A
Immigration to the United Kingdom in the 21st century is larger than at any point in its history.As the global recession (经济衰退) bites，early evidence shows a reduction in the number of immigrants coming to work.However，new statistics indicate a high level of net immigration (净移民人数) is here to stay.
Although the United Kingdom has received immigrants for centuries，the country used to be a net exporter of people；only from the mid1980s did the United Kingdom become a country of immigrants.Nevertheless，the last decade differed greatly because of high levels of net immigration，a result of sustained economic growth for the last 15 years.Since 2004，immigration levels have been boosted by an extraordinary wave of mobility from Eastern European countries，particularly Poland，whose citizens have free movement and labor rights following their entering the European Union.
Public anxiety about immigration，fueled by media attention，has risen with the number of immigrants.Monthly survey data from the Ipsos MORI agency shows that since the late 1990s，people have been considering immigration as one of the top three most important issues the country faces for all but a couple of months.Data from different sources shows a similar picture，with between twothirds and fourfifths of the public indicating a preference for less immigration.
In this situation of rising numbers and rising anxiety，UK policymakers have attempted to draw up policies to manage immigration.They have responded by establishing a PointsBased System for Migration and new institutional arrangements，for example.But they continue to face a set of challenges—from convincing the public that the government is in control to meeting labor market needs.
The current picture shows that the United Kingdom had about 6.9 million foreignborn citizens in 2008,11 percent of its population.The five largest foreignborn populations were from India，Poland，Pakistan，Ireland，and Germany.
文章大意：进入21世纪后，在英国生活的移民数量达到历史新高。
21．We can learn from the first two paragraphs that D .
A．the economy of the UK is hardly influenced by the global recession
B．there will be fewer immigrants coming to the UK in the future
C．the UK didn't receive immigrants until the mid1980s
D．the UK had more citizens who moved out than those moving in for centuries
解析：细节理解题。从第二段的Although the United Kingdom has received immigrants for centuries，the country used to be a net exporter of people可知D项正确。
22．The underlined word “boosted” in the third paragraph is the closest in meaning to“ A ”．
A．raised B．changed
C．ignored D．stopped
解析：词义猜测题。从后面的by an extraordinary wave of mobility from Eastern European countries...whose citizens have free movement and labor rights following their entering the European Union可知东欧国家加入欧盟后，其公民能更自由地进入英国，这会使英国的移民数量增加。
23．What does the writer think of the UK policymakers，reaction to the current immigration situation？ C
A．The writer thinks they have done their best.
B．The writer is totally disappointed by their reaction.
C．The writer expects more action to be taken.
D．The writer wants to give them some suggestions.
解析：推理判断题。从第四段的They have responded by...for example.But they continue to face a set of challenges可知作者认为政府所做的举措还不够，还有很多问题没解决。
