Language is a major problem for the European Union (EU) . The Treaty (条约) of Rome ,which created the organization that finally became the EU, stated that each country’s language must be treated equally. The original six countries had only three languages between them: French, German and Dutch/Flemish. However, there are now 15 countries in the EU, with a total of 12 languages. EU documents must be translated into all these languages, and at official meetings the speeches must be translated into all the languages by interpreters.
All this translating is very expensive and time-consuming. It is said that nearly half of all employees of the EU are engaged in translating documents and speeches and nearly half of the EU’s administrative (管理方面的) costs are spent on this task. In the near future it is probable that several more countries, most of them having their own languages, will join the EU, thus making the situation even worse.
The problem is just cost; there are practical difficulties as well. With 12 languages, there are 132 possible “translation situations” that might be needed. It is often difficult to find people in the right place at the right time who can translate from, for example, Danish into Greek, or Dutch into Portuguese, at a high professional standard.
In practice the problem has been less serious by the use of English in many contacts between EU officials , since almost all of them speak some English. However, any move to reduce the number of official languages (perhaps to four or five) would be a blow to the pride of the smaller countries. Another commonly suggested solution is to make English the official language for all EU business. However, this is strongly resisted by powerful member countries like France and Germany .The organization that finally became the EU _______.
| A．included 132 languages |
| B．was set up by the Treaty of Rome . |
| C．started with three countries . |
| D．was started by France and Germany . |
What’s the main purpose of this passage?
| A．To show that the problem cannot be solved . |
| B．To criticize the European Union for inefficiency . |
| C．To find out a problem and show how serious it is. |
| D．To give a solution to a problem . |
The writer mentions “Danish into Greek” as an example of _______.
| A．a situation that occurs often. |
| B．a situation that might be difficult to deal with . |
| C．languages easily being interpreted. |
| D．one of the 12 situations that requires an interpreter |
The writer suggests that if the number of official languages was reduced, _______.
| A．Only languages which are easy to translate would be used officially. |
| B．The smaller member countries would be pleased . |
| C．the EU would not know which official languages to choose . |
| D．Countries whose languages were not used officially would be unhappy . |
When Dean Arnold got his first job, he was miserable (痛苦的), Each time he went to work, he coughed and he couldn’t breathe. Working in a bakery(面包房) when you are allergic to (对…过敏) flour can be painful.
But Arnold stayed with the National Biscuit Company for ten years. He was a businessman and he helped them improve production. At last his health problems became too serious. He left and formed his own company.
With his wife and mother, he founded Arnold Bakery. They tried new recipes (配方). changing the kind and amount of flour used. This enabled Arnold to work there without too much pain. The bread, made with unbleached flour (标准粉), was baked in a brick oven (烘炉).
They began by baking two dozen loaves. The bread was sold door to door for fifteen cents a loaf. Winning customers to his unusual, old-fashioned bread took time. But Arnold, struggling against his allergy, built his bakery into one of the largest in the United States.
61. A good title for this passage would be .
A. A Sick Baker B. A Brick-oven Bread Baker
C. An Old-fashioned Baker D. How to Overcome Allergy
62. Dean left the National Biscuit Company because he _______.
A. suffered from allergy to flour B. didn’t like the job
C. wanted to make more money D. wanted to form his own company
63. During his stay in the National Biscuit Company, _______.
A. he founded Arnold Bakery
B. he tried a new method of baking
C. he helped the company improve their production
D. he became successful in his business
64. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A. Arnold’s bread was baked in a brick oven.
B. Arnold’s bread was made with unbleached flour.
C. Arnold’s bread was sold at a low price.
D. Arnold’s bread was of poor quality.
65. From the passage we can conclude that Arnold was ________.
A. determined B. brave C. usual D. unhealthy
One day a few years ago a very funny thing happened to a neighbour of mine. He is a teacher at one of London’s big medical schools, He had finished his teaching for the summer term and was at the airport on his way to Russia to give a lecture.
He had put a few clothes and his lecture notes in his shoulder bag, but he had put Rupert, the skeleton (人体骨骼) to be used in his lecture, in a large brown suitcase (箱子). At the airport desk, he suddenly thought that he had forgotten to buy a newspaper. He left his suitcase near the desk and went over to the shop.
When he got back he discovered that someone had taken his suitcase by mistake. He often wonders what they said when they got home and found Rupert.
56. Who wrote the story?
A. Rupert’s teacher.B. The neighbour’s teacher.
C. A medical school teacher. D. The teacher’s neighbour.
57. Why did the teacher put a skeleton in his suitcase?
A. He needed it for the summer term in London.
B. He needed it for the lecture he was going to give.
C. He wanted to take it to Russia for medical research.
D. He wanted to take it home as he had finished his teaching.
58. What happened at the airport?
A. The skeleton went missing . B. The skeleton was stolen .
C. The teacher forgot his suitcase. D. The teacher took the wrong suitcase .
59. Which of the following best tells the teacher’s feeling about the incident?
A. He is very angry . B. He thinks it rather funny .
C. He feels helpless without Rupert. D. He feels good without Rupert .
60. Which of the following might have happened afterwards?
A. The teacher got back the suitcase but not Rupert.
B. The teache
r got back neither the suitcase nor Rupert.
C. The teacher got back Rupert but not the suitcase.
D. The teacher got back both the suitcase and Rupert.
C
Flags have existed for over 3000 years.The earliest flags were wooden or metal poles topped with a carving.About 2000 years ago pies of fabric were added to some poles for decoration.Over the next 500 years the free-flying part of the flag became more important.
Every country today has its own flag.Many groups and organizations also have a flag which stands for,or symbolizes,the aims of the group.
The flag depicts (描绘)a world map,centered on the north pole.The map is surrounded by an olive(橄榄)wreath(花环)symbolizing peace and co-operation.The flag is blue and white.
8.Flags have been in existence for _________.
A.500 years B.over 3000 years
C.about 2000 years D.between 500 and 2000 years
9.A very old flag is likely to _________.
A.be made of fabric B.have a map on it
C.have white shapes on it D.be made of carved wood
10.An olive wreath is used to represent _________.
A.peace B.purity C.justice D.equality
B
Below is a table which shows the melting(液化)and boiling points of common substances.Study the table.Then do Numbers 4—7.
| Substance |
Melting point(C) |
Boiling Point(C) |
| Water Alcohol Nitrogen Oxygen |
0 –117 –210 -218 |
100 78 –196 –183 |
4.The underlined word‘substances'means‘a type of'_________.
A.matter B.liquid C.solid D.gas
5.Which of the four should be a liquid at-90 degrees?
A.water B.alcohol C.nitrogen D.oxygen
6.Mixing alcohol and water is often used to wash windscreens of cars during the wintertime because _________.
A.it is easier for alcohol to change into gas
B.alcohol is not easily separated from water
C.alcohol freezes at lower temperature than water
D.the mixture is not expensive
7.In order to change water from a solid to a liquid energy must be _________.
A.removed B.added C.created D.destroyed
六、Reading comprehension.(阅读理解)20分
A
Air is an odorless(that cannot be smelled;smelless),invisible(that cannot be seen)gas that surrounds the planet earth.It is everywhere on the planet.An “empty” drinking glass and an “empty” room,to give two examples,are not really empty.Each is filled with air.When the glass is filled with water,the water pushes the air out of the glass.
Air,as a gas,has no definite(fixed,particular)shape,but,because it is matter,it takes up space.It is easy to prove that air is something that takes up space.Stuff a dry handkerchief into the bottom of a glass so that it will not fall out when the glass is turned upside-down.Push the upside-down glass,hold it straight into a jar of water till the glass is completely covered.When the glass is taken out of water,the handkerchief will be dry.The air inside the glass took up space and kept the water from coming in.
1.“Stuff a dry handkerchief into…”.The underlined word means.
A.Press tightly B.Take out C.Put down D.Turn fully
2.The writer tells us that _________.
A.the experiment was done in the laboratory
B.the experiment was done outside the room
C.the experiment is easily done
D.the experiment is carried out indoors
3.Which of the following pictures gives us the correct result?
(W—water;A—air;H—handkerchief)