2014年在职硕士联考英语阅读精讲(2)

　　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” (乱放跑的人)

　　The Princess responded by brushing aside the Criticisms: “This is a distraction (干扰) 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 Rifkidnd, 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 Defense 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.

　　1. Princess Diana paid a visit to Angola in 1997 _____.

　　A. to clarify the British government’s stand on landmines

　　B. to establish her image as a friend of landmine victims

　　C. to investigate the sufferings of landmine victims there

　　D. to voice her support for a total ban of landmines

　　2. What did Diana mean when she said “... putting a face to those figures brought the reality home to me” (Line 5, Para. 1)?

　　A. Meeting the landmine victims in person made her believe the statistics.

　　B. She just couldn’t bear to meet the landmine victims face to face.

　　C. The actual situation in Angola made her feel like going back home.

　　D. Seeing the pain of the victims made her realize the seriousness of the situation.

　　3. Some members of the British government criticized Diana because _____.

　　A. she had not consulted the government before the visit

　　B. she was ill-informed of the government’s policy

　　C. they were actually opposed to banning landmines

　　D. they believed that she had misinterpreted the situation in Angola

　　4. How did Diana respond to the criticisms?

　　A. She made more appearances on TV. B. She paid no attention to them.

　　C. She rose to argue with her opponents. D. She met the 13-year-old girl as planned.

　　5. What did Princess Diana think of her visit to Angola?

　　A. It had caused embarrassment to the British government.

　　B. It had greatly promoted her popularity.

　　C. It had brought her closer to the ordinary people.

　　D. It had affected her relations with the British government.

　　答案：

　　1. D。由题干in 1997直接定位于文章第一句to support the Red Cross’s Campaign for a total ban on all anti-personnel landmines，D项是原文的同义改写。

　　2. D。本句中的figures，指的不是前面提到的统计数字，而是后面列举的小女孩Sandra等深受地雷伤害的人;另一个是bring sth. home这个短语是指“活生生的揭示，以强调的形式清楚的表示”。所以本句的意思是亲眼看到被地雷伤害的人使王妃深切感受到了事实。

　　3. C。由some members of the British government定位与第三段第一句，此处表明英国政府批评戴安娜的原因，即政府不支持禁雷。从第三段第二句可知，王妃的出访是得到了外交部的批准的，排除A，B和D是政府在媒体上对王妃的批评之辞，并没有说明真实的原因。

　　4. B。第四段第一句说明了王妃对政府对她的批评所持的态度。brush aside意思是“不理，漠视”，相当于pay no attentionto sth.

　　5. C。文章最后一段用王妃的话总结了她出访安哥拉的意义，即让她有机会贴近普通民众， C项是原文的同义转述。