英國(guó)人真的很?chē)?yán)肅嗎？歌詞

[00:00.07]Many people in Britain have been moaning about price rises,
[00:03.47]low interest rates for savings;
[00:05.45]and it's not unusual to see couples kissing in the streets of London.
[00:09.40] What's happened to the famous British stiff upper lip?
[00:12.76]The image of a nation resolute and stoic in the face of adversity still stands around the world,
[00:18.74] but it's questioned by the Brits themselves from time to time.
[00:22.35] The TV documentary Stiff Upper Lip:
[00:25.03] An Emotional History of Britain, shown recently by the BBC, has been providing the latest opportunity for reflection.
[00:32.77] It says the emotional reserve that is part of the national identity is actually a far cry from the exuberant attitude of some 500 years ago.
[00:41.93]Foreigners in the 16th century couldn't believe how touchy-feely the English could be.
[00:47.73]"Wherever you move there is nothing but kisses",
[00:50.94] wrote the Dutch philosopher Erasmus.
[00:52.94] The journalist Ian Hislop, who presents the programme, says his countrymen have the French to thank for their current composure.
[01:00.74] The British ruling classes got worried when they saw the political passion brought about by the French Revolution.
[01:07.07] In the 18th century, it was polite to express some degree of emotion in public.
[01:12.11] A quiet tear when watching a play was acceptable, as sensitivity was seen as a sign of refinement.
[01:18.40] But the concept didn't last.
[01:20.18]The upper lip stiffened during Queen Victoria's reign when unflappable soldiers and explorers became role models for the nation.
[01:28.26] The Duke of Wellington, who defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo,
[01:32.52] destroyed his beloved violin in his youth as a character-building move. According to Hislop, in the far-flung corners of the empire,
[01:40.96]the colonisers cultivated an illusion of superiority by appearing to be aloof and unshakeably self-confident. Suffering?
[01:49.45]Discomfort? The Brits make no fuss; and some expressed pride when Queen Elizabeth and her husband,
[01:55.46]the Duke of Edinburgh, took part in the boat parade on her Diamond Jubilee earlier this year.
[02:00.72]The elderly couple endured cold and rain showing that the spirit of the stiff upper lip lives on.