Language is a major problem for the European Union (EU). The agreement or treaty (條約) which created the organization that eventually became the EU, the Treaty of Rome, 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 (費(fèi)時(shí)的). 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 probably that several more countries, most of them having their own languages, will join the EU, thus making the situation even worse.
The problem is not 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 made 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, powerful member countries like France and Germany are strongly against it.
小題1:What's the main purpose of this passage?

A．To give a solution to a problem.

B．To discuss a problem and show how serious it is.

C．To criticize the European Union for inefficiency(效率低).

D．To show that the problem cannot be solved.

小題2:According to the writer, the use of English in contacts among EU officials has ________.

A．a(chǎn)ngered the officials who don't speak English

B．reduced the number of official languages

C．made the problem less serious

D．been opposed by powerful member countries

小題3:In paragraph three, the writer mentions "Danish into Greek" as an example of ________.

A．a(chǎn) situation that might be difficult to deal with

B．a(chǎn) situation that occurs often

C．one of the 12 situations that requires an interpreter

D．languages that are easy to translate

小題4:The writer suggests that if the number of official languages was reduced _______.

A．the EU would not know which official languages to choose

B．countries whose languages were not used officially would be unhappy

C．only languages that are easy to translate would be used officially

D．the smaller member countries would be pleased

There are some topics that readers never grow bored with, and the search for a suitable partner（伴侶） is one of them. Pride and Prejudice（傲慢與偏見）by Jane Austen, first published in 1813, tells the story of five young women, all of whom are looking for a husband. In order to fully understand the novel, the readers must know that at the time when Jane Austen was writing, if a family was not rich, the daughters needed to marry well in order to live a comfortable, independent life. That is the reason why Mrs Bennet, the mother of the five girls, is so eager to have her daughters married.
The heroine of the story is Elizabeth Bennet, and as in all good romantic novels, she and Darcy, the man she finally marries, remain separate until the very end of the story. The wealthy Darcy is a proud, unsociable man, and when Elizabeth hears that he has insulted（侮辱） both her and her family, she dislikes him very much. Poor Darcy then falls head over heels in love with Elizabeth, and has to work terribly hard to persuade her to change her mind about him. He succeeds of course, and they live happily ever after. 
Set at the turn of the 19th century, the novel is still attractive to modern readers. It has become one of the most popular novels and receives great attention from literary scholars（學(xué)者）.Modern interest in the book has resulted in a number of dramas（戲劇）and a lot of novels and stories modeling(模仿) after Austen’s memorable (難忘的)characters or themes. To date, the book has sold some 20 million copies worldwide.
Jane Austen is rightly famous for her style. Her sentences have a wonderful rhythm（韻律）, and she makes such clever, true comments about people. It is not surprising that Pride and Prejudice has lasted.
小題1:In the 19th century, a poor girl in Britain was often encouraged to          .

A．master the skills of writing	B．marry the one she loved
C．change her life by marrying rich	D．obey her parents

小題2:What do we know about Elizabeth and Darcy?

A．They both come from poor families and wish to marry rich.

B．They’ve experienced ups and downs but get married in the end.

C．They get separated from each other shortly after being married.

D．Darcy falls over and gets hurt but Elizabeth still loves him.

小題3: According to the passage, Pride and Prejudice _________.

A．inspired many other novels and many plays have been produced based on it.

B．was first published in 1813 and sold 20 million copies soon

C．tells a sad love story which moves generations of readers

D．is set at the turn of the 19th century and not well received worldwide

A new retail phenomenon from Japan which allows customers to walk away with free products is to launch in Britain.
From tomorrow, visitors to Sample Trend’s central London store can try anything on its shelves, and all of the products can be taken home without charge. For a nominal annual membership fee of £60, users are free to enter the shop once a month and help themselves to no less than £250 worth of goods every year. The only ‘catch’ is that shoppers are asked to complete a simple questionnaire about each product they try.
Known as ‘try-vertising’, the concept allows manufacturers to test products and receive consumer feedback before launching onto the open market. It is already very popular in Japan and now looks set to transform the fortunes of the embattled（嚴(yán)陣以待的） UK retail industry. According to new figures, stores are facing a Christmas crisis with the weakest High Street trading for six months.
Michael Ghosh, the brainchild（創(chuàng)意者）behind Sample Trend, said: “The concept behind Sample Trend is unique in the UK. It allows shoppers the opportunity to walk away with a number of real, full-size products of their choosing without handing over a penny.”
The concept of in-store try-vertising is simple but effective. Businesses across all sectors, from cosmetic manufacturers to beverage（飲料） makers, place new products on the shelves at Sample Trend and wait for consumers to try them out.
Customers complete a short 10-point questionnaire about the product, and the feedback they provide is used to make any last-minute improvement before the product is brought officially to market. The Sample Trend store stocks everything from cosmetics, food and drink, and household goods.
Ghosh, the former advertising and sales director for Disney Europe, said such feedback may also build brand loyalty from the outset---a particularly appealing prospect for new businesses.
小題1:What can we know about the Sample Trend?

A．It has turned out to be a success in London.

B．The goods in the shop are free for everyone

C．The customers can only go to it once a month.

D．It sells everything people need.

小題2:The word “catch” (in para2) can be replaced by _________

A．a(chǎn)dvantage

B．disadvantage

C．problem

D．requirement

小題3:The customers need to fill a questionnaire to________

A．give suggestions for the products

B．recommend the products

C．give feedback about the products

D．express their thanks

Towards the end of Middle English, a sudden change in pronunciation started, with vowels (元音) being pronounced shorter and shorter. From the 16th century the British had contact (接觸) with many people from around the world. This meant that lots of new vocabulary entered the language. The invention of printing also meant that there was now a common language in print. Books became cheaper and more people learned to read. Spelling and grammar became fixed, and the dialect of London became the standard. In 1604 the first English dictionary came out.
Early Modern English and Late Modern English are mostly different in the number of words. Late Modern English has many more words, mainly because of the following two reasons: First, the Industrial Revolution (工業(yè)革命) led to the need for new words. Second, the British Empire covered one quarter of the earth’s surface, and the English language took in foreign words from many countries.
From around 1600, the English colonization (殖民地化) of North America led to American English. Some English pronunciations and words “froze” when they reached America. In some ways, American English is more like the English of Shakespeare than modern British English. Some expressions that are called “American English” are in fact from British expressions. They were kept in the colonies while lost for a time in Britain. Spanish also had an influence (影響) on American English. For example, words like canyon, ranch, stampede and vigilante are from Spanish. They entered English by the people of Spain who settled in the American West. French words and West African words also influenced American English.
Today, American English has a greater influence, because of the USA’s movies, television, popular music, trade and technology.
小題1:The main difference between Early and Late Modern English lies in _____.

A．vocabulary	B．pronunciation
C．spelling	D．grammar

小題2: What helped to increase the vocabulary of Late Modern English?
a. the invention of printing
b. the Industrial Revolution
c. the colonization
d. the contact with other countries

A．a(chǎn), b, c

B．a(chǎn), c, d

C．a(chǎn), b, d

D．b, c, d

小題3:From the passage, we can learn the word “canyon” is from _____.

A．American dialect	B．African dialect
C．Spanish	D．French

小題4:The third paragraph mainly talks about _____.

A．English colonies in North America

B．the development of American English

C．other languages influence on American English

D．the difference between American English and British English

小題5: The underlined word “froze” can best be replaced by _____.

A．remained unchanged	B．disappeared
C．improved	D．kept active

Homesick is a compound word made up of HOME and SICK. You know what each word means on its own, of course. But think about what the words mean when they are used together. Homesick means SICK FOR HOME.
Now think for a minute about SEASICK. If you change the word home in the definition(釋義)to the word sea, would the definition fit SEASICK? Seasick means SICK BY THE MOVEMENT ON THE SEA. When you are homesick ,the only place you want to be is at home. When you are seasick, the last place you want to be is at sea.
Have you ever heard of a person being heartsick? Heartsick doesn’t mean that something  is wrong with a person’s heart. people are heartsick when they are hurt deep inside and when they feel as if their hearts are broken.
But, on the other hand, we have such compound words as handshake, handstand, and handbag. Perhaps you may write definitions for them.
小題1:The word SEASICK means“______”.

A．to be eager to go to the sea	B．what has nothing to do with the sea
C．to be sick because of the sea	D．that the sea is terrible

小題2:When we say a person is heartsick, we mean that________.

A．his heart is sick	B．his heart needs testing
C．he’s sorry at heart	D．he’s terribly disappointed and sad

小題3:“The last place you want to be” is_________.

A．where you want to be most	B．where you want to be least
C．where you go the last	D．the last place you go to

小題4:The definitions of handshake, handstand and handbag are_______.

A．easy to know	B．difficult to know
C．impossible to learn	D．unnecessary to learn

American and British use different greetings. In the USA the commonest greeting is “Hi”. In Britain it is “Hello！” or “How are you？”. “Hi！” is creeping(不知不覺的)into British, too. When they are introduced to someone, the Americans say, “Glad to know you.” The British say, “How do you do？” or “Pleased to meet you.” When Americans say “Good­bye”， they nearly always add, “Have a good day，” or “Have a good trip，” etc. to friends and strangers alike. Britons are already beginning to use “Have a good day”。
The British usually use “got”in the sense of “have”. The Americans hardly ever do.
Am.E: Do you have a car, room，etc.？Yes, I do.
Br.E: Have you got a car, room, etc.? Yes, I have.
Finally, there are a number of differences between American and British English in the spelling of words, e．g.check(US)/cheque(UK); center(US)/centre(UK). Many American words ending in “or”， e．g. honor, vigor, labor are spelt in British English with an “our”， e．g. honour, vigour, labour. Many verbs in American English with “ize”or “izing” forms, e．g. organize, realizing are spelt in Br.E “ise”or “ising”，e.g.organise，realising.In American English, “practice”is used both for the verb and noun.In Br.E, the verb is spelt “practise”， and the noun “practice”. In the main, American English  avoids the doubling up of consonants(輔音字母)in nouns and verbs while British English does not.In American English, for example, one writes “travel, traveled, traveling, traveler，” while in British English, one writes  “travel, travelled, travelling, traveller”．
It was once predicted that British and American English would became separate languages finally. But the opposite has happened. The links(連接)between the two countries are so strong that linguistically(語言上的), and probably culturally(文化上的)too, they are closer together than ever.
小題1:The Americans hardly say________.

A．Good­bye.Have a good day!	B．Glad to know you!
C．Hi!	D．Have you got a car?

小題2:A British writes________.

A．cheque；center	B．honor；organise
C．traveled；practice	D．labour；traveller

小題3:What does the fifth paragraph talk about?

A．There are lots of differences in spelling between Am.E.and Br.E.

B．Why do the Americans and the British use different spellings?

C．There are few differences in spelling between Am.E.and Br.E.

D．The different usages of words in Am.E and Br.E

小題4:Which of the following is TRUE?

A．The two languages will become separate languages.

B．American English will be used more and more.

C．The two languages will be closer and closer.

D．British English will be used more and more.

People in the United States honor their parents with two special days：Mother＇s Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father＇s Day, on the third Sunday in June．These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents．They raise their children and educate them to be responsible（有責(zé)任感的） citizens．They give love and care．These two days make us think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers．More mothers now work outside the home．More fathers must help with child care．
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways．On Mother’s Day people wear carnations．A red one symbolizes a living mother．A white one shows that the mother is dead．Many people attend religious services to honor parents．It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery（墓地）．On these days families get together at home, as well as in restaurants．They often have outdoor barbecues for Father＇s Day．These are days of fun and good feelings and memories．
Another tradition is to give cards and gifts．Children make them in school．Many people make their own presents．These are valued more than the ones bought in stores．It is not the value of the gift that is important, but it is “the thought that counts”．Greeting card stores, florists, candy makers, bakeries, telephone companies, and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays．    
小題1:Which is NOT a reason for children to show love and respect for parents? 

A．Parentsbringchildren

B．Parentsgiveloveandcaretochildren

C．Parentseducatechildrentobegoodpersons.

D．Parentspassawaybeforechildrengrowup

小題2:What do you know from the passage? 

A．Mother’sDayandFather’sDayarebothinMay.

B．Fewerwomenworkedoutsidethehomeinthepast

C．Notallthechildrenrespecttheirparents

D．Fathersarenotasimportantasmothersathome

小題3:Which do you think is right about “carnation”?

A．It has only two kinds of colors．

B．It refers to the special clothes people wear on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day．

C．People can wear carnations only on the second Sunday in May．

D．It’s a kind of flower showing love and best wishes．

小題4:On Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, _______．

A．everyone goes to visit the cemetery

B．people usually have family parties

C．children always go to parents’ home

D．hand-made cards are the most valuable gifts

The host:  Now it's time for our You Must Read This program.  Today we'll hear from Lauren Groff. She came across a book when she was going to have her first child and was worried about the future.
Lauren Groff: Staring into darkness, I wanted to read about happiness.1n fact, books full of joy are hard to find because happiness is nearly impossible to write about. So, when I found Elizabeth and Her German Garden, by Elizabeth Von Arnim, I felt as if someone suddenly opened a curtain and revealed a window where I had thought there was a wall.
Elizabeth and Her German Garden feels as if it rose out of Von Arnim's deep unhappiness in  the way she was supposed to fit into her world Still, what a cool drink this novel is. It has a few characters: the narrator,  a countess (女伯爵)  named Elizabeth,  her husband,  her three tiny daughters, various servants and some visitors.  There is also Elizabeth's garden. whick we see in all its seasonal richness.
That is only the book's surface, however. There are great things hidden in the book. Eliza- beth is always comparing herself and the women around her and finding their fixed social roles disappointing. Her happiness, when it comes, arrives as an act of will. She has fought hard to achieve delight and I think it is more valuable for her struggle.
I appreciate Elizabeth for showing me a way through my darkest time, by revealing that an act of focused attention can lift a person out of a long, dark period in their lives. Anyone can get a little happiness from living, even by reading a few pages of a book.
The host :  That's Lauren Groff.   Her latest novel is Arcadia.  The book she recommended(推薦) is Elizabeth and Her German Garden.
小題1:What can we learn from the second paragraph?

A． Lauren Groff likes reading about happiness at night.

B．Elizabeth Von Arnim wrote Elizabeth and Her German Garden.

C．There are a few books about joy that Lauren Groff likes reading.

D．Someone opened a curtain when Lauren Groff found her favorite book.

小題2:The underlined word "it" in the fourth paragraph probably refers to_______.

A． Lauren's delight	B． Lauren's struggle
C． Elizabeth's struggle	D． Elizabeth's happiness

小題3:Lauren Groff likes Elizabeth and Her German Garden because it________.

A． is full of joy and laughter	B． shows a way to happiness
C．is a perfect way to kill time	D．describes a beautiful garden

小題4:What can we learn about Arcadia?

A．It is the next novel to be recommended.

B．It is a novel written by Lauren Groff.

C．It is Elizabeth Von Arnim's latest novel.

D．It is recommended in the last program.

小題5:Where can we find this conversation?

A．In an interview about gardening.

B．In a report about how to be happy.

C．In a radio program about books.

D．In a documentary about famous writers.

Melbourne, with a population of over 3.5 million, is the second largest city in Australia. It is clean, safe, dynamic and exciting, and well known internationally for its universities and other educational institutions. The city has well-planned tree-lined wide streets and many beautiful parks and gardens. It has a good transport system of roads, buses, trains, and trams. The La Trobe University campus is connected to the Central Business District by trams, express buses, and bus and train connections. Melbourne is a culturally rich city, and is home to large communities of people from all parts of Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia. The city is famous for its restaurants, theatres, music, opera, ballet, art, culture, and shops, and a lively and dynamic nightlife. Melbourne people are fond of sports, and the city hosts many famous international sports events. Near Melbourne there are beautiful coastlines with excellent beaches, national parks, forests, wineries (葡萄酒廠), winter snowfields and summer resorts. The climate is temperate and comfortable, with warm summers and cool winters. In summer, maximum daytime temperatures range from 26°C to 36°C, and in winter from 12°C to 18°C. The weather in Melbourne can be variable from day to day. Melbourne was rated the world's best city to live in by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
小題1: Melbourne is well-known in the world for its _____.

A．large population	B．educational institutions
C．transport system	D．beautiful parks and gardens

小題2:According to the passage, Melbourne is a city where _____.

A．rich people choose to live	B．the best wine is produced
C．various cultures exist	D．Asian food is popular

小題3:The underlined word “temperate” most probably means _____.

A．hot

B．mild

C．dry

D．cold

小題4:The best title for the passage might be _____.

A．An Ideal Place for Shopping	B．A City with the Best Climate
C．The World's Best City to Live in	D．The World's Most Beautiful City

Dutch treat is a late-nineteenth-century term, and it originally refers to a dinner where everyone is expected to pay for his own share of the food and drink. If people go “Dutch treat”, or simply “go Dutch”, it means that they will share the expenses of a social engagement.
There are many other “Dutch” expressions in English, many of which were invented in Britain in the seventeenth century, when the Dutch and the English were commercial and military rivals. The British used “Dutch” to refer to something bad, cheap and shameful. A “Dutch bargain” at that time was an uneven, one-sided deal; “Dutch reckoning” was an unitemized(未逐條記載的) account; and “Dutch widow” was slang for prostitute. Later centuries brought in “Dutch courage”, for bravery caused by drink; “Dutch concert”, for noisy music; “Dutch nightingale”, meaning a frog; and “double Dutch”, for incomprehensible language or talk.
Some of the expressions are still in use today, but some are not. In fact, in American English, some “Dutch” expressions have nothing to do with the Dutch, but something with the German. It was probably because of the similar spelling and pronunciation that people made a mistake in distinguishing between “Dutch” and “Deutsch” (the German word for German), when German immigrants came to America in the 1700s. For instance, “the Pennsylvania Dutch” refers to the German descendants, instead of the Dutch descendants, living in Pennsylvania.
小題1:Many of the “Dutch” expressions were invented with negative sense, because ___________.

A．The Dutch were underdeveloped people.

B．Britain and Holland were competitors at that time.

C．The Dutch had many bad habits.

D．The British were superior to the Dutch.

小題2: With the information you get from Paragraph 2, make a guess at the meaning of the sentence “You are in Dutch”. It probably means ____________ .

A．You are in Holland.	B．You are welcome.
C．You are in trouble.	D．You are lucky.

小題3:According to the passage, some native American “Dutch” expressions were related to the German instead of the Dutch, simply because ______________.

A．People hated the German as much as the Dutch.

B．People made a mistake at the beginning.

C．People made a joke about the German.

D．The German immigrants proclaimed that they were Dutch.