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 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小题4:It can be inferred from the passage that ___________.
A．the royal family doesn’t have to pay taxes
B．the British people are all in favor of the royal family
C．the British people can talk to the Queen through a podcast
D．the royal family attacks republicans through media and press
