How Two GreatConflicts Helped to Change Europe

Ninety years ago ona sunny morning in Northern France,something happened that changed Britain and Europefor ever. At half past seven on the morning of July 1,1916 ,

whistles（哨子） blew and thousands of Britishsoldiers left their positions to attack their German enemies. By the end of theday,20,000 of them were dead,and another

30,000 wounded ormissing. The Battle of the Somme,______(51)itis called,lasted for six months.When it ended,125,000 British soldiers weredead. They had gained five

kilometers ofground.

This was one of aseries of great battles during WWI.The attack on the Sommewas staged to relieve______(52)on the French,who were engaged in a great battleof their own

at a place called Verdun. By the time thebattle ended,over a million French and German troops had been killed.

About 17 millionpeople were killed in WWI. There have been wars with greater numbers of dead.But there has never been one in______(53)most of the dead were

concentrated in sucha small area. On the Somme battlefield,two mendied for every meter of space.

Local farmers workingin the land still______(54)the bodies of those who died in that battle .Thedead of all nations were buried in a series of giant graveyards along the line

of the bor-der______(55)France and Belgium.Relatives and descendants（子孙)of those who died still visit thesegraveyards today.What the French call the"tourism of

death"______(56)anim- portant contribution to the local economy.

It took a secondgreat conflict before Europe was toturn______(57)war itself. Twenty-eight years after the Sommebattle,a liberating army of British,American and Canadian

troops tookback______(58)from another German invasion. More than 500,000 people werekilled.New______(59)were built.

Two great conflictsacross two generations helped to change the European mind about war. Germany,once the most warlike country in Europe,is now probably more

in______(60)of peacethan any other. One major cause of war in Europe was rivalry（竞争）between France and Germany .TheEuropean Union was specifically formed to

end that______(61).

According to US commentatorWilliam Pfaff,"Europeans are interested in a slow development of civilizedand tolerant international relations,______(62)on problems while

avoidingcatastrophes（灾难）along theway. They have themselves only recently______(63)from the catas-trophes of WWIand WWII,when tens of millions of people

were destroyed.Theydon't want______(64)."

The last Britishveteran of the Somme battle died in 2005,aged108.And WWI is passing out of memory and into history. But for anyone who wantsto understand how

Europeans______(65),it is still important to know a little about the terrible events ofJuly 1,1916.

57._________

A.. into

B. to

C. in

D. against