Tensions have erupted over some barren rocks in the Pacific that you may never have heard of, but stay tuned—this is a boundary dispute(争端) that could get ugly and some day have far-reaching consequences for China, Japan, Taiwan and the United States.
The islands in dispute are called the Senkaku chain by Japan, the Diaoyu islands by China, and the Diaoyutai by Taiwan. All three claim the islands, which are really just five small islands and three barren rocks northeast of Taiwan, 200 miles off the Chinese coast.
The latest conflict occurred when a Chinese fishing boat collided(碰撞) with two Japanese naval ships trying to stop it near the islands. The Japanese prevented the Chinese captain from leaving the place for questioning and the two countries have been exchanging angry protests.
The reason to worry is that nationalists in both China and Taiwan see the islands as unquestionably theirs and think that their government has been weak in claiming this authority.
So far, wiser heads have generally won the argument on each side, but at some point a weakened Chinese leader might try to gain the legal right with the public by pushing the issue and recovering the islands. It would be a dangerous game and would have a disastrous impact on China-Japan relations, but if successful it would raise the popularity of the Chinese government.
In reality, of course, there is zero chance that the U.S. will honor its treaty(条约) with Japan over a few barren rocks. We're not going to risk a nuclear conflict with China over some islands that may well be China's. But if we don't help, our security relationship with Japan will be at the breaking point.
So which country has a better claim to the islands? My feeling is that it's China, although the answer isn't clear-cut. Chinese navigational records show the islands as Chinese for many centuries, and a 1783 Japanese map shows them as Chinese as well. Japan purported to “discover” the islands only in 1884 and took control of them by force only in 1895 when it also grabbed Taiwan.
The best approach would be for China and Japan to agree to refer the dispute to the International Court of Justice, but realistically that won't happen. And since some believe that the area is rich with oil and gas reserves, the claims from each side have become more insistent.
As Chinese nationalism grows, as China's navy and ability to project power in the ocean gains, we could see some military conflicts over the islands.
Taken from NewYork Times
1.The underlined word “purported” (in Para.7) is closest in meaning to “_____”.
A. happened B. claimed C. pretended D. intended
2.The latest conflict referred to in the passage occurred because _____.
A. the Japanese government has bought the Diaoyu Islands from the Liyuans
B. two Japanese naval ships sailed in the Chinese sea around the Diaoyu Islands
C. the Japanese kept the captain of a fishing boat from returning for questioning
D. a fishing boat collided with two Japanese naval ships by design in the Japanese sea
3.Which of the following is the author's personal idea?
A. It is the two Japanese naval ships that are to blame for the conflict.
B. It is the Chinese captain of a fishing boat that is to blame for the conflict.
C. It is the U.S. that will honor its treaty with Japan over a few barren rocks.
D. It is China that has a better claim to the islands because of its navigational records.
4.What can be inferred according to the passage?
A. The claim from both sides has become more insistent.
B. Japan has navy and ability to power the Diaoyu Islands.
C. China is developing so quickly that it will declare a war on Japan.
D. The dispute between China and Japan has put the U.S. in a dilemma.
A daughter thought life was unpromising to her and complained to her father about it. She did not know how she was going to 21 and wanted to give up. She was 22 of fighting and struggling. It seemed as if one problem was just solved before a new one 23 .
Her father, a cook, took her to the 24 . He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high 25 . Soon the pots came to a 26 . In one he placed carrots, in the second he placed eggs, and the last he placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.
The daughter sucked her teeth and 27 waited, asking repeatedly what he was doing. In about twenty minutes he turned off the 28 . He fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then he spooned the coffee out and placed it in another. Turning to her he asked, “Darling, what do you see?”
“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.
He brought her closer and asked her to 29 the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the 30 , she observed the hard-boiled egg! Finally, he asked her to taste the coffee. She smiled 31 she tasted its rich flavor. She humbly asked, “What does it mean, Father?”
He explained that each of them had faced the same 32 , boiling water, but each 33 differently. The carrot went in 34 and hard. But after being subjected to the boiling water, it 35 and became weak. The egg had been 36 . Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But after sitting 37 the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, 38 . After they were in the boiling water, they had 39 the water.
“Which are you?” he asked his daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, 40 do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?”
1.A. make out B. make it C. make up D. make through
2.A. typical B. conscious C. tired D. warned
3.A. raised B. arose C. disappeared D. faded
4.A. room B. market C. kitchen D. grocery
5.A. shelf B. temperature C. fire D. table
6.A. boil B. cool C. hot D. smoke
7.A. happily B. calmly C. casually D. impatiently
8.A. lights B. burners C. tap D. water
9.A. see B. carry C. feel D. fetch
10.A. shell B. pack C. bag D. cover
11.A. since B. as C. before D. if
12.A. occasion B. point C. variety D. adversity
13.A. reflected B. answered C. abandoned D. reacted
14.A. stable B. weak C. strong D. sensitive
15.A. softened B. widened C. shortened D. sharpened
16.A. half-done B. easily-broken C. easily-got D. hard-boiled
17.A. over B. for C. through D. on
18.A. however B. otherwise C. besides D. moreover
19.A. melted B. absorbed C. polluted D. changed
20.A. what B. how C. when D. why
—Fancy meeting you here at this time!
—
A. Glad to see you. B. It's a small world
C. So did I. D. Oh, haven't you?
Americans believe in the ideal, as ______ in their Declaration of Independence, that all men are created equal.
A. stated B. assumed C. held D. possessed
When Helen saw his tutor nod ________ to her, she calmed down and went on with her performance.
A. encouragingly B. amazingly C. interestingly D. astonishingly
Moyan has won the Noble Prize in Literature, which has made him world-famous, but before that no one could have imagined how great a role he _______ in the literary world.
A. had played B. has played C. is playing D. was to play
