Passage 4

Britain and France are separated by the English Channel,a body of water that can be crossed in as few as 20 minutes.But the cultures of the two countries sometimes seem to be miles apart.

英国和法国被英吉利海峡阻隔，游泳穿越该海峡只要不到20分钟的时间。但这两个国家的文化有时相差十万八千里。

Last Thursday Britain and France celebrated the 100th anniversary（周年纪念）of the signing of a friendship agreement called the Entente Cordiality.The agreement marked a new beginning for the countries following centuries of wars and love-hate partnership.

上星期四，英国和法国庆祝了《友好协议》签订100周年的纪念活动。该协议标志着两个国家在经历了几个世纪的战争和爱恨交织的关系后的新篇章。

But their relationship has been ups and downs over the past century.Just last year,there were fierce disagreements over the Iraq war-which British Prime Minister Tony Blair supported despite French President Jacques Chirac speaking out against it.This discomfort is expressed in Blair and Chirac’s body language at international meetings.While the French leader often greets German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder with a hug（拥抱）,Blair just receives a handshake.However,some political experts say the war in Iraq could in fact have helped ties.

但他们的关系在上个世纪也经历了几番起落。仅去年，对伊拉克战争问题进行了激烈的争论-英国首相布莱尔支持而法国总统希拉克反对。国际会议中，这种别扭在布莱尔和希拉克的身体语言中表现得很明显。当法国领导人频频与德国总理格哈特·施罗德拥抱时，布莱尔只得到了握手。然而，有些政治专家说正是伊拉克战争促进了两国的关系。

The history of divisions may well be because of the very different ways in which the two sides see the world.But this doesn’t stop 12 million Britons taking holidays in France each year.However,only 3 million French come in the opposite direction.Surveys（调查）show that most French people feel closer to the Germans than they do to the British.And the research carried out in Britain has found that only a third of the population believes the French can be trusted.Perhaps this bad feeling comes because the British dislike France’s close relationship with Germany,or because the French are not happy with Britain’s close links with the US.

这种历来的分离也许是好的，因为这两个国家对世界的看法完全不同。但是这并没有阻隔1200万的英国人每年到法国度假。而法国仅有300万的人民去英国度假。调查显示大多数法国人对德国人比对英国人亲切。并且在英国进行的调查显示仅有1/3的英国人信任法国人。也许这种坏的感觉是因为英国人不喜欢法国跟德国的亲密关系，或者因为法国对英国和美国的亲密关系感到不悦。

Whatever the answer is,as both sides celebrate 100 years of“doubtful friendship”,they are at least able to make jokes about each other.Here’s one:What’s the best thing about Britain’s relationship with France?The English Channel.(320 words)

不论答案是什么，双方能在一起庆祝这种“不确定的友好关系”100周年，至少证明他们会相互开玩笑了。其中一条就是：英国与法国的关系的最好见证是什么？是英吉利海峡。

11.For centuries,the relationship between Britain and France is ____________.

几世纪以来，英国与法国的关系是一种的爱恨交织的关系。

A.friendly 

B.impolite 

C.brotherly

 D.a mixture of love and hate

12.The war in Iraq does ____________ to the relationship between France and Britain.

伊拉克战争对英国和法国的关系起到既好又坏的作用。

A.good 

B.harm

C.neither good nor harm 

D.both good and harm

13.The British are not so friendly to ____________ and the French are not so friendly to ____________.

英国对德国不是那么友好，法国对美国也不是那么友好。

A.Germany;America 

B.America;Germany

C.Germany;Germany 

D.America;America

14.____________ are more interested in having holidays in ____________.英国人更喜欢到法国度假。

A.American people…Britain 

B.British people…Germany

C.French people…Britain

D.British people…France

15.What does the last sentence mean?文章的最后一句的意思是什么？

A.As long as the English Channel exists,no further disagreement will form between France and Britain.

B.The English Channel can prevent anything unfriendly happening in both France and Britain.

C.France and Britain are near neighbors,and this will help balance the relationship between them.

法国和英国是一衣带水的邻邦，这会帮助两国平衡他们之间的关系。

D.The English Channel is the largest enemy between France and Britain.

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