英语六级考试阅读理解练习及答案（33）

　　Britain is not just one country and one people; even if some of its inhabitants think so. Britain is, in fact, a nation which can be divided into several __1__ parts, each part being an individual country with its own language, character and cultural __2__. Thus Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales do not claim to __3__ to England because their inhabitants are not __4__ English. They are Scottish, Irish or Welsh and many of them prefer to speak their own native tongue, which in turn is __5__ to the others.

　　These cultural minorities have been Britains original inhabitants. In varying degrees they have managed to __6__ their national characteristics, and their particular customs and way of life. This is probably even more ture of the __7__ areas where traditional ife has not been so affected by the __8__ of industrialism as the border areas have been. The Celtic races are said to be more emotional by nature than the English. An Irish temper is legendary. The Scots could rather __9__ about their reputation for excessive thrift and prefer to be remembered for their folk songs and dances, while the Welsh are famous for their singing. The Celtic __10__ as a whole produces humorous writers and artists, such as the Irish Bernard Shaw, the Scottish Robert Burns, and the Welsh Dylan Thomas, to mention but a few.

　　[A]incomprehensible [B]temper [C]remote [D]separate

　　[E]understandable [F]forget [G]generally [H]temperament

　　[I]preserve [J]strictly [K]traditional [L]reserve

　　[M]growth [N]apply [O]belong