King Juan Carlos of Spain once insisted “kings don’t abdicate, they die in their sleep.” But embarrassing scandals and the popularity of the republican left in the recent Euro-elections have forced him to eat his words and stand down. So, does the Spanish crisis suggest that monarchy is seeing its last days? Does that mean the writing is on the wall for all European royals, with their magnificent uniforms and majestic lifestyles?
The Spanish case provides arguments both for and against monarchy. When public opinion is particularly polar, as it was following the end of the Franco regime, monarchs can rise above “mere” politics and “embody” a spirit of national unity.
It is this apparent transcendence of politics that explains monarchs’ continuing popularity as heads of state. And so, the Middle East excepted, Europe is the most monarch-infested region in the world, with 10 kingdoms (not counting Vatican City and Andorra). But unlike their absolutist counterparts in the Gulf and Asia, most royal families have survived because they allow voters to avoid the difficult search for a non-controversial but respected public figure.
Even so, kings and queens undoubtedly have a downside. Symbolic of national unity as they claim to be, their very history--and sometimes the way they behave today--embodies outdated and indefensible privileges and inequalities. At a time when Thomas Piker and other economists are warning of rising inequality and the increasing power of inherited wealth, it is bizarre that wealthy aristocratic families should still be the symbolic heart of modern democratic states.
The most successful monarchies strive to abandon or hide their old aristocratic ways. Princes and princesses have day-jobs and ride bicycles, not horses (or helicopters). Even so, these are wealthy families who party with the international 1%, and media intrusiveness makes it increasingly difficult to maintain the right image.
While Europe’s monarchies will no doubt be smart enough to survive for some time to come, it is the British royals who have most to fear from the Spanish example.
It is only the Queen who has preserved the monarchy’s reputation with her rather ordinary (if well-heeled) granny style. The danger will come with Charles, who has both an expensive taste of lifestyle and a pretty hierarchical view of the world. He has failed to understand that monarchies have largely survived because they provide a service--as non-controversial and non-political heads of state. Charles ought to know that as English history shows, it is kings, not republicans, who are the monarchy’s worst enemies.
1、According to the first two paragraphs, King Juan Carlos of Spain ____
2、Monarchs are kept as heads of state in Europe mostly ____
3、Which of the following is shown to be odd, according to Paragraph 4?
4、The British royals “have most to fear” because Charles ____
5、Which of the following is the best title of the text?
问题1选项
A.used to enjoy high public support.
B.was unpopular among European royals.
C.eased his relationship with his rivals.
D.ended his reign in embarrassment.
问题2选项
A.owing to their undoubted and respectable status.
B.to achieve a balance between tradition and reality.
C.to give voters more public figures to look up to.
D.due to their everlasting political embodiment.
问题3选项
A.Aristocrats’ excessive reliance on inherited wealth.
B.The role of the nobility in modern democracies.
C.The simple lifestyle of the aristocratic families.
D.The nobility’s adherence to their privileges.
问题4选项
A.takes a tough line on political issues.
B.fails to change his lifestyle as advised.
C.takes republicans as his potential allies.
D.fails to adapt himself to his future role.
问题5选项
A.Carlos, Glory and Disgrace Combined.
B.Charles, Anxious to Succeed to the Throne.
C.Carlos, a Lesson for All European Monarchs.
D.Charles, Slow to React to the Coming Threats.
第1题:D
第2题:A
第3题:B
第4题:D
第5题:C
第1题:
【解析】根据题干要求,定位到文章前两段。文章第一段第二句提到“But embarrassing scandals and the popularity of the republican left in the recent Euro-elections have forced him to eat his words and stand down.",该句是指在最近的欧洲选举中,令人尴尬的丑闻和受欢迎的共和党,均迫使Carlos收回前言并退位。句中的"stand down"与D项中的“end his reign"是同义替换,且“embarrassment与Carlos卸任的原因“embarrassing scandals"相呼应。故答案为D。
第2题:
【解析】根据题干关键词"monarchs"和"heads of state"可定位到第三段的最后一句话“...most royal families have survived because they allow voters to avoid the difficult search for a non-controversial but respective public figure."该句讲到,大多数的王室幸存下来是由于他们让选民可以避免去寻找一个不受争议且受尊敬的公众人物的困难。句中的"non-controversial but respected public figure"与A项中的 "undoubted and respectable status"语义相近,故答案为A。
第3题:
【解析】odd一词意为“奇怪的”,由该关键词可定位到文章第四段最后一句“...it is bizarre that wealthy aristocratic families should still be the symbolic heart of modern democratic states."该句讲到,离奇的是,富有的贵族竟然仍是现代民主国家的象征核心。句中的“the symbolic heart of modern democratic states”与B项The role of the nobility in modern democracies意思相近。故答案为B。
第4题:
【解析】题干意为:英国王室最能感受到恐惧是因为查尔斯____。根据题干专有名词 Charles可定位到文章第七段中的“The danger will come with Charles...worst enemies.”本段讲述的是:危险源自于查尔斯,他生活奢靡,等级观念显著。而且,他没有意识到君王的幸存很大程度上取决于君王提供了公共服务。与此同时,他并不知道,国王才是君主制度最大的敌人,而非共和党人。A项(对待政治问题态度强硬),文章并无提及;B项(未能按他人所建议的改变生活方式),文章中提到生活方式,但并未提到改变生活方式;C项(视共和党人为潜在盟友),文章中提到,共和党人并非最大的敌人,并未指明把共和党人视为盟友,属于偷换概念;D项(未能适应自己未来的身份),文章指出查尔斯的生活方式、世界观以及他对于君王制度的错误理解,这均为身份特殊的他的诸多不恰当的言行,与该项表述吻合。故答案为D。
第5题:
【解析】本题考查对全文主旨大意的把握。文章从西班牙国王Carlos退位事件切入,主要讨论当下欧洲君主制度所存在的问题,并非讨论查尔斯的事件,即可排除B项“查尔斯--继位焦虑”和D项“查尔斯--应对威胁缓慢”。A项“卡洛斯--荣辱并存”和C项“卡洛斯--欧洲君王们的前车之鉴”中,A项属于细节信息,不能概括文章大意;C项可概括全文大意,故为正确答案。此外,文章主题词Monarch只有在C项中出现。