Q: How to react to Iran's new smiley-faced president, Hassan Rouhani?

Smile back, but don't stop squeezing Iran with sanctions.

Rouhani has offered a series of positive gestures since taking office in early August. He has released some political prisoners. He sent New Year's greetings to Jews in Iran and around the world. He took a phone call from the president of the United States.

Does any of this portend real change in Iran?

The case for skepticism is strong. None of the regime has changed in any way. Iran continues to make mischief through the region, most horrifically by supporting the brutal actions of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria. As far as anyone can tell, Iran pursues nuclear weapons as determinedly as ever.

Rouhani himself is no liberal and no Democrat. An early supporter of the Ayatollah Khomeini, Rouhani held senior positions in the Iranian state during the regime's most vicious period of international terrorism, the early 1990s - the years in which Iranian-backed terrorists carried out assassinations in Berlin and Paris and carried out two terrible bombings of Jewish targets in Buenos Aires, killing 114 people and wounding nearly a thousand more.

As Iran's chief nuclear negotiator in the 2000s, Rouhani nimbly evaded international efforts to achieve a peaceful end to the country's drive for weapons of mass death.

More fundamentally, the president of Iran does not govern the country's national security system. The military and the secret police answer to the supreme leader, the Ayatollah Khameini, who has very emphatic geopolitical ideas of his own. Compared with all that, a cheerful tweet and a few words of condemnation of Nazi crimes don't seem much of an offset.

Answer the following questions:
1. Who is the new ruler in Iran?
2. When did he officially start the job?
3. Where else has he had upper government jobs?
4. When was that?
5. Who was he working for in the 2000s?
6. For which country?
7. Did he agree with international efforts of that time?
8. What were they trying to stop Iran from getting?
9. Is he a democrat?
10. A liberal?
11. What has he let go as president?
12. What did he give Jews?
13. Where?
14. Did he talk to the U.S. President?
15. How?
16. Is Iran still after nuclear weapons?
17. Where is Bashar ruling?
18. Does Iran support him?
19. Who directs the secret police?
20. Does he direct the military as well?
A: 1. Hassan Rouhani
2. early August
3. Iranian state
4. early 1990s
5. chief nuclear negotiator
6. Iran
7. no he evaded
8. weapons of mass death
9. no
10. no
11. political prisoners
12. New Year's greetings
13. in Iran and around the world
14. yes
15. ook a phone call from
16. yes
17. Syria
18. yes
19. Ayatollah Khamein
20. yes
Q: Latin America is a group of countries and dependencies in the Americas where Spanish and Portuguese are predominant. The term originated in 19th century France as "Amerique latine" to consider French-speaking territories in the Americas (Haiti, French Guiana, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin, Saint Barthelemy) along with the larger group of countries where Spanish and Portuguese languages prevailed. It is therefore broader than the terms Ibero-America or Hispanic Americathough it usually excludes French Canada and modern French Louisiana.

Latin America consists of nineteen sovereign states and several territories and dependencies which cover an area that stretches from the northern border of Mexico to the southern tip of South America, including the Caribbean. It has an area of approximately 19,197,000km (7,412,000sq mi), almost 13% of the Earth's land surface area. As of , its population was estimated at more than floor(/1e6) million and in 2014, Latin America had a combined nominal GDP of 5,573,397 million USD and a GDP PPP of 7,531,585 million USD.

The term "Latin America" was first used in an 1856 conference with the title "Initiative of the America. Idea for a Federal Congress of Republics" (Iniciativa de la America. Idea de un Congreso Federal de las Republicas), by the Chilean politician Francisco Bilbao. In such conference, he called for the creation of a confederation of Latin American republics to better search for their common defense and prosperity, without political or economic barriers between them. In the same work, he also detailed the principles under which such a confederation should work.

Answer the following questions:
1. what languages are dominant in the area covered in the article?
2. what is the area called?
3. when was the area first called that?
4. where?
5. what is it in French?
6. how many square miles in the region?
7. how much of the planet does it cover?
8. what year did people start calling the area Latin America?
9. where?
10. what was it titled?
11. who coined the phrase?
12. where was he from?
13. what was his occupation?
14. what did he do at the meeting?
15. why?
A: 1. Spanish and Portuguese
2. Latin America
3. in the 19th century
4. France
5. Amerique latine
6. 7,412,000sq mi
7. almost 13%
8. 1856
9. in a conference
10. Initiative of the America. Idea for a Federal Congress of Republics
11. Francisco Bilbao.
12. Chile
13. politician
14. he called for the creation of a confederation of Latin American republics
15. to better search for their common defense
Q: CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

A SOIREE WILDLY INTERRUPTED, AND FOLLOWED UP BY SURPRISING REVELATIONS.

One afternoon Captain Lee and Emma called on Mrs Tipps, and found her engaged in earnest conversation with Netta. The captain, who was always in a boiling-over condition, and never felt quite happy except when in the act of planning or carrying out some scheme for the increase of general happiness, soon discovered that Netta was discussing the details of a little treat which she meant to give to the boys and girls of a Sunday-school which she and her mother superintended. With all his penetration he did not, however, find out that the matter which called most for consideration was the financial part of the scheme--in other words, how to accomplish the end desired with extremely limited means. He solved the question for them, however, by asserting that he intended to give all the scholars of all the Sunday-schools in the neighbourhood a treat, and of course meant to include Netta's school among the rest-- unless, of course, she possessed so much exclusive pride as to refuse to join him.

There was no resisting Captain Lee. As well might a red-skin attempt to stop Niagara. When once he had made up his mind to "go in" for something, no mortal power could stop him. He might indeed be _turned_. Another object of interest, worthy of pursuit and judiciously put before him, might perhaps induce him to abandon a previous scheme; but once his steam was up, as John Marrot used to say, you could not get him to blow it off into the air. He was unlike the iron horse in that respect, although somewhat like him in the rigour of his action. Accordingly the thing was fixed. Invitations were sent out to all the schools and to all who took an interest in them, and the place fixed on was a field at the back of Mrs Tipps's villa.

Answer the following questions:
1. Who was irresistible?
2. What is his will compared to?
3. Was he easily swayed?
4. Was it at all possible to sway him?
5. How?
6. Who made an analogy about his will?
7. What was it?
8. What was sent to educational facilities?
9. Who did Lee visit?
10. Was he with anyone?
11. Was anyone else there?
12. When did he feel most satisfied?
13. What had they been talking about?
A:
1. Captain Lee
2. iron horse
3. No
4. Yes
5. Another object of interest, worthy of pursuit
6. John Marrot
7. once his steam was up, you could not get him to blow it off into the air
8. Invitations
9. Mrs Tipps
10. Netta
11. Emma
12. when in the act of planning or carrying out some scheme for the increase of general happiness
13. the details of a little treat