Question

“I will never marry, ” the future Elizabeth I declared at the age of eight, and, to the terror of her people, the Great Queen kept her word.

For four centuries, historians have guessed why Elizabeth never married. In her own day, her decision to remain single was considered absurd and dangerous. A queen needed a husband to make political decisions for her and to organize and lead her military campaigns. More important, she needed male heirs (继承人) to avoid a civil war after her death.

There was no shortage of suitors for the Queen, both English courtiers (朝臣) and foreign princes, and it was confidently expected for the best part of 30 years that Elizabeth would eventually marry one of them. Indeed, although she insisted that she preferred the single state, she kept these suitors in a state of permanent expectation. This was a deliberate policy on the Queen's part, since by keeping foreign princes in hope, sometimes for a decade, she kept them friendly when they might otherwise have made war on her kingdom.

There were, indeed, good political reasons for her avoiding marriage. The disastrous union of her sister Mary I to Philip II of Spain had had an unwelcome foreign influence upon English politics. The English were generally prejudiced against the Queen taking a foreign husband, particularly a Catholic one. Yet if she married an English, jealousy might lead to the separation of the court.

There were other deeper reasons for Elizabeth's unwillingness to marry, chief of which, I believe, was her fear of losing her autonomy as Queen. In the 16th century, a queen was regarded as holding supreme dominion(统治权)over the state, while a husband was thought to hold supreme dominion over his wife. Elizabeth knew that marriage and motherhood would bring some harm to her power.

She once pointed out that marriage seemed too uncertain a state for her. She had seen several unions in her immediate family break down, including that of her own parents. Elizabeth's father, Henry VIII, had had her mother, Anne Boleyn, killed; her stepmother Catherine Howard later suffered the same fate. When Elizabeth was 14 she was all but attracted by Admiral Thomas Seymour, who also went to the prison within a year. Witnessing these terrible events at an early age, it has been argued, may have put Elizabeth off marriage.

Elizabeth had to decide her priorities. Marriage or being single? Elizabeth was far too intelligent. The choice she made was courageous and revolutionary, and, in the long run, the right one for England.

1.To the suitors including English courtiers and foreign princes, Elizabeth ________.

A. held back the truth

B. gave a definite answer “no”

C. kept them expecting on purpose

D. said she preferred the single state

2.If Elizabeth had married a foreign prince, there might have been ________.

A. prejudice against her

B. separation of the court

C. jealousy among English courtiers

D. a negative impact on English politics

3.Which of the following implications is right according to the passage?

A. Queen Elizabeth was not a Catholic.

B. Some foreign princes made war on Britain.

C. Catherine Howard was killed by Anne Boleyn.

D. Admiral Thomas Seymour was killed by Henry VIII.

4.What is the attitude of the author towards Queen Elizabeth never marrying in her life?

A. Pitiful. B. Approving. C. Negative. D. Neutral.

Answer 1

1.C

2.D

3.A

4.B

【解析】本文是一篇记叙文。以英国女王伊丽莎白不结婚为话题，叙述和分析了女王选择不结婚的理由。作者指出，女王的不婚是勇气可嘉的并且也是对英国有利的。

1. was a deliberate policy on the Queen's part, since by keeping foreign princes in hope, sometimes for a decade, she kept them friendly when they might otherwise have made war on her kingdom.在女王看来，这是一个自由的政策，自从使那些外国王子们带着希望等待，某个十年间，她在他们可能会对她的王国发起战争的时候使他们十分的友好。

2. were, indeed, good political reasons for her avoiding marriage. 确实有他拒绝婚姻的政治性理由。以及第三句The English were generally prejudiced against the Queen taking a foreign husband, particularly a Catholic one. 英国人普遍反感女王有一个外国丈夫，尤其是一个信仰天主教的。故选D

3. English were generally prejudiced against the Queen taking a foreign husband, particularly a Catholic one. 英国人普遍反感女王有一个外国丈夫，尤其是一个信仰天主教的。可以推测英国人比较讨厌天主教徒，所以女王的宗教信仰应该不是天主教。故选A

4. choice she made was courageous and revolutionary, and, in the long run, the right one for England.她做出的决定是勇气十足并且翻天覆地的，并且从长期看，对于英格兰来说是正确的。故选B

考点：考察记叙文阅读。