The Security Council is the most powerful body in the UN. It is responsible for maintaining international peace, and for restoring peace when conflicts arise. Its decisions are binding on allUN members. The Security Council has the power to define what is a threat to security, to determine how the UN should respond, and to enforce its decisions by ordering UN members to take certain actions.
The Council convenes(召集)any time there is a threat to peace. A representative from each member country who sits on the Council must be available at all times so that the Council Call meet at a moment’s notice. The Security Council also frequently meets at the request of a UN member——often a nation with a grievance about another nation’s actions.
The Security Council has 15 members, five of which hold permanent seats. The Assembly elects the other ten members for two-year terms. The five permanent members——the United States, Britain, France, Russia(formerly the Soviet Union), and China——have the most power. These nations were the winning powers at the end of World War II, and they still represent thebulk of the world’s military might. Decisions of the Council require nine votes. But any one of the permanent members can veto an important decision. This authority is known as the veto right of the great powers. As a result, the Council is effective only when its permanent members can reach a consensus(一致同意).
The Council has a variety of ways it can try to resolve conflicts among countries. Usually the Council’s first step is to encourage the countries to settle their disagreements without violence. The Council can mediate a dispute or recommend guidelines for a settlement. It can send peacekeeping troops into a distressed area. If war breaks out, the Council can call for a ceasefire. It can enforce its decisions by imposing economic sanctions on a country, or through joint military action.
1．Which is TRUE in the following statements according to the passage?
A．The Security Council convenes annually.
B．All UN members should abide by the decisions adopted by the Security Council.
C．Although one member seriously complains about another member’s action, the Security Council will not convene at its request.
D．The five permanent members of the Security Council hold less than one half armed forces in the world.
2．The Security Council is effective only when its permanent members can reach a consensus because ______.
A．every permanent member has the veto right of great powers
B．all the permanent members won in the World War II
C．the other members of the Security Council are in the charge of the permanent members
D．of some other reasons not mentioned in this passage
3．One motion(提议)is adopted by the Security Council only if ______.
A．14 of 15 members accept this motion
B．all the members have no objection to the motion
C．9 members agree on it and all the permanent members approve of it
D．all the permanent members pass it
4．The passage introduces all things about the Security Council EXCEPT ______.
A．mission B．membership
C．rights D．history
5．The last paragraph of this passage may be concluded with the statement that ______.
A．UN gives priority to peaceful settlement of the conflicts among countries
B．the peacekeeping troops are most powerful in the conflicts between countries
C．economic sanction will be imposed on the countries involved in war
D．joint military action is the last resort of the Security Council in dealing with conflicts between among countries
答案与提示：
内容概要：安理会是联合国最具影响力的机构。文章介绍了安理会的使命、权力；会员国的组成和会员国在安理会决议中的作用以及安理会解决国与国之间争端的方法。
1．B
[译文] 根据文章可知，所有成员国部必须遵守安理会做出的决定。
[详细解答] 文章第一段说，“安理会的决定对所有成员国都有约束力。”(Its decisions are binding on all UN members.)，即所有成员国都必须遵守安理会做出的决议，所以选项B正确。选项A不对，因为第二段提到“只要和平受到成胁，安理会就会召开会议”。选项D不对，因为五个常任理事国代表了世界上大部分的军事力量(…they still represent the bulk of the world’s military might)。
2．A
[译文] 只有当成员国达成共识，安理会才能发挥作用，因为每个成员国都有否决权。
[详细解答] 第三段指出，“任何一个常任理事国都可以对某项重要决议投否决票。”(But any one of the permanent members can veto an important decision.)，所以选A。
3．C
[译文] 只有当赞成票数在9票以上，全部通过，安理会的决议才能生效。
[详细解答] 根据第三段的描述，只有当赞成票数在9票以上(Decisions of the Council require nine votes)，并且常任理事国没有投否决票时，安理会的决议才能生效。选项B不正确，因为各成员国不反对并不一定意味着赞成，成员国还可以投弃权票。
4．D
[译文] 文章中没有谈到安理会的历史。
[详细解答] 文章就安理会的使命、权力、会员国这几个方面进行了介绍，惟独没有提到安理会的历史，所以选D。
5．A
[译文] 文中最后一段总结安理会的职能是有权使各成员国之间和平解决争端。
[详细解答] 最后一段提到，“安理会的首选策略通常是鼓励有冲突的国家和平解决问题。”(Usually the Council’s first step is to encourage the countries to settle their disagreements without violence.)所以选A。
