新西兰英语 796 The Royal Baby

 　　The birth of the royal baby was important news for people in the United Kingdom (the UK) as well the Commonwealth¹ countries. This includes New Zealand. The Queen of England is also the Queen of the Commonwealth countries.

　　Listen to December 8th 2012 to hear more about the British royal family.

　　It is fortunate that the baby is a boy as some Commonwealth countries have not yet agreed to having a female ruler if she was the oldest child.

　　But will the new baby ever be a king? It is possible by that time – it could be 40 years or more – many Commonwealth countries will decide they don’t want a monarch². At the moment, most people respect the Queen but when she dies, feelings about a monarchy³ could change. Many Australians, for instance, would like their country to be a republic. They could have a President instead of a king. If Australia became a republic, New Zealand might do the same.

　　Vocabulary – check vocabulary list Dec 8th 2012

　　Questions

　　1.What are the benefits of having a monarch?

　　2.What are the disadvantages of having a monarch?

　　3.Why do many Australians want their country to be a republic?

1 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

2 monarch   

n.帝王，君主，最高统治者

参考例句：

• The monarch's role is purely ceremonial.君主纯粹是个礼仪职位。
• I think myself happier now than the greatest monarch upon earth.我觉得这个时候比世界上什么帝王都快乐。

3 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。