Language is a major problem for the European Union (EU). The agreement or treaty 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/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 . 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 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 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
B
(Question)
Whether you will be a doctor or a police officer in the future, there's a teacher in your life. They teach you and help you know who you are? Of course, you want to thank them. Teachers' Day is the perfect chance for students around the world to thank their teachers. The festival falls on different days in different countries. In China, Teachers' Day is on September 10. But in the US, teachers have a whole week to celebrate. Teacher Appreciation Week is in the first full week of May every year. Kids used to bring apples for their teachers because apples are healthy. Now, they bring gifts with pictures of apples, such as cups, picture frames and teddy bears. Some students also make DIY gifts for their teachers. During the week, school clubs often offer teachers a free breakfast of coffee and pastries. The South Korean Teachers' Day is on May 15. Many students offer flowers to their teachers. Another traditional gift is a card. Thousands of students prepare personalized cards and give them to their favorite teachers. Although different countries have different Teachers' Days, there's one day for the whole world to honor teachers. On October 5 of every year, over 100 countries, such as Canada and the Philippines, express their thanks by celebrating World Teachers' Day. UNESCO started the day in 1994. It wants to remind people of the importance of teaching. Only you can make a card like this one A fingerprint card is a good gift on Teachers' Day You will need: *Card *Pen *Colorful ink 1. Press your ink-covered finger on a clean card. 2. Use a pen to make your fingerprint into an animal or a robot. 3. Write words like "you are a wonderful teacher," or "thank you for teaching me" on the card. Some thank-you notes for great teachers 1. 2. More than 100 countries celebrate World Teacher's Day on _ . A) October 5 B) May 15 C) September 10 D) May 5
(Answer)
A
Ques: Dereck Joubert and his wife, Beverly, have made many films about wild animals in Africa. Their films and photographs are very popular and one of the photographs has been on the front cover of a National Geographic magazine. A working day for Dereck and Beverly started very early--at 4:30 in the morning! That's when they get up and start filming. And it's a long day--they often work until 8:30 in the evening. In the winter it's very cold and in the summer it can be 40C. Dereck always does the filming--Beverly never does that, and she doesn't write. But Dereck never takes photographs or records the sound. They work very well as a team, and they both believe we should shoot animals with cameras--not with guns! When they have finished filming and taking photographs for the day, they have dinner and Dereck usually writes while Beverly looks at her photographs. At night, they usually sleep in a small tent, but they sometimes sleep in the Land Cruiser--when they're very close to wild animals, it's sometimes safer to sleep in the car! Dereck and Beverly have also traveled around the world and given talks about their work. Dereck says that the animals are not just something to look at--they play an important role. Beverly thinks the wild animals can teach us a lot about ourselves. Dereck and Beverly usually sleep _ at night. A) in a car B) in a tent C) in a house D) in a hotel
Ans: B
Ques:Watching bison up close is fascinating, like watching a grass fire about to leap out of control. With their huge, wedge-shaped heads and silver-dollar-size brown eyes, the 2,000-pound animals are symbols of another place and time. More than 100 bison now roam the 30,000-acre American Prairie Reserve in eastern Montana -- the first time they've inhabited that region in a century. Direct descendants of the tens of millions of bison that once populated the Western plains, they represent an epic effort: to restore a piece of America's prairie to the national grandeur that Lewis and Clark extolled two centuries ago. During that famous expedition across the Western states to the Pacific, the two explorers encountered so many bison that they had to wait hours for one herd to pass. In order to protect what's here and reintroduce long-gone wildlife (something the World Wildlife Fund is helping with), the American Prairie Foundation began purchasing land from local ranchers in 2004. It now owns 30,000 acres and has grazing privileges on another 57,000. Its goal over the next 25 years is to assemble three million acres, the largest area of land devoted to wildlife management in the continental United States. Already, herds of elk, deer, and pronghorn antelope roam the grasslands, where visitors can camp, hike, and bike. Cottonwoods and willows are thriving along streams, creating habitats for bobcats, beavers, and other animals. Not everyone shares APF's vision. Some residents of Phillips County (pop. 3,904) worry that the area could become a prairie Disneyland, overcrowded with tourists. But the biggest obstacle is the ranchers themselves, whose cattle compete with prairie dogs and bison for grass and space. "People like me have no intention of selling their ranches," says Dale Veseth, who heads the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance of 35 families in Phillips County and whose family has been ranching here since 1886. "They've been a labor of love through the generations." Instead, he wants APF to pay or ranchers to raise... What measures have been taken to protect the wildlife by APF? A) They have borrowed much money and developed new habitat. B) They have hired many farmers to raise bison on their farms. C) They have turned grassland into Disneyland to attract tourists. D) They have bought large land from farmers for bison to live on.

Ans:
D