四、閱讀測驗【請依照段落上下文意，選出最適當的答案】 “God Save the Queen” (or “God Save the King,” depending on the gender of the ruling monarch) was first
publicly performed in London in 1745 to support King George II after he was defeated in a battle in the Jacobean
uprising that started that year. The song was used to boost morale and the forces loyal to George II would go on to
defeat the Jacobites the following year. The song came to be referred to as the national anthem from the beginning
of the nineteenth century.
The words and tune are anonymous, and may date back to the seventeenth century. There are various claimants
to authorship of both the words and the tune. The words can be found as early as 1545, when the watchword at
night was “God save the King,” the reply was “Long to reign over us.” The authorship of the melody has been
claimed by many, including John Bull, Henry Carey, Henry Purcell, and Joseph Haydn.
There is no authorised version of the National Anthem as the words are a matter of tradition. The anthem has
also never been officially declared as the national anthem of the country. The royal anthem is used as the national
anthem as a matter of tradition. The words used are those sung in 1745, substituting ‘Queen’ for ‘King’ (and female
pronouns for male ones) where appropriate. On official occasions, the first verse only is sung; on a small number
of occasions, the third verse is heard as well. The second verse is very rarely heard due to its militaristic nature.
There exist many other verses, some dating as far back as the first three verses, but the first three are what can best
be taken as the “standard” British national anthem.
The British tune has since become one of the world’s most recognizable anthems, and has been used in other
countries including Germany, Russia, Switzerland, the United States, and even today by Liechtenstein and as the
royal anthem of Norway. The song also was an influence on early anthems used in the Kingdom of Hawaii. Some
140 composers, including Beethoven, Haydn and Brahms, have used the tune in their compositions.
【題組】33. According to this article, which verses are normally taken as the “standard” British national anthem?
(A) The first two verses.
(B) The first three verses.
(C) The first four verses.
(D) The second and the third verses.
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