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The European Union (EU) is about to undertake the biggest enlargement of its borders ever. Established in 1957 with 6 member countries, the EU now has 15 member states after undergoing four separate enlargements. However, none reached the scope of the current enlargement. Thirteen countries have applied to join the EU and twelve countries (all but Turkey) are actively negotiating accession at present. The European Commission estimates that both the EU and the candidate countries will benefit from enlargement.

The main idea of the paragraph

The European Union is going to make its fifth and largest enlargement ever, from which both the EU and the candidate nations will benefit.

欧盟将进行她第五次、也是最大的一次扩盟，欧盟和申请国都将从这次扩盟中受益。

词语解释

the first six members of the Union and the enlargements thereafter: 欧盟最初的六个成员国和随后的扩盟

the first six nations in 1957:

Belgium　France　Italy　Luxembourg　Netherlands　West Germany

the first enlargement in 1973:

Denmark　Republic of Ireland　United Kingdom

the second enlargement in 1981:

Greece

the third enlargement in 1986:

Portugal　Spain

the fourth enlargement in 1995:

Austria　Finland　Sweden

the fifth enlargement in 2004:

Cyprus　Czech Republic　Estonia　Hungary　Latvia　Lithuania
Malta　Poland　Slovakia　Slovenia

the sixth enlargement in 2007:

Bulgaria　Romania

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