Section III
Text B: Matilda—The Queen Who Rewrote the Rules
Part 1 Power of Words
Core Words
1 embolden [ɪm'bəʊldən] vt. (emboldened/emboldened/emboldening)
to make someone feel confident enough to behave in a particular way
synonym inspire; cheer; hearten
antonym disappoint
word family emboldened; emboldening
related phrase embolden sb. to do sth.
Example 1 The president was steadily emboldened by the discovery that he faced no opposition.
Example 2 Four days of non-stop demonstrations have emboldened the anti-government protesters.
2 diminutive [dɪ'mɪnjətɪv] adj.
being very small
synonym tiny; little; small; minute
antonym huge; enormous; giant; gigantic
word family diminution
related phrase a shy diminutive man; a word formed by adding a diminutive suffix
Example 1 Her eyes scanned the room until they came to rest on a diminutive figure standing at the entrance.
Example 2 She bought a diminutive toy for her daughter.
3 wrest [rest] vt. (wrested/wrested/wresting)
to take something by pulling or twisting it violently; to take something especially when this is difficult or illegal
synonym twist; take by storm
word family wrestle; wrestler
related phrase wrest control
Example 1 He wrested the suitcase from the chauffeur.
Example 2 The men had returned to wrest back power.
4 unimpeachable [ˌʌnɪm'piːtʃəbəl] adj.
being completely honest and reliable
synonym clear; innocent
antonym impeachable
word family impeachable; impeachably; unimpeachably
related phrase unimpeachable sources; unimpeachable morals
Example 1 Lord Fletcher, said the bishop, was a man of unimpeachable integrity and character.
Example 2 Your testimony on this matter is hardly unimpeachable.
5 awesome ['ɔːsəm] adj.
being very impressive and often frightening; being very impressive or extraordinary
synonym formidable; terrible; horrible; fearful; dreadful
word family awesomely
related phrase an awesome responsibility
Example 1 They had an awesome task ahead.
Example 2 Their last concert was really awesome.
6 accede [ək'siːd] vi. (acceded/acceded/acceding)
to agree or express agreement; to submit or yield to another's wish or opinion; to take on duties or office
synonym agree; assent
antonym disagree; oppose
word family acceded; acceding
related phrase accede to
Example 1 They could do no other than accede to the demands of the victors.
Example 2 They have acceded to the treaty.
7 invincible [ɪn'vɪnsɪbəl] adj.
being too strong to be destroyed or defeated; (belief, attitude, etc.) being unable to be changed
synonym unbeatable; unrivaled
antonym vincible
word family invincibly; invincibility
related phrase remain invincible; an invincible army
Example 1 You couldn't help feeling the military's fire power was invincible.
Example 2 He also had an invincible faith in the medicinal virtues of garlic.
8 exquisite ['ekskwɪzɪt, ɪk'skwɪzɪt] adj.
being extremely beautiful or pleasant, especially in a delicate way
synonym delicate; elegant; novel; sophisticated; pretty
antonym crude; rough
word family exquisitely; exquisiteness
related phrase exquisite craft smanship; small and exquisite
Example 1 This exquisite embroidery won people's great admiration.
Example 2 She has exquisite taste in art.
9 palatial [pə'leɪʃəl] adj.
(a house, hotel, or office building, etc.) being large and impressive, beautifully decorated
synonym opulent; grand; magnificent; noble
related phrase a palatial country residence; a palatial Hollywood mansion; the palatial architecture
Example 1 Palatial office buildings are being constructed in the city.
Example 2 He shares this palatial apartment with me.
10 clad [klæd] adj.
wearing a particular kind of clothing; being covered by something; being used as a combining form (snow-clad/ivy-clad, etc.)
synonym shrouded
word family clad (v.); cladding
related phrase warmly/suitably/scantily clad; the figure of a woman clad in black; the leather-clad biker; the distant shapes of snow-clad mountains
Example 1 She felt hot, despite being clad only in a thin cotton dress.
Example 2 The walls and floors are clad with ceramic tiles.
11 legitimacy [lɪ'dʒɪtɪməsɪ] n.
lawfulness by virtue of being authorized or in accordance with law
synonym legality; reasonableness
antonym illegality
word family legitimate; legitimately; legitimize
related phrase the political legitimacy
Example 1 The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy.
Example 2 Some of the clergy refused to acknowledge the new king's legitimacy.
12 scurry ['skʌrɪ] vt./vi. (scurried/scurried/scurrying)
to move quickly and hurriedly
synonym hasten; scuttle
antonym drag
word family scurrying
related phrase scurry off; scurrying pain
Example 1 The rats scurry around, searching for scraps of food in the rubbish.
Example 2 They just needed to be monitored so they didn't scurry off in the wrong direction.
13 quell [kwel] vt. (quelled/quelled/quelling)
to move quickly and hurriedly
synonym eliminate; avoid; moderate; suppress
word family queller
related phrase quell the violence/disturbance/riot; quell the hunger
Example 1 Police used live ammunition to quell the disturbances.
Example 2 "Jerry?" she called, trying to quell the panic inside her.
14 turbulence ['tɜːbjʊləns] n.
a state of confusion and disorganized change; violent and uneven movement within a particular area of air, liquid, or gas
synonym uprising; disturbance; disorder
word family turbulent; turbulently
related phrase air turbulence
Example 1 The 1960s and early 1970s were a time of change and turbulence.
Example 2 The plane encountered severe turbulence and winds of nearly two-hundred miles an hour.
15 ambience ['æmbɪəns] n.
the character and atmosphere that it seems to have
synonym atmosphere; mood; set
word family ambient
related phrase pleasant/relaxing/friendly ambience
Example 1 The restaurant's new owners have created a welcoming ambience.
Example 2 The overall ambience of the room is cosy.
16 foolhardy ['fuːlhɑːdɪ] adj.
disapproving of something because it is extremely risky
synonym icarian; reckless; rash
antonym rigorous; thoughtful; exquisite; delicate; sophisticated
word family foolhardiness
related phrase a foolhardy attempt to capture more territory
Example 1 He paid for the foolhardy act with his life.
Example 2 When he tested an early vaccine on himself, some described the act as foolhardy.
17 attest [ə'test] vt./vi. (attested/attested/attesting)
to prove to be true
synonym prove; make sure; give evidence of
word family attestor; attester; attestant; attestative; attestation
related phrase attest to
Example 1 Police records attest to his long history of violence.
Example 2 I can personally attest that the cold and flu season is here.
18 ostentatious [ˌɒsten'teɪʃəs] adj.
intending to attract notice and impress others; (a display) being tawdry or vulgar
synonym epideictic; pretentious
word family ostentation; ostentatiously
related phrase ostentatious goods; an ostentatious sable coat; an ostentatious display
Example 1 He was vain and ostentatious.
Example 2 Obviously he had plenty of money and was generous in its use without being ostentatious.
19 hyperactive [ˌhaɪpər'æktɪv] adj.
being unable to relax and being always moving around or doing things; being more active than normal
synonym overactive
antonym inert
word family hyperactivity
related phrase hyperactive behaviors; hyperactive faults
Example 1 His research was used in planning treatments for hyperactive children.
Example 2 When I was young, I was very hyperactive.
20 in earnest
seriously; in a serious manner
synonym earnestly; seriously
related phrase in good earnest; work in earnest; in earnest for sth.
Example 1 The race for the White House begins in earnest today.
Example 2 He settled down to study in earnest for the examination.
21 be bound for
to drive up to; to head down
synonym leave for; depart for
related phrase be bound to; be bound for a destination
Example 1 The train is bound for Chicago.
Example 2 I boarded the plane bound for England.
22 subject to
to submit; to subjugate; to be subordinated to; to be under control
synonym be subordinated to; subjugate
related phrase subject sb. to sth.; subject oneself to
Example 1 You should subject yourself to my command.
Example 2 We were subjected to very close questioning.
Words for Self-study
Please find and memorize the meanings and usages of the following words with the help of dictionaries, online resources and other references.
aggrieve ancestry ardently bulwark chantry
chattel chevron cogent concourse consonant
dainty deity dignitary disconcert dissent
dowry dray dregs elate eminent
encircle enunciate figurehead flashy foe
forthwith gallant gladiator glitzy governance
integer intercede interject intern interpose
interrogate kinetic lavishly longstanding machete
mademoiselle mainstay meteorite monogamous patter
pied plasma plateau plaza plummet
poise preen primal primate quench
shrill slur stiletto stilt stylus
submission supremacy thereupon tide upcoming
vane vantage vector venom
Part 2 Text
Matilda—The Queen Who Rewrote the Rules
Far from just providing heirs, the relationship b etween William the Conqueror and his w ife Matilda emboldened a new model of queenship, says Tracy Borman, with Matilda's diplomatic skills proving crucial to the consolidation of William's rule.
In late autumn 1066, a diminutive woman of 35 prayed ardently in the Benedictine priory of Notre Dame du Prè, a small chapel that she had founded in 1060 on the banks of the river Seine near Rouen. Encircled by her ladies, she had spent many hours at her devotions during the previous few days.
It was with good cause that she had kept such an anxious vigil. Her husband William "the Bastard", Duke of Normandy, had set sail for England more than two weeks before, determined to wrest the throne from Harold Godwinson1. At last, a messenger arrived with news that her prayers had been answered. William and his Norman army had triumphed over the Saxons2 at Senlac Hill, close to the town of Hastings3 by which the battle would henceforth be known. She, Matilda, was now not just Duchess of Normandy, but Queen of England.
Upon hearing the momentous tidings, Matilda joyfully proclaimed that the priory should henceforth be known as Notre Dame de Bonnes Nouvelles (Our Lady of Good News). She had good reason to elate. The crown of England was a glitzy prize that even she, with her overweening ambition, could not possibly have hoped for when she became the wife of the baseborn Duke of Normandy some 15 years earlier.
But Hastings, decisive as it was, marked the start, not the end, of William campaign to conquer England. It would take years of bitter fighting before he was finally able to establish a measure of control over the country. William himself realised that he could not rule by the sword alone: he needed to win the hearts and minds of his aggrieving new subjects. The surest means of achieving this was to place his wife at eminent stage.
Matilda had already won great renown within Normandy for her piety, political shrewdness and, above all, her unimpeachable lineage. Daughter of the awesome Count Baldwin V of Flanders and niece of the King of France, she could trace her ancestry from the great Charlemagne, founding father of the French and German empires.
Even more valuable, from her husband's perspective, was the fact that she had English royal blood in her veins, for she was descended from King Alfred the Great. Little wonder that William had been so desperate to marry her that, according to one account, he had ridden at full speed to Bruges and dragged her by the hair into the mud, kicking and beating her until she shrilled and acceded to become his wife.
Despite its rather inauspicious beginnings, William and Matilda's marriage would prove one of the most successful in history. Together, they established the invincible Norman dynasty that would dominate Europe for more than a hundred years. In an age when the primary duty of female consorts was to produce an heir, Matilda exceeded expectations by giving birth to four sons and at least five daughters, all of whom survived well into adulthood.
She may have been the model of wifely obedience on the surface, but this masked a fierce ambition for power. Matilda combined the unrelenting duties of motherhood with an increasingly kinetic role in the government of Normandy. By 1066, she had gained unrivalled influence over her husband, and he had no hesitation in appointing her regent of the duchy when he embarked upon the invasion of England.
Within weeks of his victory at Hastings, William was sorely missing his wife's presence. He resolved to defer his coronation4 (which was scheduled for Christmas Day 1066) so that Matilda might join him, "since if God granted him this honour, he wished for his wife to be crowned with him". This was more than mere devotion: he knew full well that Matilda's presence—given her ancestral ties with previous English kings—would lend the occasion much-needed legitimacy. But his advisers urged that he could brook no delay and his coronation went ahead before Matilda was able to leave Normandy.
Matilda was every bit as eager as William to establish herself in England, and had already begun to style herself queen. But it was not until the spring of 1068 that she finally arrived in her new kingdom. The delay had been caused not just by the demands of her regency in Normandy, but also her role as matriarch of the Norman dynasty. She had fallen pregnant forthwith before William's departure for England in 1066 (resulting in the birth of a daughter, Adela), and by the time she landed on English soil, she was pregnant once more.
The new queen's arrival in England was noted by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, which referred to her derisively as "the Lady Matilda", while her new subjects called her "the strange woman". Their suspicion was rooted in the fact that the Normans spoke of her as "la Royne", which implied that she was a female sovereign in her own right. This was shocking to her new subjects: previous English queens had been referred to merely as "the king's wife".
Undeterred, Matilda threw herself into the task of bringing much-needed and exquisite glamour to her husband's court. A magnificent gathering was held at Winchester to celebrate Easter, and thereupon another at Westminster, attended by a host of English notables. Even the anti-Norman chroniclers could not help but be impressed by the palatial spectacle that the couple presented, clad from head to toe in gold-encrusted robes and eating their flashy meals from gold and silver platters.
As soon as these celebrations were out of the way, plans began in earnest for the main purpose of Matilda's visit: her coronation. The event was loaded with significance. Besides being vital to William's efforts to reinforce his legitimacy in the eyes of his new subjects, Matilda would be the first queen of England to be formally styled "Regina". Her coronation was also the first ever staged just for a queen, and Matilda was determined that it should eclipse her husband's in splendour. Every detail was planned with meticulous care. Special lauds were written for the occasion, declaring that Matilda "shared" William's authority. Never before had a queen's power been so formalised—or so equal to that of the king. It was a sign of things to come.
The new queen's presence did not immediately establish order in England. Barely was the coronation celebrations out of the way than fresh trouble had broken out in the north of the kingdom. Fearing a rebellion, William scurried to York, the principal city of the north, from where he could prepare his own forces to quell any turbulence.
Matilda had no intention of staying behind in the relatively safe confines of the court in London. Sensing an opportunity to win over their recalcitrant subjects, she decided to join her husband in Yorkshire. This involved a journey of some 200 miles on roads that were little more than mud tracks—a considerable enough feat in itself, let alone for a woman who was by then heavily pregnant. Foremost in her mind was the thought that if she could give birth to this new heir in the most rebellious region of her kingdom, it would achieve more towards Anglo-Norman integration than her husband's strong-arm tactics ever could.
Although she was bound for York, the onset of labour forced Matilda to take refuge in Selby, some 14 miles south of the northern capital. There, she gave birth to Henry, her ninth and final child.
Her plan worked brilliantly. The English came to regard this prince as the only lawful successor to their throne from among the Norman dynasty, even though he had three elder brothers. Matilda encouraged this view by making Henry heir to all of her lands in England. She also named him after her uncle, the King of France, to strengthen his legitimacy.
Matilda returned to Normandy shortly after Henry's birth in order to take up the reins of government once more. But when a fresh and breathtaking uprising broke out in the north of England in 1069, William urged her return. While he dealt with the rebels in York and the ambience, a strong presence was required to guard against any sympathetic uprisings in the south of the kingdom. Matilda, already gaining favour among the English people thanks to her dignified bearing and gentle demeanour, formed a welcome contrast to her husband's foolhardy brutality. She was therefore ideally suited for this task.
During the next 12 years, Matilda constantly flitted between England and Normandy, bolstering her husband's rule in both lands and becoming an ever more powerful figurehead for the Norman regime. In England, she was particularly active in the sphere of justice. There are numerous references in Domesday Book5 to her hearing English legal cases during William's absences, which became increasingly frequent during the 1070s. The impressive variety of English charters in which Matilda was involved attests to her versatility in business matters.
The queen was also at the heart of some of the most important religious debates of the reign, notably when she and her husband ordered that the primacy of York should be subject to the authority of the archbishop of Canterbury—a symbolic ruling that effectively brought the north under the governance of the court in London.
Ever sensitive to the mood of the English people, though, Matilda subsequently made a series of generous bequests to the church. In so doing, she won praise from the chroniclers, who described her as "munificent and liberal of her gifts" and "indefatigable at alleviating distress in every shape".
Matilda's liberality set her apart from the other members of the Norman ruling elite who had shared in the spoils of the conquest. And whereas her husband and his Matilda's coronation was the first ever staged just for a queen. She was determined that it should eclipse her husband's in magnificence Norman entourage relied upon interpreters, she made the effort to master the English language—a fact that greatly endeared her to the native population.
As well as winning popularity in her own right, Matilda also gradually succeeded in persuading her husband to adopt a more conciliatory stance towards his conquered subjects. "King William, by the advice of Matilda, treated the English kindly as long as she lived," observed one contemporary.
When Edward the Confessor's widow Edith, who had long been a figurehead for the Saxon regime, died in 1075, Matilda urged William to arrange for her remains to be conveyed from Winchester to Westminster with great honour so that she might be interred in the abbey next to her husband. There, a tomb lavishly decorated with gold and silver was erected, and William also paid for a suitably ostentatious funeral. By the time of her last sojourn in England, in 1081, Matilda had earned widespread and longstanding admiration among the people. A consummate diplomat, she had steadily and patiently overcome their initial suspicion with a brilliantly executed public relations campaign.
Whereas in the early days of her reign, she had been dismissed as William's bedfellow, now she was known as "the queen of the English, Matilda, wealthy and powerful". Even the most misogynistic of the chroniclers claimed that "the common people, the rich, every gender and age, the whole clergy, every tongue, every class" admired her "just" and "prudent" character.
Matilda's natural shrewdness and diplomacy had done at least as much—if not more—to secure England for the Normans than her conqueror husband's military campaigns ever could.
Matilda's death in November 1083 was deeply mourned on both sides of the Channel. As one contemporary observed, she would be "wept for by the English and the Normans for many years". Principal among them was her husband, who fell into a deep depression from which he never recovered. He had good reason to mourn her loss. Matilda had proved the mainstay of William's rule in England, and without her the king was "continually forced to struggle against the storms of troubles that rose up against him".
Matilda's career marked the dawning of a new era for royal consorts. By wielding immense power in both Normandy and England—not just on behalf of her husband, but at times in direct opposition to him—Matilda confounded the traditional views of women in medieval society and provided an inspiring new model of queenship.
No longer confined simply to the domestic sphere, her successors were able to play a hyperactive part in the political, judicial and spiritual life of their kingdoms for centuries to come.
(Adapted from BBC History Magazine)
Notes
1 Harold Godwinson
Harold Godwinson or Harold II was the last Anglo-Saxon king of England. Harold reigned from 6 January 1066 until his death at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October, fighting the Norman invaders led by William the Conqueror during the Norman conquest of England. His death marked the end of Anglo-Saxon rule over England. Harold was a powerful earl and member of a prominent Anglo-Saxon family with ties to King Cnut. Upon the death of Edward the Confessor in January 1066, the Witenagemot convened and chose Harold to succeed; he was crowned in Westminster Abbey.
2 Saxons
The Saxons were a Germanic tribe that originally occupied the region which today is the North Sea coast of the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark. Their name is derived from the seax, a distinct knife popularly used by the tribe.
3 Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex, within the historic county of Sussex, on the south coast of England. The town is located 24 mi (39 km) east of the county town of Lewes and 53 mi (85 km) southeast of London, and has an estimated population of 90,254, which makes it the 66th largest settlement in the United Kingdom. Hastings gives its name to the Battle of Hastings in 1066. It later became one of the medieval Cinque Ports. The town became a popular seaside resort in the 19th century with the coming of the railway. Hastings is a fishing port with a beach-based fishing fleet.
4 coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power, usually involving the ritual placement of a crown upon the monarch's head and the presentation of other items of regalia. The ceremony can also be conducted for the monarch's consort, either simultaneously with the monarch or as a separate event.
5 Domesday Book
Domesday Book is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William the Conqueror. It was written in Medieval Latin, was highly abbreviated, and included some vernacular native terms without Latin equivalents. The survey's main purpose was to determine what taxes had been owed during the reign of King Edward the Confessor, which allowed William to reassert the rights of the Crown and assess where power lay after a wholesale redistribution of land following the Norman conquest.
Part 3 Exercises
I. Reading Practice
Directions:
1. Read aloud and listen to the audio of the text for full understanding.
2. Practice subvocal reading at fast speed (300 words per minute).
3. Try to suppress subvocal reading to achieve faster reading speed.
II. Sentence Practice
Directions: Please rewrite the sentences with the proper forms of the given words.
aggrieved sojourn embolden overweening coronation
attest exceed glitz clad stance
1. Encouraged by her smile, he invited her to dance.
2. Her language glitters with marvelous words.
3. I sensed from her tone that she had been unfairly treated while she told us her life.
4. From the window, we can overview pines that covered with snow.
5. Luxurious furnishings testified that the owner was wealthy.
6. The new president takes a tough vantage on human rights.
7. The ambassador will be here for a brief visit.
8. The crowning of the queen revived the revolutionaries' hope.
9. The professor disliked her condescending manner toward his employees.
10. The demand for oil outstripped supply.
III. Vocabulary Journey
Directions: Please find out from Text B the synonyms or antonyms of the following words. You may use the words more than once.
Synonyms
1. small 2. news
3. slur 4. dainty
5. opulent 6. patter
7. aura 8. puppet
9. vainglorious 10. bulwark
11. inception 12. dexterous
13. endure 14. perpetual
15. enunciate
Antonyms
1. vincible 2. impeachable
3. auspicious 4. decisive
5. advanced 6. unsophisticated
7. highlight 8. obedient
9. ending 10. resist
IV. Phrase Practice
Directions: Please translate the following verb+noun collocations into Chinese.
1. wrest the throne 2. wrest the lid off
3. wrest a knife from the gangster 4. wrest the opportunity
5. wrest a living 6. wrest the truth out of him
7. subjugate our foe 8. subjugate a country
9. subjugate one's feeling 10. quell a protest movement
11. quell disagreement 12. quell grief
13. quell the thought 14. embark on a new career
15. embark on a war
V. Multiple Choice
Directions: There are 15 incomplete sentences in this part. Please make a choice that best completes each sentence.
1. She'd be a better boss if she didn't _____ to her employees.
A) condescend
B) descend
C) dissent
D) disconcert
2. Those days when women and children were considered _____ have been gone.
A) chapel
B) chattel
C) chantry
D) chevron
3. _____ can be exhibited by position or state of mind, such as prayer.
A) Piety
B) Pied
C) Deity
D) Poise
4. A weather _____ is a mechanical device attached to a higher object such as a roof for showing the direction of the wind.
A) vein
B) vector
C) vane
D) venom
5. The girl could hardly _____ herself up the stairs.
A) dregs
B) dowry
C) drag
D) dray
6. Through _____ elections, a political party or a political alliance nominates candidates for an upcoming general election or by-election.
A) primary
B) primal
C) primate
D) plummet
7. Various online shopping _____ are providing people with a new community.
A) consorts
B) concourses
C) consonants
D) cogent
8. The _____ is a writing tool used by blind users in conjunction with the slate for punching out the dots in Braille.
A) style
B) stilt
C) stiletto
D) stylus
9. Young men are often deeply attracted by the _____ girls.
A) monogamous
B) glamour
C) gladiator
D) gallant
10. The price of gas seems to have reached a _____.
A) platter
B) plaza
C) plasma
D) plateau
11. The _____ of Buddhism are ultimately regarded as manifestations of Emptiness.
A) piety
B) dignitary
C) deities
D) dexterity
12. 8 is an _____, but 8.6 is not.
A) integer
B) integration
C) interrogate
D) interject
13. The old lady is still quite elegant and _____ herself whenever she goes out.
A) queens
B) quenches
C) quells
D) preens
14. Hundreds of men and women were _____ in the camps.
A) inter
B) intern
C) intercede
D) interpose
15. The professor specializes in studying _____ literature.
A) medieval
B) mademoiselle
C) machete
D) meteorite
VI. Proofreading
Directions: Please identify and correct the mistakes in the following sentences.
1. The film producer would not accede public pressure.
2. The walls of the church were adorned by religious paintings.
3. He has embarked an experiment no one else has tried.
4. Deterred by failure, he threw himself into the task of investigation.
VII. Paraphrase
Directions: Please restate the following sentences using other words without altering the original meaning.
1. Encircled by her ladies, she had spent many hours at her devotions during the previous few days.
2. But Hastings, decisive as it was, marked the start, not the end, of William campaign to conquer England.
3. She may have been the model of wifely obedience on the surface, but this masked a fierce ambition for power.
4. Their suspicion was rooted in the fact that the Normans spoke of her as "la Royne", which implied that she was a female sovereign in her own right.
5. Barely was the coronation celebrations out of the way than fresh trouble had broken out in the north of the kingdom.
6. Matilda, already gaining favour among the English people thanks to her dignified bearing and gentle demeanour...
7. Matilda's liberality set her apart from the other members of the Norman ruling elite who had shared in the spoils of the conquest.
8. A consummate diplomat, she had steadily and patiently overcome their initial suspicion with a brilliantly executed public relations campaign.