资源描述:
《07年专八真题及答案》由会员上传分享,免费在线阅读,更多相关内容在教育资源-天天文库。
1、2007年英语专八试卷真题及答案Part2ReadingComprehension(30min)TextATheWelshlanguagehasalwaysbeentheultimatemarkerofWelshidentity,butagenerationagoitlookedasifWelshwouldgothewayofManx.oncewidelyspokenontheisleofManbutnowextinct.Governmentfinancingandcentralplanning,however,haveh
2、elpedreversethedeclineofWelsh.RoadsignsandofficialpublicdocumentsarewritteninbothWelshandEnglish,andschoolchildrenarerequiredtolearnbothlanguages.WelshisnowoneofthemostsuccessfulofEurope’sregionallanguages,spokenbymorethanahalf-millionofthecountry’sthreemillionpeo
3、ple.Therevivalofthelanguage,particularlyamongyoungpeople,ispartofaresurgenceofnationalidentitysweepingthroughthissmall,proudnation.LastmonthWalesmarkedthesecondanniversaryoftheopeningoftheNationalAssembly,thefirstparliamenttobeconvenedheresince1404.Theideabehindde
4、volutionwastorestorethebalancewithintheunionofnationsmakinguptheUnitedKingdom.Withmostofthepeopleandwealth,Englandhasalwayshadbraggingrights.ThepartialtransferoflegislativepowersfromWestminster,implementedbyTonyBlair,wasdesignedtogivetheothermembersoftheclub-Scotl
5、and,NorthernIreland,andWales-abiggersayandtocountercentrifugalforcesthatseemedtothreatentheveryideaoftheunion.TheWelshshowedlittleenthusiasmfordevolution.WhereastheScotsvotedoverwhelminglyforaparliament,thevoteforaWelshassemblyscrapedthroughbylessthanonepercentona
6、turnoutoflessthan25percent.Itspowerswereproportionatelylimited.TheAssemblycandecidehowmoneyfromWestminsterortheEuropeanUnionisspent.Itcannot,unlikeitscounterpartinEdinburgh,enactlaws.Butnowthatitishere,theWelsharegrowingtoliketheirAssembly.Manypeoplewouldlikeittoh
7、avemorepowers.Itsimportanceasfigureheadwillgrowwiththeopeningin2003,ofanewdebatingchamber,oneofmanynewbuildingsthataretransformingCardifffromadecayingseaportintoaBaltimore-stylewaterfrontcity.MeanwhileagrantofnearlytwomilliondollarsfromtheEuropeanUnionwilltacklepo
8、verty.WalesisoneofthepoorestregionsinWesternEurope-onlySpain,Portugal,andGreecehavealowerstandardofliving.Newspapersandmagazinesarefilledwithstoriesabou