The British royal family is about to be slimmed down. The Queen plans to reduce the number of real royals, it was recently announced. However, there seems little sign of the monarchy (君主) disappearing completely.
Up till the 17th century, the British king or queen was believed to rule by “divine (神的) right”, which was the idea that God chose the king or queen to rule and that he or she was therefore above the law. However, this idea ended with the English Revolution, in which King Charles I was imprisoned and then beheaded (斩首) in 1649.
So what role does the British royal family have today?
Well, the Queen has important formal duties as Head of State, the Queen represents the UK on visits abroad and invites other world leaders to visit the UK. As Head of the Armed Forces: Only the Queen can declare when the UK is at war or when war is over. The Queen also has constitutional duties: She has to sign many government and Commonwealth (英联邦) documents everyday.
In addition, the royal family sends a great deal of its time traveling up and down the country in support of different charity projects.
But republicans in Britain do not believe there should be a royal family. Sometimes, the press and media criticize the royal family as well. One criticism is that British people should have to pay for the royal family through their taxes.
Today, the royal family works hard to be relevant(相关联的) in the modern world. The Queen Speech on television is less formal every Christmas, and is now available as a podcast (播客). In 2005, after graduating from university, Prince William spent time teaching English in Uruguay, the sort of work many young British people do at some time in their lives.
1. What can be concluded from the first two paragraphs?
A. The British King or Queen is now considered above the law.
B. The British King or Queen is no longer believed to rule by divine right.
C. The royal family played a less important role in Britain in the late 17th century than in nowadays.
D. The English Revolution put an end to the British royal family in 1649.
2. Which of the following is NOT among formal duties of the Queen?
A. Traveling around the UK.
B. Declaring when the UK is at war.
C. Inviting other leaders to visit the UK.
D. Signing Commonwealth documents every day.
3. With the example of Prince William in the last paragraph, the author intends to show _____.
A. Prince William is very popular in the UK
B. the royal family is trying to connect better with ordinary people
C. Prince William has made an effort to win young people’s admiration
D. many young British people do voluntary work
4. According to the article, British people __________.
A. are all in favor of the royal family
B. can talk to the Queen through a podcast
C. pay for the royal family through the taxes
D. criticize the royal family through media and press
