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Why does the UK love the monarchy?
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I have recently been accused on Twitter of being both a royalist "uber-Toady" and the author of "the most anti-monarchist report you could want to view".Both tweets related to the same item, a
that tried to answer a straightforward question: why does a country that has become so cynical about other institutions (Parliament, the City, the press, the police) remain so loyal to the monarchy?Whatever republicans might wish, less than a fifth of the Queen's subjects in the UK say they want to get rid of the Royal Family - a proportion that has barely changed across decades.
According to polling data from Ipsos Mori, support for a republic was 18% in 1969, 18% in 1993, 19% in 2002 and 18% last year. Three-quarters of the population want Britain to remain a monarchy - a finding that has been described by pollsters as "probably the most stable trend we have ever measured". Given the enormous social change there has been since the current Queen assumed the throne 60 years ago, it might seem surprising that a system of inherited privilege and power should have retained its popularity.
Media captionMark gauges the mood during a royal visit to Lancashire
But reading some of the comments on Twitter, it seems that even to raise a quizzical eyebrow at the approval ratings of the Windsors is regarded by some monarchists as tantamount to treason.Republicans, on the other hand, believe that to highlight the conspicuous lack of progress they have had in winning the nation to their cause is evidence of obsequious knee-bending.I recently re-acquainted myself with the work of two seminal figures in the long-running debate between republican and monarchist thinkers in Britain - Thomas Paine and Walter Bagehot. I was searching for an answer to the same question: "What is it about our country that we retain such affection for a system which appears at odds with the meritocratic principles of a modern liberal democracy?"In January 1776, Paine's pamphlet
began to be passed around among the population of the colonies of the New World, a manifesto for American independence and republicanism.
"Possibly the most influential writer in modern human history" - that's the billing Thomas Paine got from one of his biographers.
Yet few people know much about him at all. Brendan O'Neill looks at Paine's life and legacy.
"There is something exceedingly ridiculous in the composition of Monarchy," Paine declared. "One of the strongest natural proofs of the folly of the hereditary right in kings, is, that nature disapproves it, otherwise she would not so frequently turn it into ridicule by giving mankind an ass for a lion."
He contrasted the common sense of his pamphlet's title with the absurdity and superstition that inspired the "prejudice of Englishmen" for monarchy, arising "as much or more from national pride than reason".To this day, British republicans refer to Paine's Common Sense almost as the sacred text. But monarchists have their own sacred text, written almost exactly a century afterwards. Walter Bagehot's
was a belated response to the revolutionary arguments of the New World republicans.
"We catch the Americans smiling at our Queen with her secret mystery," he wrote, with a suggestion that Paine and his kind were prisoners of their own "literalness". Bagehot didn't try to justify monarchy as rational (indeed he accepted many of Paine's criticisms), but his point was that an "old and complicated society" like England required more than mundane, dreary logic.
Image caption
Walter Bagehot wrote about the "mystic reverence" essential to "true monarchy"
"The mystic reverence, the religious allegiance, which are essential to a true monarchy, are imaginative sentiments that no legislature can manufacture in any people," he wrote. "You might as well adopt a father as make a monarchy."Bagehot had identified a developing national characteristic. As colonial power and the riches of empire declined, there was an increasing desire to define greatness as something other than wealth and territory. Britain wanted to believe it was, intrinsically, special. "People yield a deference to what we may call the theatrical show of society," he wrote. "The climax of the play is the Queen."Wind the clock forward to 1952 and plans were being made for the Coronation of the new Elizabeth II. Despite post-war austerity, it was decided the event should be a fabulous, flamboyant, extravagant affair with all the pomp and pageantry they could muster. There would be feathers and fur, gold and jewels, anthems and trumpets. It was a giant gamble. Britain was re-evaluating many of the traditional power structures that had shaped society in the 1930s. How would a population still subject to food rationing react to a ceremony that almost rubbed its nose in the wealth and privilege of the hereditary monarch?
Two sociologists, Michael Young and Ed Shils, had joined the crowds in the East End of London, dropping in on street parties to find out. Their thesis, entitled The Meaning of the Coronation, accepted that there were some who had dismissed the whole affair as a ridiculous waste of money.
Image caption
Street parties for the Coronation were judged "a great act of national communion"
But overall, they concluded: "The Coronation provided at one time and for practically the entire society such an intensive contact with the sacred that we believe we are justified in interpreting it as we have done in this essay, as a great act of national communion."Britain - battered, bruised and broke - appeared determined to embrace its monarchy and hang the cost. The paradox is that austerity was positively comforta institutional challenge spawned a passion for hereditary authority.It wasn't just that Britain wanted a distraction from hardship and uncertainty. Enthusiastic support for monarchy seemed to run counter to the new liberalism which was guiding the politics of post-war Britain.The explanation, I think, is that the 1950s were also a period in which the country was anxious about how global, institutional and social change might threaten its identity.
The impact of Americanisation as well as colonial and European immigration upon British life were a source of great concern. Despite winning the war, it appeared that national power and influence were being lost. Institutional authority was being questioned.
Transport yourself back to the decade in which the Queen came to throne - use our tool to find out what your life would have been like in early 1950s Britain
There were fears, too, that the values and traditions which underpinned family and community life were also changing rapidly. War and financial hardship had combined to shake up and challenge ancient orthodoxies. Monarchy represented a bulwark against rapid and scary change. Sixty years after our Queen assumed the throne, many of those same anxieties remain. Concerns about how globalisation and immigration are changing Britain continue to trouble us. Respect for institutions has declined as the global financial crisis has ushered in a new era of austerity.In Accrington earlier this month, I watched a down-to-earth, no-nonsense town go slightly mad for the Queen. Thousands lined the streets, hung out of windows, climbed lamp-posts to catch a glimpse of their monarch.They stood for hours in a chilly wind wearing daft hats - a metaphor for the attitude of their country. Times are tough, the challenges are great and we respond by cheering an aspect of our culture that, for all its irrationality, is uniquely ours.The British have always chosen the quirks of our history against foreign rationalism. The Romans brought us straight roads and decimalisation. As soon as they left, we reverted to impossibly complicated Imperial measures and winding country lanes.
In trying to explain the unlikely success of the monarchy, we shouldn't expect the answer to be based on reason
The Normans commissioned the Domesday Book to try and impose order on bureaucratic chaos but had to compromise at every turn. That is how we ended up with something called Worcestershire - a place that foreigners find impossible to pronounce, never mind spell.
The British don't like straight lines. When we look at those maps of the United States with ruler-straight state boundaries, we feel pity. Walter Bagehot understood that our identity is found in the twists and turns of a rural B-road, not in the pragmatism of a highway.It is the same with our system of governance. Logic is not the most important factor. We are happy to accept eccentricity and quirkiness because they reflect an important part of our national character.
So in trying to explain the unlikely success of the monarchy, we shouldn't expect the answer to be based on reason.
It is not a pocket-book calculation of profit and loss - how much does the Queen cost compared to what she brings in for the tourist trade? It is not a question of prevailing political attitudes - how can a liberal democracy justify power and privilege based on an accident of birth?The British monarchy is valued because it is the British monarchy. We are an old and complicated society that yields a deference to the theatrical show of society.
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我是一名高中生，英语太差，想学却又无奈，首先我不爱听课，注意力集中不起来，然后背不下单词，背了在做题中又不认识，旦触测吠爻杜诧森超缉语法更不用说了，怎么办？请给我一个建议吧，我都晕了，谢谢谢谢谢
学好英语42个要诀 绝对经典第一要诀：收听英语气象报告
有些教学录音带为配合初学者的学习，故意放慢语速，这对英语听力的训练是不够的。如果听语速正常的英语，初学者又会感到力不从心。英语气象报告的速度虽快，但词汇简单固定，内容单纯，重复的可能性大，而且在生活中随时都可以印证，是听力入门的好教材。第二要诀：收听中国国际广播电台的英语广播
中国国际广播电台（China Radio International）每天早上7:00--8:00，中午11:00--12:00各有一小时的英语节目。内容包括国内外新闻，剪报集锦和各类系列的专题报道。除了英语标准流利的国内播音员担任广播之外，也有向外侨或访客就某一话题而做的录音访问。内容广泛，但词汇较简单，语速亦适中，可以藉此训练或增进英语的听力。
第三要诀：善用录音带锻炼听说能力
有些学习者总是习惯于一边看书一边听磁带，把磁带当成阅读的辅助工具，这样打不到锻炼听力的目的。录音带应该是以听说能力的训练为主。学习者要选用与自己能力相适应的听力磁带，不要急于求成，以免产生受挫心理。先反复聆听磁带内容，起先只要抓住梗概，多听几次后，对细节的了解便越来越多。听力较差的人，可先阅读课文，然后再集中精力领会每段每句的意思。这样练习有助于培养倾听时注意力的集中，使您的听力迅速进步。
第四要诀：听正常语速的英语，才能加速听力的进步
很多广播教学和听力教材总是为了配合听众或学习者的程度而故意放慢语速，这虽是无可厚非的变通方法，但也会产生一些不良的副作用。例如：1.听惯了语速放慢的英语，在与外国人的实际交往中，就很难适应，甚至听不懂他们用正常语速讲的英语。2.故意放慢语速时，通常会把一句中每个词都清楚的读出来，但在正常的会话中会出现很多同化（assimilation），减弱（reduction），连音（liaision）的现象。所以，听语速正常的英语对于听力和会话极为重要。
第五要诀：从电视，电影中学习英语
看英文电视，电影不仅能了解西方人的文化和生活，而且也是学习地道英语和提高英语听力的好机会。选取的影片最好是以现代生活为背景的文艺片或喜剧片。如果您的听力不错，要养成不看字幕的习惯。程度稍差的就不要勉强自己，否则英语没学成反倒破坏了欣赏电影的好心情。这种情况下，您可以先看字幕了解剧情（如果是电视节目那就要先录下来），再重新看一至数遍，您的听力就可在轻松的心情下，随着您对剧情了解的增多而迅速提高。
第六要诀：和朋友表演影片情节
在英语学习中，我们经常会与朋友或同学相约用英语交谈来提高英语会话能力，但经常感到自己的语言贫乏，所谈内容有限。现在不妨试试这种方法：配合前节所讲的“从电视，电影中学习英语”，先依据电影情节节选一个或多个片段，个人选定一个角色，然后在影片看熟之后试着把台词誊录成文字并背下来，最后进行排练表演。经常做这种练习，不仅对英语会话和听力大有好处，而且对语法和写作也是很好的锻炼。
第七要诀：朗诵英文诗
英语是否流利取决于对节奏的正确掌握。英语是按单词和句子的重音来分节奏的。英文诗是练习英语节奏的最好材料之一。例如 Worsworth 著名的“The Daffodils”（水仙花）：“I wandered lonely as a cloud/That floats
on high o'er vales and hills...”（我象一片白云孤独的游荡，飘越过溪谷和群山......）便是典型的弱强节奏。读熟之后，大声朗诵，一定获益非浅。
第八要诀：唱歌学英语
比朗诵英文诗更有效的是唱英文歌曲。唱英文歌可以帮您练习发音（pronunciation），语调（intonation）和节奏（rhythm），又可以让您在很愉快的心情下背会很多单词和句型，真是一举数得。所选的英文歌曲最好语言优美，语法正规。起先可以从童谣入手，再渐渐的学唱抒情歌曲。学唱之前先要将歌词朗读几遍再跟着磁带学唱，唱熟后能背更好。
第九要诀：特别注意英文没有的发音
英语中有些读音是中文中没有的，这些也是我们英语学习者最困惑的读音，例如“th”的发音，发这种音时要特别注意口型的正确。
第十要诀：背诵名人演说词，找机会复诵出来
好的演说在用字遣辞上不但求其优美而且特别注重沟通力和说服力，是练习英语表达的最佳教材。学习者不必将演说词从头到尾的背诵，只要选择自己喜欢的段落或句子来背即可。例如：肯尼迪总统的名言“Ask not
what your country can do for you,ask what you can do for your cou旦触测吠爻杜诧森超缉ntry.”（不要问你的国家能为你做什么，要问你能为你的国家做什么。）这类的妙言嘉句背多了之后，对于说话，写作都会有不少的帮助。
第十一要诀：用英语绕口令克服发音的缺点
绕口令（tongue twisters）常把容易混淆或念错的音放在一起。但因他们常以歌谣或押韵的形式出现，因此读熟之后也会觉得顺口好听。所以英语绕口令可以作为练习英语发音和会话的辅助教材。
第十二要诀：多记一些幽默笑话，准备随时应用
爱听笑话是人的天性，在社交场合中随时的插上几句笑话，可以使气氛轻松活泼，更容易赢得友谊。使用英语的场合，更可利用笑话来消除自己讲话的不自在，增强自己对英语会话能力的信心。
听，讲和研究英语笑话的好处还远不止如此。更重要的是，您可以藉着幽默或笑话中精简的文字或语言增加对西方国家文化和社会的了解。请看下面两个例子：
1.Teenager:&I'm off to the party.&
（少年：“我要去参加聚会了”。）
Father:&Well,have a good time.&
（父亲：“祝你玩的高兴。”）
Teenager:&Look Dad,don't tell me what to do!&
（少年：“哎，爸爸，不要告诉我应该做什么。”）
讽刺美国一些青少年过于强调独立自主，不受管束的性格。）
2.The policeman stopped the driver and said,&I'm afraid your wife fell out your car about one kilometer back.&
&Thank godness,&said the driver,&I thought I had gone deaf.&（警察让司机停下车来，对他说：“你的妻子从你的车上掉下来恐怕已有一公里的路程了”。“感谢上帝”司机说“我还以为我已经聋了呢”。）讽刺美国太太们的长舌唠叨。
第十三要诀：听英语时，口中跟着复诵
听英语演讲，看英语电视和电影时，要耳朵一边听，口中一边复诵。这样既有利于注意力的集中，增进对内容的了解，又可同时模仿母语是英语的人们（native speakers）的发音和语调。做这种练习时，如果句子长而复杂难以复诵，不必勉强，可以先从较短或较简单的句子开始。练习多了，就会养成习惯。另外一种有益的练习是逐句口译（consecutive interpretation）。把听到的句子逐一译成汉语，这对于听力，正确的理解及反应能力也是很好的锻炼。
第十四要诀：练习朗读，好处多多
英语学习者往往对朗读不太重视。事实上朗读的妙用大矣！1.锻炼英语的发音，语调与节奏；2.使口腔各发音部位灵活，增进说英语时的流利程度；3.使耳朵增加听英语的机会，从而提高英语听力；4.充分应用读书四到：眼到，口到，耳到，心到——比默读时更能记住所读的教材。我们也可以说朗读是会话的基本练习，没有朗读习惯的人是很难学成会话的。
第十五要诀：练习朗读时要从后面往前推演
练习朗读时，我们有时会觉得很难将一个长句朗读的流利顺口。例如里根总统第二任就职演说词：“So we go forward today,a nation still mighty in its youth and powerful in its purpose.”（因此我们今天要前进。我们的民族仍因年轻而有力量，因目标确定而强大。）遇到这种情况，我们建议您从最后的一个单词读起，每次向前加一个单词。例如：“...purpose”“...it's purpose”“...in it's purpose”“powerful in its purpose”。这种从后向前推的朗读联系法旨在帮助您把握正确的语调。我们知道，语调的上扬或下降在句尾表现的最明显。这样的练习可让您在每次的朗读时都能顾及正确的语调。
第十六要诀：朗读长句时，可在“词组”之间稍做停顿
在朗读中可能出现的另一个问题就是断句。由于句子长，无法一口气读完，往往有急促或断续的现象，句子被读的支离破碎，非常不自然。也有人在句中随意停顿，或停顿的地方不当，自己读起来极不通顺悦耳，听的人也会觉得不知所云。例如里根总统第二任就职演说词：“We must do what we know is right,and do it with all our might.”（我们必须做我们知道是正确的事，而且要全力去做。）决不能读成“We/must/do what/we/know/is right,/and do/it with all/out might.”
长句中有短暂的停顿，藉以调和呼吸，这是自然的现象，但停顿的地方必须恰到好处。通常在：1. 有标点符号的地方；2.词组或思想单元之间。短语，从句等思想单元必须各自成一单位，但它们之间可以短暂停顿。例如：“We must do/what we know is right,/and do it/with all your might.（斜线为可以稍做停顿之处）。
第十七要诀：为了兴趣而阅读
寒窗苦读式的学习方法不但枯燥无味，而且效果往往不佳。如果是为了兴趣甚至“消遣”而阅读的话，一定会趣味盎然，并能在无形之中进步。例如：喜欢爵士乐的人读起爵士乐方面的英文书刊会比看英文教科书效率高的多。同样的，喜欢汽车的人看介绍汽车的英文书刊，喜欢烹饪的人看介绍汽车的英文书刊，不仅能满足自己的爱好，而且又可以提高英语能力，真是一举两得。
假如没有特别的兴趣，那不妨阅读故事，小说尤其是侦探小说更能使人全神贯注，而且有一气呵成之感。这可算是一种愉快的学习方法。
第十八要诀：精读和泛读并行
精读的教材不必贪多，最好选择短小精悍的文章，把里面的词汇，语法结构等全部弄清楚，然后大声朗读，再加背诵，最后能够默写几遍更好。
有一个可以兼顾精读和泛读的方法，是从返读的材料中选择一些最优美，读来最顺口的句子加以精读。
应该尽量将背诵，默写过的段落和句子在会话或写作时应用出来。应用也有助于对他们的理解和记忆。
第十九要诀：阅读英文报刊杂志
报刊杂志上登载的最新消息，所用的词汇也是最现代，最实用的。常常阅读英文报刊杂志能够通过生活化，实用性的学习，迅速提高您的英文能力。
现在国内最常见的英文报纸是中国日报（China Daily） 和21世纪英语（21st Century）。如果您抱着增大词汇量，提高英语阅读能力的目的看报纸，那么就不要局限于您所感兴趣的部分。最好通读报纸的每个栏目和版面。包括新闻，社论甚至广告等。值得一提的是刊登在报纸上的英文连环画，它不仅能培养您的幽默感，而且让您在会心一笑之余还能了解一个国家的文化和社会信息。英文程度稍差的人可以在阅读英文报纸之前先看看当天的中文报纸，这对理解英文报纸很有帮助。
此外，您还可以借助报纸来提高写作能力。选取一篇社论（或其中的一段或数段）把它译成中文，测验自己对社论理解的精确程度。然后将这篇译文倒译回英文，再于原文比较，找出那些在语法和修辞方面有待改进的地方。通过这种练习，您一定会受益非浅。
第二十要诀：暂时忘掉字典
我们在阅读英文小说或报刊时，不免会遇到一些生词。如果总是停下来查字典会很令人扫兴，读书的兴趣也会被消磨掉。因此我们建议您，有时可以暂时忘掉字典。
首先，选择的读物要与您的英文水平相当，令您感兴趣。随便翻阅数页，浏览一下，如果每页您可以看懂八成以上，便可认定这本书适合您。
其次，在阅读中遇到生词，不要急着查字典。先联系上下文猜猜看，做到这一点就够了。等从头到尾看完之后，再去查字典深入研究。
看这类读物，贵在多读，速读。同学或朋友之间不妨相互借阅，即可省钱，又可以养成快速阅读的习惯。
第二十一要诀：查字典之前，要猜猜看
学习一种语言一定要查字典，但一定要讲究方法。在这里先说两件事：第一：不要盲目的查；第二：不要查的太快；换句话说，在查字典以前要先想一想，甚至猜一猜。
很多学习英语的人，在文章中一看到生词抓起字典就查，结果往往是每个生词都查过了，却看不懂整句或整段的意思。假如在查字典以前，先根据上下文的意思猜猜看，再翻开字典，就不会感到无所适从了。例如在（A）句：“Will this small car negotiate that steep hill?”（这辆小汽车能翻过那个陡峭的山丘吗？）和（B）句：“I'm sorry.Our bank doesn't negotiate foreign checks.”（对不起，我们银行不兑现外国支票。）中出现的negotiate，我们不能选取多数字典对它下的第一个定义“交涉”。如果不假思索翻开字典就抄下“交涉”这个定义，这句话就无法看懂了。所以，遇到生词先不要忙着查字典，应该先结合上下文，前后句，整个段落来推敲它的意思，再查字典证实一下，有时甚至用不着查字典意思就清楚了。这种查字典的方法还有一个好处，由于先经过猜，想的过程，对于这个生词有了观察和分析，印象已很深刻，查字典之后就很容易就记住这个词了。
第二十二要诀：查字典不要只看词义
很多人查字典只为了了解词义，这充其量只能弄懂生词在那句话里的意思，根本无法积极掌握那个词汇，更谈不上活用了。
查字典除了要找出适当的定义，还要查1）读音：读的出音的词才能记得牢，也才能用的出来。2）相关的定义：一个单词可能会有几个或几十个定义。浏览一下相关的定义可更广泛的了解这个单词。3）用法和例句：您可以从字典中的例句中学到该词的正确用法。4）反义词，近义词和词类变化。查字典时兼顾这许多方面才能增进您对该生词的理解，增强对该生词的记忆和活用该生词的能力。
第二十三要诀：多查几本字典，互相印证，互为补充
从上面要诀我们可以看出，查字典不能只看字义，还要注意发音，用法，例句，词类变化（衍生词），近义词，反义词，辨义以及相关词汇等，一本小小的英汉字典是远远不够的。
内容不同的较大字典最好准备两本以上，以便互相印证，互为补充。例如有的字典收录的词汇特别多，有的字典偏重例句，有的偏重短语，也有的字典对句型的分类和说明特别清楚，有的详细列出近义词，反义词和同义词的分辨等。多查一本字典往往就多一分收获。
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