首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
The Welsh language has always been the ultimate marker of Welsh identity, but a generation ago it looked as if Welsh would go th
The Welsh language has always been the ultimate marker of Welsh identity, but a generation ago it looked as if Welsh would go th
admin
2011-01-10
50
问题
The 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. Government financing and central planning, however, has 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 Europe’s regional languages, spoken by more than a half million of the country’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 here 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 designed 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 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 here, 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 waterfront 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 women, 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. Cymru, which means "land of compatriots", is the Welsh name for Wales. The red dragon, the nation’s 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 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, Wales’s annual cultural festival. The disused factory in front of us echoed 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 with a sense of possibility unimaginable ten years ago. "We used to think. We can’t do anything, we’re only Welsh. Now I think that’s changing."
According to Dyfan Jones what has changed is______.
选项
A、people’s mentality
B、pop culture
C、town’s appearance
D、possibilities for the people
答案
A
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/dTcO777K
本试题收录于:
NAETI中级口译笔试题库外语翻译证书(NAETI)分类
0
NAETI中级口译笔试
外语翻译证书(NAETI)
相关试题推荐
Thelaserrepresentsatruemarriagebetweenscienceandtechnology,themenwhodeviseditwere______engineersandphysicists.
Networktelevision,magazine,anddirectmail—thatwillbethebiggainersinadvertisingrevenuesnextyear.
SexualReproductionBirdsdoit.Beesdoit.Butdandelionsdon’t.Theprodigiousspreadofthesewinsomeweedsunderscoresa
Thegrowthrateoftheregion’seconomyhas________thenationalaverageforsixyears.
主席先生,女士们、先生们:目前,国际形势正处于深刻变化之中。和平与发展仍然是当今时代的主题,总体和平的国际环境为世界经济发展提供了有利条件;科技进步日新月异并孕育着新的重大突破,前所未有地提高了人类认识、把握宏观和微观世界的能力,展现了新的发展
下面你将听到一段有关非洲粮食安全问题的讲话。IampleasedtowelcomeyoutotheUnitedNationsforthisfirstmeetingofyourcontactgroup.Y
下面你将听到外国媒体就中国艾滋病问题的一段评论。HIV/AIDSisnowrecognizedclearlyasagrowingthreattoChina.AccordingtoofficialChineseesti
全纽约市的地铁和公交工人继续罢工。对于上班族而言,又要面临艰难的一天,考虑如何才能方便出行。纽约市官员担心会有很多人开车进城,会造成严重交通阻塞。因此,早晨期间,凡乘员少于四人的车辆都将不得进入曼哈顿部分区域。官员们警告说,纽约市的经济可能受到重创。纽约市
人们往往不明白为什么自己会在超市花那么多的钱,而且往往是用在自己最初并不想买的东西上。最近一项研究表明,75%的杂货店购物者会有至少一次的冲动性购买。他(她)们会被引人眼球的商品陈列或花花绿绿的商品包装所吸引。对这些购买者,有一个简单的方法去避免冲动性购物
随机试题
某人恶寒(或恶风)发熟,头身疼痛,鼻塞流涕,咽喉痒痛,咳嗽,舌苔薄白,脉浮。当诊断为
氨基苷类最常见的不良反应是
将人体纵断为前后两部分的断面称为
人体昼夜体温波动超过1℃即为发热,中等热度是指()。
2010年12月1日,山西省被批准为全同第一个全省城、全方位、系统性的“国家资源型经济转型综合配套改革试验区”。这一举措突出的作用是()。
统计图2004年科技三项费用在总支出的比重和2000年相比()。
某研究所对该所上年度研究成果的统计显示:在该所所有的研究人员中,没有两个人发表的论文的数量完全相同;没有人恰好发表了10篇论文;没有人发表的论文的数量等于或超过全所研究人员的数量。如果上述统计是真实的,则以下哪项断定也一定是真实的?Ⅰ.该所研究人
《集会游行示威法》规定,集会、游行、示威,不得携带武器、管制刀具和爆炸物,不得使用暴力或煽动使用暴力。这体现的集会、游行、示威的原则是
(Atlunchtime)A:Hello.lack.I’msohungry.B:SoanI(我也是)【1】【2】gotothecafeteria(咱们去吃自助餐怎么样)?A:Idon’tli
DearMs.Baker,LindaWillsonofAHJConsultingsaidIshouldcontactyouaboutemploymentopportunitieswithinyourorganizatio
最新回复
(
0
)