Foreign Secretary William Hague Marks the New Year
New Year is for many of us a time of reflection; a time to mark the passing of the old and the coming of the new. Turning the page that brings in the new year can offer an opportunity to look forward with hope and confidence. And in Britain we have plenty of reasons to do so. Whatever else it brings, 2012 will be an historic year for my country.
对我们许多人来说，新年是反思的时刻，是辞旧迎新的时刻。翻开新年的这一页，它给了我们一个带着希望和信心去憧憬未来的机会。在英国，我们有太多的理由要这么做。无论它为别人带去了什么，2012年对于我的国家来说，都会是历史性的一年。
Perhaps most importantly we will commemorate sixty years of the reign of Her Majesty the Queen. The Diamond Jubilee will bring with it a profound sense of the extraordinary service that The Queen has rendered this country over the years of her reign; and a chance to reflect on the progress that humanity has made during that time. Most of us in the UK have known no other monarch; and The Queen has been a source of strength and stability during times of real change. The celebrations that accompany Her Majesty’s Jubilee next summer will be heartfelt.
也许最重要的事情就是我们要庆祝女王陛下登基六十周年。“钻石大庆”将让人们深刻地去体会，女王在执政期间为这个国家所做的杰出贡献，更是一次反映人类在这一长段历史中所取得的进步的机会。在英国，我们大部分人都只经历过这一位君主，而在真正发生重大变迁的年代，女王始终是力量和稳定的源泉。明年夏天，女王陛下“钻石大庆”的庆祝活动一定会真挚而感人。
And then, of course, the world’s most extraordinary show will arrive in London for the third time. Hosting an Olympic and Paralympic Games is a signal honour and we are proud to welcome the world to London to join the spectacle. This is though, not simply a celebration of and by London; in the days and weeks before the Games people across Britain will welcome new friends from across the globe to the heart of their communities as the world’s athletes settle into their training camps across the country. At the heart of this is what the long term legacy of the Games can bring; connections and friendships between our towns and cities and the nations we welcome.
