For new countries joining the European Union, and other ones getting used to their dark red passports, becoming “Europeans” is a bit like marrying into a large, eccentric(古怪的)family. Europeans have a lot in common but it is their difference, not their similarities, that attract the attention of sociologists(社会学家)and market researchers, and are more interesting.

　 ★ 35% of Germans live alone, but only 9%of Spaniards. Perhaps this explains why Spaniards lead Europe in the habit of going out for a drink.

　 ★The British attend more adult evening classes than anyone else in Europe, and the Belgians least. So it can’t just be the dark evenings. There are no figures on how many Britons go for a drink afterwards. If there were, they might be up at the top with Spain!

　 ★The British think black cats are lucky. Every other European country regards them unlucky.

　 ★The Dutch and Germans are greatest caravanners(活动房居住者), but the Germans like bigger beds in their caravans.

　 ★The French are the most athletic Europeans. Next come the Dutch. But the Belgians, just over the border, play fewest sports.

　 ★The Germans spend twice as much on heating as the Spaniards. Well, of course they do, it’s colder.

　 ★Dutch husbands do the household shopping a lot more often than Italians or Spaniards.

　 ★The French are the champion public transport commuters(经常往返者)of Europe. If you hate commuting, go and live in the Netherlands, where journeys to work are shorter than anywhere else.

　 ★The amount of direct eye-contact between strangers is three times greater among Spaniards than it is among the British or Swedes. Sharing a lift is torture for both the British and the Swedish.

　 ★No European countries really agree with any other about how to make good coffee. All of them are different.

　 There are exceptions(例外)to all these rules. Deal with them in the spirit of my 8-year-old daughter. “If you don’t understand each other’s language, you just laugh a lot, and eat, and point at things.”

1. We can know from this passage that____.

　 A. sociologists are most interested in the idea of European Union

　 B. most European countries are not willing to join the European Union

　 C. Europeans have more differences than similarities

　 D. trade opportunities exist in the cultural differences in the European Union

2. If you work or live in Belgium, you will____.

　 A. have to change your living places often

　 B. seldom see people playing sports

　 C. not get used to its cold weather

　 D. be invited to go for a drink frequently

3. What does the underlined sentence “Sharing a lift is torture for both the British and the Swedish.” mean?

　 A. The British and the Swedish care about their safety most.

　 B. The British and the Swedish like to appear gentle and smart.

　 C. The British and the Swedish hate to look at each other face to face.

　 D. The British and the Swedish enjoy a richer life than others

4. In the last paragraph, the author wants to express his idea that ____.

　 A. his daughter knows well how to understand foreigners in unfamiliar situations

　 B. Europeans actually share the same culture even if they have different languages

　 C. being a European, you will have no living trouble at all in the European Union

　 D. there are differences between European countries, but don’t take it too seriously

 

　　The French interrupt each other's conversations. This is not rudeness, but proof that they are listening to what is being said and are quite interested to want to take part. What passes for normal attempts at conversation among other peoples may be supposed as bad manners by the French:“What do you do for a living?,“How much do you make?”,“Are you married?”, and“Do you have any children?”These are regarded by the French as one of your business. Better instead talk about art, culture, or best of all, politics. Everyone in France has views on these subjects--even the plumber（水管工）who comes to mend a burst pipe will be happy to discuss Voltaire（伏尔泰）with you while eating his lunch.

　　The French invented body language. To watch a gendarme on traffic control is to see an elaborate（精细的）modem ballet（芭蕾舞）.

　　In conversation, Frenchmen's hands are never still. They give shape, form and size to ideas. They show the state of the mind, heart and soul. While others use the inflection of the voice to show how they feel. The French use eyes, hands, lips and shoulders to express a full rang of emotions. They kiss the tips of their fingers when they agree strongly with something or somebody. They pull the hand across the forehead, as though scalping（剥头皮）themselves, when they are bored. They raise their shoulders when faced by the ridiculous（荒谬）.They stroke their cheeks with the back of the hand as a sign that they are bored. They purse（噘起）their lips and breathe out when they are angry.

　　They have signs for displeasure, doubt, ad-vantage, apology, amazement, surprise, puzzlement and failure, which is why it is considered very impolite to talk with one's hands in one's pockets.

(1) All the following are regarded as impolitely except“________”.

[　　]

(2) The best topic discussed with the French probably is ________.

[　　]

(3) What's the main idea of the third paragraph?

[　　]

A．Telling us French body language and their meanings.

B．Describing Frenchmen's hand movements and their meanings.

C．Making us believe that the French value their gestures.

D．Introducing interesting French custom to us

(4) The best title of this passage probably is“________”

[　　]

(5) Why the French interrupt each other's conversation?

[　　]

A．To show their friendness.

B．To stop the conversation.

C．To show that they are listening carefully.

D．To fight with the other speak.

　　The French interrupt each other's conversations. This is not rudeness, but proof that they are listening to what is being said and are quite interested to want to take part. What passes for normal attempts at conversation among other peoples may be supposed as bad manners by the French:“What do you do for a living?,“How much do you make?”,“Are you married?”, and“Do you have any children?”These are regarded by the French as one of your business. Better instead talk about art, culture, or best of all, politics. Everyone in France has views on these subjects--even the plumber（水管工）who comes to mend a burst pipe will be happy to discuss Voltaire（伏尔泰）with you while eating his lunch.

　　The French invented body language. To watch a gendarme on traffic control is to see an elaborate（精细的）modem ballet（芭蕾舞）.

　　In conversation, Frenchmen's hands are never still. They give shape, form and size to ideas. They show the state of the mind, heart and soul. While others use the inflection of the voice to show how they feel. The French use eyes, hands, lips and shoulders to express a full rang of emotions. They kiss the tips of their fingers when they agree strongly with something or somebody. They pull the hand across the forehead, as though scalping（剥头皮）themselves, when they are bored. They raise their shoulders when faced by the ridiculous（荒谬）.They stroke their cheeks with the back of the hand as a sign that they are bored. They purse（噘起）their lips and breathe out when they are angry.

　　They have signs for displeasure, doubt, ad-vantage, apology, amazement, surprise, puzzlement and failure, which is why it is considered very impolite to talk with one's hands in one's pockets.

(1) All the following are regarded as impolitely except“________”.

[　　]

(2) The best topic discussed with the French probably is ________.

[　　]

(3) What's the main idea of the third paragraph?

[　　]

A．Telling us French body language and their meanings.

B．Describing Frenchmen's hand movements and their meanings.

C．Making us believe that the French value their gestures.

D．Introducing interesting French custom to us

(4) The best title of this passage probably is“________”

[　　]

(5) Why the French interrupt each other's conversation?

[　　]

A．To show their friendness.

B．To stop the conversation.

C．To show that they are listening carefully.

D．To fight with the other speak.