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.
答案詳解：
1. D. 16世紀歐洲分裂的因素。上面文章大意中作者是從三方面論及其分裂。見難句譯註1和第三段第一句：“這些情感，本身就危險，再加上地理和金錢兩個問題，情況就更加不妙了。”
A. 歐洲史。 B. 歐洲宗教史。這兩項涉及面更廣。 C. 宗教改革對16世紀歐洲的影響。和標題有些接近。但第三段卻是和宗教無關的兩個因素。
2. C. 在改革前，羅馬教皇是歐洲真正的帝王。這在第一段中有明確的敍述“一千多年來，歐洲人們雖然在許多事情彼此鬥爭過，可是在信仰上團結一致，都信只有一個神聖的天主教和羅馬教皇的教會。那裏的羅馬大主教，稱為教皇，是繼承聖?彼德之後有形的公認領袖。可是，1517年德國僧侶，馬丁?路德向某些天主教教義提出挑釁，拒絕服從羅馬教皇，其他追隨他，其中包括亨利八世（英王）”。
A. 在改革前，羅馬教皇在宗教上具有至高無上的'權利。似乎很有道理。實際上，教皇雖是宗教領袖，管的事情遠遠超出宗教範疇。這在最後一段倒數第二句話可見一般。結合第三題談。 B. 教皇在宗教之外的許多事情有着最高的權利。是明顯不對的。 D. 教皇是那時歐洲的真正統治者。Then 一詞可以指改革前後。
3. A. 這種分割不可能長期得到尊重。最後一段的最後兩句話“1494年，哥倫布首次遠航美洲後的兩年，教皇亞歷山大六世就把這塊大洋彼岸未曾勘探的世界分給西班牙和葡萄牙作為對他們業績的褒獎（賞賜）和制止他們彼此開仗。其它國家只要他們依然信仰天主教，他們就會尊重這個瓜分。”as long as 是一個條件。一旦這個條件不存在，那就不會再尊重。另一方面也説明教皇不僅管宗教，見第2題A註釋，因此並不正確。
B. 不會面臨挑戰。 C. 永遠得到尊重。 D. 教皇權力永不衰退。
4. B. 地質學。其他三項：
A. 錢。 C. 宗教。 D. 地理位置。都提到。
