Language is a major problem for the European Union (EU) . The Treaty of Rome ,which created the organization that finally became the EU, 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 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 less serious 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 . What's the main purpose of this passage? A) To show that the problem cannot be solved . B) To criticize the European Union for inefficiency . C) To find out a problem and show how serious it is. D) To give a solution to a problem .
C
(Question)
All of us have taken an instant dislike to someone, and then felt guilty about being too judgmental. But now it seems we should place more trust in our first impressions. Most people can accurately judge a total stranger following a short meeting, according to scientists. And in general, the more confident the people are, the more likely they are to be correct in their assumptions. Jeremy Biesanz, who led a team of researchers from the University of British Columbia, said: "Many important decisions are made after very brief encounters -- which employee to hire, which person to date, which student to accept". Although our first impressions are generally accurate, it is necessary for us to recognize where they may be not good enough. The researchers arranged for two groups of more than 100 people to meet in a meeting. Much like speed-dating, the volunteers spoke to everyone in their group for three minutes each. At the end of each three-minute chat, they were asked to rate each other's personalities, and how well they thought their impressions "would _ someone who knows this person very well". To find out what the person was "really" like, the scientists had his friends and family fill out his personality reports. Generally speaking, the more confident the volunteers felt in accurately rating another's personality, the closer their ratings were to those of the other person's friends and family, the researchers said. However, the participants with the highest accuracy were those who rated themselves moderately accurate -- those highly confident of their judgment were less successful. The scientists concluded that, although we know people are different from each other, a good judge of character knows that in many ways people are mostly alike. For example, almost everyone would prefer being kind to being unfriendly. Therefore, while first impressions can be generally accurate, they are not conclusive in working out whether somebody really is "better" than someone else. The volunteers joined a meeting which was _ . A) interesting B) complex C) serious D) brief
(Answer)
D
Ques: Dear Bewildered, Table manners are about being kind to and considerate of others.Having proper table manners is one way people judge others,and we don't want people to think that we are rude,do we ? Whether in a restaurant or in a home, here are some basic table manners for kids: 1Eat with a fork unless the food is meant to be eaten with fingers.Only babies eat with fingers. 2Sit up and do not hunch over your plate;wrists or forearms can rest on the table,or hands on lap. 3Chew with your mouth closed,No one wants to see food being chewed up.This includes no talking with your mouth full. 4Don't make any rude comments about any food being served.It will hurt someone's feelings.Always say thank you when you're served something. 5Eat slowly.It takes someone a long time to prepare the food,so enjoy it slowly.Wait about 5 seconds after swallowing to get another forkful . 6 Don't reach over someone's plate for something.Politely ask the dish to be passed to you. 7When eating at someone's home or being a guest of someone at a restaurant,always thank the host and tell him or her how much you enjoy it.At least say that you like the dinner ,for example, the dessert is great. Why should we eat slowly at the table ? A) To keep healthy. B) To show how bad the food is. C) To show how enjoyable we are. D) To eat more food.
Ans: C
Older women who regularly drink green tea may have slightly lower risks of stomach and throat cancers than women who don't, according to a Canadian study that followed thousands of Chinese women over a decade. For the study, researchers used data from a long-running health study of over 69,000 middle-aged and older Chinese women. The researchers found that those who drank green tea at least three times a week were 14 percent less likely to develop a cancer of the digestive ( ) system. More than 19,000 were considered regular green-tea drinkers, who drank it more than three times a week. Over 11 years, 1,255 women developed a digestive system cancer, In general, the risks were somewhat lower when a woman drank green tea often and for a long time. Green tea contains certain chemicals which may reduce the body-cell damage that can lead to cancer and other diseases. Women who _ a lot of green tea in the study were also younger, ate more fruits and vegetables, exercised more and had higher-income jobs. None of the women smoked or drank alcohol regularly, and the researchers also collected information on their diets, exercise habits, weight and medical history. Yet even with all these things factored in, women's tea habits remained linked to their cancer risks, they noted, even though this type of study cannot prove cause and effect. The study adds to debate over the effect of green tea on cancer risks, Past studies have so far come to conflicting findings on whether green tea drinkers really do have lower cancer risks.Nobody can say whether green tea itself is the reason, since green tea lovers are often more health-conscious in general. The study lasted for more than _ . A) three years B) five years C) eight years D) ten years
D