到专八阅读真命题及答案解析.docx

1、到专八阅读真命题及答案解析第二部分 2007年-2012年英语专业八级阅读真题2007年Text AThe Welsh language has always been the ultimate marker of Welsh identity, but a generation ago it looked as if Welsh would go the way of Manx. Once widely spoken on the Isle of Man but now extinct. Governments financing and central planning, however,

2、 have helped reverse the decline of Welsh. Road signs and official public documents are written in both Welsh and English, and schoolchildren are required to learn both languages. Welsh is now one of the most successful of Europes regional languages, spoken by more than a half-million of the country

3、s three million people.The revival of the language, particularly among young people, is part of a resurgence of national identity sweeping through this small, proud nation. Last month Wales marked the second anniversary of the opening of the National Assembly, the first parliament to be convened her

4、e since 1404. The idea behind devolution was to restore the balance within the union of nations making up the United Kingdom. With most of the people and wealth, England has always had bragging rights. The partial transfer of legislative powers from Westminster, implemented by Tony Blair, was design

5、ed to give the other members of the club- Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales-a bigger say and to counter centrifugal forces that seemed to threaten the very idea of the union.The Welsh showed little enthusiasm for devolution. Whereas the Scots voted overwhelmingly for a parliament, the vote for a

6、 Welsh assembly scraped through by less than one percent on a turnout of less than 25 percent. Its powers were proportionately limited. The Assembly can decide how money from Westminster or the European Union is spent. It cannot, unlike its counterpart in Edinburgh, enact laws. But now that it is he

7、re, the Welsh are growing to like their Assembly. Many people would like it to have more powers. Its importance as figurehead will grow with the opening in 2003, of a new debating chamber, one of many new buildings that are transforming Cardiff from a decaying seaport into a Baltimore-style waterfro

8、nt city. Meanwhile a grant of nearly two million dollars from the European Union will tackle poverty. Wales is one of the poorest regions in Western Europe- only Spain, Portugal, and Greece have a lower standard of living.Newspapers and magazines are filled with stories about great Welsh men and wom

9、en, boosting self-esteem. To familiar faces such as Dylan Thomas and Richard Burton have been added new icons such as Catherine Zeta-Jones, the movie star, and Bryn Terfel, the opera singer. Indigenous foods like salt marsh lamb are in vogue. And Wales now boasts a national airline. Awyr Cymru. Cymr

10、u, which means “land of compatriots,” is the Welsh name for Wales. The red dragon, the nations symbol since the time of King Arthur, is everywhere- on T-shirts, rugby jerseys and even cell phone covers.“Until very recent times most Welsh people had this feeling of being second-class citizens,” said

11、Dyfan Jones, an 18-year-old student. It was a warm summer night, and I was sitting on the grass with a group of young people in Llanelli, an industrial town in the south, outside the rock music venue of the National Eisteddfod, Waless annual cultural festival. The disused factory in front of us echo

12、ed to the sounds of new Welsh bands.“There was almost a genetic tendency for lack of confidence,” Dyfan continued. Equally comfortable in his Welshness as in his membership in the English-speaking, global youth culture and the new federal Europe, Dyfan, like the rest of his generation, is growing up

13、 with a sense of possibility unimaginable ten years ago. “We used to think. We cant do anything, were only Welsh. Now I think thats changing.”11. According to the passage, devolution was mainly meant toA. maintain the present status among the nations.B. reduce legislative powers of England.C. create

14、 a better state of equality among the nations.D. grant more say to all the nations in the union.12. The word “centrifugal” in the second paragraph meansA. separatist. B. conventional.C. feudal. D. political13. Wales is different from Scotland in all the following aspects EXCEPTA. peoples desire for

15、devolution.B. locals turnout for the voting.C. powers of the legislative body.D. status of the national language.14. Which of the following is NOT cited as an example of the resurgence of Welsh national identityA. Welsh has witnessed a revival as a national language.B. Poverty-relief funds have come

16、 from the European Union.C. A Welsh national airline is currently in operation.D. The national symbol has become a familiar sight.15. According to Dyfan Jones what has changed isA. peoples mentality. B. pop culture.C. towns appearance. D. possibilities for the people.Text BGetting to the heart of Ku

17、waiti democracy seems hilariously easy. Armed only with a dog-eared NEWSWEEK ID, I ambled through the gates of the National Assembly last week. Unscanned, unsearched, my satchel could easily have held the odd grenade or an anthrax-stuffed lunchbox. The only person who stopped me was a guard who grin

18、ned and invited me to take a swig of orange juice from his plastic bottle.Were I a Kuwaiti woman wielding a ballot, I would have been a clearer and more present danger. That very day Parliament blocked a bill giving women the vote; 29 M.P.S voted in favor and 29 against, with two abstentions. Unable

19、 to decide whether the bill had passed or not, the government scheduled another vote in two weeks- too late for women to register for Junes municipal elections. The next such elections arent until 2009. Inside the elegant, marbled Parliament itself, a sea of mustachioed men in white robes sat in gre

20、en seats, debating furiously. The ruling emir has pushed for womens political rights for years. Ironically, the democratically elected legislature has thwarted him. Traditionalists and tribal leaders are opposed. Liberals fret, too, that Islamists will let their multiple wives vote, swelling conserv

21、ative ranks. “When I came to Parliament today, people who voted yes didnt even shake hands with me,” said one Shia clerc. “Why cant we respect each other and work together?” Why not indeed? By Gulf standards, Kuwait is a democratic superstar. Its citizens enjoy free speech (as long as they dont insu

22、lt their emir, naturally) and boast a Parliament that can actually pass laws. Unlike their Saudi sisters, Kuwaiti women drive, work and travel freely. They run multibillion-dollar businesses and serve as ambassadors. Their academic success is such that colleges have actually lowered the grades requi

23、red for make students to get into medical and engineering courses. Even then, 70 percent of university students are females.In Kuwait, the Western obsession with the higab finds its equivalent. At a fancy party for NEWSWEEKs Arabic edition, some Kuwaiti women wore them. Others opted for tight, spang

24、led, sheer little numbers in peacock blue or parrot orange. For the partys entertainment, Nancy Ajram, the Arab worlds answer to Britney Spears, sang passionate songs of love in a white mini-dress. She couldnt dance for us, alas, since shaking ones body onstage is illegal in Kuwait. That didnt stop

25、whole tables of men from raising their camera-enabled mobile phones and clicking her picture. Youd think not being able to vote or dance in public would anger Kuwaits younger generation of women. To find out, I headed to the malls-Kuwaits archipelago of civic freedom. Eager to duck strict parents an

26、d the social taboos of dating in public. Young Kuwaitis have taken to cafes, beaming flirtatious infrared e-mails to one another on their cell photos. At Starbucks in the glittering Al Sharq Mall, I found only tables of men, puffing cigarettes and grumbling about the service .At Pizza Hut, I thought

27、 Id got an answer after encountering a young woman who looked every inch the modern suffragettedrainpipe jeans,strappy sliver high-heeled sandals and a higab studded with purple rhinestones. But, no, Miriam Al-Enizi, 20, studying business administration at Kuwait University, doesnt think women need

28、the vote.” Men are better at politics than women,” she explained, adding that women in Kuwait already have everything they need. Welcome to democracy, Kuwait style.16. According to the passage, which of the following groups of people might be viewed as being dangerous by the guards?A. Foreign touris

29、ts. B. Women protestors.C. Foreign journalists. D. Members of the National Assembly.17. The bill giving women the vote did not manage to pass becauseA. Different interest groups held different concerns.B. Liberals did not reach consensus among themselves.C. Parliament was controlled by traditionalis

30、ts.D.Parliament members were all conservatives.18. What is the role of the 4th and 5th paragraphs in the development of the topic?A. To show how Kuwaiti women enjoy themselves.B. To describe how women work and study in Kuwait.C. To provide a contrast to the preceding paragraphs.D. To provide a contr

31、ast to the preceding paragraphs.19. Which of the following is NOT true about young Kuwaiti women?A. They seem to be quite contented.B. They go in for Western fashions.C. They desire more than modern necessities.D. They favour the use of hi-tech products. Text C Richard, King of England from 1189 to

32、1199, with all his characteristic virtues and faults cast in a heroic mould is one of the most fascinating medieval figures. He has been described as the creature and embodiment of the age of chivalry, In those days the lion was much admired in heraldry, and more than one king sought to link himself with its repute. When Richards contemporaries called him Coeur de Lion(The Lion heart), they paid a lasting compliment to the king of beasts. Li