A troubled young man in Connecticut laid his hands on the kinds of guns that no civilian should ever have and shot 20 children and 6 adults . It was a tragedy that " broke the hearts of America " , as President Barack Obama said . The obvious way to prevent the next such _ is gun control . And , yes , we need it now . Voters need to be loud , politicians need to be brave , and the gun lobby needs to be defeated . Perhaps Barack Obama , no longer up for election , will no longer be chicken . But American violence doesn't just come from the weapons we buy and the gun shows we frequent . It's much deeper than that . This is also the country that supplies three-quarters of the world's arms trade . These are weapon sales authorized by our government and by a Democratic President . International weapon sales by America between 2010 and 2011 tripled . The same Democratic President continues a policy of targeted ( often poorly ) assassinations in Pakistan . This country also supplies most of the world's violent entertainment . America leads the world in massacres in life , and in film too . The most popular movie this week , " SKyfall , " is a load of fun ; but every emotional climax involves a shooting , sometimes with small guns sometimes with large ones . Firearms have long been identified with manliness in popular culture . Ever more they are identified with womanliness , too . The most popular culture . Every more they are identified with womanliness , too . The most popular video game this week is " Halo 4 ; " the most popular novel is Tom Clancy's " Treat Vector ; " the second and s hird best-selling works of nonfiction are " Killing Kennedy " and " Killing Lincoln , " respectively . Every author , and every creator , should have the right to make what they want . Still , every civilian has a right to choose what to see and what to buy . Violence is sometimes essential to art , and often to foreign policy , too . But the cruel killing in Newtown , the worst single event in this country in eleven years and... The best title for the passage would probably be _ . A) The Roots of Violent Movies B) America's Culture of Violence C) Bloody Killing Shocked America D) Divide on Gun Control in America
B
(Question)
During Nelson Mandela's 19 years in the prison on Robben Island, one particular commanding officer, Badenhorst, was the cruelest of them all: "A few days before Badenhorst's leaving the prison, I was called to the main office. General Steyn was visiting the island and wanted to know if we had any complaints. Badenhorst was there as I went through a list of demands. When I had finished, Badenhorst spoke to me directly. He told me he would be leaving the island and added: 'I just want to wish you people good luck'. I do not know if I looked dumbfounded , but I was amazed. He spoke these words like a human being and showed a side of himself we had never seen before. I thanked him for his good wishes and wished him good luck too. I thought about this moment for a long time afterwards. Badenhorst had perhaps been the most cold-blooded and cruelest commanding officer we had had on Robben Island. But that day in the office, he had showed that there was another side to his nature, a side that had been hidden but still existed. It was obvious that all men, even the most seemingly cold-blooded, have a heart of kindness and that, if their hearts are touched, they are able to change. Actually, Badenhorst was not evil; his inhumanity had been encouraged by an inhuman system. He behaved cruelly because he was rewarded for cruel behavior." When did the story happen? A) Before Badenhorst left the prison. B) Before Mandela gave demands. C) After General Steyn took over the prison. D) Just when Mandela was set free.
(Answer)
A
If a business wants to sell its products internationally, it had better do some market research first. This is a lesson that some large American corporations have learned the hard way. What's in the name? Sometimes the problem is the name. When General Motors introduced its Chevy Nova into Latin America, it overlooked the fact that Nova in Spanish means "It doesn't go". Sure enough, the Chevy Nova never went anywhere in Latin America. Translation problems Sometimes it is the slogan that doesn't work. No company knows this better than Pepsi-Cola, with its "Come alive with Pepsi!" campaign. The campaign was so successful in the United States , Pepsi translated its slogan literally for its international campaign. As it turned out , the translations weren't quite right. Pepsi was begging Germans to "Come out of the grave " and telling the Chinese that "Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave." A picture's worth a thousand words Other times, the problem involves packaging . A picture of a smiling baby has helped sell countless jars of Gerber baby food. When Gerber started selling baby food in Africa, they used the same packaging as in the US, with the smiling baby on the label. Later they learned that in African countries, the picture on the jar shows what the jar has in it, for many people there can't read. Twist of fate Even the culture and religious factors and pure coincidence can be involved. Thorn McAn shoes have a Thorn McAn "signature" inside. To people in Bangladesh, which is a Muslim country, this signature looked like Arabic script for the word Allah. In that country, feet are considered unclean, and Muslims felt the company was offending God's name by having people walk on it. What was "Gerber's problem"? A) A translation problem B) Cultural factor C) Religious factor D) The picture on the jar
D