2011年英语二阅读text4
Will the European Union make it? The question would have sounded strange not long ago.
Now even the project’s greatest cheerleaders talk of a continent facing a “Bermuda triangle” of
debt, population decline and lower growth.
As well as those chronic problems, the EU faces an acute crisis in its economic core, the 16
countries that use the single currency. Markets have lost faith that the euro zone’s economies,
weaker or stronger, will one day converge thanks to the discipline of sharing a single currency,
which denies uncompetitive members the quick fix of devaluation.
Yet the debate about how to save Europe’s single currency from disintegration is stuck. It is
stuck because the euro zone’s dominant powers, France and Germany, agree on the need for
greater harmonization within the euro zone, but disagree about what to harmonise.
Germany thinks the euro must be saved by stricter rules on borrowing, spending and
competitiveness, backed by quasi-automatic sanctions for governments that do not obey. These
might include threats to freeze EU funds for poorer regions and EU mega-projects, and even the
suspension of a country’s voting rights in EU ministerial councils. It insists that economic
co-ordination should involve all 27 members of the EU club, among whom there is a small
majority for free - market liberalism and economic rigour; in the inner core alone, Germany fears,7
a small majority favour French interference.
A “southern” camp headed by France wants something different: “European economic
government” within an inner core of euro-zone members. Translated, that means politicians
intervening in monetary policy and a system of redistribution from richer to poorer members, via
cheaper borrowing for governments through common Eurobonds or complete fiscal transfers.
Finally, figures close to the French government have murmured, euro-zone members should agree
to some fiscal and social harmonization: e.g., curbing competition in corporate-tax rates or labour
costs.
It is too soon to write off the EU. It remains the world’s largest trading block. At its best, the
European project is remarkably liberal: built around a single market of 27 rich and poor countries,
its internal borders are far more open to goods, capital and labour than any comparable trading
area. It is an ambitious attempt to blunt the sharpest edges of globalization, and make capitalism
benign.
36. The EU is faced with so many problems that ________.
[A] it has more or less lost faith in markets
[B] even its supporters begin to feel concerned
[C] some of its member countries plan to abandon euro
[D] it intends to deny the possibility of devaluation
37. The debate over the EU’s single currency is stuck because the dominant powers ________.
[A] are competing for the leading position
[B] are busy handling their own crises
[C] fail to reach an agreement on harmonisation
[D] disagree on the steps towards disintegration
38. To solve the euro problem, Germany proposed that ________.
[A] EU funds for poor regions be increased
[B] stricter regulations be imposed
[C] only core members be involved in economic co-ordination
[D] voting rights of the EU members be guaranteed
39. The French proposal of handling the crisis implies that ________.
[A] poor countries are more likely to get funds
[B] strict monetary policy will be applied to poor countries
[C] loans will be readily available to rich countries
[D] rich countries will basically control Eurobonds
40. Regarding the future of the EU, the author seems to feel ________.
[A] pessimistic
[B] desperate
[C] conceited
[D] hopeful
答案及解析：
36. 【答案】B
【解析】具体信息题。根据题干信息 EU is faced with so many problems 可定位到文章第
一段。第一段引出主题，指出欧盟目前正面临危机。其中第三句指出甚至连欧盟一体化
最坚定的支持者也在议论欧洲大陆正面临的危机（Now even the project’s greatest
cheerleaders talk of a continent facing a “Bermuda triangle”…）。可见，欧盟的支持者
（cheerleaders）可开始对欧盟所面临的危机表示担忧。故[B] 选项正确，选项中的
supporter 对应原文的 cheerleaders。
37. 【答案】C
【解析】具体信息题。根据题干信息 The debate over the EU’s single currency isstuck 可定位
到文章第三段。第三段第一句指出对于如何挽救欧洲的单一货币免于解体的讨论陷入了
僵局，第二句以 because 引导出陷入僵局的原因，即作为欧元区的主导国家，法国和德
国均认为欧元区内部需要更加协调，但是在哪些方面需要协调，两者却意见不一（France
and Germany, agree on…, but disagree about what to harmonise. ）。故[C] 选项正确。
38. 【答案】B
【解析】具体信息题。根据题干信息 Germany 可定位到文章第四段。第四段第一句指出
了德国在解决欧元危机问题上的态度：拯救欧元必须在借贷、支出和竞争力方面制定更
加严格的规定，同时对不遵守规定的政府施以半自动制裁（the euro must be saved by
stricter rules on borrowing, spending and competitiveness, backed by quasi-automatic
sanctions for governments that do not obey. ）。可见，德国倾向于制定更加严格的规定，
故[B] 选项正确，选项 stricter regulations 为原文 stricter rules 的同义改写。
39. 【答案】A
【解析】推理引申题。根据题干信息 The French proposal of handling the crisis 可定位到
文章第五段。第五段第一句指出法国提议在欧元区核心成员国内建立“欧洲经济政府”；
第二句指出建立“欧洲经济政府”意味着政客们将干预货币政策的制定，通过欧洲共同债
券或完全财政转移支付向政府提供低息贷款，以实现资金在富裕国家和贫困国家之间的
再分配（a system of redistribution from richer to poorer members, via cheaper borrowing for
governments through common Eurobonds or complete fiscal transfers. ）。可
见，贫困的国
家可以通过再分配获得更多的资助，故[A] 选项正确。
40. 【答案】D
【解析】观点态度题。根据全文内容，尤其是尾段作答。作者在第六段表述了其对欧盟
未来的态度：宣判欧盟失败还为时尚早（It is too soon to write off the EU）；它依然是世
界最大的贸易区（It remains the world’s largest trading block）；在最佳状态下，这一欧
洲工程是十分自由的（At its best, the European project is remarkably liberal）；其内部边
界对商品、资本和劳动力的开放程度比任何与其相当的贸易区都要开放（its internal
borders are far more open to goods, capital and labour than any comparable trading area）；欧
盟一体化是缓和全球化的强烈冲击并使资本主义朝向良性发展的富有野心的尝试（It is
an ambitious attempt to blunt the sharpest edges of globalization, and make
capitalism benign），全段都是对欧盟的正面描述，可见作者对欧盟未来还是充满希望的。故[D] 选项正确。
根据上述分析，其余选项排除。
一、文章题材结构分析
本文选自The Economist ( 《经济学人》) 2010年7月8日一篇题为《Staring into the abyss》的文章。本文是一篇说明文，说明欧盟统一的货币体系， 它的现状，各国对其看法以及评价。
第一段段讲述欧盟今非昔比，问题严重。
第二段重点指出其面临的迫切问题，以及使用统一的货币带来的影响。
第三段指出问题的解决停滞不前的 原因。
第四、五段分别介绍了德国和法国在欧盟统一货币方面方面的不同态度。
最后一段总结:现在为欧盟下定论. 还为时过早。
二、全文翻译
Text 4
Will the European Union make it（成功，固定词组）? The question would have
sounded strange not long ago. Now even the project’s greatest cheerleaders talk of a continent（洲，大陆） facing a “Bermuda triangle” of debt, population decline and lower growth.
欧盟会成功吗?若在不久之前有人提这样的问题，人们会感到奇怪。但是现在即使是欧盟最有力的支持者们也都在谈论欧洲大陆所面临的“百慕大三角”一一债务、人口下降和低速增长。
As well as those chronic（长期的，慢性的） problems, the EU faces an acute（严重的，急性的；激烈的；敏锐的；尖声的） crisis in its economic core, the 16 countries that use the single currency. Markets have lost faith that the euro zone’s economies, weaker or stronger, will one day converge thanks to（汇聚到） the discipline of sharing a single currency, which denies uncompetitive members the quick fix of devaluation（货币贬值）.
除了这些长期困扰的问题外，欧盟还面临着经济核心区16 个成员国的严重危机，这些成员国使用统一货币。市场已经失去了信心，因为不管强大还是弱小，欧元区的经济体总有一天会因为单一货币的流通而走向统一，而这一趋势也使得缺乏竞争力的成员国无法迅速应对货币贬值的问题。
长难句分析:本句中主干部分的主语为Markets,谓语是have lost,宾语是faith,后接that引导的同位语从句，对faith的内容进行解释说明。该同位语从句中，主语是the euro zone' S economies,谓语是converge;插入语weaker or stronger用于对主语
economies进行补充说 明，谓语前的one day是时间状语，谓语后的thanks to..是原因状语，分别说明了converge的时 间和原因;原因状语中的介词短语of sharing a single
currency做后置定语修饰discipline。该同位语从句中还包含一个由which 引导的非限定性定语从句，修饰先行词discipline。 在该定语从句中，关系代词which是主语，指代discipline, 谓语部分运用了deny sb. sth.这一结构，意为\"拒绝某人的某要求”。本句的难点在于句子层级较多，中间暗含了多个定语、状语等修饰成分。
Yet（yet放在句首表示弱转折，且一般是用于倒装句。时态是现在完成时；yet在句尾则表示“尚未，还没有”，常用在否定和疑问句中） the debate about how to save Europe’s single currency from disintegration is stuck. It is stuck because the euro zone’s dominant（支配的，统治的） powers, France and Germany, agree on（对…意见一致） the need for greater harmonization within the euro zone, but disagree about what to harmonise.
然而，有关如何保护欧盟统一货币免遭崩溃的讨论陷入了僵局。之所以陷入僵局，原因在于作为欧元区的主导国家法国和德国虽然都认为有必要在欧元区进行更多协调，但就协调的内容而言却存在分歧。
Germany thinks the euro must be saved by stricter rules on borrowing, spending and competitiveness, backed by quasi-automatic sanctions（制裁，处罚） for governments that do not obey. These might include threats to freeze（使结冰，冻结） EU funds for poorer regions and EU mega-projects, and even the suspension（暂停，终止） of a country’s voting rights in EU ministerial councils. It insists that （固定句型，it是形式主语）economic co-ordination should involve all 27 members of the EU club, among whom there is a small majority for free - market liberalism and economic rigour; in the inner core alone, Germany fears,a small majority favour（赞成）French interference.
德国认为必须通过对欧元实施更加严格的借贷、支出和竞争条例来拯救，并且要通过对那些不遵守条例的政府实施准自动制裁来保障条例的实施。制裁措施包括冻结欧盟提供给贫困地区或者欧盟大型项目的资金，甚至暂停某个成员国在欧盟部长理事会的表决权。德国坚持认为欧盟27个成员国都应参与到经济合 作中来，在这些成员国中只有微弱多数赞成自由市场的经济自由主义和经济严酷政策:而就欧元内部核心区而言，德国担心大部分成员国会赞同法国的介入。
A “southern” camp headed by（以…为首） France wants something different（持有不同看法）: “European economic government” within an inner core of euro-zone members. Translated, that means politicians
intervening in（介入） monetary policy and a system of redistribution from richer to poorer members, via
cheaper borrowing for governments through common Eurobonds or complete fiscal （国库的，财政的）transfers.
Finally, figures（人物，人士） close to the French government have murmured（低声细语，私底下说）, euro-zone members should agree to some fiscal（国库的，财政的）and social harmonization: e.g., curbing（限制） competition in corporate-tax rates or labour costs.
而以法国为首的“南方”阵营却有不同打算:建立欧元核心区成员国内部的“欧洲经济政府”，即政治家们干预货币政策的制定以及成员国间贫富再分配制度的建立，这种干预通过以共同的欧元债券或完全的财政转移的形式为成员国政府提供低息贷款来实现的。最
后，那些接近法国政府的人士私下认为，欧盟成员国应就财政和社会的协调达成共识，例如，抑制公司税率或劳动力成本两方面的竞争。
It is too soon to write off the EU. It remains the world’s largest trading block. At its best, the European project is remarkably liberal: built around a single market of 27 rich and poor countries, its internal borders are far more open to goods, capital and labour than any comparable trading area. It is an ambitious attempt to blunt the sharpest edges of globalization, and make capitalism benign.
现在就为欧盟下定论还为时过早，毕竟它仍然是世界.上最大的贸易区。就好的方面而言， 欧盟计划相当自由:因为欧盟市场是建立在由贫富不等的27个国家组成的唯一市场之上的，因此它同其他贸 易区相比，其内部区域对商品、资本和劳动力都更加的开放。这是一次勇敢的尝试，缓和了全球化带来的冲击，使. 资本主义更温和有利。
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