第一段
A group of labour MPs, among them Yvette Cooper, are bringing in the new year with a call to institute a UK “town of culture” award. The proposal is that it should sit alongside the existing city of culture title, which was held by Hull in 2017 and has been awarded to Coventry for zoz1. Cooper and her colleagues argue that the success of the crown for Hull, where it brought in £220m of investment and an avalanche of arts, out not to be confined to cities. Britain’ town, it is true are not prevented from applying, but they generally lack the resources to put together a bit to beat their bigger competitors. A town of culture award could, it is argued, become an annual event, attracting funding and creating jobs.
单词&词组
a group of... 一群……
institute v. 建立，实行，开始
sit alongside 并存；并列
crown n. 皇冠；桂冠
avalanche n. 雪崩；崩塌
an avalanche of... 突然大量到来的某物
confine v. 限定，限制
be confined to 局限于
本段翻译
在英国的一个叫伊维特的地方，议员们正在为一个新的“英国文化年”颁奖。这项提议是，它应该与现有的文化之城（city of culture）并驾齐驱，赫尔（Hull）于2017年获得了zoz1项目的考文垂（Coventry）。库珀和她的同事们认为，赫尔城皇冠的成功不仅仅局限于城市，它为赫尔带来了2.2亿英镑的投资和雪崩般的艺术。在英国的小镇上，确实没有人阻止他们申请，但他们普遍缺乏资源来整合一点来击败他们更大的竞争对手。有人认为，文化之城奖可以成为一年一度的活动，吸引资金，创造就业机会。
第二段
Some might see the proposal as a booby prize for the fact that Britain is no longer be able to apply for the much more prestigious title of European capital of culture, a sough-after award bagged by Glasgow in 1990 and Liverpool in 2008. A cynic might speculate that the UK is on the verge of disappearing into an endless fever of self-celebration in its desperation to reinvent itself for the post-Brexit world: after town of culture, who knows that will follow— village of culture? Suburb of culture? Hamlet of culture?
单词&词组
booby prize 安慰奖
prestigious a. 有威望的，声誉高的
bag v. 抢占，占有
cynic n. 悲观者；怀疑者
speculate v. 推测，猜测
on the verge of 濒于……，即将
self-celebration n. 自我庆祝，自我赞美
desperation n. 极度渴望；拼命
hamlet n. 小村庄
本段翻译
有些人可能会把这项提案看作是一个骗局，因为英国已经无法再申请更具声望的“欧洲文化之都”称号，这一称号是1990年格拉斯哥和2008年利物浦获得的一个又一个奖项。一个愤世嫉俗者可能会猜测，英国正濒临消失在无尽的自我庆祝热中，在它绝望地为脱欧后的世界重塑自己：在文化之城之后，谁知道会有这样的结果——文化村？文化的郊区？文化哈姆雷特？
第三段
It is also wise lo recall that such titles are not a cure-all. A badly run “year of culture” washes in and out of a place like the tide, bringing prominence for a spell but leaving no lasting benefits to the community. The really successful holders of such titles are those that do a great deal more than fill hotel bedrooms and bring in high-profile arts events and good press for a year. They transform the aspirations of the people who live there; they nudge the self-image of the city into a bolder and more optimistic light. It is hard to get right, and requires a remarkable degree of vision, as well as cooperation between city authorities, the private sector, community. groups and cultural organizations. But it can be done: Glasgow’s year as European capital of culture can certainly be seen as one of complex series of factors that have turned the city into the power of art, music and theatre that it remains today.
单词&词组
cure-all n. 万灵药
prominence n. 突出，重要
spell n. （持续的）一段时间
high-profile a. 高调的
press n. 新闻界，报刊
nudge v. （朝某一方向）逐步推进
本段翻译
回忆起这样的头衔并不是万能药也是明智之举。一个运转不好的“文化年”在潮水般的地方来来往往，虽然一时显赫，但对社会没有持久的好处。真正成功地获得这类头衔的人，不仅仅是把酒店的客房填满，还带来了引人注目的艺术活动和一年来的好媒体。他们改变了生活在那里的人们的愿望；他们把城市的自我形象推向了一个更大胆、更乐观的光。这是很难做到的，需要高度的远见，以及城市当局、私营部门和社区之间的合作。团体和文化组织。但这是可以做到的：格拉斯哥作为欧洲文化之都的一年，可以肯定地看作是一系列复杂的因素之一，这些因素使这座城市变成了艺术、音乐和戏剧的力量，至今仍在。
第四段
A “town of culture” could be not just about the arts but about honouring a town’s peculiarities—helping sustain its high street, supporting local facilities and above all celebrating its people and turn it into action.
单词&词组
peculiarity n. 特点；特色
celebrate v. 赞美，颂扬
本段翻译
一个“文化之城”不仅仅是一个艺术之城，而是一个尊重一个小镇特色的地方，帮助维持它的街道，支持当地的设施，最重要的是庆祝它的人民，并将其转化为行动。
五道题
21. Cooper and her colleagues argue that a “town of culture” award could
[A] consolidate the town-city ties in Britain.
[B] promote cooperation among Britain’s towns.
[C] increase the economic strength of Britain’s towns.
[D] focus Britain’s limited resources on cultural events.
22. According to Paragraph 2, the proposal might be regarded by some as
[A] a sensible compromise.
[B] a self-deceiving attempt.
[C] an eye-catching bonus.
[D] an inaccessible target.
23. The author suggests that a title holder is successful only if it
[A] endeavours to maintain its image.
[B] meets the aspirations of its people.
[C] brings its local arts to prominence.
[D] commits to its long-term growth.
24. Glasgow is mentioned in Paragraph 3 to present
[A] a contrasting case.
[B] a supporting example.
[C] a background story.
[D] a related topic.
25. What is the author’s attitude towards the proposal?
[A] Skeptical.
[B] Objective.
[C] Favourable.
[D] Critical.
参考答案
CBDBC
答案解析
推断题。定位到第一段后半段，举了”Crown of Hull“ 为例，还有本段最后一句，都提到“town of culture”会来“吸引资金并创造就业机会”。故[C]选项正确。[A]巩固英国的城乡联系，[B]加强英国小镇的合作，[D]将英国有限的资源用于文化活动，均是无中生有。
22、细节题。题干可定位到第二段首句，“有些人可能会认为该提议是一个无用功，因为英国不再能够申请更具声望的欧洲文化之都的头衔……“ 因此，[B]选项“自欺欺人的企图”是最合适的选项。
23、推断题。定位于第三段第二句。“糟糕的“文化年”像来去匆匆的潮水一般，突如其来，但对社区却没有任何持久的好处。”言下之意是，好的“文化年”要能给小镇带长远的成长。故[D]选项正确。
24、细节题。根据题干关键词Glasgow定位到第三段末句，在这句话之前，作者罗列了做一个好的“文化年”所要达到的高要求，但”But it can be done”话锋一转，表达了这不是纸上谈兵，而是可以做到的，后面列举了Glasgow’s来支持自己的观点。故[B]选项契合题意。
25、态度题。作者在第二段列举了“愤世嫉俗”者对这个提议的反对意见，在第三段叙述了做好这个提案的方法，在最后一段总结了，做好这个提案对小镇的长远好处。故选项[A]怀疑，[B]反对，[D]批评，均不正确。
