There is turmoil in the strange world of citizenship tests. The UK is planning to revise its test for would-be Britons, adding questions on crucial issues such as the life of the poet Robert Browning. In France’s test, introduced this month, applicants must obviously know about Brigitte Bardot. Meanwhile a recent survey by Xavier University found that more than one-third of Americans would fail their own country’s naturalisation test. Only 8 per cent could name even one author of the Federalist Papers. And Denmark is quietly scrapping its test. No wonder that no country seems quite happy with its citizenship test. Being a citizen has little to do with what’s in your head.
千奇百怪的公民入籍考试领域目前出现了动荡。英国正计划修订针对入籍申请者的考试，增加一些关键的问题，如诗人罗伯特•勃朗宁(Robert Browning)的生平。在本月推出的法国公民入籍考试中，申请者显然必须了解碧姬•巴铎(Brigitte Bardot)。与此同时，泽维尔大学(Xavier University)最近的一项调查显示，超过三分之一的美国人可能通不过本国的入籍考试。只有8%的人能够说出《联邦党人文集》(Federalist Papers)的任何一名作者。同时丹麦正在悄悄放弃该国的入籍考试。难怪没有哪个国家似乎对其公民入籍考试非常满意。成为一个国家的公民与头脑里装了什么没有太大关系。