1、专业英语八级-阅读理解(二十八)及答案解析 (总分：100.00，做题时间：90分钟)一、BREADING COMPREH(总题数：0，分数：0.00)二、BTEXT A/B(总题数：1，分数：25.00)The striving of countries in Central Europe to enter the European Union may offer an unprecedented chance to the continents Gypsies (or Roman) to be recognized as a nation, albeit one without a def
2、ined 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 Unions present and future countries. Some experts put the figure at 4m-plus; some proponents of Gypsy rights go as high as 15m.Unlike Jews, Gypsi
3、es 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 itine
4、rant 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
5、 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 nations; and in July it held a congress in Prague, The Czech capita
6、l. 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 Romany Union. Later this month a group of elected Gypsy politicians, including members of parliament, ma
7、yors and local councilors from all over Europe, 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
8、 its congress, few were democratically elected; oddly, none came from Hungary, whose Gypsies are perhaps the worlds 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
9、 left undecided.So far, the European Commission is wary of encouraging Gypsies to present themselves as a nation. They might, it is feared, open a Pandoras box already containing Basques, Corsicans and other awkward peoples. Besides, acknowledging Gypsies as a nation might backfire, just when severa
10、l countries, particularly Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, are beginning to treat them better, in order to qualify for EU membership. The EUs 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 specia
11、l recognition as Europes 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 lm), in the 19th century they were actually en
12、slaved. 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 the
13、y 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 Europes Gypsies are, in fact, extremely heterogeneous. T
14、hey 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 suff
15、ering 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 cou
16、ld 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 bu
17、sinessmen 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 EUs agenda in Central Europe, they are making ground.（分数：25.00）(1).Where are the most probable Gypsy territory origins? A. Most probably they drifted west
18、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.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(2).What does the International Romany Union lobby for? A. A demand to be accepted by such internati
19、onal organizations as EU and UN. B. A post in any international Romany Union. C. The right as a nation. D. A place in such international organizations as the EU or UN.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(3).Why is the Europe Commission wary of encouraging Gypsies to present themselves as a nation? A. It may open a Pan
20、doras 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. Gypsies demand may highlight the difference in the EU.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(4).The big problem of Gypsy establishing a new state lie
21、s in the fact that A. they 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.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(5).A suitable title for the pass
22、age would be A. Gypsies Want to Form a Nation. B. Are They a Nation? C. EU Is Afraid of Their Growth. D. Are They a Tribe?（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.三、BTEXT B/B(总题数：1，分数：25.00)At 7:45 A.M. on June 4, Steven Johnson sent a tweet to his more than 500,000 followers on Twitter, informing them that he had written
23、this weeks cover story about how Twitter is changing the way society communicates. That tweet is also this weeks cover image. I know this is all a bit meta and like trying to capture digital lightning in a jar, but we thought it was a way of illustrating how new platforms and social networks are cha
24、nging the way we communicate and live.While I cant write what 1 want to say about Twitter in only 140 characters (the maximum number you can use in a tweet), there is an admirable brevity to tweets that is increasingly rare in our culture. I would argue that Twitter is a uniquely democratic form of
25、communication that is, it s open to everyone, there is no central authority, and people vote on whom and what they like by signing up to be followers. Its about the wisdom or folly of crowds. Its also, as Johnson observes in his superb piece, a prototype of a new kind of shared national experience:
26、people talking to one another in real time about real events.Some argue that Twitter is a form of digital narcissism, the toy of the moment for an attention deficit disordered culture. But as Johnson notes, the Twitter platform is ultimately about an accretion of tweets, the way hundreds of thousand
27、s of pixels form a detailed and complex digital image. Twitter underscores Marshall McLuhans famous aphorism that the medium is the message the idea that technological form shapes and determines the culture. McLuhan challenged the traditional notion that content whether in print, in film or on telev
28、ision is automatically more significant than the medium through which it is delivered. What we now accept is that the medium changes the nature of what, and how, we communicate. Twitter does that too.Historically, the most powerful new mediums have changed the way we perceive the world and how we re
29、late to one another. The telephone, television and Internet have done that in ways we are still processing. But technology itself is neutral. Its a tool, neither good nor evil. Its all in how we use it. Twitter itself may continue to rise or it may go away, but its characteristics real time conversa
30、tion, instant links, groups of followers will affect the platforms that come after. Theres a lesson in that for all of us in the media, for we must adapt to new technology, and not simply by putting the same old wine in new bottles. We need to adapt by creating our content in a way that is organic t
31、o those new mediums. TIME was on to this idea when we made user-generated content (that is, You) the Person of the Year in 2006, and we have continued to monitor how individuals are changing the media and how we communicate. At the same time, were focused on bringing you the information you need in
32、new ways that are adapted to new technologies.（分数：25.00）(1).Steven Johnson is mentioned to A. illustrate changes in communication made by new media. B. show he is a famous Twitter writer. C. introduce Twitter as a new way of communication. D. show his deep thought on Twitter.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(2).Wha
33、t makes the author consider Twitter as a way of democratic communication? A. People can talk to each other about real things in real time through it. B. People wont be frightened or controlled by any authority in it. C. People can express themselves easily, freely and openly in it. D. People can exp
34、ress themselves clearly in only 140 characters through it.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(3).Which of the following ideas does the author support? A. Twitter is a form of digital narcissism. B. Content is automatically more significant than the medium. C. Twitter has only changed the way of our communication. D.
35、The medium is the message.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(4).By mentioning the Person of the Year in 2006, the author wants to show A. the importance of new technologies to media. B. the importance of content to media. C. the influence of Twitter on media. D. the influence of new media on communication ways.（分数：5
36、.00）A.B.C.D.(5).The last paragraph mainly talks about A. the big influence of Twitter on the world. B. the great influence of media on our life. C. the great influence of Twitter on the future platforms. D. the importance of using media properly.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.四、BTEXT C/B(总题数：1，分数：25.00)A study re
37、leased a little over a week ago, which found that eldest children end up, on average, with slightly higher IQs than younger siblings, was a reminder that the fight for self-definition starts much earlier than freshman year. Families, whatever the relative intelligence of their members, often treat t
38、he firstborn as if he or she were the most academic, and the younger siblings fill in other niches: the wild one, the flirt.These imposed caricatures, in combination with the other labels that accumulate from the sandbox through adolescence, can seem over time like a miserable entourage of identitie
39、s that can be silenced only with hours of therapy. But theres another way to see these alternate identities: as challenges that can sharpen psychological skills. In a country where reinvention is considered a birthright, many people seem to treat old identities the way Houdini treated padlocked boxe
40、s: something to wriggle free from, before being dragged down. And psychological research suggests that this ability can be a sign of mental resilience, of taking control of your own story rather than being trapped by it.The late-night bull sessions in college or at backyard barbecues are at some lev
41、el like out-of-body experiences, allowing a re-coloring of past experience to connect with new acquaintances. A more obvious outlet to expand identity and one thats available to those who have not or cannot escape the family and community where theyre known and labeled is the Internet. Admittedly, a
42、 lot of the role-playing on the Internet can have a deviant quality. But researchers have found that many people who play life-simulation games, for example, set up the kind of families they would like to have had, even script alternate versions of their own role in the family or in a peer group.Dec
43、ades ago the psychologist Erik Erickson conceived of middle age as a stage of life deferred by a tension between stagnation and generativity a healthy sense of guiding and nourishing the next generation, of helping the community. In a series of studies, the Northwestern psychologist Dan P.McAdams ha
44、s found that adults in their 40s and 50s whose lives show this generous quality, who often volunteer, who have a sense of accomplishment tell very similar stories about how they came to be who they are. Whether they grew up in rural poverty or with views of Central Park, they told their life stories
45、 as series of redemptive lessons. When they failed a grade, they found a wonderful tutor, and later made the honor roll; when fired from a good job, they were forced to start their own business.This similarity in narrative constructions most likely reflects some agency, a willful reshaping and re-im
46、agining of the past that informs the present. These are people who, whether pegged as nerds or rebels or plodders, have taken control of the stories that form their identities.In conversation, people are often willing to hand out thumbnail descriptions of themselves: Im kind of a hermit. Or a talker
47、, a practical joker, a striver, a snob, a morning person. But they are more likely to wince when someone else describes them so authoritatively.Maybe thats because they have come too far, shaken off enough old labels already. Like escape artists with a lifetimes experience slipping through chains, t
48、hey dont want or need any additional work. Because while most people can leave their family niches, schoolyard nicknames and high school reputations behind, they dont ever entirely forget them.（分数：25.00）(1).A recent study shows that A. the firstborns and younger siblings are often treated differently. B. higher IQ holders in a family are always the eldest. C. the firstborns become more responsible to the fa
