For new countries joining the European Union, and other ones getting used to their dark red passports, becoming “Europeans” is a bit like marrying into a large, eccentric(古怪的)family. Europeans have a lot in common but it is their difference, not their similarities, that attract the attention of sociologists(社會(huì)學(xué)家)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 Dutch and Germans are greatest caravanners(活動(dòng)房居住者), but the Germans like bigger beds in their caravans.

　 ★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(經(jīng)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. Sharing a lift is torture for both the British and the Swedish.

　 ★No European countries really agree with any other about how to make good coffee. All of them are different.

　 There are exceptions(例外)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, you just laugh a lot, and eat, and point at things.”

1. We can know from this passage that____.

　 A. sociologists 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 exist in the cultural differences in the European Union

2. If you work or live in Belgium, you will____.

　 A. have to change your living places often

　 B. seldom see people playing sports

　 C. not get used to its cold weather

　 D. be invited to go for a drink frequently

3. What does the underlined sentence “Sharing a lift is torture for both the British and the Swedish.” mean?

　 A. The British and the Swedish care about their safety most.

　 B. The British and the Swedish like to appear gentle and smart.

　 C. The British and the Swedish hate to look at each other face to face.

　 D. The British and the Swedish enjoy a richer life than others

4. 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 it too seriously

 

1. 選【D】。這是一道細(xì)節(jié)理解題。從文章的第一段最后一句可以知道，哪里有文化差異，哪里就存在著商機(jī)。

2. 選【B】。這是一道細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)文章所列的第五項(xiàng)內(nèi)容可知。

3. 選【C】。這是一道句意理解題。從文章所列的倒數(shù)第二項(xiàng)可知，英國(guó)人和瑞典人最怕面對(duì)面的目光接觸，所以共用電梯對(duì)他們來(lái)說(shuō)簡(jiǎn)直就是“折騰、受罪”。

4. 選【C】。這是一道段意推測(cè)題。最后一段作者以輕松的筆調(diào)說(shuō)出，要從容對(duì)待，就像他的小女兒一樣，不去介意那么多。

 

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       Planning and building a stepfamily is not a responsibility to take lightly．It can be a very trying and， at times， seemingly impossible effort．Many potential troubles can arise and threaten to destroy the stepfamily．Nevertheless， meeting and mastering these special challenges can bring unexpected satisfactions and rewarding depths of family closeness and affection．

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A. plane　　　 B. ticket　　　  C. flight　　　   D. fight

A. first　　　  B. new　　　　 C. old　　　　   D. another

A. later　　　  B. late　　　　 C. last　　　　   D. early

A. smile　　　 B. smiling　　   C. smiled 　　   D. laugh

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Idioms are phrases and sentences that do not mean exactly what they say. Even if you know the meaning of each word you see or hear, you may not understand the idiom because you don't understand the culture behind it.
　　 For example, if an American boy asks his mother what's for dinner tomorrow, she may say "I'll play it by ear", that means she doesn't have plans for dinner and she will decide later. "Play by ear" used to mean playing music using the sheet music, but now people often use it when they're not talking about music.
　　 There're many idioms in English. If you learn to use them, your English will be more vivid and colorful. English idioms are more common in spoken English. They can be difficult to remember sometimes. Next time when you hear somebody saying to you, "Give me a hand", you don't necessarily stretch out your hand to him/her, but you do need to be helpful. And when the situation is out of hand, you usually can do very little to manage all that. What about a green hand? It's not about the color of your hand! You're a green hand when you are very new at your work and don't have much experience. If you and your partner always work together hand in glove, you two definitely work together very well.
　　 Can you guess the meanings of some common English idioms to do with parts of your body?
【小題1】An idiom is _______.

A．a(chǎn) phrase or a sentence that means exactly what the words say
B．a(chǎn) phrase or a sentence that doesn't mean exactly what every word says
C．so difficult that nobody can understand
D．something to do with parts of your body
【小題2】If a mother says "I'll play it by ear" to talk about the dinner, she means _______.
A．she will cook dinner while listening to music at the same time
B．she doesn't hear what others are talking about.
C．she will play music using the sheet music instead of cooking dinner
D．She doesn't have plans for dinner and will decide later
【小題3】When one says "Can you give me a hand?", he means _______.
A．he needs to hold your hand.
B．he works well with you
C．he needs your help
D．he is a new comer and can't help with the situation
【小題4】Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A．People use English idioms more in spoken English than in written English.
B．To understand the culture behind an idiom is important in understanding the idiom.
C．Idioms make your English more vivid and colorful so they are easy to remember.
D．You may not understand an idiom even though you know the meaning of each word.
【小題5】Here are 4 common English idioms to do with parts of your body and their meanings. Can you match them?
　　1) to learn something by heart a. to depend on oneself
　　2) to have sticky fingers b. to know something very well
　　3) to stand on one's own feet c. to do something secretly
　　4) to go behind someone's back d. to have the habit of stealing
A．badc B．bdac C．cbad D．cdba

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