当代皇室

In certain countries of the world,the king or queen is still considered to be a demigod（半神半人）.The UK is not one of those countries.It's true that up until the 17th century,the British king or queen was believed to rule by“divine right”,which was the idea that God chose the king or queen to rule and that he or she was therefore above the law.The idea that the monarch（君主）was above the law ended with the English Civil War,in which King Charles the First was imprisoned and then beheaded in 1649.

So what does the British royal family represent for the British people today?Well,a large number of things.The royal family is of course a part of British history and British cultural identity.It just wouldn't feel the same if there were no royal family （and tourism would certainly be affected）.In addition to that,however,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 the war is over.(This is,of course,only a formality,however.It is the British Prime Minister,as head of a democratically elected government,who makes these decisions,but he must still obtain the Queen's official permission.)

■as Head of the Church of England.

■as a political entity,—the Queen has to read and sign government and Commonwealth documents every day.

When it comes to politics,the Queen today represents a neutral voice that puts the concerns of the country before the interests of any individual political party.Her Majesty therefore represents the country at particular times of celebration,as well as sadness.Finally,the Windsor royal family spend a great deal of their time travelling up and down the country in support of different charities and regional projects.

Despite the work the royal family does for the UK,there are British people called“antimonarchists”who do not believe there should be a royal family.Sometimes,the press and media criticise or make fun of the royal family as well,since the UK is a democracy and freedom of speech is allowed as long as it does not encourage violence.One criticism is that the British people should not have to pay for the royal family through their taxes,particularly during an economic downturn in which“austerity measures”,such as increases in taxes and cuts in public services,have been imposed on ordinary people by the government.Another is that Buckingham Palace should be open to the public more often,in order to pay for the building repairs that are necessary.

There are critics outside the UK as well.In 1999,the Australian government called a referendum （全民公决）to decide whether the country should become a republic with a president,rather than having the British Queen as the Australian Head of State.In the end,Australia voted for the British Queen.

All shows that the British monarchy still has an important function and meaning for many people today.It is not just about tradition.The Windsor royal family also works hard to be relevant in the modern world.The Queen's speech on television is less for malevery Christmas,and is now available as a podcast.In 2005,after graduating from university,Prince William spent time teaching English in Uruguay.Many young British people go abroad after school or university and do something similar.In 2015,Prince Harry announced that the second“Invictus Games”would take place in Orlando,Florida in 2016.This is a kind of“Olympic Games”for injured military service men and women.The two princes,together with William's wife,the Duchess of Cambridge,lead the Royal Foundation:“the main vehicle for their philanthropic（慈善的）activities”.Many people would agree that the British royal family is as popular as it's ever been.

Activity 1:Events

Put the following events in historical order（A～E）,the oldest event first and the most recent last.

（ ）1.One of the Queen's grandsons goes to the USA.

（ ）2.The King is executed.

（ ）3.Another country votes in support of the Queen's status.

（ ）4.One of the royals becomes a teacher.

（ ）5.The British monarch is believed to be above the law.

Activity 2:Vocabulary

Find the word or phrase in each paragraph to match the definition.

_________Paragraph 1:the belief that a monarch is chosen to rule by God

_________Paragraph 2:army,navy and air force

_________Paragraph 3:worries or things that affect you in an important way

_________Paragraph 4:negative opinion

_________Paragraph 5:a national vote

_________Paragraph 6:receiving a degree

Activity 3:True or false

According to the article,are the following statements true（T）or false（F）?

（ ）1.The British monarch can do whatever he or she wants.

（ ）2.People can say whatever they want about the Queen.

（ ）3.The British taxpayer subsidises the royal family.

（ ）4.The British Queen is still Head of State of Australia.

（ ）5.The royal family travels quite a lot.

Word of the text

A“monarchist”is someone who believes it's a good idea to have a king or queen.