2. 考研
  3. King Juan Carlos of Spain once insisted "kings don’t abdicate, they die in their sleep." But embarrassing scandals and the popul

King Juan Carlos of Spain once insisted "kings don’t abdicate, they die in their sleep." But embarrassing scandals and the popul

admin2017-12-11  29
问题    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 polarised, 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 Symbolic of national unity as they claim to be, their very history—and sometimes the way they behave today—embodies outdated and indefensible privileges and inequalities.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 Thomes Piketty 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. Prince 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.
The British royals "have most to fear" because Charles
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.
答案D
解析 细节题。根据题干关键词定位到最后一段。根据该段第二句“危险来自查尔斯，他热衷于 奢华的生活方式并拥有等级分明的世界观。他不明白，君主制很大程度上幸存下来是因为他们 提供了一项服务——做一名无争议的、非政治的国家领导人”可知，D项“不能适应未来身份”为 正确答案。A项“在政治问题上采取强硬路线”，B项“不能像建议的那样改变他的生活方式”和 C项“把共和党人作为他潜在的盟友”均不符合题意。
转载请注明原文地址:https://jikaoti.com/ti/LbX7FFFM
0

考研英语一

相关试题推荐
随机试题
最新回复(0)