問題詳情：
Should we stay or should we go? This is a question that Scottish people have been facing recently, as they decide whether or not to stay in the UK.
Scotland has been part of the United Kingdom for more than 300 years. However, many Scottish people want to leave the UK and Scotland to be an independent country, which will be decided in the referendum on Sept 18.
Opinion polls as of August 28 put the percentage of votes for “yes” to independence on 42 percent and “no” on 48 percent, with 11 percent still undecided, according to . Although the Better Together campaign has talked about Scotland and UK’s shared history, saying, “We are proud that we fought together to defeat fascism, and worked together to build a welfare state,” many Scottish people would still like to leave.
The idea of a separate Scotland has been talked about for a long time. Scotland was originally independent, and fought several wars against England from the 13th to 16th centuries. In 1707, Scotland joined the United Kingdom to save itself from economic troubles by signing the Acts of Union with England.
However, the question of Scotland’s separation from the UK has been around since then. In 1998 the Scotland Act gave Scotland its own Parliament. This meant Scottish people could vote on issues such as education, transportation, health care, culture and environmental protection in Scotland alone. The next step could be a completely independent Scotland as its own country.
Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond said in an interview with The Economist that if people voted “yes” in the referendum, England would lose a “surly lodger”(傲慢的房客) and gain a “good neighbor”. And to many Scottish people, Scotland has a completely separate identity, especially from English. You can perhaps see this most clearly at the soccer World Cup, when Scotland fans usually support any team that England plays against.
There are also economic reasons why Scotland would like to be independent. Alex Salmond has often spoken of Scotland’s oil reserves and how the country would be able to support itself using them if they were separate from the rest of the UK. He once said that the oil reserves could help save”300,000 pounds” for every man, woman and child in Scotland”, though others said this figure was untrue.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron doesn’t agree with those who want an independent Scotland, however. He said in a speech that “centuries of history hang in the balance” and “we must do whatever it takes” to stop Scotland leaving the UK. He added simply:” We want you to stay.”
74. It seems that whether Scotland should be independent is resolved by ___________.
A. UK Prime Minister David Cameron B. what Scotland thinks organization
C. the result of opinion polls D. Scottish people themselves
75. Many Scottish people would like to leave the UK ___________.
A. as they don’t accept the idea that they would be a “good neighbor”
B. though they admit they once fought together for the country
C. although the Better Together campaign calls on people to vote “no”
D. because in history Scotland defeated England in several wars
76. Which of the following statements is not true according to the passage?
A. Scotland fans used to support England team at the soccer World Cup but not now.
B. Scotland joined the UK for economic reasons about hundreds of years ago.
C. What Alex Salmond once said about the oil reserves was unlikely to be the fact.
D. Prime Minister David Cameron would like to stop Scotland leaving the UK.
77. In the article, the author suggests that __________.
A. losing a “surly lodger” is much better than “gaining a good neighbor”
B. the percentage of votes for “yes” or “no” to independence doesn’t matter
C. fighting together for the benefit of the state is the most important of all
D. there has been a rooted idea of separation ever since Scotland joined the UK
【回答】
DBAD
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