English 杂文5

It is still sometimes difficult to understand why those between ages 10 and 18 would endanger their lives by joining armed forces or rebel groups and become fighting soldiers. The recently published book, Young Soldier, Why They Choose to Fight By Rachel Brett and Irma Specht, tries to find an answer. 　　There is no doubt that children fight in most armed conflicts today. While international attention focuses largely on those who are forced into battles, thousands more enlist (应征入伍) voluntarily. 　　In an attempt to to understand the young who take up arms, Brett and Specht interviewed 53 boy and girl soldiers and ex-soldiers from around the world, Afghanistan , Colombia, the Republic of the Congo for example. All interviewees were involved with armed forces or armed groups before the age of 18 and all classified themselves as volunteers. 　　What these two field officers heard is “I joined involuntarily- if you have nothing, you volunteer for the army”. Other reasons young people gave are self- defense, revenge, poverty, and unemployment. 　　But while it is common knowledge that most child soldiers come from poor and disadvantaged backgrounds, Young Soldiers shows that the issue is far more complex. Many poor children do not join the army. The environmental, educational, social, cultural, and highly personal factors determine whether someone decide to join up or not. 　　The battlefield is not a place for children. One young soldier described being there as “too sad an experience”. The authors hope that by understanding why teenagers join up, those child soldiers should know how to discourage others from the same tragedy.

1. Young Soldiers, Why They Choose to Fight is __. A. a book B. a magazine C. a news report D. a TV program

2. According to paragraph 3, Brett and Specht’s interviewees ___. A. joined armed forces under 18 　　　　　　B. considered going into the army their duty 　　　　　　C. were only from African countries 　　　　　　D. were mainly the ex-soldiers

3. The reasons shown in young soldiers for children to join the army are__. A. very simple B. very complex C. unknown D. unbelievable 　　　　　　4.The writers of Young Soldiers probably expect that __. 　　　　　　A. child soldier would leave armed forces 　　　　　　B. they could find more than 53 interviewees 　　　　　　C. no more children would join armed forces 　　　　　　D. there would be no wars in the world

4. The tone of the passage is __. A. pleasant B. indifferent C. humorous D. objective