雅思阅读模拟题Next Year Marks

雅思阅读模拟题：NextYearMarks

PartI

ReadingPassage1

Youshouldspendabout20minutesonQuestions1-14whicharebasedon

ReadingPassage1below.

NextYearMarkstheEU's50thAnniversaryoftheTreatyA.

Afteraperiodofintroversionandstunnedself-disbelief,continental

Europeangovernmentswillrecovertheirenthusiasmforpan-European

institution-buildingin2007.WhethertheEuropeanpublicwillwelcomeareturn

towhatvotersintwocountrieshadrejectedsoshortatimebeforeisanother

matter.

B.

ThereareseveralreasonsforEurope’srecoveringself-confidence.For

yearsEuropeaneconomieshadbeenlaggingdismallybehindAmerica(tosay

nothingofAsia),butin2006thelargecontinentaleconomieshadoneoftheir

bestyearsforadecade,brieflyoutstrippingAmericaintermsofgrowth.Since

politicsoftenreactstoeconomicchangewithalag,2006’simprovementin

economicgrowthwillhaveitsimpactin2007,thoughtherecoverymaybeebbing

bythen.

C.

Thecomingyearalsomarksaparticularpointinapoliticalcycleso

regularthatitalmostseemstoamounttoanaturallaw.Everyfourorfive

years,Europeancountriestakealargestridetowardsfurtherintegrationby

signinganewtreaty：theMaastrichttreatyin1992,theTreatyofAmsterdamin

1997,theTreatyofNicein2001.Andin2005theyweresupposedtoratifya

Europeanconstitution,layingthegroundforyetmoreintegration—untilthecalm

rhythmwasrudelyshatteredbyFrenchandDutchvoters.Butthepolitical

impetustosignsomethingeveryfourorfiveyearshasonlybeeninterrupted,

notimmobilised,bythissetback.

D.

In2007theEuropeanUnionmarksthe50thanniversaryofanothertreaty—the

TreatyofRome,itsfoundingcharter.Governmentleadershavealreadyagreedto

celebrateitceremoniously,restatingtheircommitmentto“evercloserunion”

andthebasicidealsofEuropeanunity.Byitself,andinnormalcircumstances,

theEU’s50th-birthdaygreetingtoitselfwouldbefairlymeaningless,aroutine

expressionofEuropeangoodfellowship.ButitdoesnottakeaMachiavellito

spotthatoncegovernmentshavesignedthedeclaration(anditseemsunlikely

anyonewouldbesouncollegiateastovetoit)theywillalreadybehalfway

towardscommittingthemselvestoanewtreaty.Allthatwillbenecessarywill

betoincorporatethe50th-anniversarydeclarationintoanewtreatycontaining

anumberofinstitutionalandotherreformsextractedfromthefailedattemptat

constitution-buildingand—heypresto—anewquasi-constitutionwillbeready.

E.

AccordingtotheGermangovernment—whichholdsthe

EU’sagenda-setting

presidencyduringthefirsthalfof2007—therewillbeanewdraftofa

slimmed-downconstitutionreadybythemiddleoftheyear,perhapstoputto

voters,perhapsnot.Therewouldthenbeacoupleofyearsinwhichitwillbe

discussed,approvedbyparliamentsand,perhaps,puttovotersifthatisdeemed

unavoidable.Then,accordingtobureaucraticplannersinBrusselsandBerlin,

blithelyignoringthepossibilityofpublicrejection,thewholethingwillbe

signed,sealedandanewconstitutiondeliveredin2009-10.Europewillbe

nicelybackonschedule.Itsfour-to-five-yearcycleofintegrationwillhave

missedonlyonebeat.

F.

TheresurrectionoftheEuropeanconstitutionwillbemademorelikelyin

2007becauseofwhatishappeninginnationalcapitals.TheEuropeanUnionis

notreallyanautonomousorganisation.Ifitfunctions,itisbecausethe

leadersofthebigcontinentalcountrieswantitto,reckoningthatanactive

Europeanpolicywillhelpthemgetdonewhattheywanttodointheirown

countries.

G.

Thatdidnothappenin2005-06.Defensive,cynicalandself-destructive,

theleadersofthethreelargesteuro-zonecountries—France,Italyand

Germany—werestumblingtowardstheirunlamentedends.Theysawnoreasonto

pursueanysortofEuropeanpolicyandtheEU,asaresult,barelyfunctioned.

Butbythemiddleof2007allthreewillhavegone,andthisfactalonewill

transformtheEuropeanpoliticallandscape.

H.

Theupshotisthatthepoliticsofthethreelargecontinentalcountries,

bureaucraticmomentumandtheeconomicsofrecoverywillallbealignedtogive

apushtowardsintegrationin2007.Thatdoesnotmeanthemomentumwillbe

irresistibleorevenpopular.TheBritishgovernment,forone,willalmost

certainlynotwanttogowiththeflow,beginningyetanotherchapterinthe

longhistoryofconfronta