2019年雅思考试巩固模拟试题及答案

2019年雅思考试巩固模拟试题及答案1 Next Year Marks the EU's 50th Anniversary of the Treaty

A.

After a period of introversion and stunned self-disbelief, continental European governments will recover their

enthusiasm for pan-European institution-building in 2007.

Whether the European public will welcome a return to what

voters in two countries had rejected so short a time before

is another matter.

B.

There are several reasons for Europe’s recovering self-confidence. For years European economies had been lagging

dismally behind America (to say nothing of Asia), but in 2006

the large continental economies had one of their best years

for a decade, briefly outstripping America in terms of growth.

Since politics often reacts to economic change with a lag,

2006’s improv ement in economic growth will have its impact

in 2007, though the recovery may be ebbing by then.

C.

The coming year also marks a particular point in a

political cycle so regular that it almost seems to amount to

a natural law. Every four or five years, European countries

take a large stride towards further integration by signing a

new treaty： the Maastricht treaty in 1992, the Treaty of

Amsterdam in 1997, the Treaty of Nice in 2001. And in 2005

they were supposed to ratify a European constitution, laying

the ground for yet more integration—until the calm rhythm

was rudely shattered by French and Dutch voters. But the

political impetus to sign something every four or five years

has only been interrupted, not immobilised, by this setback.

D.

In 2007 the European Union marks the 50th anniversary of

another treaty—the Treaty of Rome, its founding charter. Government leaders have already agreed to celebrate it ceremoniously, restating their commitment to “ever closer union” and the basic ideals of Europea n unity. By itself,

and in normal circumstances, the EU’s 50th-birthday greeting

to itself would be fairly meaningless, a routine expression

of European good fellowship. But it does not take a

Machiavelli to spot that once governments have signed the

declaration (and it seems unlikely anyone would be so

uncollegiate as to veto it) they will already be halfway

towards committing themselves to a new treaty. All that will

be necessary will be to incorporate the 50th-anniversary

declaration into a new treaty containing a number of

institutional and other reforms extracted from the failed

attempt at constitution-building and—hey presto—a new

quasi-constitution will be ready.

E.

According to the German government—which holds the EU’s agenda-setting presidency during the first half of 2007—there will be a new draft of a slimmed-down constitution

ready by the middle of the year, perhaps to put to voters,

perhaps not. There would then be a couple of years in which

it will be discussed, approved by parliaments and, perhaps,

put to voters if that is deemed unavoidable. Then, according