By Farhana Haider, BBC News

媒体英语会带大家一起学习 BBC 撰稿人在报道世界大事时常用到的单词和短语。

Background: 沃利斯-辛普森，这位曾让英国国王爱德华八世为她放弃了大英帝国王位的女人，可能还爱着她的前夫，恩斯特-辛普森。在多封沃利斯写给恩斯特的、没有被曝光过的书信中，沃利斯透露了当年她自己的孤独感，和自己对于这场婚姻的不确定性。

The popular image is that of a rather cold, scheming woman who wormed her way into the affections of Britain's future king. But previouslyunseen letters suggest that Wallis Simpson was an insecure woman who felt trapped by her relationship with Edward. The letters have been uncovered by Anne Sebba. She says they show that Wallis Simpson might still have been in love with her second husband Ernest Simpson.

Additional extracts reveal the extent of Mrs Simpsons continued love for her former husband, even writing to him while on her honeymoon with Edward. Anne Sebba says that as an American, Mrs Simpson loved the access to the highest levels of English society, to be showered withexpensive jewellery, to be the mistress of the future king. But she expected the eventual fate of most mistresses, which is to be dumped.

But he didn't dump her, causing the biggest constitutional crisis for centuries. Despite the widespread criticism of his relationship with the American divorcee, Edward VIII renounced his throne in December 1936. Edward and Mrs Simpson married in June 1937 following her divorce from Ernest.

• scheming [´ski:miŋ]   a.计划的；诡计多端   (初中英语单词)
• extent [ik´stent]   n.长度；程度；范围   (初中英语单词)
• writing [´raitiŋ]   n.书写；写作；书法   (初中英语单词)
• expensive [ik´spensiv]   a.费钱的，昂贵的   (初中英语单词)
• mistress [´mistris]   n.女主人；情妇；女能手   (初中英语单词)
• despite [di´spait]   prep.尽管   (初中英语单词)
• criticism [´kritisizəm]   n.批评；评论(文)   (初中英语单词)
• divorce [di´vɔ:s]   n.离婚 vt.同....离婚   (初中英语单词)
• previously [´pri:viəsli]   ad.预先；以前   (高中英语单词)
• unseen [,ʌn´si:n]   a.未看见的   (高中英语单词)
• relationship [ri´leiʃənʃip]   n.关系；联系；亲属关系   (高中英语单词)
• access [´ækses]   n.接近；通路；进入   (高中英语单词)
• constitutional [,kɔnsti´tju:ʃənəl]   a.法治的；体质的   (高中英语单词)
• crisis [´kraisis]   n.转折点；危机   (高中英语单词)
• throne [θrəun]   n.宝座；王位   (高中英语单词)
• honeymoon [´hʌnimu:n]   n.蜜月   (英语四级单词)
• widespread [´waidspred]   a.广布的；普遍的   (英语四级单词)