With the growth of the European Union and increased globalisation, English is increasingly

With the growth of the European Union and increased globalisation, English is increasingly the lingua franc a（通用语） in European businesses, and those who speak it have bee the elite （精英）of the workforce．
In the past, only a few specialists in a pany were needed to municate with foreign businesses．However, in these days of multinational panies, where workers are required to municate with other employees from several countries, a mon language is essential and English has bee the logical choice．
Nowadays, even blue-collar workers in many panies are required to speak English．For example, just over three years ago, a Dutch pany．United Pan-European Communications （UPC）, was contracted to build a TV studio in Amsterdam．The job involved many electricians—more than the pany could find in the Netherlands．There were plenty of qualified electricians in nearby France and Belgium, but the American and Dutch executives of UPC wanted everyone on the job to speak and understand the same language．So, the UPC hired British electricians and flew them to Amsterdam every Monday, acmodating them in hotels all over the city, and flying them home on Friday evenings．
Increasingly, workers who can speak English earn salaries 25-35% higher than those who can' t．They are also eligible （有条件被选中的） for a wider range of high-level jobs．
The problem is that, while the ability to speak English is fast being essential for getting a good job, there is a shortage of people who can speak it．According to a recent European Commission report, only about 41% of continental Europeans can speak English, and only 29% speak it well enough to carry on a conversation．Many panies are solving this problem by setting up English language schools within the workplace．English language schools all over Europe are expanding at a huge rate, and governments are looking at ways to improve English tuition in schools．
One result of this modem urge to learn English is that a generation gap is appearing． According to a European Union study, 67% of Europeans between 15 and 24 say they can speak English while only 18% of those over 55 say they can．Increasingly, all over Europe, it is the children who are leading the parents．
【小题1】In European panies, workers who speak English     ．A．find it easy to carry on a conversationB．have an advantage over other workersC．must be white-collar workersD．travel to many different countries【小题2】Why did the UPC hire the British electricians?A．There were not enough electricians in nearby France and Belgium．B．British electricians were more qualified than those in the Netherlands．C．The UPC wanted all the employees to speak English．D．The UPC meant to show they were rich enough to acmodate and fly them．【小题3】What can you learn from the passage about European people?A．More young people can speak English well than older people.B．67% Europeans can speak English very well．C．18% of the people over 55 can't speak English．D．Over half the people can speak English．BCA