It came as something of a surprise when Diana, Princess of Wales, made a trip to Angola in 1997, to support the Red Cross’s campaign for a total ban on all anti-personnel landmines. Within hours of arriving in Angola television screens around the world were filled with images of her comforting victims injured in explosions caused by landmines. “I knew the statistics,” she said, “But putting a face to those figures brought the reality home to me; like when I met Sandra, a 13-year-old girl who had lost her leg, and people like her.”
The Princess concluded with a simple message: “We must stop landmines”. And she used every opportunity during her visit to repeat this message.
But, back in London, her views were not shared by some members of the British government, which refused to support a ban on these weapons. Angry politicians launched an attack on the Princess in the press. They described her as “very ill-informed” and a “loose cannon (乱放炮的人).”
The Princess responded by brushing aside the criticisms: “This is a distraction we do not need. All I’m trying to do is help.”
Opposition parties, the media and the public immediately voiced their support for the Princess. To make matters worse for the government, it soon emerged that the Princess’s trip had been approved by the Foreign Office, and that she was in fact very well-informed about both the situation in Angola and the British government’s policy regarding landmines. The result was a severe embarrassment for the government.
To try and limit the damage, the Foreign Secretary, Malcolm Rifkind, claimed that the Princess’s views on landmines were not very different from government policy, and that it was “working towards” a worldwide ban. The Defence Secretary, Michael Portillo, claimed the matter was “a misinterpretation or misunderstanding”.
For the Princess, the trip to this war-torn country was an excellent opportunity to use her popularity to show the world how much destruction and suffering landmines can cause. She said that the experience had also given her the chance to get closer to people and their problems.
【小题1】 Princess Diana paid a visit to Angola in 1997______.

A.to voice her support for a total ban of landmines.
B.to clarify the British government’s stand on landmines.
C.to investigate the sufferings of landmine victims.
D.to establish her image as a friend of landmine victims.
【小题2】. What did Diana mean when she said“…putting a face to those figures brought the reality home to
me” (Para.1)?
A.She just couldn’t bear to meet the landmine victims face to face.
B.The actual situation in Angola made her feel like going back home.
C.Meeting the landmine victims in person made her believe the statistics.
D.Seeing the pain of the victims made her realize the seriousness of the situation.
【小题3】 Some members of the British government criticized Diana because______.
A.she was ill-informed of the government’s policy.
B.they believed that she had misinterpreted the situation in Angola.
C.she had not consulted the government before the visit.
D.they were actually opposed to banning landmines.
【小题4】 How did Diana respond to the criticisms?
A.She made more appearances on TV.
B.She paid no attention to them.
C.She met the 13-year-old girl as planned.
D.She rose to argue with her opponents.
【小题5】 What did Princess Diana think of her visit to Angola?
A.It had caused embarrassment to the British government.
B.It had brought her closer to the ordinary people.
C.It had greatly promoted her popularity.
D.It had affected her relations with the British government.

It was the first day of second grade, and Sarah had been looking forward to this moment. The night before, she laid out her favorite clothes: a white coat and a bright yellow shirt.

When having breakfast, Sarah dropped some food on her shirt, so she had to change into her second-best clothes, blue jeans and a Jonas Brothers T-shirt.

After breakfast Sarah rushed to catch the school bus and when she was just reaching the door the bus driver opened it. The door hit right in Sarah’s face and blood dripped from her nose. The driver wanted to send her home, but she refused, "It is the most important day of the year! I can’t miss it!"

Before classes, Sarah went to her favorite swing. When rising high, she saw her best friend little Jack. She let go of the swing and waved to him with one hand. Unfortunately, she flew out of the swing and landed hard on the sand, breaking a leg and an arm. As she lay in the sand, she noticed a shiny thing on the ground beside her. With her good hand she took it.

When Sarah’ mother rushed into the ward she was surprised by what she saw: her girl was lying in bed with an arm and a leg in the splint (夹板), a broken nose, and blood stains on her second-best clothes. Expecting to see her child crying, she was confused when she saw a big, bright smile on Sarah’s face.

"Sarah, look at you!" her mother cried. "You were hurt so badly and why are you smiling?"

"Look, Mommy, I found a diamond!" Sarah laughed.

Life can be like that. It can be tough, even painful sometimes. But there are always treasures that make the pain worth suffering.

1.When Sarah went to school, she was wearing ________________.

A.a white coat and a Jonas Brothers T-shirt

B.blue jeans and a yellow shirt

C.a white coat and a yellow shirt

D.blue jeans and a Jonas Brothers T-shirt

2.Sarah fell off the swing because _____________.

A.she seldom played swing

B.she rose too high

C.she waved one hand to her friend

D.she was pulled down by her friend

3. When Sarah’s mother saw her in the ward she felt _______________.

A.upset             B.puzzled           C.relaxed           D.disappointed

4.Which of the following can be used to describe Sarah’s story?

A.Every cloud has a silver lining.

B.Nothing is impossible to a willing mind.

C.First think, then act.

D.No pains, no gains.

 

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