Ⅰ.Fast­reading

　　Skim the text and write down the main idea of the passage.

　　The text tells us about the definition of the European Union, how it started and its members．

　　Ⅱ.Careful­reading

　　(Ⅰ)Write down T (for true) or F (for false) according to the text.

　　1．The countries of the European Union are independent but are governed by the European Parliament. F

　　2．In France, the head of state is a king or queen. F

　　3．The idea of the European Union began in 1950. F

　　4．By the year 2000, there were 15 member countries. T

　　5．The European Union now has a population twice as big as the population of the United States. T

　　(Ⅱ) Choose the best answer according to the text.

　　1．In the United Kingdom, the head of state is a ．

　　A．president　　　B．Chairman

　　C．king or queen D．parliament leader

　　2．How many countries belong to the European Union in 2004?

　　A．25 B．15

　　C．6 D．21

　　3．What can we know from the first part?

　　A．The European Union controls its member countries completely.

　　B．A king or queen has higher power than a president.

　　C．Any member country can ask the European Union for help.

　　D．The European Union sends representatives to each member country.

　　4．All the following countries belong to the EU's first members EXCEPT ．

　　A．Germany B．France

C．Denmark D．Italy