For years, business people in Western Europe were worried. They knew they could not compete against business from the U.S. The United States is much larger and had many more resources than any Western European countries

Some European people realized that the European nations need to join together to help each other. If they could forget their language differences and the differences in customs, they might become strong competition against other countries.

In 1958, six of the European countries --- Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany and Italy got together and decided to cooperate. They called their group the European Economic Community, or the Common Market. These countries agreed to join their resources together.

Within a few years, the European Economic Community had worked so well that its members were more prosperous than many other European nations. Soon, other nations began to realize the advantage of the Common Market. Today the Common Market includes most of the important countries in Western Europe. It is helping Western Europe to again take its place as a leader among the industrial nations of the world.

1.From the passage we know the U.S. is much richer than ________ in resources.

A. any other Western European countries   B. any other country in Western Europe

C. any country in Western Europe         D. every country in Europe

2. The members of the European Economic Community have developed fast because they ___.

A. share their resources and become more prosperous

B. can again take the place as a leader in the world

C. forget the differences in their languages and customs

D. have become strong competition against the U.S.

3.Which statement is true?

A. The Common Market is only a political association.

B. The Common Market is an economic and political association

C. The Common Market is only an economic association

D. The Common Market is neither an economic association nor a political one.

4.In order to ______ the Western European countries decided to cooperate.

A. join together to found a united country

B. help each other to smooth away the differences in customs

C. work and act together for common purpose

D. work together and fight against the U.S.

SECTION B（18分）

Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A,B,C and D．Fill in each blank with word or phrases that best fits the context．

Handshaking, though a European way of greeting people, is now often seen in big cities of China. Nobody knows exactly when the practice  36  in Europe. It is said that long long ago in Europe when people met, they showed their unarmed hands to each other as a sign of   37  . As time went on and trade in cities grew rapidly, people in cities began to clap each other’s hands to make a (an)  38  or to reach an agreement. This was later changed into shaking hands among friends on meeting or   39  each other. “Let’s shake (hands) on it” sometimes means agreement reached.

Do the Europeans shake hands wherever they go and with whomever they meet?   40  . Sometimes the Chinese abroad reach out their hands too often to be   41  . It is really very impolite to   42   your hand when the other party, especially when it is a woman, shows little interest in shaking hands with you and when the meeting does not   43  anything to him or her.   44  , for politeness, he holds out his unwilling hand in answer to your uninvited hand, just touch it slightly. There is generally a misunderstanding among the   45  that westerners are usually open and straightforward, while the Chinese are rather reserved (矜持的)  46  . But the truth is that some people in western countries are more reserved than some Chinese today. So it is a good idea to shake hands with a Westerner   47  when he shows interest in further relations with you.

36．A．came     B．grew     C．turned      D．started

37．A．interest     B．eagerness  C．goodwill   D．patience

38．A．signal       B．noise     C．offer     D．deal

39．A．leaving     B．seeing       C．kissing      D．visiting

40．A．Yes      B．Maybe      C．Well     D．No

41．A．polite          B．kind     C．helpful     D．interested

42．A．hold     B．give     C．shake     D．display

43．A．mean     B．matter      C．count     D．make

44．A．As long as       B．However   C．Even if     D．Therefore

45．A．people      B．Chinese    C．Europeans D．public

46．A．in person  B．in manner C．in harmonyD．in secret

47．A．absolutely B．possibly    C．only     D．definitely

In western countries, especially in America, some social customs have lasted still today. For example, ladies first, that is to say, women in those countries are respected(尊重) in many ways.
In the U.S. and Europe, you will see men usually open doors for women and women generally walk ahead of men into a room or a restaurant unless the man have to be ahead of the ladies to choose the table, to open the door of a car or to give other services. On the street, men almost walk or across the street on the side of the ladies which is closer to traffic, but if a man walks with two ladies, he should walk between them.
【小题1】In this passage， “customs” especially refers to _______.

Handshaking, though a European practice, is now often seen in big cities of China. Nobody knows exactly when the practice started in Europe. It is said that long long ago in Europe when people met, they showed their unarmed (无武器的) hands to each other as a sign of goodwill. As time went on and trade in cities grew rapidly, people in cities began to clap each other’s hands to make a deal or to reach an agreement. The practice was later changed into shaking hands among friends on meeting or leaving each other. “Let’s shake (hands) on it” sometimes means agreement reached.

Do the Europeans shake hands wherever they go and with whomever they meet? No. Sometimes the Chinese abroad reach out their hands too often to be polite. It is really very impolite to give your hand when the other party, especially when it is a woman,

shows little interest in shaking hands with you and when the meeting does not mean

anything to him or her. Even if, for politeness, he holds out his unwilling hand in answer to your uninvited hand, just touch it slightly. There is generally a misunderstanding(误解) among the Chinese that westerners are usually open and straightforward, while the Chinese are rather reserved (保守的) in manner. But in fact some people in western countries are more reserved than some Chinese today. So it is a good idea to shake hands with a westerner only when he shows interest in further relations with you.

1. In the old days in Europe, people put out their unarmed hands to each other.

A. to make a deal              B. to greet each other

C. to show friendliness    D. to reach an agreement

2.The first paragraph mainly tells us ______.

A. where handshaking was first practised

B. how handshaking came about

C. about the relationship between handshaking and trade

D. about the practice of handshaking both in Europe and in China

3.According to the text, which of the following statements is true?

A. Westerners are more reserved than the Chinese.

B. Westerners are unwilling to shake hands.

C. We should make a judgement before shaking hands.

D. We shouldn’t shake hands with European women.

4.The main purpose of the text is______.

A. to tell us some differences between the East and the West

B. to offer us some important facts about handshaking

C. to introduce us to some different customs in the West

D. to give us some advice before we travel abroad

第三部分 阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）
For many people Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. One of the reasons people love it so much is that you get presents. But like presents, Christmas needs to be unwrapped so that you can understand the true meaning behind the day.
Many Chinese believe everyone in Western countries celebrate this holiday. That is not true. Christmas is an important religious holiday for Christians. December 25 represents the birthday of Jesus Christ, who Christians believe is the son of God.
Christianity (基督教) is a very popular religion in America and Europe. However, there are many other religions, too. People who celebrate those religions don’t celebrate Christmas. But during the winter season they usually have their own important holiday. That is why when talking to a foreigner it is safer to say, “ Happy holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” because you never know his/her religious background.
The image of a fat, happy man in red---Santa Claus---has come to represent the idea of goodness and love instead of religious part or the “Christmas spirit”. Santa Claus is based on a man named Saint Nicholas who was a 4th century Greek Christian.
Saint Nicholas bought presents for children and gave them away anonymously(匿名地). This is where the idea of gift on Christmas began. But the Santa Claus didn’t exist until the 19th century when an American named Thomas Nast drew cartoons of him. So really, Santa has nothing to do with the religious holiday.
In fact, some people who celebrate Christmas don’t really care about Santa Claus.
Christmas is a special day for Christians but the ideas of being good and loving your neighbors are not limited to Christianity. So buy a gift for your friend, tell your mother you love her and have merry Christmas. I mean ,”Happy holidays!”
56. Christians believe December 25 represents the birthday of _________.
A. Santa Claus     B. God    C. Jesus Christ     D. Thomas Nast
57. In the passage, the author thinks __________.
A. Santa Claus was a real person in the past
B. everyone should believe in Christianity
C. all people in Western countries celebrate Christmas
D. Santa Claus has nothing to do with Christmas holiday
58. What is “the true meaning” in the first passage?
A. For many people Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year
B. The Westerners have different religious backgrounds
C. Some like to say “Merry Christmas”, and others like to say “Happy holidays”
D. Being good and loving our neighbors are the virtues of all humans
59. What is the CORRECT explanation of Santa Claus?
A. He was a Greek Christian in the 4th century
B. He was an American who was born in the 19th century
C. His image represents the “Christmas spirit”
D. He was a cartoon figure drawn by Thomas Nast