For new countries joining the European Union, and older ones getting used to their dark red passport, becoming “Europeans” is a bit like marrying a large and strange family.
Europeans have a lot in common but it is their differences, not their similarities, that attract the attention of sociologies and market researchers, and are more interesting
35% of
Germans live alone, but only 9% of Spaniards. Perhaps this explains why
Spaniards lead Europe in the habit of going out for a drink.
The British
attend more adult evening classes than anyone else in Europe, and the Belgians
least. So it can’t just be the dark evenings. There are no figures on how
many Britons go for a drink afterwards. If there were, they might be up at the
top with Spain.
The British
think black cats are lucky. Every other European country regards them unlucky.
The French are
the most athletic Europeans. Next come the Dutch. But the Belgians, just over
the border, play fewest sports.
The Germans
spend twice as much on heating as the Spaniards. Well, of course they do, it’s colder.
Dutch husbands
do the household shopping a lot more often than Italians or Spaniards.
The French are
the champion public transport commuters(经常往返者)of Europe. If you hate commuting, go and live in the Netherlands, where journeys to work are shorter than anywhere else.
The amount of
direct eye-contact between strangers is three times greater among Spaniards
than it is among the British or Swedes. So, sharing a lift is a torture for
both the British and the Swedish.
There are exceptions to all these rules. Deal with them in the spirit of my 8-year-old daughter. “If you don’t understand each other’s language, just laugh a lot and eat and point at things.”
1.We can know from this passage that______________.
A. sociologist are most interested in the idea of European Union
B. most European countries are not willing to join the European Union
C. Europeans have more differences than similarities
D. trade opportunities exit in the cultural differences in the European Union
2.If you work and live in Belgium, you will______________.
A. have to change your living places often
B. not get used to its cold weather
C. seldom sees people playing sports
D. be invited to go for a drink frequently
3.The underlined sentence means that the British and Swedish _________________.
A. care about their safety most B. like to appear gentle and smart
C. hate to look at each other face to face D. enjoy a richer life than others
4.Which of the following statements is TRUE about Spain?
A. Spaniards hate direct eye-contact between strangers.
B. Spaniards like to go for a drink after dark.
C. Spaniards spend twice as much on heating as the Germans.
D. In Spain, husbands do more household shopping than those in Italy.
5.In the last paragraph, the author wants to express his idea that ______________.
A. his daughter knows well how to understand foreigners in unfamiliar situations
B. Europeans actually share the same culture even if they have different languages
C. being a European, you will have no living trouble at all in the European Union
D. there are differences between European countries, but don’t take them too
seriously
Directions：For each blank in the following passage there are four words of phrases marked with A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with a word that best fits the context.
As the pace of life continues to increase, we are fast losing the art of relaxation. Once you are in the habit of rushing through life, being on the go from morning till night, it is hard to 1down. But moderate relaxation is necessary for a healthy mind and body. 007
Stress is a 2part of everyday life and there is no way to 3it. In fact, it is not the bad thing that it is often supposed to be. A certain amount of stress is important to provide motivation and give 4to life. It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health.
The amount of stress a person can bear 5very much on the individual. Some people are not afraid of stress, and such 6are obviously chief material for managerial responsibilities. Others lose heart at first 7of unusual difficulties. When exposed to stress, in whatever form, we react both chemically and physically. In fact we make a choice between 8and fight. And in more ancient days the choices made the 9between life and death. The crises we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme, but however little the stress, it requires the same response. It is when such a reaction 10long, through continued exposure to stress, that health becomes _ 11. Such serious conditions as high blood pressure and heart diseases have 12links with stress. Since we cannot remove stress from our lives we need to find ways to deal with it. It would be unwise to do so even if we could.
So what do you think of stress? What is your way to deal with it?
13A. turn B. get C. calm D. slow
14A. terrible B. hard C. natural D. physical
15A. accept B. avoid C. solve D. tolerate
16A. instruction B. influence C. resource D. purpose
1.A. spends B. calls C. depends D. insists
2.A. characters B. situations C. personalities D. patterns
3.A. impression B. sight C. view D. glance
4.A. heaviness B. pressure C. fright D. peace
5.A. choice B. difference C. promise D. decision
6.A. lasts B. stands C. lives D. continues
7.A. changeable B. endangered C. injured D. balanced
8.A. developed B. found C. achieved D. established
Directions: Complete the following passage by using ONE word that best fits the context.
US President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize on October 9 for 9.calls to reduce the world’s nuclear weapons and work 10.world peace.
Since taking office in January as the 11.African American president, Obama has called for the cutting of nuclear weapons and worked to restart the Middle East peace process.
The prize, 12.$ 1.4 million, will be handed over to Obama in Norway on December 10. Obama will also get a gold medal and a diploma.
The Nobel Committee said it attached special importance to Obama’s work for a world 13.nuclear weapons.
“Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama attracted the world’s 14.and given its people hope for 15.better future,” the Nobel Committee said.
16.people had guessed Obama might be the winner before the award, many Nobel watchers believed it was too early to award the president.
What the remote areas need most _______ education to children and what the children need ________ good textbooks at the moment.
A. is; are B. are; is C. was; were D. were; was
---- What should I do with this passage?
---- ______ the main idea of each paragraph.
A. Finding out B. Found out C. Find out D. To find out
We _______ have proved great adventures, but we have done the greatest march ever made in the past ten years.
A. needn’t B. may not C. shouldn’t D. mustn’t
All the people in the nation can remember exactly how many years ago _______ the civil war broke out.
A. was it that B. it was when C. it was that D. was it when
