英语听力精选进阶版 7158（在线收听）

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 spouses 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 integration, 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 isolated 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 conditional 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 indefinite leave to remain. Applicants must then pass a further test on life and language in the United Kingdom.

Glossary 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