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 (費時的). 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

小題1:B
小題2:C
小題3:A
小題4:B

試題分析 歐盟成立隨之而來的產(chǎn)生多種語言多種翻譯,給大家?guī)砗芾_。對哪種語言做為官方語言,有很大的爭論。
小題1:B 主旨大意。 把握文章大意。第一段已經(jīng)提出這個問題。在第一段 中還提到了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.。故選 B項。
小題2:C 細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)最后一段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.得知應(yīng)選C項。
小題3:A細(xì)節(jié)題。在倒數(shù)第二段中提到It is often' difficult to find people in the right place at the right time故選 A項。
小題4:B細(xì)節(jié)題,根據(jù)最后一段中提到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.故選 B項。
考點 政治經(jīng)濟(jì)文化類閱讀
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Pride and Prejudice for the Modern Woman
Let us imagine how Pride and Prejudice,Jane Austen’s most
famous work,might be updated,200 years on.
Austen’s popularity is rooted in her intelligence.But today she would certainly have had a very different life,as would her characters.Here’s my own suggestion...
It is a truth finally and universally acknowledged that a single woman with brains deserves to have equal opportunities to men,however disadvantaged she may feel by sexism.
“My dear husband,”said his hopeful wife one day,“have you heard that the local store,standing empty for so long,is taken over by a bright young businesswoman?”
Her dull and indifferent (漠不關(guān)心的) husband replied that he had not.
“But it is,it is,”she replied excitedly.
Mr Dull­Husband made no reply.
“Don’t you want to know her plans?”she cried with some impatience.
“Well,clearly you think it matters to your silly little head...so I’d better listen.”
“Well,my dear,the rumour (傳言) is that she has already set up a string of successful businesses in northern England,though how_a_woman_can_know_anything_about_that_is_beyond_me.She will move in herself next month.”
“What is her name?”
“Bingley.”
“Is she married or single?”
“What a question! And none of your business.But her coming will be a fine thing for our five boys.”
“How so? How can it possibly affect them? ”
“My dear love:those lazy boys need something to wake them up.There are bound to be jobs going.”
“Is that her point in settling here? Surely as a woman she has simply taken a fancy to the place.”
“Nonsense,my love,how little you’ve noticed the world has changed.She’s got a first­rate degree and some sort of business qualification,I’m told.She surely needs one of our boys! Perhaps you might give her a call.”
“Me? No.Perhaps you can take an interest.You still have your looks,after all.She may even offer you a job.”
“Oh,that’s not likely.These new chances belong to the younger generation.But now you mention it,I think I’ll go along all the same.”
And Mrs Bennet went along.That was 10 years ago.She is now managing director of a FTSE­listed company.
...It would remain the case,of course,that Mrs Bennet would be one of very few women on the company board,that her salary would be lower than her male colleagues,her bonus of a more“female”dimension and her lifespan (年限) among the city’s business leaders shorter than theirs.Still,she’d no doubt have enjoyed Davos—and might even have hobnobbed (攀談) with influential figures.
小題1:Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Austen was born 200 years ago.
B.Austen rewrote Pride and Prejudice.
C.Austen’s success lies in her wisdom.
D.Austen’s updated work gains popularity.
小題2:The underlined part in the passage suggests that Mrs Bennet ________.
A.had mixed feelings of admiration and surprise about Bingley
B.felt kind of worried and doubtful about Bingley
C.was extremely anxious to meet Bingley
D.had a great curiosity about Bingley
小題3:In the eyes of Mrs Bennet,Bingley surely needed one of their boys to ________.
A.get married to
B.work for her
C.help her move in
D.take over her store
小題4:What does the writer intend to tell us?
A.Women with brains can also be as successful as men.
B.Women have to pay a high price for success.
C.A judgment must be made free from prejudice.
D.Sex discrimination still exists nowadays.

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

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A.on Sunday on April 25
B.on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25
C.on the same date every year
D.on Sunday on March 22
小題2:To celebrate Easter, people ___________.
A.go shopping, hide colored eggs and children hunt for them
B.give Easter baskets filled candy and goodies to one another
C.buy new clothes, hide colored eggs and children look for them around the house
D.both B and C
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A.going to church to celebrate Jesus‘ resurrection
B.buying new clothes
C.eating delicious food and paint color eggs
D.exchange beautiful gifts each other
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A.In both American and Belgium, children hunt for Easter eggs hidden in rooms and in bushes
B.In Belgium, the hidden eggs are thought to have fallen from doorbells
C.In America, the hidden eggs are supposed to have fallen from doorbells
D.In American, children believe the eggs are hidden by the Easter bunny
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

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Cold can also affect your shoulder. You “give someone the cold shoulder” when you refuse to speak to them. You treat them in a distant, cold way. The expression probably come from the physical act of turning your back toward someone, instead of speaking to him face-to- face. You may give a cold shoulder to a friend who has not kept a promise he made to you or to someone who has lied about you to others.
“A cold fish” is not a fish. It is a person. But it is a person who is unfriendly, unemotional and show no love or warmth. A cold fish does not offer much of himself to anyone.
“Out in the cold” is and expression often heard. It means not getting something that everybody else got. A person might say that everybody but him got a pay raise. He was left our in the cold. And it is not a pleasant place to be.
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B.“cold” is a word closely linked with human emotions
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A.There are lots of differences in spelling between Am.E.and Br.E.
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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
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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.

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

A new report says African governments are ill prepared to handle the growing number of people over age 65. The population in Africa  as in other parts of the world, is getting older. Currently, there are 36 million people on the continent 65 years and above. which is 3.6 percent of the population. up from 3.3 percent 10 years ago. That could rise to 4.5 percent by 2030 and 10 percent by 2050. The African development Bank is raising concerns over the shortage of health insurance and pensions (養(yǎng)老金).
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Professor Mthuli Ncube said African governments failed to take action on health insurance
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A.the speed of people aging is becoming quicker
B.Africa has the largest aging population
C.African governments are not well prepared to deal with the aging population
D.the shortage of health insurance and pensions adds to African governments' difficulty in dealing With the aging population
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C.Long-term chronic illnesses.D.Long-term shortage of care and love.
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A.The economic reforms.B.Too many old people.
C.The shortage of land.D.The development of the economy.
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A.African governments should spend as much money on healthcare as developed countries
B.African people should save enough money to insure their health.
C.African governments should combine with private companies to finish health insurance and pension pains.
D.Private sources should take the main responsibility to help the elderly.
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

We often use the words growth and development as if they meant essentially the same thing. But this may not always be the case. One can easily imagine instances in which a country has achieved higher levels of income (growth) with little or no benefit coming to most of its citizens (development).
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小題1:As to the relationship between growth and development, what can we infer from the passage?
A.Development is a reliable measure of growth.
B.Growth always brings about development.
C.Development is not necessarily the result of growth.
D.Growth and development refer to the same thing.
小題2:According to the study by the World Bank in 1974,economic growth in some background countries brought 
A.benefit only to a third of their population.
B.a(chǎn)lmost no benefit to a third of their population.
C.little benefit to their people.
D.no benefit at all to their people.
小題3:The programs designed to get rid of poverty were not very well carried out because the government
A.knew that growth didn’t promise development.
B.gave too much attention to increases in GNP per capita.
C.wished to replace the programs with new development policies.
D.was busy solving other more serious economic problems.
小題4:If the passage continues, what is the author most likely to discuss in the next paragraph?
A.How to turn growth into development.
B.How to remove poverty from society.
C.How to decrease third world debt.
D.How to cope with economic crises.

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Producing money requires both artistic and technological skills. Dollar bills are made so that they are interesting to look at but very hard to copy. In total, there are sixty-five separate steps required to make a dollar bill.
The money making process begins when a yearly order is sent by the Federal Reserve Board. That order will then be divided in half. Half will be done here in Washington, D.C. and the other half will be done in Fort Worth, Texas. Next, the Bureau orders special paper which is actually cloth since it is 75% cotton and 25% linen.
This paper is made so that it can last a long time. And, it is made with details that make it hard to copy. For example, bills contain security threads. These narrow pieces of plastic are inside the paper and run along the width of the bill. This special paper is also made with very small blue and red fibers.
Once the money is printed, guillotine cutters (切紙機) separate the sheets into two notes, then into individual notes.The notes are organized in "bricks," each of which contains forty one-hundred-note packages. The bricks then go to one of twelve Federal Reserve Districts, which then give the money to local banks. Ninety-five percent of the bills printed each year are used to replace money that is in circulation, or that has already been removed from circulation.
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小題1:During money production, we must consider all EXCEPT that it must                   .
A.last a long timeB.be hard to copy
C.be done by the president's orderD.be interesting to look at
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A.a(chǎn)re narrow pieces of plastic
B.a(chǎn)re pressed outside the bills
C.a(chǎn)re longer than the width of the bills
D.a(chǎn)re actually made of cotton and linen
小題3: How many presidents are printed on the American money?
A.FourB.FiveC.Six D.Seven
小題4:Why are the two-dollar bills not made often?
A.Because no one wants them.
B.Because they aren't damaged quickly like other bills.
C.Because they aren't used in America any more.
D.Because their material is a bit more expensive.

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

San Francisco has many museums. You can visit one and learn something new. We have art, science, history and other special museums. Some museums are open every day. Some are only open on certain days. Some museums are expensive, and others are free. But some of the expensive ones have free days. Many museums have websites. The websites usually have information about the things you can see in the museums.
On a museum’s website you can get information about ticket prices and free days. You can also know where the museum is and when it is open. Sometimes you have to click on the words like Visit, Information, or About to find the information. That will be hard work for you.
小題1:San Francisco has many museums for you to visit and ______.
A.learn something new B.play computer games
C.watch the movies D.click on Information
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A.on weekdaysB.on weekends
C.on certain days D.on holidays
小題3:Many museums have ______ with information about the things you can see in them.
A.ticket prices B.their websites
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