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  3. King Juan Carlos of Spain once insisted "kings don’t abdicate, they die in their sleep." But embarrassing scandals and the popul

King Juan Carlos of Spain once insisted "kings don’t abdicate, they die in their sleep." But embarrassing scandals and the popul

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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 polarised, as it was following the end of the Franco 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 so, the Middle East excepted, 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 respected 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 Symbolic of national unity as they claim to be, their very history—and sometimes the way they behave today—embodies outdated and indefensible privileges and inequalities.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 modem 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 l%,and media intrusiveness makes it increasingly difficult to maintain the right image.
    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.
    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.
The British royals "have most to fear" because Charles
选项 A、takes a tough 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.
答案D
解析 本题属于细节题。根据题干线索词have most to fear以及人名Charles定位至文章六、七段。其中，第六段后半句指出“英国皇室对西班牙皇室的落败最心有余悸”；第七段第二句接着指出“Charles的处境将会很危险，因为他不但生活方式奢侈而且等级制度思想深刻”，也就是Charles没有适应现代社会的生活方式。
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