整套芭蕾基本技巧和訓練系統,在歷經數百年的發展後,至今仍是各國各派芭蕾藝術的基礎。芭蕾舞之所以能成為大眾化的藝術,熱愛芭蕾的路易十四可說是功不可沒。

《TIPS IN USE》
Louis XIV was the king of France from 1643 to 1715.
(路易十四是1643到1715年間的法國國王。)
  本文中使用了一些羅馬數字(Roman numerals),它們看似複雜,但其實有跡可循,只要掌握『左減右加』的原則,大家就能一目了然。另外,若在上面加上一小槓(¯),就是再乘 1,000。
I or i = 1 → II = 2, III = 3
V or v = 5 → IV = 4, VIII = 8
X or x = 10 → XIX = 19, XXI = 21
L or l = 50 → LIV = 54
C or c = 100 → CL = 150
D or d = 500 → DC = 600
M or m = 1,000 → M = 1,000,000


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