第一段
King Juan Carlos of Spain once insisted “kings don’t abdicate, they die in their sleep.” Butembarrassing scandals and the popularity of the republican left in the recent Euro-elections have forced him toeathis 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?
单词&词组搭配
abdicate [ˈæbdɪkeɪt] v.退位
embarrassing [ɪmˈbærəsɪŋ] （出现3次）adj.令人尴尬的
scandal [ˈskændl] n.丑闻
monarchy [ˈmɑːnərki] n.君主制
royal [ˈrɔɪəl] （出现8次）adj.皇室的；n.王室成员；[僻义]adj.庄严的；
magnificent mæɡˈnɪfɪsnt] （出现3次）adj.华丽的
majestic [məˈdʒestɪk] （出现1次）adj.雄伟的，庄严的
force sb. to（强迫某人去做）
eat one's word（自食其言）
stand down（退位）
see one's last day（去日无多）
本段翻译
西班牙国王某人曾坚持认为“国王不会退位，国王只在睡梦中死去”。但令人尴尬的丑闻以及进来欧洲选举中左翼共和党的人气迫使他自食其言，退出王位。因此，此次西班牙危机是否暗杀了君主制已经走向穷途末路？是否意味着所有欧洲王室，连同其华丽的皇室制服和庄严的生活方式，都以厄运临头。
第二段
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.
单词&搭配
argument [ˈɑːrɡjumənt]（出现13次）n.论点，论据，争吵
polarise（合成词）v.使极化
regime [reɪˈʒiːm] （出现2次）n.政治体制，政体
embody [ɪmˈbɑːdi] （出现2次）v.表现，使具体化；[僻义] 包含
reign [reɪn]（初选2次） n.统治时期；v.统治
as it was（正如）
rise above（超越）
本段翻译
西班牙情形为支持和反对君主制都提供了依据。当公众舆论两极分化严重时，正如佛朗哥统治刚结束那样，君主能够超越纯粹政治并象征国家统一精神。
第三段
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-infestedregion in the world, with 10 kingdoms (not counting Vatican City and Andorra). But unlike their absolutistcounterparts 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.
单词&词组
transcendence [trænˈsendəns]（出现1次）n.超越
infest [ɪnˈfest] v.大批量出现
absolutist ['æbsəlutɪst] n.专制主义者；absolute（绝对的），-ist（词缀一般解释为从事。。人/。。。主义者）
counterpart [ˈkaʊntərpɑːrt]（出现7次）n.职位相当的人，相对应的事物
non-controversial （合成词）adj.无争议的
本段翻译
正是这种明显超政治超越性解释了君主作为国家元首收到持续欢迎的原因。也正是因此，除了中东之外，欧洲是世界上君主最泛滥的地区，有10个王国之多（不算梵蒂冈和安道尔）。但不同于海湾地区及亚洲地区的专制主义君主，大多数欧洲王室能够存留下来是因为他们能让选民避免费力地寻找一个无可争议而又备受尊敬的公众人物。
第四段
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 Symbolic of national unity as they claim to be, their very history—and sometimes the way they behave today——embodies outdated and indefensibleprivileges and inequalities. At a time when Thomas Piketty and other economists are warning of rising inequality and the increasing power ofinherited wealth, it is bizarre that wealthy aristocratic families should still be the symbolic heart of modern democratic states.
单词&词组
downside [ˈdaʊnsaɪd] n.缺点，不利的伊棉
symbolic [sɪmˈbɑːlɪk] adj.象征的
outdated [ˌaʊtˈdeɪtɪd] adj.过时的
indefensible [ˌɪndɪˈfensəbl] adj.无法捍卫的；（defense词根，前缀in-表相反的；后缀-ble表adj.词性）
privilege [ˈprɪvəlɪdʒ] （出现4次）n.特权
inherit [ɪnˈherɪt] （出现2次）v.继承
bizarre [bɪˈzɑːr] （出现2次）adj.奇怪的
aristocratic [əˌrɪstəˈkrætɪk] adj.贵族的
democratic [ˌdeməˈkrætɪk] （出现11次）adj.民主的，平等的
nobility [noʊˈbɪləti] n.贵族
even so（即如此）
at a time when（在...之时）
本段翻译
即便如此，国王女王们无疑有不利伊棉。虽然它们声称自己象征着国家统一，但其历史本身——有时是其现今流行方式——代表了过时且无法捍卫的特权和不平等。奇怪的是在某人及其他一些经济学家分分就“日益加剧的不平等”和“日益增强的世袭财权”发出警告之时，富有的贵族世家竟然还是现代民主国家的核心象征，
第五段
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 mediaintrusiveness makes it increasingly difficult to maintain the right image.
单词&词组
strive [straɪv] （出现4次）v.努力，奋斗，争斗
helicopter [ˈhelɪkɑːptər] n.直升机
intrusiveness [ɪnt'ruːsɪvnəs] 侵扰
maintain [meɪnˈteɪn] v.维持
day-jobs（合成词）白天的正职工作
party with（与...聚会）
本段翻译
现在，教授们通常将对历史的革新性解读以及革新性公共政策视为合适的研究课题，而将传统或古典人文思想——如自由市场和自力更生——描述为超出常规界限，有时甚至被描绘为超出正当的学术研究范畴。
第六段
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.
单词&词组
have most to fear（感受到最大的恐慌）
本段翻译
欧洲王室成员无疑足够聪明，能够继续在未来一段时间内存留，但正是英国王室成员应从西班牙例子中感受到最大恐慌，
第六段
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.
单词&词组
preserve [prɪˈzɜːrv]（出现11次）v.维护，保持，保养；[僻义] n.某人专有的爱好
well-heeled [ˌwel ˈhiːld] adj.富有的，考究的
hierarchical [ˌhaɪəˈrɑːrkɪkl] adj.等级制度的
republican [rɪˈpʌblɪkən]（出现5次）n.共和主义者
ally [əˈlaɪ] n.同盟国
本段翻译
只有女王以她那相当大众化（但穿着考究）的祖母形象，还保留着君主制的声誉。而查尔斯将面临险境，他生活品味奢华，世界等级观念强烈。他没有认识到君主制能够得以幸存，在很大程度上是因为他们提供着一项服务—一担当无争议和超越政治的国家元首。查尔斯理应知道，正如英国历史昭示的那样，是国王而不是共和党人，才是君主制最大的敌人。
五道题
21. According to the first two Paragraphs, King Juan Carlosof Spain________.
[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
22. Monarchs are kept as head of state in Europe mostly________.
[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
23. Which of the following is shown to be odd, according to Paragraph 4?
[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.
24. The British royals “have most to fear” because Charles________.
[A] takes a rough 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
25. Which of the following is the best title of the text?
[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
参考答案
DABDC
