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 .
1.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 .
2.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 .
3.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
4.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 .
To find how the name Canada came about we must go back to the 16th century. At that time, the French dreamed of disclosing and controlling more land, of expanding trade beyond their borders and of spreading their faith across the world .In 1535, Francois I ,King of France, ordered a navigator named Jacques Cartier to explore the New World and search for a passage to India.
Cartier first arrived at the Gulf of the St. Lawrence, which he wanted to explore. He did not know what to expect but he hoped that this Gulf was just an arm of the ocean between two islands. If it was, he would soon be on his way to the Far East. So he sailed upstream along the St. Lawrence River. However, instead of reaching Asia he arrived at Quebec or Stadacona, as the Indians called it. It was at this point that the term “Canada” entered the country’s history. Apparently the word “Canada” came from an Indian word “Kanata”, which means community or village. Cartier first used it when he referred to Stadacona or Quebec. What a huge “village” Canada is!
1.In the early sixteenth century, the King of France ordered Cartier to ______
A. find the new world.
B.go and visit the American Indians
C. build an entirely new country
D. get more information about America and find a way to Asia
2.Having reached the Gulf of St. Lawrence Cartier thought _____
A. he had already got to India
B.he had sailed into the Atlantic
C. it was a water passage to the East
D. it was a water way to the New World
3.In the early sixteenth century, Quebec was only ____.
A. an Indian village
B. a little town in southern Canada
C. the place which we call Canada now
D.a village at the entrance to the Gulf of St. Lawrence
假如你是某高中学生李雷，进入高中后，你觉得学英语的方式和初中有很大不同，你给自己的英语李老师写了一封信，讲述自己的英语学习情况。要包括以下内容：
1．开始学习高中英语时，觉得英语比初中英语难很多，几乎丧失信心。
2．后来认识到英语的重要性。
3．每天努力学习英语。
4．向老师和同学请教更好的英语学习方法。
5．现在英语取得了很大进步，对英语越来越感兴趣。
提示： 初中 junior high school 高中 senior high school
Dear Mr. Li,
____________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Lei
文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏词符号（∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\ )划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
My mother is a teacher work in a key high school. She is too busy that she often has to get up early and stay up late. In addition to this, she hardly has any times to take exercise. She has been on poor health for some time. My father and I are worried that she may fall ill if she works too hard. These days I’m thinking why to develop my mother’s interest in playing sports.Considering that today is Mother’s Day, I decided buy a pair of jogging shoes for him. I secret put them on the desk in her study. When my mother entered into her study this evening, she looked surprised, but she immediately realized my intention. She promises that she would go jogging every evening.
One morning, I was waiting at the bus stop, worried about __1.__ (be) late for school. There were many people waiting at the bus stop, __2.__ some of them looked very anxious and __3._ (disappoint). When the bus finally came, we all hurried on board. I got a place next _4._ the window, so I had a good view of the sidewalk. A boy on a bike __5.__ (catch ) my attention. He was riding beside the bus and waving his arms. I heard a passenger behind me shouting to the driver, but he refused __6.__ (stop) until we reached the next stop. Still, the boy kept _7.__ (ride). He was carrying something over his shoulder and shouting. Finally, when we came to the next stop, the boy ran up to the door of the bus. I heard an excited conversation. Then the driver stood up and asked，“__8._ anyone lose a suitcase at the last stop？” A woman on the bus shouted, “Oh, dear! It's __9.__ (I)”. She pushed her way to the driver and took the suitcase thankfully, Everyone on the bus began talking about what the boy had done, and the crowd of strangers _10._ (sudden) became friendly to one another.
A few years ago, I was in New York City to advise two large banks on the secret to success in business. Once I had a with my taxi driver, Tony. Tony was from India. He had studied to be a marine (海洋的) biologist,but couldn't get a job in that field here. "I like driving a taxi now," he said. " I have hoped to do better than just ."Like many people, Tony thought that being self-reliant (自力更生的) meant asking for help. But we need to nurture (养护) relationships in order to our goals.
Tony liked to chat with his but he didn't want to bother (打扰) them. I advised him to give it a . And he did. Not only did his customers take his taxi more often, but they him to their friends. Soon he had a long list of regulars and buy his own car, then a second. He had to a friend to help with the overflow.
Each of us contains of greatness, which can be expressed in ways, from starting a business to the next generation of leaders. Life is all about finding that seed and nurturing it to its growth. I know it's possible, because I am a living .
I'm the son of a steelworker and a cleaning woman. My dad would come home, his hands hurt and , and said, "I don't want this for you, Keith. You need a great ."
Although my father didn't know the CEO of his company, he wasn't afraid to introduce himself and ask for his advice. The CEO liked his and helped me get a scholarship at one of the best schools in the country. I went on to Yale University and Harvard Business School. Soon I was the youngest chief marketing officer in the Fortune 500. I learned at a young age that the secret to success the power of relationships.
1.A. report B. Conversation C. suggestion D. meeting
2.A. whole B. correct C. proper D. poor
3.A. But B. Since C. Because D. So
4.A. getting overB. getting up C. getting through D. getting by
5.A. never B. always C. often D. usually
6.A. find B. fail C. miss D. achieve
7.A. family B. leader C. customers D. friends
8.A. try B. drive C. talk D. word
9.A. Suggested B. introduced C. talked D. told
10.A. was able toB. Need C. ought to D. had better
11.A. make B. let C. hire D. order
12.A. plants B. seeds C. origins D. members
13.A. little B. few C. much D. countless
14.A. Bringing B. creating C. raising D. taking
15.A. Empty B. full C. huge D. small
16.A. Person B. coach C. product D. proof
17.A. dirty B. clean C. beautiful D. good
18.A. work B. Family C. Education D. university
19.A. Honesty B. feeling C. expression D. courage
20.A. leads to B. lies in C. sticks to D. reminds to
