King Juan Carlos of Spain once insisted

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问题 King Juan Carlos of Spain once insisted kings don’t abdicate, they die in their sleep. But embarrassing scandals and the popularity of the republican left in the recent Euro-elections have forced him to eat his 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?　The Spanish case provides arguments both for and against monarchy when public opinion is particularly polarized, as it was following the end of the France regime, monarchs can rise above “mere” politics and “embody” a spirit of national unity.　It is this apparent transcendence of politics that explains monarchs’ continuing popularity as heads of state. And also, the Middle East expected, Europe is the most monarch-infested region in the world, with 10 kingdoms not counting Vatican city and Andorra. But unlike their absolutist counterparts in the Gulf and Asia, most royal families have survived because they allow voters to avoid the difficult search for a non-controversial but respect public figure.　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 Symbolic of national unity as they claim to be, their very history—and sometimes the way they behave today—embodies outdated and indefensible privileges and inequalities. At a time when Thomas Piketty and other economists are warning of rising inequality and the increasing power of inherited wealth, it is bizarre that wealthy aristocratic families should still be the symbolic heart of modern democratic states.　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 media intrusiveness makes it increasingly difficult to maintain the right image.　While Europe’s monarchies will no doubt be smart enough to strive for some time to come, it is the British royals who have most to fear from the Spanish example.　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. According to the first two paragraphs, king Juan Carlos of Spain ______.A. used to enjoy high public supportB. was unpopular among European royalsC. ended his reign in embarrassmentD. eased his relationship with his rivals

选项 A. used to enjoy high public support
B. was unpopular among European royals
C. ended his reign in embarrassment
D. eased his relationship with his rivals

答案 C

解析事实细节题。根据文章第一段第二句“But embarrassing scandals…have forced him to eat his words and stand down.”，可知Juan Carlos因为令人窘迫的丑闻以及在最近欧洲选举中受欢迎的共和制都迫使他食言而退位，此处stand down与首句abdicate是同义词，表示“退位”。因此C项 ended his reign in embarrassment“在窘迫中结束了他的统治”与原文吻合，故选C项。另外三项在文章中都未提及。

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King Juan Carlos of Spain once insisted

英语一研究生

研究生入学