Section_ⅣOther_Parts_of_the_Module

　　[原文呈现]

　　The European Union①

　　What Is the European Union?

　　The European Union is an organisation of European countries. The countries are independent② and are governed③ in different ways. In the United Kingdom, for example, the head④ of state is a king or queen. In France, on the other hand⑤ , the head of state is a president. But each of them sends representatives⑥ to the European Parliament⑦，which has some control over what happens⑧ in each of the member countries.

　　How Did It Start⑨

　　The idea of the European Union began in the 1950s⑩. The first members were France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Italy. Little by little⑪， the number increased⑫ during the second half of the twentieth century. By⑬ the year 2000, there were 15 member countries. The new countries were Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

　　How Many Countries Belong to⑭It Now?

　　In 2004, the European Union increased to 25 members. The Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia, plus⑮ the Mediterranean islands of Cyprus and Malta all became members. The expanded⑯ European Union has a population of⑰ more than⑱ half a billion people, twice as big as the population of the United States⑲.

　　[读文清障]

　　①the European Union 欧盟

　　②independent adj. 独立的

　　③govern/'ɡʌvn/vt. 统治；治理

　　government n．政府　governor n．统治者

　　④head/hed/n. 领袖；领导人

　　⑤on the other hand 另一方面；反过来说

on the one hand 一方面