金融時(shí)報(bào):“讓英國價(jià)值高高飄揚(yáng)”

“讓英國價(jià)值高高飄揚(yáng)”

近日，英國伯明翰爆出了極端分子試圖滲透和控制當(dāng)?shù)毓W(xué)校并實(shí)行伊斯蘭教法的計(jì)劃，為此卡梅倫首相在《大憲章》簽署799年之際發(fā)表演說，表示要堅(jiān)決抵制極端主義，捍衛(wèi)英國法治、自由、寬容的價(jià)值觀。

測試中可能遇到的詞匯和知識(shí)：

the Trojan Horse controversy in Birmingham 近日轟動(dòng)全英的事件，伯明翰的一些伊斯蘭極端分子計(jì)劃滲透和控制當(dāng)?shù)氐墓W(xué)校，實(shí)施伊斯蘭教法

squeamish ['skwi?m??] 易嘔吐的，易生氣的

bashful ['bæ?f?l; -f(?)l] 害羞，靦腆

with warts and all 不避諱缺點(diǎn)和陰暗面，wart是疣

Diamond Jubilee 鉆禧，這里指的是2012年英聯(lián)邦國家為紀(jì)念伊麗莎白二世女王登基60周年而舉辦的一系列慶典活動(dòng)

David Cameron: British values aren't optional, they're vital. (1175 words)

By DAVID CAMERON, prime minister of UK，15 June 2014

This week there has been a big debate about British values following the Trojan Horse controversy in some Birmingham schools – about what these values are, and the role they should play in education.

I'm clear about what these values are –and I'm equally clear that they should be promoted in every school and to every child in our country.

The values I'm talking about – a belief in freedom, tolerance of others, accepting personal and social responsibility, respecting and upholding the rule of law – are the things we should try to live by every day.

To me they're as British as the Union flag, as football, as fish and chips.

Of course, people will say that these values are vital to other people in other countries. And, of course, they're right.

But what sets Britain apart are the traditions and history that anchors them and allows them to continue to flourish and develop.

Our freedom doesn't come from thin air. It is rooted in our parliamentary democracy and free press. Our sense of responsibility and the rule of law is attached to our courts and independent judiciary.

Our belief in tolerance was won through struggle and is linked to the various churches and faith groups that have come to call Britain home.

These are the institutions that help to enforce our values, keep them in check and make sure they apply to everyone equally.

And taken together, I believe this combination – our values and our respect for the history that helped deliver them and the institutions that uphold them – forms the bedrock of Britishness.

Without it, we wouldn't be able to walk down the street freely, to say what we think, to be who we are, or do what we want.

Newspapers like this wouldn't exist. MPs(Members of Parliament) like me would not have been democratically elected.

And our property wouldn't be our own. The question is: should we actively promote this? I absolutely think we should. For a start, this is a matter of pride and patriotism.

Sometimes in this country we can be a bit squeamish about our achievements, even bashful about our Britishness. We shouldn't be.

Of course, we should teach history with warts and all. But we should be proud of what Britain has done to defend freedom and develop these institutions – parliamentary democracy, a free press, the rule of law – that are so essential for people all over the world.

As President Obama put it when he addressed MPs and peers in Parliament: ‘What began on this island would inspire millions throughout the continent of Europe and across the world.'

But there are two other reasons why we should promote these values. The first is economic. I strongly believe our values form the foundation of our prosperity.

The Western model of combining vibrant democracy with free enterprise has delivered great progress and prosperity, but it faces a challenge from more authoritarian models of economic development, like in Russia.

Now is the time to demonstrate confidence.

The simple yet profound facts that, in our system, governments can be defeated in a court of law, politicians can be voted out of power, and newspapers can publish what they choose: these things aren't weaknesses, they are fundamental strengths.

Put another way, promoting our values is a key way to economic success – and that's why we will stick to our long-term economic plan of cutting the deficit, cutting taxes and backing businesses and families to get on in life.

The second is social. Our values have a vital role to play in uniting us.

They should help to ensure Britain not only brings together people from different countries, cultures and ethnicities, but also ensures that, together, we build a common home.

In recent years we have been in danger of sending out a worrying message: that if you don't want to believe in democracy, that's fine; that if equality isn't your bag, don't worry about it; that if you're completely intolerant of others, we will still tolerate you.

As I've said before, this has not just led to division, it has also allowed extremism – of both the violent and non-violent kind – to flourish.

So I believe we need to be far more muscular in promoting British values and the institutions that uphold them.

That's what a genuinely liberal country does: it believes in certain values and actively promotes them. It says to its citizens: this is what defines us as a society.

What does that mean in practice? We have already taken some big steps. We are making sure new immigrants can speak English, because it will be more difficult for them to understand these values, and the history of our institutions, if they can't speak our language.

We are bringing proper narrative history back to the curriculum, so our children really learn our island's story – and where our freedoms and things like our Parliament and constitutional monarchy came from.

And as we announced this week, we are changing our approach further in schools. We are saying it isn't enough simply to respect these values in schools – we're saying that teachers should actively promote them. They're not optional; they're the core of what it is to live in Britain.

Finally, we need to make the most of the things that bring us together as a diverse, unified nation. We've had a real run of events in recent years that have exemplified our national pride – the Diamond Jubilee, the Olympic and Paralympic Games; and this year the commemorations of the First World War and D-Day.

Events like these remind us just how much Britain has to be proud of. Next year it will be the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta. Indeed, it was on this very day, 799 years ago, that the Great Charter was sealed at Runnymede in Surrey.

It's a great document in our history – what my favourite book, Our Island Story (a history book written to the children), describes as the ‘foundation of all our laws and liberties'.

In sealing it, King John had to accept that his subjects were citizens – for the first time giving them rights, protections and security.

The remaining copies of that charter may have faded, but its principles shine as brightly as ever, and they paved the way for the democracy, the equality, the respect and the laws that make Britain.

So I want to use this upcoming 800th anniversary as an opportunity for every child to learn about the Magna Carta, for towns to commemorate it, for events to celebrate it.

I'm even holding my own ‘one year to go' reception at Downing Street tomorrow.

Britain has a lot to be proud of, and our values and institutions are right at the top of that list.

It's not just important to promote, understand and celebrate these things for their own sake; it is absolutely vital to our future.

And that is why I'm absolutely committed to doing so.

請根據(jù)你所讀到的文章內(nèi)容，完成以下自測題目：

1.What is something unique about Britain, according to the PM?

A.Values of the rule of law.

B.Tradition and history.

C.Democratic institutions.

D.Free press.

答案(1)

2.There are several reasons that the government should promote british values, not including which one?

A.It is a matter of pride and patriotism.

B.They are the foundation of economic prosperity.

C.They are vital in uniting the nation.

D.It is essential in the war against terrorism.

答案(2)

3.When was the Magna Carta signed?(You are encouraged to look back into the article.)

A.year 1214

B.year 1215

C.year 1216

答案(3)

4.What does Cameron say about the Magna Carta?

A.It put an end to Britain's monarchy.

B.It opened Britain's era of democracy.

C.Cameron can recite it in full.

D.It laid the foundation of British values.

答案(4)

* * *

(1)答案：B.Tradition and history.

解釋：第六段強(qiáng)調(diào)：But what sets Britain apart are the traditions and history that…而ACD則并非英國獨(dú)有。

(2)答案：D.It is essential in the war against terrorism.

解釋：D正確。D并未提到。

(3)答案：B.year 1215

解釋：明年是整800年，也就是2015-800=1215

(4)答案：D.It laid the foundation of British values.

解釋：ABC文中都未提到。事實(shí)上那時(shí)候還沒有“不列顛”，只有“英格蘭王國”。