Question

The European Union(EU) is an organization of European countries. The countries are independent and are governed in different ways. In the United Kingdom ,for example, the head of state is a king or queen. In France, on the other hand, the head of state is a president. But each of them sends representatives to European Parliament, which has some control over what happens in each of the member countries.

The idea of the EU began  in the 1950s. The first members were France, Germany, Belgium,Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Italy. Little by little, the number increased during second half of the twentieth century. By the year 2000,there were 15 member countries. The new countries were Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

In 2004,the EU increased to 25 members. The Czech Republic ,Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia, plus the Mediterranean islands of Cyprus and Malta all became members. The expanded EU has a population of more than half a billion people, twice as big as the population of the US.

1.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the text?

A. The UK was not included in the first members.

B. The thought of the EU first came into being in the 1950s.

C. The member countries of the EU are independent.

D. Ireland became a member country of the EU later than Poland.

2.How many countries joined the EU after the year 2000?

A. 9    B. 10

C. 15    D. 25

3.How are the UK and France governed

A. In both countries, the head of state is a king or queen.

B. In both countries, the head of state is a president.

C. In the United Kingdom ,the head of state is a president while in France, a king or queen.

D. In the United Kingdom ,the head of state is a king or queen while in France, a president.

4.which country had the idea of the EU first?

A. The  UK    B. France

C. Germany    D. The passage doesn’t mention.

Answer

1.D

2.B

3.D

4.D

【解析】

本文为说明文。主要对欧盟组织进行了介绍。欧盟（EU）是欧洲国家的组织，这些国家是独立的，以不同的方式管理。欧盟的思想始于20世纪50年代，第一个成员国是法国、德国、比利时、卢森堡、荷兰和意大利。成员国的人数在逐步地增加，现在扩大到２５个国家．

1.细节理解题。第一段中的The countries are independent可知，欧盟国家是独立的，，第二段The idea of the EU began in the 1950s. The first members were France, Germany, Belgium,Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Italy. …By the year 2000,there were 15 member countries. The new countries were Austria,…, Greece, Ireland, …可知欧盟的欧盟的思想始于20世纪50年代，第一个成员国没有英国,波兰于2000年加入。第三段第一句In 2004,the EU increased to 25 members. The Czech Republic ,Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland,….，可知2004年波兰加入。由此可知波兰比爱尔兰早加入欧盟，故D的表述是错误的。分析选项可知D项符合题意，故选D项。

2.细节理解题。根据最后两段的内容：By the year 2000,there were 15 member countries.和In 2004,the EU increased to 25 members到2000年底，共有15个成员国。到2004年底是25个，25-15=10个，所以答案是B。

3.细节理解题。根据第一段中的“In the United Kingdom ,for example, the head of state is a king or queen. In France, on the other hand, the head of state is a president.” 在英国，国家元首是国王或王后。另一方面，在法国，国家元首是总统。分析选项可知D项符合题意，故选D项。

4.细节理解题。本文在第二段提出了欧盟的思想始于20世纪50年代/最初的成员国，而没有提及是哪个国家最先想到的，故D项符合题意，故选D项。