Language is a major problem for the European Union (EU). The agreement or treaty(条约) 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(原来的) 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 (费时的). 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 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 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 severe 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.

The organization that eventually became the EU       .

   A. was started by France and Germany      B. started with three countries

   C. was set up by the Treaty of Rome       D. included 132 languages

What's the main purpose of this passage?

   A. To give a solution to a problem.

   B. To find out a problem and show how severe it is.

   C. To criticize the European Union for inefficiency.

   D. To show that the problem cannot be solved.

According to the writer, the use of English in contacts among EU officials has       .

   A. angered the officials who don't speak English

   B. reduced the number of official languages

   C. reduced the effect of the problem

   D. been opposed by powerful member countries

The writer mentions "Danish into Greek" as an example of       .

   A. a situation that might be difficult to deal with

   B. a situation that occurs often

   C. one of the 12 situations that requires an interpreter

   D. languages easily being interpreted

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 which are easy to translate would be used officially

   D. the smaller member countries would be pleased

We have been driving in fog all morning, but the fog is lifting now. The little seaside villages are 36 , one by one. "There is my grandmother's house," I say, 37 across the bay to a shabby old house.

I am in Nova Scotia on a pilgrimage (朝圣) with Lisa, my granddaughter, seeking roots for her, retracing (追溯) 38 memory for me. Lisa was one of the mobile children, 39 from house to house in childhood. She longs for a sense of 40 , and so we have come to Nova Scotia where my husband and I were born and where our ancestors 41 for 200 years.

We soon 42 by the house and I tell her what it was like here, the memories 43 back, swift as the tide (潮水).

Suddenly, I long to walk again in the 44 where I was once so gloriously a child. It still 45 a member of the family, but has not been lived in for a while. We cannot go into the house, but I can still walk 46 the rooms in memory. Here, my mother 47 in her bedroom window and wrote in her diary. I can still see the enthusiastic family 48 into and out of the house. I could never have enough of being 49 them. However, that was long after those childhood days. Lisa 50 attentively as I talk and then says, " So this is where I 51 ; where I belong. "

She has 52 her roots. To know where I come from is one of the great longings of the human 53. To be rooted is "to have an origin". We need 54 origin. Looking backward, we discover what is unique in us; learn the 55 of "I". We must all go home again—in reality or memory.

31.       A. appearing   B. moving              C. exposing           D. expanding

32.       A. referring     B. travelling           C. pointing             D. coming

33.       A. shared B. short                 C. fresh                 D. treasured

34.       A. passed       B. raised                C. moved              D. sent

35.       A. home         B. duty                  C. reality               D. relief

36.       A. built           B. lived                  C. remained           D. explored

37.       A. catch up     B. pull up        C. step down         D. come down

38.       A. falling        B. turning              C. rushing             D. bringing

39.       A. yard           B. village        C. room                D. house

40.       A. adapts to    B. appeals to          C. belongs to         D. occurs to

41.       A. across B. through             C. along                D. past

42.       A. lay             B. played        C. stood                D. sat

43.       A. marching    B. looking              C. breaking            D. pouring

44.       A. between     B. with                  C. near                  D. behind

45.       A. wonders     B. listens        C. reacts               D. agrees

46.       A. began  B. grew                 C. studied              D. stayed

47.       A. deepened    B. recognized  C. accepted           D. found

48.       A. heart          B. rights                C. interest              D. behaviors

49.       A. one            B. its                     C. that                   D. every

50.       A. meaning     B. expression  C. connection D. background

D
We can achieve knowledge either actively or passively. We achieve it actively by direct experience, by testing and proving an idea, or by reasoning.
We achieve knowledge passively by being told by someone else. Most of the learning that takes place in the classroom and the kind that happens when we watch TV or read newspapers or magazines is passive. As we are used to passive learning, it’s not surprising that we depend on it in our everyday communication with friends and co-workers.
Unfortunately, passive learning has a serious problem. It makes us tend to accept what we are told even when it is nothing but hearsay and rumor (谣言).
Did you ever play the game Rumor? It begins when one person writes down a message but doesn’t show it to anyone. Then the person whispers it, word for word, to another person. That person, in turn, whispers it to still another, and so on, through all the people playing the game. The last person writes down the message word for word as he or she hears it. Then the two written statements are compared. Typically, the original message has changed.
That’s what happens in daily life. The simple fact that people repeat a story in their own words changes the story. Then, too, most people listen imperfectly. And many enjoy adding their own creative understanding to a story, trying to improve on it, stamping (打上标记) it with their own personal style. Yet those who hear it think they know.
This process is also found among scholars and authors: A statement of opinion by one writer may be re-stated as fact by another, who may in turn be quoted by yet another; and this process may continue, unless it occurs to someone to question the facts on which the original writer based his opinion or to challenge the explanation he placed upon those facts.          
48. According to the passage, passive learning may occur in _______.
A. doing a medical experiment                          B. solving a math problem
C. visiting an exhibition                                D. doing scientific reasoning
49. The author mentions the game Rumor to show that _____.
A. a message may be changed when being passed on
B. a message should be delivered in different ways
C. people may have problems with their sense of hearing
D. people tend not to believe in what they know as rumor
50. What can we infer from the passage?
A. Active learning is less important.
B. Passive learning may not be reliable.
C. Active learning occurs more frequently.
D. Passive learning is not found among scholars.   

    Language is a major problem for the European Union(EU)．The agreement or treaty (条约) 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 . 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 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 severe by the use of English in many contacts between EU officials，since almost all of them speak some English. However, any action 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.

What’s the main purpose of this passage?

    A．To give a solution to a problem．

    B．To find out a problem and show how severe it is

    C．To criticize the European Union for inefficiency．

    D．To show that the problem cannot be solved．

According to the writer，the use of English in contacts among EU officials has _________.

    A．angered the officials who don’t speak English

    B．increased the number of official languages

    C．reduced the effect of the problem

    D．been supported by powerful member countries

The writer mentions “Danish into Greek” as an example of ________.

    A．a situation that might be difficult to deal with

    B．a situation that occurs at times

    C．one of the 12 situations that requires an interpreter

    D．languages easily being interpreted

The writer suggests that if the number of official languages were 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 easy languages would be used officially   

    D．the smaller member countries would be pleased