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阅读理解
The trouble with Europe is that it is．so diverse．There are many different cultures, from German and French composers to English and Irish poets, from French film directors and Italian tenors(男高音)to Swiss bankers and clockmakers．When we move into the world of politics, it is equally difficult for European leaders to see eye to eye．
When European leaders got together at their recent summit meeting in Brussels, Belgium, to discuss the European debt crisis, there were hitter exchanges of words．President Nicolas Sarkozy of France turned on David Cameron to tell him that he was fed up -with the British Prime Minster's constant criticism of the euro．
Sarkozy told him："You lost a good opportunity to shut up．We are sick of you criticizing us and telling us what to do．You say you bate the euro and now you want to interfere(干涉)in our meeting．" This was a reference to the way the UK has stayed outside the euro zone and held on to its own currency, the pound．
Take a look at history．For centuries, France, Britain, Spain, Portugal and Germany fought with one another-on land and sea．There was a 100-year-long war between Britain and France in the 14th and 15th centuries．Two world wars began in Europe．
When European nations weren't fighting each other in Europe, they were fighting in other foreign countries in a quest(寻求)for colonial(殖民地的)power, raw materials, spices and tea．
It is small wonder, then, that cultural stereotypes(成见)of the different European nations have emerged－and some of them are far from friendly．
The phrase "cheese-eating surrender monkeys(吃奶酪的投降派杂耍猴)" was first used in an episode of The Simpsons to describe the French．
Germans have a reputation for being efficient, which has led to their powerful economy, great cars－and lack of a sense of humor, according to the stereotype．
As for the Scots, they have a reputation for drinking too much．Prince Philip, the Queen of England's husband, once asked a driving instructor in Scotland how he managed to keep his clients away from the alcohol long enough for them to pass their driving tests．Was this the prince's idea of a joke?Or was he repeating a cultural stereotype?
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