Recent reports have indicated an additional 1, 400 Marines（海军陆战队）are being sent to Afghanistan in the coming weeks. This means it costs over $1 million annually on the ground over there. I do place a higher level of blame on the policymakers who send soldiers off to kill and be killed in the field. I think the human race needs to think more about killing.
One needs to do the introspection: “Are these wars JUST?” I believe that all of our wars since 1945 have been illegal, under international law as well. I suggest that all your readers examine their conscience（良心）as it relates to the matter of making war. The fact that many soldiers are motivated by a strong sense of duty does not give them some unqualified moral right to support these wars or any other. It’s responsible for all the troops, and the entire population, to determine whether the Afghan or Iraq wars are in accordance with （符合）the development of the state.
I wish someone would give me one or more logical reasons why we are still fighting in Afghanistan and what our goals are. I certainly don’t understand it and neither do many who are more knowledgeable than I.
Outsiders have tried unsuccessfully for centuries to conquer Afghanistan, and we seem to be no more successful. We are trying to develop a stable central government, but the country is badly divided into ethnic and tribal groups, and the current government is corrupt（腐败的）. Moreover, we are apparently regarded as undesirable occupiers by many of its people, most notably the Taliban.（塔利班）
If we are to continue spending billions every year in Afghanistan and killing hundreds of our people and many of theirs, our government must provide us with a reasonable explanation of why we are doing so and what we can expect to accomplish.
George Myers
1. What caused the author to write the letter?
| A．His conscience of being a citizen. |
| B．Reports about sending soldiers to Afghanistan. |
| C．His relatives being killed in the war. |
| D．Getting no reasonable explanation. |
| A．self-awareness | B．self-confidence |
| C．self-examination | D．self-defence |
| A．they can contribute to the development of America |
| B．they have the moral right to do so |
| C．they are performing their duty as a resident |
| D．they want to become heroes in the war |
| A．Most people can’t understand why the States makes wars. |
| B．The U.S.A has developed a stable central government. |
| C．The Afghan considered Americans as undesirable occupiers |
| D．American government should make an explanation to the public. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】China’s economic growth “hard to predict”
The worsening global economic situation makes it difficult for China to predict its growth for next year, a senior official said on Friday.
“How fast China’s economy will grow next year is uncertain,” Liu He, deputy director of the Office of the Central Leading Group on Finance and Economy Work, told China Daily.
“To a large extent, the rate will be decided by the external (外部) situation,” Liu said during a discussion with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and other economists in Beijing.
“This year, GDP is estimated to grow at 9.4 or 9.5 percent, down from 10.6 percent last year,” he said. “However, the impact of the current financial turbulence on our economy is much less than on the rest of the world.”
Nicholas Stern, a former UK government advisor, also told China Daily it will take at least one or two years for the world to recover from the recession, which is now spreading from the US and the UK to the rest of the world.
“We don’t know how long the recession will last, but it is unlikely to be short,” he said.
Liu said China can use the downturn (衰退) as an opportunity to restructure its economy, which has relied heavily on government investment, foreign trade and low-cost technology over the past years.
“When the economy is experiencing fast growth, companies are unwilling to upgrade their technologies,” Liu said.
“The slowdown gives such firms the opportunity to enhance(提高) their competitive edge through better technologies.”
(From China Daily 2009-01-11)
1. How many people are mentioned in this passage?
| A．Only 2. | B．No more than 3. | C．Not more than 4. | D．At least 5. |
| A．more | B．less | C．the most | D．the least |
| A．sense | B．degree | C．size | D．depth |
| A．China’s economy will not depend on government investment in the future |
| B．Foreign trade will grow in the future |
| C．The downturn will force China’s companies to upgrade their technologies |
| D．Low-cost technologies will not exist in China |
【推荐2】American President Trump revealed early Friday morning that he and the first lady, Melania Trump, had tested positive for the coronavirus, throwing the nation’s leadership into uncertainty and worsening the crisis caused by a pandemic that has already killed more than 207,000 Americans and harmed the economy.
Mr. Trump, who for months has played down the seriousness of the virus and hours earlier on Thursday night told an audience that “the end of the pandemic is in sight,” will quarantine（隔离） in the White House for an unspecified period of time.
For months, Mr. Trump has refused to wear a mask in public on all but a few occasions and has repeatedly questioned their effectiveness. And as recently as Tuesday, at their opening debate, he laughed at Mr. Biden for wearing one. It was not immediately clear whether Mr. Trump had already been infected by the virus at the time of the debate with Mr. Biden, 77, although the two stood far across stage and never got within six feet of each other.
The symbolism of an infected American president could frighten governors, as well as business owners trying to assess when and how to reopen or keep open shops, schools, parks, beaches, restaurants, factories and other workplaces. Eager to restore social order before the election, Mr. Trump has dismissed health concerns to demand that schools reopen, college football resume play and businesses return to full operation.
Under the 25th Amendmen（t 宪法修正案）, a medically incapable president has the option of temporarily transferring power to the vice president and can regain his authority whenever he considers himself fit for duty.
In American history, since the amendment was passed in 1967, presidents have done so only three times. In 1985, President Ronald Reagan had a surgery and briefly turned over power to Vice President George Bush. President George W. Bush did invoke（援引）the amendment twice in temporarily turning over power to Vice President Dick Cheney during medical checks in 2002 and 2007.
1. What can be inferred from the first two paragraphs?| A．The Trumps feel positive about the coronavirus. |
| B．The end of the pandemic is in sight in America. |
| C．Mr. Trump will continue to perform his duty. |
| D．The pandemic is a blow to America. |
| A．He has never worn a mask in public. |
| B．He repeated the effectiveness of questions. |
| C．He took part in a debate recently. |
| D．He spread the virus to Mr. Biden. |
| A．Business owners are cautious about reopening their business. |
| B．To restore order, Mr. Trump has considered health concerns as unimportant. |
| C．Mr. Trump is the third president to turn his power to the vice president. |
| D．Both President Reagan and President George W. Bush invoked the 25th Amendment. |
| A．In a history textbook. |
| B．In a newspaper. |
| C．In a medical science journal. |
| D．In a biography. |
【推荐3】Texas——US President George W.Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to bridge their differences over a key arms control treaty last week, but that didn’t stop them from backslapping（喧闹的狂欢） as they ended a summit.
The two leaders also offered differing interpretations of the fate of nuclear warheads to be removed from missiles under arms reductions they each announced last week.Bush said he intended to destroy the warheads, but Putin said their fate should be negotiated.
The two men untied on the need for Northern Alliance forces——to allow for a broad based government that respects all parties there.
Bush and Putin had spent the night at Bush’s ranch.Despite the rain, the rural environment and friendly company appeared to have worked its magic.They slapped on the back and joked, at one point teasing each other about whether it is better to visit Texas in the heat of August or Siberia in winter.
Analysts say the dramatic warming in US-Russian relation could herald（预示） an era of pragmatism（务实的想法或做法） in global affairs as the two old rivals finally end decades of hostility and become friends.
“Washington and Moscow are no longer playing the ‘big game’ against each other, but with each other,” said Karl Heniz Kamp, an analyst at the Konrad Adenanaer Foundation，a German think tank.
1. It can be concluded that President Bush and President Putin__________.| A．didn’t agree on key arms control treaty |
| B．offered different explanations of the future of nuclear warheads under arms reductions |
| C．neither A or B |
| D．both A and B |
| A．they were needed by the Northern Alliance forces |
| B．they had taken the advice given by Karl Heniz Kamp, an analyst of German think tank. |
| C．they had already been partners |
| D．they had no different opinions on everything |
| A．the two persons end hostility and become friends |
| B．US can benefit a lot from global affairs |
| C．there will be an end to all the armies of the world |
| D．it is a turning point to words being practical in global affairs |
| A．they appeared friendly but in fact they didn’t |
| B．they just made fun of each other |
| C．they are friendly and humorous |
| D．they invited each other to their countries in the bad weather |
【推荐1】THE OLYMPIC STUDIES CENTRE
YOUR SOURCE OF REFERENCE FOR OLYMPIC KNOWLEDGE
The IOC Olympic Studies Centre is the world source of reference for Olympic knowledge. Our mission is to share this knowledge with professionals and researchers through providing information, giving access to our unique collections, enabling research and stimulating intellectual exchange.
As part of the IOC, we are uniquely placed to collect and share the most up-to-date and accurate information on Olympism. Our collections include the IOC archives (档案), the official publications of the IOC and the Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games as well as books, articles and journals.
HERE TO HELP
Whatever your interest in the Olympic Movement—academic or professional—we will help you find the information you need, quickly and easily. We’re here to:
Answer your questions: share factual and historical information, Games results and statistics
Give personalized guidance: help you find what you need in our extensive library and archives
Lend you books and publications, even internationally
Give you online access: to our electronic documents
Award research grants: to PhD students and established researchers
Connect you to our network: of academic experts in Olympic studies
Join the academic community interested in Olympic studies
One of our key roles is to facilitate communication and cooperation between the IOC and the international academic community in order to promote research and stimulate intellectual exchange.
This worldwide community is mainly composed of over 40 Olympic Studies Centers and hundreds of individual scholars and university students working on academic projects related to the field of Olympic studies.
Thanks to this regular exchange and the work conducted by the academics, we enrich the world’s Olympic knowledge, share new analysis on key topics related to the Olympic Movement and can provide guidance to universities wishing to launch initiatives on Olympic studies.
Join our academic mailing list
University professors and researchers are invited to join our academic mailing list to be informed about our future activities and other updates concerning Olympic studies initiatives. To join, email us with a brief description of your academic status and your full contact details.
VISIT US
You’ll find us next door to the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. We’re open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, except on public holidays and on Christmas. You don’t need an appointment to use the library and the study rooms. If you would like to see the historical archives or need personal guidance to find your way around our collections, please fill out our visitor request form.
1. The Olympic Studies Center mainly aims to ________.| A．give personalized guidance |
| B．provide resources on the Olympics |
| C．receive Olympic fans across the world |
| D．update information on Olympism for officials |
| A．It is organized by Olympic officials. |
| B．It launches projects at universities. |
| C．It promotes academic exchanges. |
| D．It provides electronic documents. |
| A．fill out a visitor request form | B．enter the Olympic Museum |
| C．make an appointment | D．arrive on workdays |
【推荐2】When it comes to historical Italian coffee, you cannot help but talk of Venice. It is in this city that the tradition of coffee was born, and then spread to the rest of Italy.
Caffè Florian
Caffè Florian was founded in 1720. From then on, this elegant building has been characterized by its exclusive products and guests: here, noblemen, politicians and intellectuals would meet. Today, the café is an important cultural center where exhibitions are organized. But it remains an ideal place for tourists who simply want to enjoy an espresso sitting at a little table in the heart of Venice, a few steps from the Grand Canal.
Gran Caffè Quadri
Also in St. Mark’s Square, there is another historic café that since 1775 has earned an important place among the many.Gran Caffè Quadri represents the memory of centuries in the twilight(晚期) of the Republic of Venice, and the birth of the modern age, and the secrets of the famous people who sat in its halls. Even today, Gran Caffè Quadri is a favorite of actors and directors attending the Venice Film Festival.
Harry’s Bar
More recent, but equally fascinating, is the story of Harry’s Bar, opened in 1931 and declared a national monument in 2001. Built from an old warehouse close to Piazza San Marco, Harry’s Bar owes its name and existence to the American student Harry Pickering. This is not strictly a coffee bar, but inside intellectuals, artists, writers such as Arturo Toscanini, Guglielmo Marconi, Charlie Chaplin, all spent time.
Caffè La Calcina
Moving to the southern limit of the city, in the ancient neighborhood called Le Zattere, we will find Caffè La Calcina, another important spot that was a meeting place for artists and writers in the early 1900s. The place is now a bar and restaurant called La Piscina, in memory of the bathhouse with a pool that used to be there.
1. Where would you go if you are interested in cultural evens?| A．Caffè Florian. | B．Gran Caffè Quadri. |
| C．Harry’s Bar. | D．Caffè La Calcina. |
| A．Piazza San Marco | B．an old warehouse |
| C．Arturo Toscanini | D．an American student |
| A．They were popular among celebrities. | B．They are on the decline nowadays. |
| C．They are located in St.Mark’s Square. | D．They were built from old houses. |
【推荐3】The annual Dongyue Temple Fair of Mount Tai will be held during April 29-May 6 at Dai Temple in Tai’an. Here are some items visitors may love.
Performances
From April 29 to May 6, performances of martial arts (武术), traditional music, Chinese folk art forms and local operas will be put on stage. Visitors can lift their spirits by watching long boxing and nunchakus (双节棍) performances or listening to the music played by guqin, a seven-stringed zither, and the bamboo flute.
Folk-custom activities
Visitors to the temple fair can also enjoy themselves by admiring folk-custom activities held from April 29 to May 6.
There will be exhibitions of traditional handicrafts and paper cutting works that were collected and selected by non-governmental organizations. Performers will also show traditional Chinese costumes at a garden party.
Cultural activities
If the visitors want to enjoy the cultural atmosphere at the temple fair, they can get a close look at bamboo engraving art at Peitian Gate where more than 70 pieces of engraving art are exhibited from April 28 to May 22.
Trade activities
If people want to buy Mount Tai specialties, they won’t be disappointed, for trade shows will be held during the temple fair. Tea, tourism products, donkey-hide-gelatin, rare stones and root carvings will be showed and on sale.
1. How many days will bamboo engraving art be exhibited?| A．6. | B．8. |
| C．22. | D．25. |
| A．Martial arts. | B．Local opera. |
| C．Paper-cutting works. | D．Chinese paintings. |
| A．The products are for display only. |
| B．You can get to know many new products. |
| C．Visitors can purchase some local products on the shows. |
| D．Don’t buy products on show, or you will be disappointed. |
