雅思阅读之分析文章脉络
雅思阅读之分析文章脉络
从对以上的问题分析中，我总结了大致有以下的一些问题：
快速阅读不过关;
缺少全局观的概念;
没有抓住重点关联词;
死套技巧;
对雅思文章脉络把握不清。
第一个问题的产生主要是因为同学们平时英语的阅读量太少，有些同学还基本上停留在高中或大学的课本精读的水平。对于这个问
题的解决和能力的提高，我在之前的博客文章里已经很清楚的说明了，这里不再赘诉。
第二和第三个问题其实是一个问题，集中体现了同学们在做题时只注意细节而忽视了整体把握，特别是一些关联词和顺序词比如but,inpreviousyears,nowadays,then,although,despite,ratherth an,insteadof,inthefuture,等的理解。
对于死套技巧，雅思现在的阅读考试基本上很难再通过第一句话直接就能反应整段的段落大意，一般都要求读者把段落大体都看完，因此，只看第一句，第二句和最后一句就匆忙选择的同学来讲做题
还是存在很大的风险。如果想尽量减少阅读量并在判断上能够不出
现偏差，我建议大家多做总结，特别是典型文章的总结。
雅思阅读考试的文章脉络不外乎有以下几种类型：
社会类
人文类
科技类
环境类
历史类
健康类
建筑类
什么叫文章脉络?文章脉络就是一篇文章的写作思路和线索，就像一片叶子的茎络一样，通过它把全文贯穿起来。
在这些文章类别中尤其以前四种为主要的文章类型。
举个例子，剑桥雅思四71页有一篇典型的科普类文章，讲的是火山喷发。
它的文章脉络是自然现象——介绍主题——形成原因——不同结果——预测影响
从这条脉络中可以发现科普类文章一定会有介绍，原因，结果，影响等因素和环节。那么，一旦在考试中碰到相类似的文章时，它的段落大意就可以大致猜得，不会有太大的偏差。
再举一例，剑桥雅思五有一篇文章讲的是消失的三角洲，它的脉络是：提出现象(问题)——分析原因——证明(举例1)——举例2——造成结果——解决待定
同样是科普类文章，它的文章脉络和上一篇几乎一模一样也包含了现象，原因，结果等因素和环节。
因此，掌握了这类文章的典型脉络就不难做段落大意的题目，也就最终攻克了这类难度较大的主旨题。
雅思阅读五大题型逐个说明
雅思阅读的题型大致可以分为五种：
1.ListofHeadings标题对应题
标题对应题在文章前面给出的段落标题一般是10个选项，要求对题目中给出的段落，根据其内容找出与其相匹配的段落标题。尽管题目说明中提示一个选项可能会适用多个但中国考区考试中一般一个选项只能用于一个段落。考生应首先排除做为范例的选项，以免干扰考试者对其他选项的选择。同时也应该在文章中把做为范例的段落划掉，以免对范例段落进行不必要的精读。
2.TURE/FALSE/NOTGIVEN是非判断题
是非判断题是雅思阅读考试当中难度较大的一种题型,在每次考试中出题的数量大概在7至16道题左右。出题方式是给出若干陈述信息点,让考生根据文章内容判断。如果题目内容与原文内容一致,则选TRUE;如果题目内容与文章内容相抵触,则选FALSE;如果题目内容在原文中并没有提到,则选NOTGIVEN。在解答是非判断题时，考生应该注意到以下几点：
第一，这种题型绝对不能够只凭自己的感觉来做题，而一定要回到文章中寻找对应信息。目前中国考区没有出现需要通读全文才能加以判断的是非判断题，也就是说考生一定可以在文章中找到一个信息点与文章后的某道题目相对应。另外诸如比喻型题目，虚拟语气题目，复杂时态型题目等题型在中国考区也已经销声匿迹多年，故考生大可不必担心。
第二，在解答是非判断题时，一定不要根据自己的常识或背景知识加以判断，应将思路严格限制在文章所给范围内。比如：讲国际互联网的题目，其中说上网的人要多缴电话费。对于大多数中国考生来说，这是个不争的事实，所以很多人选了TRUE，而正确答案应该是NOTGIVEN，因为在全文任何一个地方都没有提级上网和电话费之间的关系。
第三，过去是非判断题的难点在于出题跳跃性强，考生很难判断题目中的描述到底对应的是文章的哪一部分。但自最近一段时间，是非判断题基本是按照信息点在文章中重现的顺序来出题的，掌握这一点，考生就能很快为信息定位，从而节省答题时间。
第四，在解答是非判断题时，对原文出现的副词以及题目中出现的副词要特别加以注意。副词在程度高低、范围大小、局部整体、
经常偶尔等方面往往是解题的关键。
3.MultipleChoices选择题
4.Matching信息配对题
这种题型是雅思学术类阅读考试中比较普遍的题型，也是相对而言较为耗费时间和精力的一种题型。配对题主要包含下列几种形式：文章中的重要概念和对这个概念的阐释配对;学者及其主要观点相配;错误观点和反驳错误观点的论据相配;事件和事件的发展过程相配;
原因和结果相配;某种标志性事物和其所在的时代相配;新产品和发
明家、发明时间等相配。
2015年1月29日雅思考试回忆及考情分析 第一篇阅读Bovids，剑桥雅思第一篇阅读 之前我们启扬留学中心和大家分享过这篇文章，以及详细解释了这篇考题所有的题目，认真关注我们公众平台的同学们今天这篇文章应该全对了吧。 答案如下 1.D 2.D 3.C 4.C 5.B 6.D 7.A 8.B 9.royal antelope 10.the auroch 11.long, splayed hooves 12.arid deserts 13.pronghorn 原文如下
题目如下
解析如下 注释：解析中的“ = ”表示同意替换 难度系数从一星（★）至五星（★★★★★）
★一星最容易 ★★★★★五星最困难 1.四选一 难度系数★★ 题干定位词the biggest range; bovids to be found 定位到第二段第一句 bovids to be found = 原文 bovids are well represented 地点是在most parts of Eurasia and Southeast Asian islands 看到这里，答案选择B. Eurasia 和 D. South-east Asia两个当中选 第三行 but they are by far the most numerous and diverse in the latter the most numerous and diverse = the biggest range the latter 就是指代并列的后者，也就是 Southeast Asian islands Southeast Asian islands = D. South-east Asia 答案选D 2.四选一 难度系数★★★★ 题干定位词preference，也可以利用选项去定位，四个选项的共同部分是地点 定位到原文第二段第十一行 preference = favour原文第二段第十一行
雅思阅读模拟试题及答案解析（4）
Selling Digital Music without Copy-protection Makes Sense A. It was uncharacteristically low-key for the industry’s greatest showman. But the essay published this week by Steve Jobs， the boss of Apple，on his firm’s website under the unassuming title “Thoughts on Music” has nonetheless provoked a vigorous debate about the future of digital music，which Apple dominates with its iPod music-player and iTunes music-store. At issue is “digital rights management” (DRM)—the technology guarding downloaded music against theft. Since there is no common standard for DRM， it also has the side-effect that songs purchased for one type of music-player may not work on another. Apple’s DRM system， called FairPlay， is the most widespread. So it came as a surprise when Mr. Jobs called for DRM for digital music to be abolished. B. This is a change of tack for Apple. It has come under fire from European regulators who claim that its refusal to license FairPlay to other firms has “locked in” customers. Since music from the iTunes store cannot be played on non-iPod music-players (at least not without a lot of fiddling)， any iTunes buyer will be deterred from switching to a device made by a rival firm， such as Sony or Microsoft. When French lawmakers drafted a bill last year compelling Apple to open up FairPlay to rivals， the company warned of “state-sponsored piracy”. Only DRM， it implied， could keep the pirates at bay. C. This week Mr. Jobs gave another explanation for his former defence of DRM： the record companies made him do it. They would make their music available to the iTunes store only if Apple agreed to protect it using DRM. They can still withdraw their catalogues if the DRM system is compromised. Apple cannot license FairPlay to others， says Mr Jobs， because it would depend on them to produce security fixes promptly. All DRM does is restrict consumer choice and provide a barrier to entry， says Mr Jobs； without it there would be far more stores and players， and far more innovation. So， he suggests， why not do away with DRM and sell music unprotected？“This is
雅思阅读模拟试题及答案解析（2）
Next Year Marks the EU's 50th Anniversary of the Treaty A. After a period of introversion and stunned self-disbelief，continental European governments will recover their enthusiasm for pan-European institution-building in . Whether the European public will welcome a return to what voters in two countries had rejected so short a time before is another matter. B. There are several reasons for Europe’s recovering self-confidence. For years European economies had been lagging dismally behind America (to say nothing of Asia)， but in the large continental economies had one of their best years for a decade， briefly outstripping America in terms of growth. Since politics often reacts to economic change with a lag，’s improvement in economic growth will have its impact in ， though the recovery may be ebbing by then. C. The coming year also marks a particular point in a political cycle so regular that it almost seems to amount to a natural law. Every four or five years， European countries take a large stride towards further integration by signing a new treaty： the Maastricht treaty in 1992， the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997， the Treaty of Nice in . And in they were supposed to ratify a European constitution， laying the ground for yet more integration—until the calm rhythm was rudely shattered by French and Dutch voters. But the political impetus to sign something every four or five years has only been interrupted，not immobilised， by this setback. D. In the European Union marks the 50th anniversary of another treaty—the Treaty of Rome， its founding charter. Government leaders have already agreed to celebrate it ceremoniously， restating their commitment to “ever closer union” and the basic ideals of European unity. By itself， and in normal circumstances， the EU’s 50th-birthday greeting to itself would be fairly meaningless， a routine expression of European good fellowship. But it does not take a Machiavelli to spot that once governments have signed the declaration (and it seems unlikely anyone would be so uncollegiate as to veto
剑桥雅思口语真题解析 Part 1: 1.1姓名 1. What’s your full name? 2. Can I have your name, please? 3. Are there any special meanings of your name? 4. Do you like your name? Why? 5. Do Chinese people like changing their names? 6. What kind of people in China like changing their names? 7. Is there any rule for Chinese people giving names to their children? 1.2故乡 My hometown is Guangzhou. It is the capital of Guangdong province in the southwest of China. It is a large industrial city. It is close to Hong Kong so a lot of the industries involve trade and retail. It is also a finance area. The people in Guangzhou are very genial and helpful, also are very easy to get around. If you lose your way and ask someone, he will give you the direction immediately, he can also give you a hand if you are in trouble. By the year 2011, it is believed that my hometown Guangzhou has become the economic center of China. 2. Where is it located? 3. How about the climate in your hometown? Which season do you like? In my hometown Guangzhou, the four seasons are not evident, which only has spring and summer. It is too hot in the summer and it is also humid in the winter. I like summer better, for we will go swimming and start our outdoor activities in the summer, it gives us pretty environment, which full of various kinds of colors. Another reason is that it is suitable for traveling around. 4. How about the people in your hometown? The people in my hometown Guangzhou are very genial and helpful, also are very easy to get around. People will always give you a hand with things. If you lose your way and ask someone, he will give you the direction immediately, he can also give you a hand if you are in trouble. 5. What do most people do in your hometown? 6. Oh yes. Even though Guangzhou is very modern, it has some interesting temples and streets. There is one called the Temple of Six Banyan Trees and it was built about 1500 years ago. There is also a famous cultural and commercial street in Guangzhou called Beijing Road. In this street, you can not only see a historic exhibition about different years roadbed, which has more than thousand histories, but also has many business shops sale almost all kinds of things. Besides, you can taste traditional snacks and refreshments or experience temples with /unusual special architectural style nearby. Anyway, it is an interesting place so worth to visit! 7. How about the style of the building in your hometown? 8. What is one of the greatest changes having taken place over the years? 9. What problems still exist in your hometown? 10. How to improve the situation in your hometown? 11. Where is Chinese population mainly distributed? 12. What changes have occurred in people’s dwelling? 1.3学习 1. Are you an employee or a student? (Are you working or studying?) 2. What is your major?
Question 1 答案：TRUE 关键词：large numbers of people, build the pyramids 定位原文: 第1段第2句: “The conventional picture is that…” 解题思路: 此题通过定位词可以迅速定位至首段第2句话，题干对文章定位句的概括性改写分析如下：generally believed — conventional picture, large numbers of people — tens of thousands of slaves. 因此答案很明显应该是TRUE。 Question 2 答案：FALSE 关键词：hieroglyph, Egyptian monument 定位原文: 首段第5句: “While perusing a book…” 解题思路: 此题定位词在文中原词出现，可以快速定位。文中定位句指出Clemmons是在一本关于埃及古迹的书中读到的象形文字信息，而题目却说她在一座埃及古迹的墙上发现了象形文字，显然题目与文章相悖，因此此题答案为FALSE。 Question 3 答案：NOT GIVEN 关键词：experiment, bird flight 定位原文: 无 解题思路: 题干的定位信息在文章中未出现，此题为最典型的“原文完全未提及型”，故答案为NOT GIVEN Question 4 答案： TRUE 关键词：theory 定位原文: 第4段首句：”Earlier this year...”今年早些时候，他们把Clemmons空头理论付诸实验 解题思路: 题目与文章完全相符，因此此题答案为TRUE Question 5
1 / 11 剑桥雅思8阅读解析 READING PASSAGE 2 You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage 2 below. The Nature of Genius There has always been an interest in geniuses and prodigies. The word 'genius', from the Latin gens (= family and the term 'genius', meaning 'begetter', comes from the early Roman cult of a divinity as the head of the family. In its earliest form, genius was concerned with the ability of the head of the family, the paterfamilias, to perpetuate himself. Gradually, genius came to represent a person's characteristics and thence an individual's highest attributes derived from his 'genius' or guiding spirit. Today, people still look to stars or genes, astrology or genetics, in the hope of finding the source of exceptional abilities or personal characteristics. The concept of genius and of gifts has become part of our folk culture, and attitudes are ambivalent towards them. We envy the gifted and mistrust them. In the mythology of giftedness, it is popularly believed that if people are talented in one area, they must be defective in another, that intellectuals are impractical, that prodigies burn too brightly too soon and burn out, that gifted people are eccentric, that they are physical weaklings, that there's a thin line between genius and madness, that genius runs in families, that the gifted are so clever they don't need special help,
雅思阅读判断题型解题方法 雅思阅读板块题型多样，其中判断题是必考题型，本文以剑桥雅思阅读真题为例，和大家解析雅思阅读中判断题型的解题方法。 剑桥雅思阅读真题解析判断题型解题方法 一、判断题题干有表示比较关系的词，考生需注意题目重点考察比较关系。 常见的比较关系词： 比较级：more/ less /adj-er than… 同级比较：as…as…/the same as…/equal/ like 试题中若出现以上比较关系词，需标记题中的比较对象(A 、B)，并明确比较逻辑(如A比B更聪明)，即可快速完成审题。如： 39. It is easier to find meaning in the field of science than in the field of art. – Test 2, Cambridge IELTS 11 审题步骤： 1.确定比较对象：A – field of science (科学领域)、B – field of art (艺术领域) 2.确定比较逻辑：科学的含义比艺术的含义更容易被人们理解(easier to find meaning)。 除了上述较明显的比较关系词外，出题人还会使用较隐晦的表达阐述比较关系，用以干扰考生的判断。因此，在审题时还需注意下列
具有隐含比较关系的表达： prefer to… compare to/compare with/contrast similar to…/similarly superior to/inferior to unusual 同样，考生在判定题干存在比较关系后，需标记题中的比较对象并明确比较逻辑。如： 35. Teachers say they prefer suggestopedia to traditional approaches to language teaching. – Test 1, Cambridge 7 1.确定比较对象：A –suggestopedia(暗示教学)、B –traditional approaches(传统教学方法) 2.确定比较逻辑：暗示教学比传统教学方法更受老师喜欢(teachers say they prefer)。 二、借助以下2种解题思路辅助解题： 1.题干中A、B存在比较关系但原文A、B不存在比较关系时，答案应为未提及——NOT GIVEN。 先看个简单的例子： 题干：喜茶比星爸爸贵得多。 原文：我的意中人是个盖世英雄，有一天他会踏着七彩祥云，排
剑桥雅思9阅读解析test2
Passage1 Question 1 答案： H 关键词： national policy 定位原文: H段第1句“The New Zealand Government…” 解题思路: 这一段的首句就以一种叙事口吻向考生交代了新西兰全国上下正在开展的一场为残疾人服务 的战略，该句含义为“新西兰政府已经制定出一项‘新西兰残疾人事业发展战略’，并开始进入广泛咨 询意见的阶段。”另外，在该段其它语句中也提到the strategy recognises..., Objective 3...is to provide...等信息，非常符合题干中account一词的含义。 Question 2 答案： C 关键词： global team 定位原文： C段最后一句“The International Institute of…” 解题思路：这句含义为“在世界卫生组织的建议下，国际噪声控制工程学会(I-INCE)成立了一个国际工作小组来”，这句话中international能够对应题干中的global, 而working party能够对应team。这是对应关系非常明显的一道题目。 Question 3 答案： B 关键词： hypothesis, reason, growth in classroom noise 定位原文： B段第3句“Nelson and Soil have also suggested...” 解题思路：在该段首句中就出现了classroom noise这个词，因此该段有可能就是本题的对应段落。在接下来的叙述Nelson and Soil have also suggested...中，suggest一词能够对应题干中的hypothesis 后一句中的This all amounts to heightened activity and noise levels，与题干中的one reason相对应 Question 4
1. An alternative to this notion of genetic programming is to see the teacher-subjects’ actions as a result of the social environment under which the experiment was carried out. 2. An action such as shocking a victim, which in isolation appears evil, acquires a completely different meaning when placed in this setting. 3. Here we have two radically different explanations for why so many teacher-subjects were willing to forgo their sense of personal responsibility for the sake of an institutional authority figure. 4. That would matter less if people applied the same degree of skepticism to environmental lobbying as they do to lobby groups in other fields. 5. One form of pollution –the release of greenhouse gases that causes global warming –does appear to be a phenomenon that is going to extend well into our future, but its total impact is unlikely to pose a devastating problem. 6. Thus, in this explanation the subject merges his unique personality and personal and moral code with that of larger institutional structures, surrendering individual properties like loyalty, self-sacrifice and discipline to the service of malevolent systems of authority. 7. A modern hard-core sociobiologist might even go so far as to claim that this aggressive instinct evolved as an advantageous trait, having been of survival value to our ancestors in their struggle against the hardships of life on the plains and in the carves, ultimately finding its way into our genetic make-up as a remnant of our ancient animal ways. 8. Yet opinion polls suggest that many people nurture the belief that environmental standards are declining and four factors seem to cause this disjunction between perception and reality. 9. Yet a green organization opposing such a weakening is seen as altruistic, even if an impartial view of the control in question might suggest they are doing more harm than good.
科目阅读 考试日期2016年4月16日 考题概述与分析： Passage One 新旧情况：旧 80103 题材：发展史 题目：The impact of refrigeration 题型：1-5 时间配事件 6-9 人名配成就 10-13 句首配句末 文章大意：时间顺序讲了概述，冰箱运输的需求，问题，改进，形成火车运输，汽车运输有毒物质发明crc，进一步发展（共7 段） 答案： 1. I 2. H 3. A 4. B 5. E 6. Tudor 7. JB***** 8. Why*** 9. Fudor 10. A healthy dietary- frost product 11. Refrigerated transport- big cities 12. The invention of CRC-danger 13. Refrigeration-water(答案仅供参考) Passage Two 题目：Yawning 题型：14-19 细节配段落 20-24 实验结果配大学 文章大意：总述， A 大学实验，人类和个别动物会yawning，leeds 大学研究，london 大学研究，早期人类的推测（共 6 段） 参考文章： A When a scientist began to study yawning in the 1980s, it was difficult to convince some of his research students of the merits of "yawning science. "Although it may appear quirky, his decision to study yawning was a
2019年11月4日雅思阅读机经真题答案及解析 一、考试概述： 本次考试的文章两篇新题一篇旧题，第一篇描述了两个科学家在撒哈拉的发现，研究了古代人的生存方式，第二篇是讲了利用心理学对课堂行为实行研究，第三篇是讲非语言交流的，人类除了用语言交流，其他手势、行为等的非语言形式也很重要 二、具体题目分析 Passage 1： 题目：Human Remain in Green Sahara 题型：判断题4 +简答题3+填空题6 新旧水准：旧题 文章大意：描述了两个科学家在撒哈拉的发现，研究古代人的生存方式。 参考文章： Human Remain in Green Sahara A On October 13,2,000, a small team of paleontologists led by Paul Sereno of the University of Chicago clambered out of three battered Land Rovers, filled their water bottles, and scattered on foot across the toffee-colored sands of the Tenere desert in northern Niger. The Tenere，on the southern flank of the Sahara, easily ranks among the most desolate landscapes on Earth. The Tuareg，turbaned nomads who for centuries have ruled this barren realm, refer to it as a
雅思阅读之选择题技巧分析 “选择题在雅思阅读中出题频率虽然没有判断题那么高，但依然是雅思阅读中的主流题 型，在2015年整年和2016年截止到目前为止的阅读考试中，选择题约占20%的比重，所以也是考生不容小觑的一项题型。选择题整体难度中等，但是陷阱较多，干扰项很多，考生会 在选项之间来回纠结，拿不定主意，导致时间浪费，错误率高。经过深入研究，朗阁海外考试研究中心对选择题的选项类型进行了细分和全方面解析，在下文中将从正确项、错误项、未提及项、和干扰项四个方面为考生们一一解析，希望能够帮助考生在做题中更清晰地明白 考点，辨别干扰项，从而选出正确答案。 一.正确项 正确项即正确答案，对于正确项的定义是，在文中有定位点，并且替换正确，这跟判断 题中的TRUE/YES很像。但是和判断题有区别的是，选择题的定位句往往不止一句，许多时候需要结合好几句话理解。值得注意的是，考生不能主观臆断答案，感觉对了就选了，一定要找到准确的定位点。 1. 选项是原文一两句话的改写 例：佥V 6 Test 3 Passage 1 第11 题 题目：In Tarkovsky ' s opinion, the attractionof the cinema is that it A. aims to impress its audie nee B. tellsstories better than books C. illustratesthe pass ing of time D. deseribesfamiliar eve nts
分析： 这道题的一个难点在于定位，根据人名定位词 Tarkovsky 缩小范围为 C 段和 D 段，根据定位词“ the attraction of the cinema ”确定到 D 段对应定位词“ the key to that magic ”。找到定位句： “ ForTarkovsky, the key to that magic was the way in which cinema created a dynamicimage of the real flow of events. A still picture could only imply theexistence of time, while time in a novel passed at the whim of the reader. Butin cinema, the real, objective flow of time was captured. ” 根据这两句话我们可以看到，电影的魅力主要在于能够真正捕捉时间客观真实的流动， 和 C 选项替换改写过后意思一致。 2. 选项是原文某段的归纳总结 归纳总结是指原文句子较长较多，选项对于原文进行上下文的归纳。在剑 10, 剑 11 真 题中，选择题陷阱减少， 但是归纳总结增多， 长难句很多， 主要考察考生对于长难句的理解。 所以考生要在平时的阅读训练中， 提高自己长难句的理解能力， 学会抓住句子主干， 快速把 握句子的意思。 例：剑 10 Test 2 Passage 3 第 32 题 题目： The writer mentions London ' s NationalGallery to illustrate A. theundesirable cost to a nation of maintaining a huge collection of art. B. theconflict that may arise in society between financial and artistic values. C. thenegative effect a museum can have on visitors D. the need toput individual well-being above 原文第六段中间部分： In addition, amajor collection like that of London which is likely to be worth morethan all the average visitor possesses. In a society that judges the personalstatus of the individual so much by their material worth, it is thereforedifficult not to be impressed by one 's own relative ‘worthlessness ' in such anenvironment. opinions of themselves. large-scaleartistic schemes. National Gallery is housed in numerousrooms, each with dozens of works, any one of
Next Year Marks the EU's 50th Anniversary of the Treaty A. After a period of introversion and stunned self-disbelief， continental European governments will recover their enthusiasm for pan-European institution-building in 2007. Whether the European public will welcome a return to what voters in two countries had rejected so short a time before is another matter. B. There are several reasons for Europe’s recovering self-confidence. For years European economies had been lagging dismally behind America (to say nothing of Asia)， but in 2006 the large continental economies had one of their best years for a decade， briefly outstripping America in terms of growth. Since politics often reacts to economic change with a lag， 2006’s improvement in economic growth will have its impact in 2007， though the recovery may be ebbing by then. C. The coming year also marks a particular point in a political cycle so regular that it almost seems to amount to a natural law. Every four or five years，European countries take a large stride towards further integration by signing a new treaty： the Maastricht treaty in 1992， the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997， the Treaty of Nice in 2001. And in 2005 they were supposed to ratify a European constitution，laying the ground for yet more integration—until the calm rhythm was rudely shattered by French and Dutch voters. But the political impetus to sign something every four or five years has only been interrupted， not immobilised， by this setback. D. In 2007 the European Union marks the 50th anniversary of another treaty —the Treaty of Rome， its founding charter. Government leaders have already agreed to celebrate it ceremoniously， restating their commitment to “ever closer union”and the basic ideals of European unity. By itself， and in normal circumstances，the EU’s 50th-birthday greeting to itself would be fairly meaningless， a routine expression of European good fellowship. But it does not take a Machiavelli to spot that once governments have signed the declaration (and it seems unlikely anyone would be so uncollegiate as to veto it) they will already be halfway towards committing themselves to a new treaty. All that will be necessary will be to incorporate the 50th-anniversary declaration into a new treaty containing a number of institutional