英语四六级阅读文章
exo狼与美女-
Passage Two (Europe
’
s
Gypsies, Are They a Nation?)
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.
V
ocabulary