The United States is the United Nations' biggest deadbeat. Conservatives in Congress, led by Senator Jessie Helms, stopped Washington from paying its dues until the UN reduced its as??sessment and made other changes. Now, thanks to the hard work Richard Holbrook, America’s UN representative, and for peacekeeping. Mr. Helms, who has praised the deal, should release the dues he has been holding hostage—$ 582 million of the $1.3 billion the UN says it is owed.

 

　　The new formula would reduce the US contribution to the general UN budget to 22 percent from the current level of 25 percent—a symbolic difference of only $ 34 million a year. Washing??ton, which has been paying just over 30 percent of the peacekeeping budget, would now pay 27 percent—a difference of $ 80 million to $ 120 million a year—and that percentage will drop fur??ther. While poor countries would not pay more, the dues of other wealthy nations would rise un??der the new system.

 

　　The agreement would probably not have been reached without the intervention of the media magnate Ted Turner, who is already contributing $ 1 billion to UN programs over 10 years. Mr. Turner gave $ 34 million to cover the one-year gap during which other nations prepare to raise their contributions. His offer should embarrass Congress, which forced diplomats to waste their influence at the UN in months of negotiations to save a sum that is modest by federal budget stan??dards.

 

　　US debts reduced the UN's ability to reimburse nations that contributed peacekeepers to UN missions worldwide. Pakistan, Bangladesh, Jordan and other poor countries essentially made up for the absence of US financial support. Since Washington benefits from peacekeepers, which damp down conflicts without US troops, It should not be discouraging nations from sending them.

 

　　Washington's natural allies at the UN were concerned that the US wanted influence without meeting its treaty obligations. Some of them withheld support for US proposals. Mr. Helms should also end his hold on an additional $244 million in back dues, whose release he has conditioned on a reduction in US dues for specialized UN agencies such as UNICEF and the UN refugee organization. These agencies need full support. Switch by Mr. Helms would help the in??coming Bush administration, which would reap the benefits of the restoration of America’s full in??fluence at the United Nations.

 

　　1.Senator Jessie Helms stopped the US government from paying its dues to the UN because he wants .

　　[A] other countries to pay as much as the US

　　[B] Washington to make assessments and changes

　　[C] the UN's general budget to be trimmed ,

　　[D] the US to share a smaller part of the burden

 

　　2.The new formula has adjusted the assessment and will save the US government at least a year.

　　[A] $114 million 　　　[B] $ 154 million

　　[C] $ 200 million 　　　[D] $ 234 million

 

　　3.After the budget reassessment, the gap left by the US will be covered by______________ .

　　[A] Ted Turner　　　　　 [B] peacekeeping countries

　　[C] all member nations　　　　 [D] other wealthy nations

 

　　4.The author believes that Richard Holbrook's negotiations at the UN were______________ .

　　[A]A money-saving success

　　[B] An eye-catching embarrassment

　　[C] A waste of US influence

　　[D] A defense of US interest

 

　　5.From the passage, we can infer that_____________ .

　　[A] The US contribution to the UN has become a huge burden to Washington

　　[B] The new formula has not solved all problems concerning the US dues

　　[C] The dispute over the US dues has been deliberately made political

　　[D] Ted turner's intervention saved the US a diplomatic disaster

 

　　答案：D A D C B

 

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