It came as something of a surprise when Diana, Princess of Wales, made a trip to Angola in 1997,
to support the Red Cross campaign for a total ban on all anti-personnel landmines. Within hours of arriving in Angola, television screens around the world were filled with images of her comforting victims injured
in explosions caused by landmines. “I knew the statistics,” she said. “But putting a face to those figures
brought the reality home to me; like when I met Sandra, a 13- year-old girl who had lost her leg, and
people like her.”
     The Princess concluded with a simple message: “We must stop landmines”. And she used every
opportunity during her visit to repeat this message.
     But, back in London, her views were not shared by some members of the British government, which
refused to support a ban on these weapons. Angry politicians launched an attack on the Princess in the
press. They described her as “very ill-informed” and a “loose cannon”. (乱放炮的人)
     The Princess responded by brushing aside the criticisms: “This is a distraction (干扰) we do not need. All I’m trying to do is help.”
     Opposition parties, the media and the public immediately voiced their support for the Princess. To
make matters worse for the government, it soon emerged that the Princess’s trip had been approved by
the Foreign Office, and that she was in fact very well-informed about both the situation in Angola and the
British government’s policy regarding landmines. The result was a severe embarrassment for the
government.
     To try and limit the damage, the Foreign Secretary, Malcolm Rifkidnd, claimed that the Princess’s
views on landmines were not very different from government policy, and that it was “working towards" a
worldwide ban. The Defence Secretary, Michael Portillo, claimed the matter was “a misinterpretation or
misunderstanding.”
     For the Princess, the trip to this war-torn country was an excellent opportunity to use her popularity
to show the world how much destruction and suffering landmines can cause. She said that the experience
had also given her the chance to get closer to people and their problems.
1. Princess Diana paid a visit to Angola in 1997_____.
A. to clarify the British governments stand on landmines
B. to establish her image as a friend of landmine victims
C. to investigate the sufferings of landmine victims there
D. to voice her support for a total ban of landmines
2. Some members of the British government criticized Diana because _____.
A. she had not consulted the government before the visit
B. she was ill-informed of the governments policy
C. they were actually opposed to banning landmines
D. they believed that she had misinterpreted the situation in Angola
3. How did Diana respond to the criticisms?
A. She paid no attention to them          
B. She made more appearances on TV.
C. She met the 13-year-old girl as planned  
D. She rose to argue with her opponents
4. What did Princess Diana think of her visit to Angola?
A. It had caused embarrassment to the British government.
B. It had greatly promoted her popularity.
C. It had brought her closer to the ordinary people.
D. It had affected her relations with the British government.