Passage Two

Questions 6 to 10 are based on the following passage.

Would George W. Bush have been reelected president if the public understood how much responsibility his administration bears for allowing the 9/11 attacks to succeed?

The answer is unknowable and, at this date, meaningless. Yet it was appalling to learn that the White House suppressed until after the election a report that exposes the administration as woefully incompetent if not criminally negligent. Belatedly declassified excerpts from the 9/11 commission report, which focus on the failure of the Federal Aviation Administration to heed multiple warnings that Al Qaeda (基地組織) terrorists were planning to hijack planes as suicide weapons, make clear that this tragedy could have been avoided.

For the last three years, administration apologists have tried to make the FAA the scapegoat for the 9/11 attacks. But it is the president who ultimately is responsible for national security.

The terrible fact is that the administration took none of the steps that would have put the protection of human life ahead of a diverse set of economic and political interests, which included not offending our friends the Saudis and not hurting the share prices of airline corporations.

The warnings provided by intelligence agencies to the FAA were far clearer and more specific than suggested by Condoleezza Rice's testimony before the 9/11 commission when she reluctantly conceded the existence of a presidential briefing that warned of impending Al Qaeda attacks.

Given this shocking record of indifference on the part of the administration, it is politically understandable that it tried to prevent the formation of the 9/11 commission in the first place, and then for five months prevented the declassification of key sections of the final report.

Had the business-friendly administration put safety first, nearly 3,000 people might not have died that day. And had the president of the United States taken some time from his ranch vacation that August to order a nationwide airport alert, two bloody wars abroad probably would not have happened.

Instead, an administration that resisted spending the tens of millions required to fortify airline security before 9/11 is nearing the $300-billion mark on Afghanistan and Iraq. And declassified documents have unmistakably said the latter had nothing to do with 9/11, while those countries that at least indirectly did have been let off the hook.

Indeed, the 9/11 commission was not allowed to get near that story: The basic narrative on the tragedy derives from the interrogations of key detainees whom the 9/11 commissioners were not allowed to interview. Nor were they permitted to even take testimony from the U.S. intelligence personnel who interrogated those prisoners.

As a result, the public is simply incapable of making informed decisions on the most crucial decisions we face-starting with whom we elect as our commander in chief.

6. According to the author, who should shoulder the major responsibility for allowing the 9/11 tragedy to happen?

A) Saddam Hussein. B) FAA.

C) George W. Bush. D) Condoleezza Rice.

7. What does the word "declassify" (Line 3, Para. 2) most probably mean?

A) To hide the important details of B) To report or represent in a untrue way

C) To form a large group D) To become no longer secret

8. What do we learn from the passage about Afghanistan and Iraq?

A) Al Qaeda terriorists had gained support from at least one of the governments.

B) 9/11 was the chief reason for the Bush government to initiate both wars.

C) The two wars had already cost the Americans tens of millions of dollars.

D) These two countries should be held responsible for 9/11.

9. What can we infer from the passage?

A) The Federal Aviation Administration was not to blame in this tragedy.

B) Consideration of economic interests had hindered life protection.

C) The Bush government had paid such a high price for poor information collection.

D) Some government officials had been bribed by Al Qaeda terrorists.

10. What is the author's opinion towards President Bush?

A) He had been intentionally misleading as to the reasons of initiating the two wars.

B) He had been late in preventing the attacks because of a personal vocation.

C) He had done everything to help the 9/11 commission do a better job.

D) He will have probably failed to be reelected if the public had been well informed

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