A group of labour MPs, among them Yvette Cooper, are bringing in the new year with a call to institute a UK "town of culture" award. The proposal is that it should sit alongside the existing city of culture title, which was held by Hull in 2017 and has been awarded to Coventry for Zozl. Cooper and her colleagues argue that the success of the crown for Hull, where it brought in 220m of investment and an avalanche of arts, out not to be confined to cities.Britain' town, it is true are not prevented from applying, but they generally lack the resources to put together a bit to beat their bigger competitions. A town of culture award could, it is argued, become an annual event, attracting funding and creating jobs.
Some might see the proposal as a boo by prize for the fact that Britain is no longer be able to apply for the much more prestigious title of European capital of culture, a sought-after award bagged by Glasgow in 1990 and Livorpool in 2008. "A cynic might speculate that the UK is on the verge of disappearing into an endless fever of self-celebration in its desperation to reinvent itself for the post-Brexit world: after town of culture, who knows that will follow-village of culture? Suburb of culture? Hamlet of culture?
It is also wise to recall that such titles are not a cure-all. A badly run "year of culture"washes in and out of a place like the tide, bringing prominence for a spell but leaving no lasting benefits to the community. The really successful holders of such titles are those that do a great deal more than fill hotel bedrooms and bring in high-profile arts events and good press for a year. They transform the aspirations of the people who live there; they nudge the self-image of the city into a bolder and more optimistic light.
It is hard to get right, and requires a remarkable degree of vision, as well as cooperation between city authorities, the private sector, community groups and cultural organisations. But it can be done: Glasgow's year as European capital of culture can certainly be seen as one of complex series of factors that have turned the city into the power of art, music and theatre that it remains today.
A "town of culture" could be not just about the arts but about honouring a town's peculiarities-helping sustain its high street, supporting local facilities and above all celebrating its people and turn it into action.
21.Copper and her colleague argue that a "town of culture" award would ___.
A. consolidate the town city ties in Britain
B. promote cooperation among Brain's towns
C. increase the economic strength of Brain's towns
D. focus Britain's limited resources on cultural events.
22.According to paragraph 2, the proposal might be regarded by some as ______.
A.a sensible compromise
B.a self-deceiving attempt
C.an eye-catching bonus
D.an inaccessible target
23. The author suggests that a title holder is successful only if it ______.
A. endeavor to maintain its image
B. meets the aspiration of its people
C. brings its local arts to prominence
D. commits to its long-term growth
24. “Glasgow” is mentioned in Paragraph 3 to present ______.
A. a contrasting case
B. a supporting example
C. a background story
D. a related topic
25. What is the author's attitude towards the proposal?
A. Skeptical
B. Objective
C. Favorable
D. Critical
答案：CBDAC
译文：
一群工党议员，其中包括Yvette Cooper，在新的一年里呼吁设立英国“文化之城”奖。提案是它应该与现有的文化城市称号并列，该称号由Hull在 2017 年获得，并已为了Zozl授予Coventry。Cooper和她的同事认为，Hull的桂冠取得了成功，它带来了 2.2 亿美元的投资和大量的艺术，而不仅仅局限于城市。英国的小镇，确实没有阻止申请，但他们通常缺乏资源来组合以击败他们更大的比赛。有人认为，文化之城奖可以成为年度活动，吸引资金并创造就业机会。
一些人可能认为该提议是一种奖品，因为英国不再能够申请更负盛名的欧洲文化之都的称号，这是 Glasgow在 1990 年和Livorpool在 2008 年获得的抢手奖项。”一个愤世嫉俗的人可能会推测，英国正处于绝望的自我庆祝热潮中，因为它不顾一切地为英国退欧后的世界重塑自我：在文化之城之后，谁知道文化之村会随之而来？郊区文化的？文化的哈姆雷特？
记住这些标题并不是万灵药也是明智的。一个运行不善的“文化年”像潮水一样冲进冲出一个地方，带来了一个咒语的显赫，但没有给社区留下持久的好处。这些头衔的真正成功持有者是那些做了很多事情的人，而不仅仅是填满酒店卧室，并在一年内带来了备受瞩目的艺术活动和好媒体。它们改变了居住在那里的人们的愿望；他们将这座城市的自我形象推向了更大胆、更乐观的光芒。
很难做到正确，需要非凡的远见，以及城市当局、私营部门、社区团体和文化组织之间的合作。但这是可以做到的：Glasgow作为欧洲文化之都的这一年当然可以被视为一系列复杂的因素之一，这些因素使这座城市成为今天仍然存在的艺术、音乐和戏剧的力量。
“文化之城”不仅关乎艺术，还关乎尊重一个小镇的特色——帮助维持其大街、支持当地设施，最重要的是庆祝其人民并将其转化为行动。
21.Copper 和她的同事认为“文化之城”奖会___。
A. 巩固英国的城镇联系
B. 促进布赖恩小镇之间的合作
C. 增加布赖恩镇的经济实力
D. 将 Britain有限的资源集中在文化活动上。
22.根据第 2 段，该提案可能会被某些人视为______。
A.明智的妥协
B.自欺欺人的尝试
C.引人注目的奖金
D.不可接近的目标
23. 作者建议，一个头衔持有者只有在______的情况下才能成功。
A.努力维护自己的形象
B. 满足人民的愿望
C. 突出当地艺术
D. 致力于长期增长
24. 在第 3 段中提到“Glasgow”以表示______。
A. 对比案例
B. 一个支持的例子
C. 背景故事
D. 相关话题
25. 作者对提案的态度是什么？
A. 持怀疑态度
B. 目标
C. 有利
D. 关键
