The striving of countries in Central Europe to enter the European Union may offer an unprecedented chance to the continent’s Gypsies (or Roman) to be recognized as a nation, albeit one without a defined territory. And if they were to achieve that they might even seek some kind of formal place—at least a total population outnumbers that of many of the Union’s present and future countries. Some experts put the figure at 4m-plus; some proponents of Gypsy rights go as high as 15m.

Unlike Jews, Gypsies have had no known ancestral land to hark back to. Though their language is related to Hindi, their territorial origins are misty. Romanian peasants held them to be born on the moon. Other Europeans (wrongly) thought them migrant Egyptians, hence the derivative Gypsy. Most probably they were itinerant metal workers and entertainers who drifted west from India in the 7th century.

However, since communism in Central Europe collapsed a decade ago, the notion of Romanestan as a landless nation founded on Gypsy culture has gained ground. The International Romany Union, which says it stands for 10m Gypsies in more than 30 countries, is fostering the idea of “self-rallying”. It is trying to promote a standard and written form of the language; it waves a Gypsy flag (green with a wheel) when it lobbies in such places as the United Bations; and in July it held a congress in Prague, The Czech capital. Where President Vaclav Havel said that Gypsies in his own country and elsewhere should have a better deal.

At the congress a Slovak-born lawyer, Emil Scuka, was elected president of the International Tomany Union. Later this month a group of elected Gypsy politicians, including members of parliament, mayors and local councilors from all over Europe (OSCE), to discuss how to persuade more Gypsies to get involved in politics.

The International Romany Union is probably the most representative of the outfits that speak for Gypsies, but that is not saying a lot. Of the several hundred delegates who gathered at its congress, few were democratically elected; oddly, none came from Hungary, whose Gypsies are perhaps the world’s best organized, with some 450 Gypsy bodies advising local councils there. The union did, however, announce its ambition to set up a parliament, but how it would actually be elected was left undecided.

So far, the European Commission is wary of encouraging Gypsies to present themselves as a nation. The might, it is feared, open a Pandora’s box already containing Basques, Corsicans and other awkward peoples. Besides, acknowledging Gypsies as a nation might backfire, just when several countries, particularly Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, are beginning to treat them better, in order to qualify for EU membership. “The EU’s whole premise is to overcome differences, not to highlight them,” says a nervous Eurocrat.

But the idea that the Gypsies should win some kind of special recognition as Europe’s largest continent wide minority, and one with a terrible history of persecution, is catching on . Gypsies have suffered many pogroms over the centuries. In Romania, the country that still has the largest number of them (more than 1m), in the 19th century they were actually enslaved. Hitler tried to wipe them out, along with the Jews.

“Gypsies deserve some space within European structures,” says Jan Marinus Wiersma, a Dutchman in the European Parliament who suggests that one of the current commissioners should be responsible for Gypsy affairs. Some prominent Gypsies say they should be more directly represented, perhaps with a quota in the European Parliament. That, they argue, might give them a boost. There are moves afoot to help them to get money for, among other things, a Gypsy university.

One big snag is that Europe’s Gypsies are, in fact, extremely heterogeneous. They belong to many different, and often antagonistic, clans and tribes, with no common language or religion, Their self-proclaimed leaders have often proved quarrelsome and corrupt. Still, says, Dimitrina Petrova, head of the European Roma Rights Center in Budapest, Gypsies’ shared experience of suffering entitles them to talk of one nation; their potential unity, she says, stems from “being regarded as sub-human by most majorities in Europe.”

And they have begun to be a bit more pragmatic. In Slovakia and Bulgaria, for instance, Gypsy political parties are trying to form electoral blocks that could win seats in parliament. In Macedonia, a Gypsy party already has some—and even runs a municipality. Nicholas Gheorge, an expert on Gypsy affairs at the OSCE, reckons that, spread over Central Europe, there are now about 20 Gypsy MPS and mayors, 400-odd local councilors, and a growing number of businessmen and intellectuals.

That is far from saying that they have the people or the cash to forge a nation. But, with the Gypsy question on the EU’s agenda in Central Europe, they are making ground.

1.    The Best Title of this passage is

[A]. Gypsies Want to Form a Nation.         [B]. Are They a Nation.

[C]. EU Is Afraid of Their Growth.           [C]. They Are a Tribe

2.    Where are the most probable Gypsy territory origins?

[A]. Most probably they drifted west from India in the 7th century.

[B]. They are scattered everywhere in the world.

[C]. Probably, they stemmed from Central Europe.

[D]. They probably came from the International Romany Union.

3.    What does the International Romany lobby for?

[A]. It lobbies for a demand to be accepted by such international organizations as EU and UN.

[B]. It lobbies for a post in any international Romany Union.

[C]. It lobbies for the right as a nation.

[D]. It lobbies for a place in such international organizations as the EU or UN.

4.    Why is the Europe Commission wary of encouraging Gypsies to present themselves as a nation?

[A]. It may open a Pandora’s Box.

[B]. Encouragement may lead to some unexpected results.

[C]. It fears that the Basgnes, Corsicans and other nations seeking separation may raise the same demand.

[D]. Gyspsies’ demand may highlight the difference in the EU.

5.    The big problem lies in the fact that

[A]. Gypsies belong to different and antagonistic clans and tribes without a common language or religion.

[B]. Their leaders prove corrupt.

[C]. Their potential unity stems from “being regarded as sub-human”.

[D]. They are a bit more pragmatic.

 

In the virtual (虚拟的) world, she is a popular Kungfu writer Ling Feng. At school, she is a quick-witted party emcee (主持人) and competent student union leader. She is always one of the top three scorers of her grade and the winner of various academic competitions. Last week she became the only student to be recommended by her school principal (校长) to Peking University.

  She is 18-year-old Zhu Zhenhui of Haimen High School in Jiangsu, one of the 39 high schools from which Peking University will enroll students recommended by their principals next year.

  Zhu stood out among more than 30 candidates(候选人), but not only for her excellent high school reports and test scores. More importantly, she has performed outstandingly in other areas, which the principal believes will not cause the least controversy (争议) among students and teachers.   

  Zhu loves public speaking, in both Chinese and English. Her eloquence (口才) and quick mind make her an obvious choice to introduce ceremonies and parties on campus. As a news reporter and broadcaster on her school's radio station, Zhu has a keen sense of current affairs. The young journalist interviewed Sophia Ming Ren Leung, the first female Chinese Canadian senator (议员), when the politician visited a Nanjing school where she once studied. In the same year, she won the opportunity to question Kaifu Lee when the former Google vice-president appeared at a talk show on a local TV station.  

  Every Sunday Zhu chairs a student union meeting, where she leads discussion on timetables, events and routine (例行) work for the following week. Under her are the ministers of the union's six departments. “The work has made me organized and decisive,” she said. On November 21, at the invitation of Zhu and other union members, the famous gymnast Huang Xu attended the opening ceremony of the school's Sports Festival. 

  Some girls dream of being a princess, but not Zhu. Her fantasy is to be a knight (侠士) in one of Louis Cha (Jin Yong)'s or Gu Long's works. Her online novel, in the Jianghu World, is a huge success under her pen name Ling Feng. In the 120,000-character story, a girl learns to be tolerant and positive after an accidental journey to the ancient world. A book of the same title came out in June. “I'm working on the sequel (续集),” she said.

1.Which of the following is NOT the correct description of Zhu Zhenhui?  

A. An admired writer.                B. An eloquent speaker.

C. A gifted dancer.                  D. A born leader.

2.As a leader of the student union, Zhu has done quite a lot of impressive work EXCEPT _______.

A. interviewing former vice-president of Google

B. leading discussion on routine work

C. helping organize major events in school

D. inviting gymnast Huang Xu to attend Sports Festival 

3.What does the underlined word in the first paragraph mean?  

A. quick in mind                 B. fast in action  

C. speak quickly                 D. rapid in memorizing

4.What can be inferred from the passage?

A. Zhu learns to be tolerant and positive after leading the student union.

B. Zhu’s first novel which has 120,000 different characters has come out.

C. The school principal recommended Zhu to be enrolled in Peking University because it would cause the least controversy.

D. The first female Chinese Canadian senator is Zhu’s schoolmate.  

 

根据短文内容，从下框的A—F选项中选出能概括每一段主题的最佳选项。选项中有一项为多余选项。

A. The Development of an Early Union. B. Support from the Public. C. The Decline of an Early Union. D. A Brief Comparison between the Union and the Medieval Craft Guilds. E. Management’s Reaction to the Labour Movement. F. Reasons for starting a Union.

 

61. ______

   Some scholars have associated trade unions with the medieval craft guilds(中世纪的行会), but there are important differences between the two. The guild members were masters craftsmen who owned capital and often employed workers. Unions are known as associations of workers with similar skills.

62. ______

   In the past, individual worker had no control over the conditions of their working lives; political and economic power was concentrated in the hands of wealthy business owners. Workers found, however, that there was strength in uniting. From their earliest years, union objectives have been higher wages and improved working conditions.

63. ______

   Employers resisted, of course. They made great efforts to stop union organizing its activities. Union members were fired, workers were forced to sign contracts in which they promised not to join a union, and companies hired strike-breakers（罢工破坏者）and even gunmen to frighten organizers.

64. ______

   One of the earliest successful labour organizations in the United States was the Knights of Labour, founded in 1869. The Knights, which included both skilled and unskilled workers, attempted to organize all workers into one great union. After it successfully struck the Wabash railroad owned by Jay Gould in 1885, its popularity and power grew dramatically. In 1886 the Knights had 700,000 members.

65. ______

   The decline of the Knights of Labour, however, came quickly. The strike against Gould was gradually broken, and the Knights radical positions on social issues cost them public support. In the end, a lack of unity as well as the rapid inflow of unskilled immigrants weakened the union’s economic power, and the organization came to an end.

第三部分 阅读理解 （共20小题；每小题2分，共40分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出

最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

A

In the virtual (虚拟的) world, she is a popular Kungfu writer Ling Feng. At school, she is a quick-witted party emcee (主持人) and competent student union leader. She is always one of the top three scorers of her grade and the winner of various academic competitions. Last week she became the only student to be recommended by her school principal (校长) to Peking University.

  She is 18-year-old Zhu Zhenhui of Haimen High School in Jiangsu, one of the 39 high schools from which Peking University will enroll students recommended by their principals next year.

  Zhu stood out among more than 30 candidates(候选人), but not only for her excellent high school reports and test scores. More importantly, she has performed outstandingly in other areas, which the principal believes will not cause the least controversy (争议) among students and teachers.

  Zhu loves public speaking, in both Chinese and English. Her eloquence (口才) and quick mind make her an obvious choice to introduce ceremonies and parties on campus. As a news reporter and broadcaster on her school's radio station, Zhu has a keen sense of current affairs. The young journalist interviewed Sophia Ming Ren Leung, the first female Chinese Canadian senator (议员), when the politician visited a Nanjing school where she once studied. In the same year, she won the opportunity to question Kaifu Lee when the former Google vice-president appeared at a talk show on a local TV station.

  Every Sunday Zhu chairs a student union meeting, where she leads discussion on timetables, events and routine (例行) work for the following week. Under her are the ministers of the union's six departments. “The work has made me organized and decisive,” she said. On November 21, at the invitation of Zhu and other union members, the famous gymnast Huang Xu attended the opening ceremony of the school's Sports Festival.

  Some girls dream of being a princess, but not Zhu. Her fantasy is to be a knight (侠士) in one of Louis Cha (Jin Yong)'s or Gu Long's works. Her online novel, in the Jianghu World, is a huge success under her pen name Ling Feng. In the 120,000-character story, a girl learns to be tolerant and positive after an accidental journey to the ancient world. A book of the same title came out in June. “I'm working on the sequel (续集),” she said.

56. Which of the following is NOT the correct description of Zhu Zhenhui?

A. An admired writer.                         B. An eloquent speaker.

C. A gifted dancer.                              D. A born leader.

57. As a leader of the student union, Zhu has done quite a lot of impressive work EXCEPT _______.

A. interviewing former vice-president of Google

B. leading discussion on routine work

C. helping organize major events in school

D. inviting gymnast Huang Xu to attend Sports Festival

58. What does the underlined word in the first paragraph mean?

A. quick in mind                                B. fast in action     

C. speak quickly                                 D. rapid in memorizing

59. What can be inferred from the passage?

A. Zhu learns to be tolerant and positive after leading the student union.

B. Zhu’s first novel which has 120,000 different characters has come out.

C. The school principal recommended Zhu to be enrolled in Peking University because it would cause the least controversy.

D. The first female Chinese Canadian senator is Zhu’s schoolmate.