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1、2007年英语专八试卷真题及答案Part2ReadingComprehension(30min)TextATheWelshlanguagehasalwaysbeentheultimatemarkerofWelshidentity,butagenerationagoitlookedasifWelshwouldgothewayofManx.oncewidelyspokenontheisleofManbutnowextinct.Governmentfinancingandcentralplanning,however,havehelpedreversethedeclineo
2、fWelsh.RoadsignsandofficialpublicdocumentsarewritteninbothWelshandEnglish,andschoolchildrenarerequiredtolearnbothlanguages.WelshisnowoneofthemostsuccessfulofEurope’sregionallanguages,spokenbymorethanahalf-millionofthecountry’sthreemillionpeople.Therevivalofthelanguage,particularlyamongy
3、oungpeople,ispartofaresurgenceofnationalidentitysweepingthroughthissmall,proudnation.LastmonthWalesmarkedthesecondanniversaryoftheopeningoftheNationalAssembly,thefirstparliamenttobeconvenedheresince1404.TheideabehinddevolutionwastorestorethebalancewithintheunionofnationsmakinguptheUnite
4、dKingdom.Withmostofthepeopleandwealth,Englandhasalwayshadbraggingrights.ThepartialtransferoflegislativepowersfromWestminster,implementedbyTonyBlair,wasdesignedtogivetheothermembersoftheclub-Scotland,NorthernIreland,andWales-abiggersayandtocountercentrifugalforcesthatseemedtothreatenthev
5、eryideaoftheunion.TheWelshshowedlittleenthusiasmfordevolution.WhereastheScotsvotedoverwhelminglyforaparliament,thevoteforaWelshassemblyscrapedthroughbylessthanonepercentonaturnoutoflessthan25percent.Itspowerswereproportionatelylimited.TheAssemblycandecidehowmoneyfromWestminsterortheEuro
6、peanUnionisspent.Itcannot,unlikeitscounterpartinEdinburgh,enactlaws.Butnowthatitishere,theWelsharegrowingtoliketheirAssembly.Manypeoplewouldlikeittohavemorepowers.Itsimportanceasfigureheadwillgrowwiththeopeningin2003,ofanewdebatingchamber,oneofmanynewbuildingsthataretransformingCardifff
7、romadecayingseaportintoaBaltimore-stylewaterfrontcity.MeanwhileagrantofnearlytwomilliondollarsfromtheEuropeanUnionwilltacklepoverty.WalesisoneofthepoorestregionsinWesternEurope-onlySpain,Portugal,andGreecehavealowerstandardofliving.Newspapersandmagazinesarefilledwithstoriesabou