考研英语阅读理解B型题(十四)

　　Directions:

　　In the following article, some sentences have been removed. For Questions 1-5, choose the most suitable one from the list A―G to fit into each of the numbered blank. There are two extra choices, which do not fit in any of the gaps.

　　We are seeing a series of paradoxes at the turn of the millennium. On the one hand, globalization means that national frontiers are becoming increasingly meaningless, but on the other, we are being swept by a wave of parochialism, with countries clinging to the notion of sovereignty.1）But there are so many factors in the world that make this position increasingly meaningless. Governments no longer have complete control over their economic and monetary policies, and many multinationals now have greater profits than individual countries GDP.

　　The end of the cold war has brought its own dangers and we need to find a new balance of power in the world. It has also spawned many conflicts. Governments must be prepared to surrender some authority to global and regional institutions or we risk world disorder. It is tragic that, just when we need a strong international organization, the United Nations is starved of funds and often sidelined by its own member states. What happened in East Timor was unforgivable because it was foreseeable. Angola has been another sad instance of international vacillation. 2）

　　I do think world war is less likely for the present, although I worry about the proliferation of nuclear weapons at one end and lethal small arms at the other. 3）

　　Another worry stems from the huge economic imbalances in a world where the richest 20 per cent have 86 per cent of global GDP, and the 20 poorest countries only one per cent.

　　Humanitarian aid is no more than a palliative. 4）The international implications of, for example, the collapse of Africa are unthinkable. There must be a new concept of security based not just on military and defence matters but on economic and social concerns too. 5）

　　The global pendulum has swung too far towards a total dependence on market forces, but finding some point of balance in the middle is extremely difficult. I am by nature optimistic, but in my gloomier moments I sometimes think the only solution will be an invasion from outer space―then at last everyone would unite!

　　[A]As long as more than a million people continue to live in direst poverty we can never hope to achieve national or international stability.

　　[B]We need an international body with teeth―morally and in action. Perhaps the UN should be given its own force.

　　[C] Many members of the UN have only become nation states in the last few decades, so I can understand why they are so keen to hang on to their independence.

　　[D]It is terrifying the way that power is increasingly disseminated to small, completely ruthless groups like terrorists, drug traffickers and local warlords. The great imponderable is that some nut could create a nuclear explosion. Or that some essentially local conflict could escalate out of control. You cannot isolate instability: it gets exported.

　　[E]The mainly purpose of founding the United Nations is preventing aggressions and wars. It is hard to attribute the success to the United Nations although no new world war broke out since its establishment. The United Nations is always helpless of preventing the regional wars

　　[F]The notion of sovereignty is more and more strong while the influence of the United Nations is weaker and weaker.

　　[G]Western countries must increase their development aid programmes, not out of charity but for reasons of self-interest.

　　答案及详解

　　1.C。此空白处前面阐述了全球化和地方主义的冲击的矛盾，而后面紧跟着说各国政府无力完全控制其经济政策，这就表明，作者是反对地方保护主义的。但是后面句首用了“but”作转折词，可见，作者并没有旗帜鲜明的提出反对意见，所以用一个较为缓和的句式会比较适合。因此选C。

　　2.B。第二段，承接上文，指出在冷战结束的情况下，联合国等国际组织应该发挥更大的作用，但是下文话锋一转，用东帝汉和安哥拉两个例子来表现联合国在国际行动中的软弱无力，再结合上面所提到的“我们需要一个强大的国际组织”，顺其自然的就得出了“希望联合国强劲有力”的结论，选项B正好符合了这一意境。

　　3.D。作者在这一段的前半部分极力渲染了武器扩散的恐怖情形，而从下一段的字里行间我们可以了解到，作者想表达的意思其实就是：诸如战争、毒品、贫穷等不稳定的因素是会扩散和蔓延的，并不是与世隔绝的在全球化的浪潮下，谁也无法“独善其身”。选项项D在上下文衔接上很自然贴切，是正确选项。

　　4.G。此处空白是段落中的句子，从上句可知，本段主要讨论在世界经济财富占有悬殊的背景下，人道主义援助的目的和作用，而下句的例子则说明 “非洲一旦崩溃，对国际社会的影响之大是无法想象的”。从这些我们可以推断出，西方国家所谓的“援助”，并非出于“人道”的崇高目的，而是为了维护自己的财富和利益，弄清上下文的逻辑推理关系，就很容易选出正确选项G了。

　　5.A。三、四、五段在逻辑上是前后呼应的，作者采用“花开两朵、各表一支”的写作手法，一方面指出武器，毒品是无法隔绝的，另一方面呼吁贫穷也是会蔓延的。战争和贫困就好比罪恶的双生子，不离不弃、如影随行，相应的，第五段和第三段的结尾也应该相互呼应，因此选A是正确的。

　　中心思想

　　本文通过阐述近年来联合国在国际事务中差强人意的表现，指出现今世界不安定的因素，即是武器以及贫穷的扩散，而要从根本上解决世界上形色色的问题，一个强有力的国际组织是必要的，如果仅仅依靠市场的力量或单个政府的地方保护主义甚至是人道主义的援助是远远不够的。世界性的问题需要站在世界的角度来解决。