21世纪，英语已经走进了我们每个人的生活，学好英语成了我们共同的目标，为了帮助大学生更好地掌握英语，特提供以下文章：
The Causes of European Separation in 16th Century
For a thousand years and more, the people of Europe had fought about many things, but they had been united in believing one thing: that there existed a single “Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church” of which the Bishop of Rome, under the title of the Pope, was the visible and recognizable head in succession to St. Peter. But in 1517 a German monk, Martin Luther, challenged certain Catholic teachings and renounced his obedience to the papacy. Others had followed him, including Henry VIII.
Thus Europe was divided in every which way, the southern and eastern two-thirds still Catholic, the northern and western one-third what was coming to be called Protestant, though English-ruled Ireland solidly Catholic and the Spanish-ruled Netherlands, particularly the northern part approximating to modern Holland, grew increasingly Protestant; while in virtually every country, whether officially Catholic or Protestant, those of the contrary faith fiercely attempted to convert their neighbors and equally fiercely resisted their neighbor’s attempts to convert them. For this there was no simple, friendly solution to be reached on the principle of live-and-let-live. Each party believed that it had hold of the truth, the only truth that mattered, the one that led to eternal salvation, and its adversaries clung to falsehood which must necessarily head to eternal damnation: not only for themselves but for all who should permit them to survive and infect others with their errors. Toleration, even reasonable discussion, was impossible. God and the devil could not mix. Just as Elizabeth was to ardent Catholics that Jezebel, so to earnest Protestants the Pope was “that wolfish bloodsucker,” and their Catholic fellow-creatures mad dogs, toads and other such vermin to be cleansed off the face of the earth.
These feelings, dangerous enough in themselves, were made more so by questions of geography and money. The Catholic countries bordering on the Mediterranean were by far the richest. From the beginning of the Middle Ages the Republic of Venice had controlled the trade routes to the East, bringing the wares carried out of Persia, China and the Indies by camel to her depots in Syria and reloading them in her high, gorgeously painted vessels for transshipment to Italy and beyond. Since the end of the fifteen century, first Portugal by sailing round Africa to India, then Spain by the discovery of America, had likewise been in a position to bring for sale to Europe all the rare and wonderful things for which Europe longed—silks and precious woods, sugar and spices, gold and silver, works of exquisite art and strange animals from peacock to tigers. In 1494, two years after Columbus’s first voyage to America, Pope Alexander VI had divided the unexplored world beyond the seas between Spain and Portugal as reward for their enterprise and to keep them from fighting. The other countries had respected this division so long as they remained Catholic.
1. The best title for this passage is
[A] The History of Europe in 16th Century.
[B] The Religious History of Europe in 16th Century.
[C] The Causes of European Separation in 16th Century.
2. What does we learn from the passage?
[A] The Pope had the supreme power in religion before reform.
[B] The Pope had the greatest power in every thing outside religion.
[C] The Pope was the real king in Europe then.
[D] The Pope was the real ruler in Europe then.
3. What did the sentence “The other countries had respected this division so long as they remained Catholic” imply?
[A] It implied this division could not be respected long.
[B] It implied this division would not face a challenge.
[C] It implied this division would be respected forever.
[D] It implied the power of the Pope would never decline.
4. Which of the following is not mentioned as a cause to deepen the dangerous feelings?
[A] Money. [B] Geology. [C] Religion. [D] Geography.
谜底详解：
1. D. 16世纪欧洲割裂的身分。膳缦沔文章大意中作者是安闲方面论及其割裂。见难句译注1和第三段第一句：“这些激情，自己就危险，再加上地舆和金钱两个问题，情形就加倍不妙了。”
A. 欧洲史。 B. 欧洲宗教史。这两项涉及面更广。 C. 宗教更始对16世纪欧洲的影响。和问题有些接近。但第三段却是和宗教无关的两个身分。
2. C. 在更始前，罗马教皇是欧洲真正的帝王。这在第一段中有明晰的论说“一千多年来，欧洲人们虽然在良多工作彼此斗争过，可是在崇送上团结一致，都信只有一个神圣的天主教和罗马教皇的教会。那儿那里的罗马大主教，称为教皇，是担任圣•彼德之后有形的公认翘楚。可是，1517年德国僧侣，马丁•路德向某些天主教教义提出搬弄，拒绝从命罗马教皇，其他追随他，其中搜罗亨利八世(英王)”。
A. 在更始前，罗马教皇在宗教上具有登峰造极的权力。似乎很有事理。现实上，教皇虽是宗教翘楚，管的工作远远超出宗教规模。这在最后一段倒数第二句话可见一般。连系第三题谈。 B. 教皇在宗教之外的良多工作有着最高的权力。是较着不合错误的。 D. 教皇是那时欧洲的真正统治者。Then 一词可以指更始前后。
3. A. 这种朋分不成能持久获得尊敬。最后一段的最后两句话“1494年，哥伦布初度远航美洲后的两年，教皇亚历山大六世就把这块大洋彼岸不曾勘探的世界分给西班牙和葡萄牙作为对他们业绩的褒奖(犒赏)和避免他们彼此开仗。其它国家只要他们依然崇送天主教，他们就会尊敬这个瓜分。”as long as 是一个前提。一旦这个前提不存在，那就不会再尊敬。另一方面也声名教皇不仅管宗教，见第2题A注释，是以并不正确。
B. 不接见会面临挑战。 C. 永远获得尊敬。 D. 教皇权力永不衰退。
4. B. 地质学。其他三项：
A. 钱。 C. 宗教。 D. 地舆位置。都提到。