One of the most spectacular terrorist episodes in U.S. history was the bombing of the World Trade Center in New York City in 1993 by Islamic radicals. This incident aroused anxiety about the threat posed by foreign residents from nations hostile to the United States. Six people died in the blast, which caused an estimated $600 million in property and other economic damage. Trials that followed convicted six people of carrying out the attack.
In addition to foreign-sponsored terrorism, the United States has an ample history of domestic terrorism. Early in the 20th century, labor leaders such as William Dudley openly espoused a philosophy of revolutionary violence.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, during the latter stages of the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, some terrorist groups bombed buildings on university campuses throughout the country and at corporation headquarters and government buildings in New York City.
Between 1978 and 1995, an anarchist and terrorist known as the Unabomber planted or mailed homemade bombs that killed 3 people and wounded 23 others in 16 separate incidents throughout the United States. The Unabomber, who claimed an allegiance with radical environmentalists and others opposed to the effects of industrialization and technology, targeted university professors, corporate executives, and computer merchants.
In April 1996 federal agents arrested Theodore Kaczynski, a suspect they thought to be the Unabomber. Kaczynski, a Harvard-educated former math professor who became a recluse, pled guilty to 13 federal charges in 1998 in exchange for agreement that prosecutors would not seek the death penalty during sentencing. The court sentenced Kaczynski to four life terms plus 30 years and ordered him to pay $15 million in restitution.
In April 1995 a truck bomb exploded in front of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, killing 168 people and injuring more than 500, making it one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in United States history. Federal agents arrested two men McVeigh and Nichols, who belonged to an extremist group advocating resistance to national laws and political institutions.
In June 1997 McVeigh was found guilty of murder in connection with the bombing and sentenced to death. Later in the year Nichols was convicted of the less severe charges of manslaughter and conspiracy, and he was sentenced to life in prison in June 1998. McVeigh was executed in 2001.
Questions 1 to 5 are based on the passage above.
1.From the passage we know that the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993 was_____.
A.the first terrorist attack in US history
B.paid attention to because of its great influence
C.the deadliest terrorist attacks in US history
D.sponsored by foreign terrorism
2.Early in the 20th century,labor leaders such as William Dudley were_____.
A.the foreign-sponsored terrorists B.the domestic terrorists
C.the most violent revolutionaries D.the most famous philosophers
3.It can be inferred from the passage that the radical environmentalists think that_____.
A.the Unabomber is their ally
B.it is legal to plant or mail homemade bombs
C.industrialization has bad effects on the world
D.university professors and computer merchants are their supporter
4.According to the fifth paragraph, Theodore Kaczynski wasn't sentenced to death because_____.
A.he was a Harvard-educated former math professor
B.he was not a radical environmentalist
C.he pled guilty to the federal charges
D.he paid $15 million in restitution
5.The best title for this passage may be_____.
A.A War Against Peace B.Terrorists Radical Environmentalists
C.The Fate of Terrorists D.Spectacular Terrorist Episodes
文章精要
議論文。作者論述了最近幾十年在美國(guó)本土發(fā)生的多起恐怖主義襲擊事件。
斟詞酌句
1.ample n. 足夠的;寬敞的,面積大的
*We have ample money for the journey. 我們有足夠的錢(qián)去旅游。
2.prosecute vt. 檢舉,告發(fā),對(duì)……提起公訴;繼續(xù)從事
vi. 起訴,告發(fā)
*He was prosecuted for stealing. 他因偷竊而被起訴。
3.slaughter n./vt. 屠殺,殺戮;屠宰
*The playwright was slaughtered by the press. 這位劇作家收到新聞界的無(wú)情批判。
試題精析
1.選D。本題為主要細(xì)節(jié)正誤題。從第二段第一句“In addition to foreign-sponsored terrorism, the United States has an ample history of domestic terrorism”中可推斷,第一段所講的那次恐怖事件正是“foreign-sponsored”所以正確答案是D。
2.選B。本題為主要細(xì)節(jié)正誤題。第二段先說(shuō)“美國(guó)本土也有恐怖主義活動(dòng)”,然后提到勞工領(lǐng)袖,由此可見(jiàn),這些勞工領(lǐng)袖是國(guó)內(nèi)的恐怖分子,選項(xiàng)B的意思是吻合的。
3.選C。本題為主要細(xì)節(jié)正誤題。從第四段“ The Unabomber, who claimed an allegiance with radical environmentalists and others opposed to the effects of industrialization and technology”中可知,“Unabomber”聲稱與環(huán)保激進(jìn)派和其他人一道堅(jiān)決反對(duì)工業(yè)化以及科技所帶來(lái)的結(jié)果,即環(huán)保激進(jìn)派也是堅(jiān)決反對(duì)工業(yè)化以及科技所帶來(lái)的結(jié)果。
4.選C。本題為主要細(xì)節(jié)正誤題。從第五段“Kaczynski, a Harvard-educated former math professor who became a recluse, pled guilty to 13 federal charges in 1998 in exchange for agreement that prosecutors would not seek the death penalty during sentencing”中可知,他承認(rèn)了13項(xiàng)聯(lián)邦政府對(duì)他的指控,是為了換的起訴人對(duì)他免于死刑的判決。
5.選A。本題為主旨?xì)w納題。題于要求選出最合適的標(biāo)題,A選項(xiàng)準(zhǔn)確生動(dòng)的概述出了本文論述的主要內(nèi)容,恐怖主義襲擊是“一場(chǎng)與和平為敵的戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)”。
全文翻譯
美國(guó)歷史上給人留下最為深刻印象的恐怖事件之一是1993年紐約市世界貿(mào)易中心遭受伊斯蘭激進(jìn)分子的炸彈襲擊。該事件使得人們開(kāi)始擔(dān)憂對(duì)美國(guó)抱有敵意的國(guó)家居民所帶來(lái)的威脅。在那次爆炸中6人死亡,財(cái)產(chǎn)和其他經(jīng)濟(jì)損失估計(jì)為6億美元。六人在隨后的審判中被判有罪。
除了國(guó)外發(fā)起的恐怖主義行為外,美國(guó)內(nèi)部恐怖主義活動(dòng)也是屢見(jiàn)不鮮。早在20世紀(jì)初期,諸如威廉·達(dá)德利等勞工領(lǐng)袖便公開(kāi)鼓吹暴力革命哲學(xué)。
20世紀(jì)60年代末和70年代初,在美國(guó)卷入越南戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)的后期,一些恐怖團(tuán)體在全國(guó)范圍內(nèi)用炸彈襲擊大學(xué)校園、公司總部以及紐約市的政府辦公樓。
1978年至1995年期間,一名被稱為“尤那邦摩”的無(wú)政府主義者兼恐怖主義分子放置或郵寄自制炸彈,在全美各地造成了16起爆炸事件,使3人喪命,23人受傷。尤那邦摩聲稱與環(huán)保激進(jìn)派和其他人一道堅(jiān)決反對(duì)工業(yè)化以及科技所帶來(lái)的結(jié)果。他們將襲擊目標(biāo)鎖定在大學(xué)教授、公司行政官以及電腦商等群體。
1996年4月,聯(lián)邦特工逮捕了西奧多 凱辛斯基因?yàn)樗粦岩墒怯饶前钅植婪肿。這位曾受到哈佛教育后成為一名遁世者的前數(shù)學(xué)教授。于1998年承認(rèn)13項(xiàng)聯(lián)邦政府對(duì)他的指控,從而換得起訴人對(duì)他免于死刑的判決。法庭最后宣判凱辛斯基四個(gè)終身監(jiān)禁外加30年有期徒刑,并令其交付1500萬(wàn)美元的賠償金。
1995年4月,在俄克拉荷馬洲的俄克拉荷馬城,一顆汽車炸彈在聯(lián)邦辦公大樓前爆炸,炸死168人,炸傷500多人。這次爆炸事件成為美國(guó)歷史上造成死傷最為慘重的恐怖主義襲擊事件之一。聯(lián)邦特工逮捕了兩名涉案犯麥克維和尼柯?tīng)査。他們都屬于一個(gè)鼓吹抵抗國(guó)家法律和政治機(jī)構(gòu)的極端主義者組織。1997年麥克維被指控犯有與爆炸有關(guān)的謀殺罪并被宣判死刑。同年晚些時(shí)候,尼柯?tīng)査贡慌蟹赣猩暂p的過(guò)失殺人罪以及同謀罪,于1998年被判終身監(jiān)禁。麥克維于2001年被處決。
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