【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[解析] 77-79
According to Tuesday's Newsline report, three European insurance providers are involved in negotiations for a strategic merger.
Although the talks for the proposed merger are in the inital stages, company spokesmen say that they expect to reach an agreement in six months. The merger would create the largest insurance provider on the continent, allowing the companies to consolidate their home and car insurance sectors. But more significantly, the newly formed company, with its large capital base, would be able to concentrate its resources on insuring businesses. With the demand for specialized business insurance up 30%, the merger could make the company the leading business insurance provider within the next five years.

这则新闻提到“...three European insurance providers are involved in negotiations for a strategic merger.(三家欧洲保险公司被卷入了一次战略合并的谈判之中。)”，所以要合并的公司为3家(B)，而选项(A)、选项(C)、选项(D)均不正确。

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】..they expect to reach an agreement in six months(他们期望在六个月后达成一致协议。)”，所以这次合并很可能发生在六个月后(B)。选项(A)in five years(五年后)指合并后实现某商业目标的时间，而不是合并所发生的时间。新闻中未提到Next week (C)。Tuesday (D)是本则新闻来源一一Newsline上的一篇报道一一的刊登日期。

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】新闻中提到“the newly formed company... would be able to concentrate its resources on insuring businesses．(新组成的公司将能够把资源集中在保险业务上。)”，因此，此次合并将使得新公司集中扩大其商业保险部门(C)。新闻中未提到human resources department(人力资源部)，所以选项(A)不正确；虽然提到了to consolidate their home and car insurance sectors(加强它门的家庭保险部和汽车保险部)，但并不是要专门从事汽车保险(B)或降低家庭保险费用(D)。