Whenever Prince George steps out for an engagement, like on the royal tour of Canada, or poses(摆姿势) for official photographs, there’s one thing about the little royal that has long confused royal watchers: the fact that he only ever wears shorts.
According to William Hanson, an etiquette(礼仪) expert, there is a very good reason for this—and it has nothing to do with fashion, but rather royal tradition.
“It’s a very English thing to dress a young boy in shorts,” William Hanson said. “Trousers are for older boys and men, whereas shorts on young boys is one of those silent British class markers that we have in England. Although times are slowly changing, a pair of trousers on a young boy is considered quite middle class—quite suburban. No self-respecting royal would want to be considered suburban. Even the Duchess of Cambridge.”
The tradition can be traced back through the royal family, with both Princes William and Harry regularly seen wearing shorts until they were considered old enough to progress to full-length trousers.
“The usual custom is that a boy graduates to trousers around eight years old,” William added. “This is, historically, perhaps due to the practice of ‘breeching’, which dates back to the sixteenth century. A newborn boy would be dressed in a gown for their first year or two and then he was ‘breeched’ and wore articles of clothing that more resembled shorts or trousers than dresses.”
Ultimately, he concluded, in the case of William and Kate, the decision to dress George in shorts is more likely down to tradition than a class issue.
“The modern habit of upper class families choosing to dress their boys in shorts will deliberately hark back to(使人想起) a bygone age,” he said. “The British upper set are always keen to hold on to tradition, and this one also silently marks them out from ‘the rest’.”
【小题1】Why does Prince George only wear shorts?| A．Prince George loves shorts. |
| B．Prince George loves sports. |
| C．Shorts are a sign of fashion. |
| D．Wearing shorts is a royal practice. |
| A．Reasonable. | B．Practical. |
| C．Traditional. | D．Fashionable. |
| A．They want to hold on to tradition. |
| B．They want to keep to royal fashion. |
| C．They want to train him to keep out the cold. |
| D．They want to ignore their social position. |
Bank holidays! We all love them!
A bank holiday is an English term for a public holiday. During the day banks and offices are closed and a lot of people have a day off work. In the UK, people only get eight bank holidays in one year.
People in Colombia are much luckier. There are twenty bank holidays for the whole country in one year! And there can be even more, depending on which region(地区) you live in.
Bank holidays are very important for western people.
| A．Bank holidays are different in Colombia. |
| B．During the holidays, they often travel with their families. |
| C．This is because different regions have their own holidays. |
| D．And at least five of those are around Christmas time and Easter. |
| E．Every country on the continent of America celebrates Columbus Day. |
| F．Another historical bank holiday in Colombia is Columbus Day on 12 October. |
| G．However, some bank holidays in Colombia came into being for historical reasons. |
Have you ever wondered about people’s names? Where do they come from? What do they mean?
People’s first names, or given names, are chosen by their parents. Sometimes the name of a grandparent or other member of the family is used. Some parents choose the name of a well-known person. A boy could be named George Washington Smith; a girl could be named Helen Keller Jones.
Some people give their children names that mean good things. Clara means “bright”; Beatrice means “one who gives happiness”; Donald means “world ruler”; Leonard means “as brave as a lion”.
The earliest last names, or surnames, were taken from place names. A family with the name Brook or Brooks probably lived near a brook (小溪); someone who was called Longstreet probably lived on a long, paved road. The Greenwood family lived in or near a leafy forest.
Other early surnames came from people’s occupations. The most common occupational name is Smith, which means a person who makes things with iron or other metals. In the past, smiths were very important workers in every town and village. Some other occupational names are: Carter—a person who owned or drove a cart; Potter—a person who made pots and pans.
The ancestors of the Baker family probably baked bread for their neighbors in their native village. The Carpenter’s great-great-great-grandfather probably built houses and furniture.
Sometimes people were known for the color of their hair or skin, or their size, or their special abilities. When there were two men who were named John in the same village, the John with gray hair probably became John Gray. Or the John who was very tall could call himself John Tallman. John Fish was probably an excellent swimmer and John Lightfoot was probably a fast runner or a good dancer.
Some family names were made by adding something to the father’s name. English-speaking people added –s or –son. The Johnsons are descendants of John; the Roberts family’s ancestor was Robert. Irish and Scottish people added Mac or Mc or O. Perhaps all of the MacDonnells and the O’Donnells are descendants of the same Donnell.
【小题1】Which of the following aspects do the surnames in the passage NOT cover?
| A．Places where people lived. | B．People’s characters. |
| C．Talents that people possessed. | D．People’s occupations. |
| A．owned or drove a cart | B．made things with metals |
| C．made kitchen tools or containers. | D．built houses and furniture. |
| A．Beatrice Smith | B．Leonard Carter |
| C．George Longstreet | D．Donald Greenwood |
These days, people who do manual (体力的) work often receive far more money than people who work in offices. People who work in offices are frequently referred to as “white-collar workers” for the simple reason that they usually wear a collar and tie to go to work. Such is human nature, that a great many people are often willing to sacrifice higher pay for the honor of becoming white-collar workers. This can lead to curious situations, as it did in the case of Alfred Bloggs who worked as a dustman for the Ellesmere Corporation.
When he got married, Alf was too embarrassed to say anything to his wife about his job. He simply told her that he worked for the Corporation. Every morning, he left home dressed in a smart black suit. He then changed into overalls (工作服) and spent the next eight hours as a dustman. Before returning home at night, he took a shower and changed back into his suit. Alf did this for over two years and his fellow dustmen kept his secret. Alf’s wife has never discovered that she married a dustman and she never will, for Alf has just found another job. He will soon be working in an office. He will be earning only half as much as he used to, but he feels that his rise in status (身份；地位) is well worth the loss of money. From now on, he will wear a suit all day and others will call him ‘Mr. Bloggs’, not ‘Alf’.
【小题1】What does the case of Alfred Bloggs show?| A．That people often care more about the status of a job than the income. |
| B．That “white-collar workers” usually wear a suit to go to work. |
| C．That manual workers prefer to keep their jobs a secret. |
| D．That office workers earn less than manual workers. |
| A．He told his wife he worked for the Corporation, when in fact he did not. |
| B．He dressed himself as a dustman before leaving home every morning. |
| C．He lied to his wife about his job. |
| D．He earned twice as much as a white-collar worker. |
| A．He feels it is a pity because he now earns less than before. |
| B．He thinks it is worthwhile for his rise in status. |
| C．He is proud because he earns much more than before. |
| D．He is satisfied because he no longer needs a shower before returning home. |
| A．The Double Life of Alfred Bloggs. |
| B．Money or Status, Which Comes First? |
| C．The Story of Alfred Bloggs, a Dustman. |
| D．Truth Will Come to Light Sooner or Later. |
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