The royal family is a part of British history and cultural identity.
Up until the 17th century, people believed that the British king or queen had a “divine(天赐的)right” to rule. This was the idea that God chose the king or queen and that he or she was therefore above the law. However, this idea was challenged during the English Civil War, when King Charles the First was put in prison and then killed in 1649.
So what role does the British royal family have today?
The Queen is head of the UK and the Commonwealth. She has important formal duties that go with her different titles. As Head of State, for example, she represents the UK on visits abroad and invites other world leaders to visit the UK；as Head of the Armed Forces in name, only she can declare when the UK is at war or when a war is over. She has to sign many government and Commonwealth documents every day.
Although the royal family does the work for the UK, there are British people called“anti-monarchists(反君主制者)”who do not believe there should be a royal family. One criticism(批评意见)is that the British people should not have to pay for the royal family with their taxes(税).
Today, the royal family works hard to be relevant(相关的)in the modern world. The Queen still gives a speech to the nation on television at Christmas, but it gets less and less formal every year；now it is even 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 ordinary young British people do in their gap years.
【小题1】What can be concluded from the first two paragraphs?A．The British king or queen is considered above the law. B．The English Revolution put an end to the British royal family in 1649. C．The British king or queen is no longer believed to rule by divine right. D．The royal family didn’t play an important role in Britain in the 17 th century.【小题2】Which of the following is among the formal duties of the Queen? A．Traveling around the UK. B．Declaring when the world is at war. C．Inviting other leaders to have dinner with her. D．Signing Commonwealth documents every day.【小题3】With the example of Prince William in the last paragraph, the author intends to show that .A．Prince William is very popular in the UKB．the royal family is trying to connect better with ordinary peopleC．Prince William has made an effort to win young people’s admirationD．many young British people do voluntary work【小题4】It can be inferred from the passage that . A．the royal family doesn’t have to pay taxesB．the British people are all in favor of the royal familyC．the British people can talk to the Queen through a podcast D．the royal family attacks republicans through media and pressC
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(答案→)C
解析：本文介绍了英国皇室的有关信息以及现在皇室正在努力的融入现代社会的努力。
【小题1】C 细节题。根据第二段最后一句However, this idea was challenged during the English Civil War, when King Charles the First was put in prison and then killed in 1649.说明英国的皇室的权威已经受到了挑战，故Ｃ项正确。
【小题2】D 细节题。根据第４段最后一行She has to sign many government and Commonwealth documents every day.说明每天都要签署和英联邦有关的文件是她的职责之一。Ｄ项正确。
【小题3】B 推理题。根据最后一段第一行 Today, the royal family works hard to be relevant(相关的)in the modern world.说明现在的皇室正在努力的有现代世界相关，努力融入现代的社会。故B项正确。
【小题4】A 推断题。根据文章倒数第二段最后一句One criticism(批评意见)is that the British people should not have to pay for the royal family with their taxes(税).批评者认为他们没有必要为皇室来付钱，说明皇室人员是不需要交税的，故A项正确。