2006年VOA标准英语-Separatist Movements May Be Fading in Euro

By Lisa Bryant
San Sebastian, Spain
12 May 2006

With the recent declaration of a permanent cease-fire by the Basque terrorist group ETA, many believe Europe's regional independence struggles are dying out. But regional aspirations¹ remain strong. Local languages, foods and music are flowering across the 25-member bloc². Regions are collaborating³ in development plans, and flexing⁴ new lobbying clout⁵ at the European Union, in Brussels.

-------------------------------------------------------

Graffiti supporting ETA is seen on the front wall of Salvador Ulayar's home, who was killed by ETA in 1979. The house was covered with white hand prints to protest against separatist group  
  

Board the Eusko Tren in San Sebastian and you may be peeking⁶ at Europe's future. The commuter⁷ train whisks pasts fields of cows and flowering fruit trees. It pauses in stations whose names are posted in both Castilian and in the ancient Basque language of Euskera.

The journey ends an hour later in the sleepy French border town of Hendaye - the first phase of grand ambitions to build a 45-kilometer rail system across the Basque region linking Bayonne in France to San Sebastian, Spain.

Dreams of connecting French and Spanish Basque territories have been around for centuries. They form the bedrock of a bloody⁸, 38-year struggle for an independent nation by the Basque group known as ETA, which the State Department lists as a terrorist organization.

In March, ETA declared a permanent cease-fire. And some Basques, like Gorka Landaburu, believes this truce⁹ underscores a new reality: that language, culture and infrastructure¹⁰ are shaping the Basque identity, not bombs and bullets.

A prominent Basque journalist based in San Sebastian, Landaburu says he believes separatist ideas - like those of ETA - are disappearing in Spain's Basque region, and across Europe. But he says that does not mean Basques are going to renounce¹¹ their culture and way of life, they are simply going to integrate more into Europe.

The ETA is not the only terrorist group fading from the European landscape. The Irish Republican Army has renounced¹² violence, home-grown terrorists groups in Italy, Britain and Germany are all but snuffed out, and those in Corsica are marginalized and fractured by infighting.

Some regional politicians, like Desmond Clifford, argue independence struggles make little sense today in Europe. Clifford heads the government office for Wales at the European Union, in Brussels.

"One of the questions people raise is what can independence in this day and age mean any more? Even national governments in many senses do not entirely¹³ control their own destiny," said Clifford. "Because we are members of the European Union. Because we are members of NATO - which takes care of important areas of decision making for strategic defense¹⁴. We are part of the World Trade Organization. Increasingly, the United Nations and international courts are becoming important."

Today, the arguable catchword for many euro-regions is advertising¹⁵, not autonomy.

Bavaria brands itself as Germany's laptops and lederhosen state - to promote both its industrial might and its cultural traditions. France's Champagne¹⁶ region has exclusive rights to the bubbly - its rivals must call their beverages¹⁷ sparkling wine.

Other regions are also lobbying the European Union for special label protection for products ranging from Chablis wine from France, Stilton cheese from England and Kalamata olives from Greece.
 

Demonstrators raise their arms during nationalism demonstration¹⁸ in Pamplona, Spain, Saturday, March 25, 2006  
  
Regions are not just competing against each other. Wales, for example, shares ideas on ways to preserve traditional languages with Catalonia in Spain, and Brittany in France. Spanish and French Basque regions are establishing joint¹⁹ business ventures, including in foreign markets.

Martin Jones has been observing recent trends, as a Brussels-based expert on regional development for a private consultancy firm.

"If you look at regions like Northern Ireland and the Basque country - they had a history of violence in the past," he said. "The focus is changing because people have had enough of that. They are looking at different ways to assert their identity through peaceful means - and things like language, food, culture - they are all a big part of that."

Europe's regional renaissance²⁰ is perhaps best manifested through its languages. Not so long ago, many local dialects appeared to be heading for the linguistic²¹ dust bin²². No longer.

The Basque language, Euskera, was once repressed under Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. Now, it is an official language in Spain's Basque country, and a mandatory²³ subject in public schools. There is a Euskera-only TV station and a Euskera language newspaper.

Eneko Goya, a lawmaker for the ruling regional Basque Nationalist Party, says Basques understand the importance of preserving their language. We Basques are the only ones in the world who speak the Euskera, Goya says. People realize if they lose the language, it will disappear altogether.

The Riviera principality of Monaco also teaches its local language - Monegasque - in public schools, and literature in the language is flourishing. Catalan is an official language in Spain's prosperous Catalonia province. Irish becomes an official EU language next year.

And for the first time in decades, says Clifford of the Welsh office, the number of Welsh speakers in Wales is rising, thanks to aggressive education and promotion²⁴ efforts.

"There is a consensus²⁵ that the development of the Welsh language is important to the prosperity of Wales as a whole - not just those who speak the Welsh language," he said. "Not least because it marks us out in a global world."

Other regional languages have been less successful.

Knowledge is declining of Gaelic in Scotland, and of a number of French dialects.

1 aspirations   

强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音

参考例句：

• I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。

2 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

3 collaborating   

合作( collaborate的现在分词 )； 勾结叛国

参考例句：

• Joe is collaborating on the work with a friend. 乔正与一位朋友合作做那件工作。
• He was not only learning from but also collaborating with Joseph Thomson. 他不仅是在跟约瑟福？汤姆逊学习，而且也是在和他合作。

4 flexing   

n.挠曲，可挠性v.屈曲( flex的现在分词 )；弯曲；（为准备大干而）显示实力；摩拳擦掌

参考例句：

• Flexing particular muscles allows snakes to move in several ways. 可弯曲的特殊的肌肉使蛇可以用几种方式移动。 来自电影对白
• China has become an economic superpower and is flexing its muscles. 中国已经成为了一个经济巨人而且在展示他的肌肉。 来自互联网

5 clout   

n.用手猛击；权力，影响力

参考例句：

• The queen may have privilege but she has no real political clout.女王有特权，但无真正的政治影响力。
• He gave the little boy a clout on the head.他在那小男孩的头部打了一下。

6 peeking   

v.很快地看( peek的现在分词 )；偷看；窥视；微露出

参考例句：

• I couldn't resist peeking in the drawer. 我不由得偷看了一下抽屉里面。
• They caught him peeking in through the keyhole. 他们发现他从钥匙孔里向里窥视。 来自辞典例句

7 commuter   

n.(尤指市郊之间)乘公交车辆上下班者

参考例句：

• Police cordoned off the road and diverted commuter traffic. 警察封锁了道路并分流交通。
• She accidentally stepped on his foot on a crowded commuter train. 她在拥挤的通勤列车上不小心踩到了他的脚。

8 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

9 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

10 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

11 renounce   

v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系

参考例句：

• She decided to renounce the world and enter a convent.她决定弃绝尘世去当修女。
• It was painful for him to renounce his son.宣布与儿子脱离关系对他来说是很痛苦的。

12 renounced   

v.声明放弃( renounce的过去式和过去分词 )；宣布放弃；宣布与…决裂；宣布摒弃

参考例句：

• We have renounced the use of force to settle our disputes. 我们已再次宣布放弃使用武力来解决争端。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Andrew renounced his claim to the property. 安德鲁放弃了财产的所有权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

14 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

15 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

16 champagne   

n.香槟酒；微黄色

参考例句：

• There were two glasses of champagne on the tray.托盘里有两杯香槟酒。
• They sat there swilling champagne.他们坐在那里大喝香槟酒。

17 beverages   

n.饮料( beverage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• laws governing the sale of alcoholic beverages 控制酒类销售的法规
• regulations governing the sale of alcoholic beverages 含酒精饮料的销售管理条例

18 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

19 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

20 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

21 linguistic   

adj.语言的，语言学的

参考例句：

• She is pursuing her linguistic researches.她在从事语言学的研究。
• The ability to write is a supreme test of linguistic competence.写作能力是对语言能力的最高形式的测试。

22 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

23 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

24 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

25 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？