“English may be the global language of business but it is not enough by itself for companies to gain a lasting presence in many markets,” the European Commission(委员会)says in a study published last month.
The study collected by the British National Centre for Languages for the EU leader, says over 10 per cent of 2,000 small and medium-sized(中等规模的)firms in 29 European countries sampled(抽样)in the study have lost export contract(出口合同)because of lack of language skills.The study says French is used to trade with partners in Africa, Spanish in Latin America, and Russian in Eastern Europe.
“The picture is far more complex than the much-quoted view that English is the world language,” the study says.
Multilingual(多种语言的)Commissioner Leonard Orban admitted that English plays an important role worldwide, but he wants to improve more linguistic variety within the EU.
The EU's linguistic headaches have exploded with the group's expansion.Languages have become a sensitive topic in Brussels where English is increasingly eclipsing(侵蚀)French as the main working language of the organization.Translation of EU papers into EU's 23 official languages costs 1 billion euros(US $1.31 billion)a year.
“We want to be open not only to official languages of the Union, but also to others like regional(区域的)languages, languages of minorities, immigrants'(移民)languages and third countries' languages,” Orband said.
Many EU students have improved their language skills during non-formal learning activities.Young people from more than 20 different nationalities travel across Europe to participate together in many cultural programmes, language courses, thematic workshops(主题研习会)and other activities that are organized in about 100 cities.
(1)
When did the European Commission say that English is not enough by itself for trade?
In the United Statcs, there were some well-constructed houses for native Indians, ranging from the simple brush shelter to the five-storied pueblo.
In the eastem United States, one of the existing types was that commonly know under the Algonkian name of wigwam in which the Iroquois Indians lived.The wigwams were of wagon-top shape with straight sides and ends, made by bending young trees to form the round shape.Over this shape pieces of tree bark were laid to protect the Indians from bad weather.Over the bark dried grass was added.A small hole allowde smoke to escape from the top.Doorways at each en served also as windows, The Iroquois Indians built trunk walls all around their villages.The wall had only one opening, They could quickly close this cpening if their enemies came near.
Interestingly, the Choctaw Indians in Mississippi also lived in a wigwam of a most primitive(原始的)construction, but different from those of the Iroquois Indians.The Choctaw Indians'wigwams, made from mud,cane and straw, were in the form of a bee-hive.The covering was made of a long, tough grass.A post in the centre supported the roof.A hole in the top admitted the light, and allowed the smoke to pass out.
The tipi tent-housing of the upper lake and plains area was put up with poles set lightly in the ground, tied together near the top, and covered with bark and grass in the lake country.It was easily portable, and two women could set it up or take it down within an hour.
The Pawnee, Mandan and other Indian tribes(部落)along the Missouri built solid ring-shaped structhures of trunk, covered with earth and dried grass,housing adozen families.
The Wichita and other tribes of the Texas border built large ring-shaped houses covered with dried grass.
Apart from the regular housing, almost every tribe had some style of housing.
(1)
Which of the follwing pictures shows the house for the Iroquois Indians?
[ ]
A.
B.
C.
D.
(2)
According to the passage, the Pawnee Indians built their houses ________.
[ ]
A.
with openings in the trunk walls
B.
large enough for several families
C.
in a ring shape with bark and mud
D.
by bending young trees to form the shape
(3)
All the native Indian houses described in the passage were ________.
[ ]
A.
of the same shape
B.
covered with grass
C.
built with a post in the centre
D.
built with doorways at each end
(4)
The passage suggests that ________
[ ]
A.
all the native Indians built trunk walls all around their houses
B.
all the native Indian houses were built with poles tied together
C.
the Iroquois Indians took safety into account while building their wigwams
D.
the Choctaw Indians in Mississippi built their wigwams with straight sides and ends
阅读理解
Children who suffer head trauma(创伤)call experience headaches months after the injury, with girls more likely to have them than boys, a new study finds.
The researchers also found that the risk of having these headaches was greater after a mild traumatic brain injury(TBI)than after a moderate or severe one.
The study, published online Dec.5 in the journal Pediatrics, included children aged 5 to 1 7 who were hospitalized with traumatic brain injury in King County in Washington State and one in Philadelphia.Three months after treatment, headaches were reported by 43 percent of children who'had a mild TBI, 37 percent of those who had a moderate to severe TBI, and 26 percent of children in a control group who'd suffered broken arms but no head trauma.
The researchers also assessed the children one year after they were hospitalized and didn't find any significant differences in headaches between the groups.
Teens and girls appear to have the highest risk for headache after mild TBI, and the course of recovery after such events is likely affected by age, injury severity and gender(性别), the researchers concluded.
The authors noted that more than half a million children in the United States suffer a TBI each year.
“Little research has focused on chronic(慢性的)headache post-TBI in children, ”Dr.Heidi Blume, of me Seattle Children'S Research Institute, said in锄institute news release(发布会).“The common existence of headache following mild TBI appear to follow a pattern we see in primary headache disorders such as a migraine(偏头痛).”
She said the research will examine similarities betwe.en TBI and migraine, including a look at whether“migraine treatment will work for post.traumatic headaches.”
In the meantime, ‘'what parents need to know is that some children with TBI may have headaches for several weeks or months after TBI, but that most recover with time, ”Blume said.“And significantly, girls and teenagers appear to be at particular risk for headaches after mild TBI.Parents should be aware of what to expect after mild TBI, and that includes TBI for sports.related injuries.”
(1)
Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?
[ ]
A.
Teachers Should Do More to Protect Teenagers in Schools
B.
How to Avoid Headaches after Traumatic Brain Injuries
C.
Head Injuries May Lead to Headaches for Teenagers
D.
More Attention Should Be Paid to Post.TBI Headaches
(2)
The differences in headaches after TBI among different people lasts _________.
[ ]
A.
for more than a year
B.
1ife long
C.
for three months
D.
for less than a year
(3)
Which of the following statements is not true according to the passage?
[ ]
A.
The severer the injury is.the greater the risk will be.
B.
Headaches after TBI are similar to a migraine.
C.
There hasn't been enough research on headache post-TBI in children.
D.
Giris are more likely to have post.TBI headaches.
(4)
In the last paragraph, Dr.Heidi Blume warns that _________.
[ ]
A.
parents should look after their children more carefully
B.
post-TBI headaches will last for several weeks or months
C.
post-TBI headaches may not show immediately
D.
girls and teenagers should avoid attending school sport activities
(5)
Paragraph 3 is intended to _________.
[ ]
A.
prove that girls are mole likely to have post-TBI headaches
B.
support what is mentioned in Paragraph 2
C.
show the common existence of headaches after TBI
D.
tell the readers that post-TBI headaches are not dangerous