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”(乱放炮的人).
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 Rifkind, 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 wartorn 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” (Lines 5-6, 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 met the 13-year-old girl as planned.
D. She launched an attack on the members of the British government.
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.
