语言和传统是民族认同的核心

Report: Language, Traditions Central to National Identity

慢速 | 四级 高考 | 864词 | 9min32s

刘立军供稿

Part I. QUESTIONS

Listen to the news and choose the best answer to each question you hear.

Q1. Based on the text, which of the following statements best reflects the views of those who participated in the Pew Research Center’s study?

A. National identity is predominantly shaped by one’s language and traditions.

B. Birthplace and religion have a negligible impact on national identity.

C. National identity is a uniform concept across different cultures and societies.

D.The importance of language and traditions to national identity is contested and varies by country.

Q2. According to the text, which specific aspect of national identity do respondents from Mexico and Indonesia agree is central to being considered a true national, with a 91 percent consensus?

A. Language proficiency.

B. Shared customs and traditions.

C. Birthplace significance.

D. Adherence to the main religion.

Q3. What does Janzen’s perspective on being Canadian imply about the national identity of Canada?

A. It is primarily defined by speaking one of the official languages.

B. It is inclusive and not strictly tied to any single criterion.

C. It is strongly associated with being born within the country’s borders.

D. It is mainly reflected through participation in the country’s customs and traditions.

Q4. What is the implication of the Pew Research Center’s study findings on national identity for countries with a higher proportion of immigrants?

A. They tend to prioritize language proficiency over birthplace for national identity.

B. They are less likely to consider shared customs and traditions as important.

C. They view religion as the most critical aspect of national identity.

D. They believe that being born in the country is less important for national identity.

Q5. How does the text suggest that the concept of national identity varies among individuals and countries?

A. By showing that language and traditions are universally accepted as the core of national identity.

B. By highlighting the uniform importance of birthplace and religion across all surveyed countries.

C. By demonstrating the diverse opinions on the importance of language, birthplace, and religion.

D. By indicating that shared customs and traditions are consistently valued over other aspects.

Part II. TRANSCRIPT

Report: Language, Traditions Central to National Identity

Luciana de Oliveira considers herself transnational. That means she is more than one nationality. de Oliveira grew up in Brazil, but she moved to the United States for her studies. She became a U.S. citizen in 2017.

transnational adj. 跨国的；多国的

de Oliveira has some strong feelings about national identity. She believes speaking a country’s majority language is a very important part of one’s national identity. de Oliveira speaks both Portuguese and English.

A new study found that most people around the world share those feelings about language and national identity.

The Pew Research Center carried out the study and released the results last month. Pew’s study centered on people’s ideas about national identity. It included answers from people in more than 20 countries.

(Q1) Pew researchers asked study participants about four aspects, or parts, of national identity: language, traditions, birthplace and religion. They found that language is by far the most valued aspect of national identity.

In fact, a median of 91 percent of people across 21 countries said that speaking a country’s most common language is “important for being considered a true national.”

Traditions and customs are also key to national identity, the study found. Beliefs about the other two aspects – birthplace and religion – were more divided.

VOA Learning English spoke with several people who live in countries that were included in the study. Among them is Jorge Catalan. He has lived in Mexico most of his life. The Pew study found that 93 percent of respondents from Mexico said that speaking the country’s main language – Spanish – is important to national identity.

Catalan said he agrees that speaking Spanish is very important. But he added that it is regrettable.

He said, “Mexico is a place where we have around 68 spoken languages besides Spanish.” He noted that the government has pushed Spanish as the main language throughout history and has turned it into a “must-have tool.”

Agatha Janzen was born and raised in Canada. Pew researchers found that more than 80 percent of Canadians say that speaking the country’s language is important to national identity. In Canada, both French and English are official languages.

Janzen said that “speaking one of the official languages is important to being Canadian for practical reasons.”

(Q1) Traditions and customs are also a central aspect of national identity, the study found. Results showed 81 percent of people believe sharing their country’s customs and traditions is somewhat or very important to national identity.

The Pew study found that 67 percent of Brazilians consider practicing customs and traditions an important part of national identity. That is the fourth lowest percentage of all the countries included in the study.

But customs and traditions are important to de Oliveira. To feel closer to her Brazilian identity, she said she wears jewelry and shoes from Brazil and follows and supports Brazilian soccer.

Mexico is tied with the highest percentage of respondents who answered that customs and traditions are an important aspect of national identity. But for Catalan, they are not so important. He noted that Mexican traditions have changed over time. He added that he does not take part in many Mexican traditions, “but I still feel proudly Mexican.”

Beliefs about the two other aspects of national identity – birthplace and religion – were more mixed. A median of 58 percent of respondents from 23 countries said that being born in a country is important to national identity. An even lower number of respondents – 42 percent – said that being a member of the country’s main religion is important to national identity.

(Q2) Respondents from Mexico and Indonesia had the strongest feelings about the importance of birthplace as central to national identity, at 91 percent.

Calatan, who was born and lived most of his life in Mexico, agrees somewhat. “If you are born outside of Mexico and never lived in it, it would be difficult to get a real sense of what being Mexican means.”

(Q3) But Janzen, the Canadian, said, “Being born in Canada has nothing to do with being Canadian.” For her, Canada is a melting pot and offers refuge to those who need it.

refuge n. 庇护；避难

These ideas match the results of the study. Countries where immigrants make up a smaller share of the population tend to see birthplace as a more important aspect of national identity. (Q4) Countries with a greater share of immigrants are more willing to accept those born outside of the country as true nationals.

Less than half of people in most of the countries in the study do not feel religion is important to national identity. All of those who spoke with Learning English said they agreed that religion is not an important part of national identity.

Christine Huang is a research associate at the Pew Research Center. She is one of the writers of the study. She told Learning English, “This question of belonging in a country is related to other work we have done to measure how connected people feel to each other.”

Huang added, “When looking at how people relate to others in their community, in their country, and all over the world, people most frequently report feeling close to others in their country.”|

Part III. KEY

Q1. A. 主旨题。文本中提到：“Pew researchers asked study participants about four aspects, or parts, of national identity: language, traditions, birthplace and religion. They found that language is by far the most valued aspect of national identity.” 以及“Traditions and customs are also a central aspect of national identity, the study found.”这表明研究参与者普遍认为语言和传统是民族身份最重要的部分，所以民族身份主要由一个人的语言和传统塑造。因此答案为A。

Q2. C. 细节题。文本中提到：“Respondents from Mexico and Indonesia had the strongest feelings about the importance of birthplace as central to national identity, at 91 percent.” 这表明墨西哥和印度尼西亚的受访者中有91%的人认为出生地对于民族身份认同至关重要。因此答案为C。

Q3. B. 推理题。Janzen表示：“Being born in Canada has nothing to do with being Canadian. For her, Canada is a melting pot and offers refuge to those who need it.” 这表明 Janzen 认为出生在加拿大与成为加拿大人无关，加拿大是一个大熔炉，为需要的人提供庇护，这意味着加拿大的民族身份认同是包容性的，不严格依赖于任何单一标准，如出生地或语言。因此答案为B。

Q4. D. 推理题。文本中提到：“Countries with a greater share of immigrants are more willing to accept those born outside of the country as true nationals.” 这意味着拥有更多移民的国家更愿意接受在外国出生的人作为真正的国民，可推测出他们认为出生地对于国家身份认同不那么重要。因此答案为D。

Q5. C. 主旨题。文本通过展示不同国家和个体对于语言、出生地和宗教在民族身份中重要性的不同看法，表明民族身份的概念在不同人群和国家之间存在差异。特别是对于出生地和宗教的看法更为混合，这表明民族身份的构成因素在不同文化和个体中有着不同的解读。因此答案为C。

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