英语听力精选进阶版 7158

Background: 背景：英国政府即将实行一项新的移民政策。该政策要求来自非欧盟国家的准备和英国公民结婚的移民必须达到一定的英语水平。这项政策本来是工党打算在2011年实施的，但是英国新政府要求今年8月就开始实行。当然这项新政策也引起了争议。

At present, the rules for spouses¹ and partners of British citizens applying for a visa only require them to show that their marriage is real, and that they won't rely on the State for financial support. The British government says the requirement to speak English will help promote integration², remove cultural barriers, and protect public services. The Immigration Minister, Damian Green, says there are problems when immigrants can't communicate in English:

"You get large communities of people, many of whom - usually women - can't speak English properly and who therefore become isolated³ from the community around them and that's bad for them and it's bad for the wider community."

But critics of the plans say it restricts people's choices in who they marry. Don Flynn, of the Migrants' Rights Network, says people shouldn't be penalised for those choices:

"This is simply not an argument about whether or not people ... their lives will be better off if they learn English. They will be. The issue here is that the right to marry and found a family is a basic human right and is it proper, is it right, that that right to marry should be made conditional⁴ on passing a test in English? Our view is that it shouldn't be."

Officials estimate that the new language test will lead to ten percent fewer applications overall and is most likely to affect Britain's Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities. The spousal visa allows someone to stay for two years, after which they can apply for indefinite⁵ leave to remain. Applicants⁶ must then pass a further test on life and language in the United Kingdom.

Glossary⁷ 词汇表

spouses 配偶 

state 国家 

integration 融合、结合 

cultural barriers 文化障碍 

community 团体、社区 

isolated 孤立的、隔离的 

penalise 惩罚 

argument 争论 

better off 更富裕、经济情况更好 

found a family 成家 

conditional 有条件的、受制约的 

overall 总体的 

spousal visa 配偶签证 

indefinite leave to remain 永久居留权

Questions and Answers

True or false? Under the current visa rules, visa officers only check whether the applicant's marriage is real or not. 

False. The current rules require applicants to show that their marriage is real and that they won't rely on the State for financial support.

In the report, who said that immigrants who can't speak proper English become isolated from society? 

The Immigration Minister.

True or false? Critics question whether the new policies will be against human rights. 

True. They think it is a basic human right to marry and found a family, and the new rules go against this human right.

By what percentage do officials think spousal visa applications will drop because of the new immigration rules? 

10 percent

1 spouses   

n.配偶，夫或妻( spouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Jobs are available for spouses on campus and in the community. 校园里和社区里有配偶可做的工作。 来自辞典例句
• An astonishing number of spouses-most particularly in the upper-income brackets-have no close notion of their husbands'paychecks. 相当大一部分妇女——特别在高收入阶层——并不很了解他们丈夫的薪金。 来自辞典例句

2 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

3 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

4 conditional   

adj.条件的，带有条件的

参考例句：

• My agreement is conditional on your help.你肯帮助我才同意。
• There are two forms of most-favored-nation treatment:conditional and unconditional.最惠国待遇有两种形式:有条件的和无条件的。

5 indefinite   

adj.不明确的，模糊的，不定的，无限的

参考例句：

• The store will be closed for an indefinite period.这家商店将无限期关闭。
• He gave me an indefinite answer.他给了我一个含糊其辞的答复。

6 applicants   

申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
• He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。

7 glossary   

n.注释词表；术语汇编

参考例句：

• The text is supplemented by an adequate glossary.正文附有一个详细的词汇表。
• For convenience,we have also provided a glossary in an appendix.为了方便，我们在附录中也提供了术语表。