5、For new countries joining the European Union, and older ones getting used to their burgundy passports, becoming “Europeans” is a bit like marrying into a large, eccentric (古怪的) family. Europeans have a lot in common but it is their differences, not their similarities, which attract the attention of sociologists (社會學家) and market researchers, that are more interesting.

35% of Germans live alone; but only 9% of Spaniards. Perhaps this explains why Spaniards lead Europe in the habit of going out for a drink.

The British attend more adult evening classes than anyone else in Europe, and the Belgians least. So it can’t just be the dark evenings. There are no figures on how many Britons go for a drink afterwards. If there were, they might be up at the top with Spain!

The British think black cats are lucky. Every other European country regards them unlucky.

The Dutch and Germans are the greatest caravanners（活動房居住者）, but the Germans like bigger beds in their caravans.

The French are the most athletic Europeans. Next come the Dutch. But the Belgians, just over the border, play fewest sports.

The Germans spend twice as much on heating as the Spaniards. Well, of course they do; it’s colder.

Dutch husbands do the household shopping a lot more often than Italians or Spaniards.

The French are the champion public transport commuters （使用月票者）of Europe. If you hate commuting, go and live in the Netherlands, where journeys to work are shorter than anywhere else.

The amount of direct eye-contact between strangers is three times greater among Spaniards than it is among the British or Swedish. Sharing a lift is torture (折磨) for both the British and the Swedish.

No European countries really agree with any other about how to make good coffee. All of them are different.

There are exceptions to all these rules. Deal with them in the spirit of my 8-year-old daughter. “If you don’t understand each other’s language, you just laugh a lot, and eat, and point at things.”

1．If you work or live in Belgium, you ____.

       A．will have to change your living places often

       B．will seldom see people playing sports

       C．will not get used to its cold weather

       D．will be invited to go for a drink frequently

2．What does “Sharing a lift is torture for both the British and the Swedish” mean?

       A．The British and the Swedish care about their safety most.

       B．The British and the Swedish like to appear gentle and smart.

       C．The British and the Swedish hate to look at each other face to face.

       D．The British and the Swedish enjoy a richer life than others.

3．In the last paragraph, the author wants to express his idea that ____.

       A．his daughter knows well how to understand foreigners in unfamiliar situations

     B．Europeans actually share the same culture even if they have different languages

     C．being a European, you will have no living trouble at all in the European Union

       D．there are differences between European countries, but don’t take it too serious