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First admitted to the Group of Eight as a gesture of goodwill andsupportforreform，Russiaisagain concentrating its partners'minds—this time with icy threat.

When he met Vladimir Putin in 2001，George Bush said he had looked the Russian president in the eye and got a“sense of his soul”as a trustworthy man.Six years later，as the two leaders meet at the G8 summit in Germany，Westerners studying Mr Putin's inner self will more likely see a tough strategic adversary.

As Russia heads towards a new reform of authoritarianism，Mr Putin's anti-Western rhetoric has grown ever more harsh and reminiscent of the cold war.This year has seen a crescendo of attacks.It started with Mr Putin's accusation in February that America's“unconstrained hyper-use of force”threatened the world；intensified in May with an implied Comparison of America with Nazi Germany；and climaxed this month with a threat to re-target Russia's nuclear missiles on Europe.

If you believe in him，Mr Putin's rage reflects his fear that the nuclear balance is being upset by Mr Bush's plan to put a limited missile defence system on Czech and Polish soil.“It is clear that if part of the US nuclear capability turns up in Europe...then we are forced to take corresponding steps in response，”Mr Putin told a group of foreign journalists ahead of the summit.“What will those steps be?Naturally，we will have to have new targets in Europe.”

So the era of nuclear mutual assured destruction(or MAD，the cold-war stability derived from the knowledge that if one side fired its rockets，the other could launch a devastating counter-attack)，which supposedly ended when the red flag Come down，could return.A Kremlin spokesman called his leader's comments a“hypothetical answer to a hypothetical question.”But they were no slip of the tongue；similar remarks had been made earlier by a Russian general.Mr Putin，it seems，wants to make Western states see the depth of his anger.

America says the missile defense system is not aimed at Russia；it is designed to ward off Iranian missiles that may，one day，carry nuclear weapons.But for Mr Putin，the anti-missile shield is just a bid to revive the old Star Wars programme against the Kremlin—if not now，then in the future.Mr Putin has never liked America's missile defence，but seemed to acquiesce when Mr Bush quit the Anti-Ballistic Missile(ABM)treaty in 2002.America and Russia at the time made an agreement to reduce nuclear warheads to 1，700-2，200 each.

Several things have happened since those friendlier days.America has been weakened by the war in Iraq.Russia has grown richer on oil，and Mr Putin angrier over the expansion of NATO to his borders and especially the pro-Western“orange revolution”in Ukraine in 2004.

America's decision to build even limited defence facilities in two ex-Warsaw Pact countries was，to him，an intolerable provocation，feeding a sense of encirclement.A week ago，Russia test-fired what it said was a new intercontinental ballistic missile with multiple warheads，able to counteract any missile shield.Mr Putin blamed America for starting a new arms race.Recently he has rattled other pillars of the post-cold-war order.In February a Russian general said his country could quit the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces(INF)treaty；in April Mr Putin threatened to freeze participation in the pact on Conventional Forces in Europe(CFE).

The Kremlin has given mixed signals about how far it will seek to nullify these accords，and how much these moves have been caused by the missile-defence now.In a speech in Munich in February Mr Putin implied the INF treaty was harming Russia's ability to respond to the threat of intermediate-range missiles developed by other countries，such as Iran.Yet he opposes the missile defences being proposed for Europe by saying Iran's rockets are no imminent threat to NATO.

Russia has acted up in one forum after another—NATO，the European Union and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe—so far with little result.It has called an emergency meeting of parties to the CFE treaty in Vienna next week.Mr Putin berates NATO for not ratifying an amended(1999)text of the CFE pact.(NATO cites Russia's failure to keep its pledge to withdraw forces from Georgia and Moldova；Russia troops remain in both countries，as“peacekeepers”which in reality prop up pro-Kremlin statelets.)

Western replies to Mr Putin's outbursts have so far been muted.Mr Bush insists the missile-defence plan is open to Russian participation.“Russia is not an enemy，”he said this week，playing down Mr Putin's nuclear threats.He has sent a succession of senior officials to Moscow to mollify Russia，with little success.He has also issued an unprecedented invitation to his“friend”Vladimir to meet him at his parents'home in Maine on July 1st.

Some Americans feel the worsening mood reflects Western mistakes too.“When Russia tried to co-operate，it got ignored，and now when it behaves badly it gets attention，”argues Toby Gati，an ex-White House adviser.Mr Putin may be genuinely aggrieved that America has taken his past to co-operation for granted—for instance in the war against terror.He may also reckon that by hitting the West hard on missile defence，he may exacerbate divisions in the Western camp.

The tone of Mr Putin's latest comments also reflects a mood of mounting tension after the request by Britain's Crown Prosecution Service for the extradition of a former KGB officer，Andrei Lugovoi.Britain wants to try him for the murder by radioactive poisoning of an exiled ex-secret policeman，Alexander Litvinenko，in London.Mr Putin seemed more irked by what he called the“foolish”extradition bid than by the substance of the case.He says it is constitutionally all but impossible for him to accept the request—and apparently feels pushed into a corner.To extradite Mr Lugovoi or try him at home would be kowtowing to the West(and betraying a KGB ex-colleague)；by doing nothing，he may seem to be protecting a murder suspect.

The Russian leader may feel he has little to lose by antagonizing the West.But the main effects of his cutting loose from global obligations may be felt not so much by the West as by opponents at home.Mr Putin recently made an obscure quip，saying that，apart from himself，there have been no“pure democrats”in the world since Mahatma Gandhi.Garry Kasparov，a chess champion turned opposition figure，begs to differ:he calls his country a“police state masquerading as a democracy.”

1.What is the issue that causes Russia's confrontation with the West?

2.What responses has Russia taken recently to counterattack the West?

3.How does the West，especially the US，react to Russia's tough attitude?

4.What is the purpose of the West to install the missile shield in your opinion?

5.How will you predict the development of the event and its impact on world situation?

Authoritarianism:A system that forces people to strictly obey rules or laws that are often wrong or unfair.相关政体或统治(governance)词汇有totalitarianism，autocracy，autarky，monarch，oligarchy，plutocracy，meritocracy，technocracy，despotism，tyranny，democracy等。

Crescendo:Succession of events with mounting force.本是音乐中“渐强”，其反义词是diminuendo或decrescendo，而这些音乐词汇很多来自意大利语，又如adagio(柔板)，allegro(快板)，aria(咏叹调)，tenor(男高音)，soprano(女高音)，concerto(协奏曲)，sonata(奏鸣曲)等。另外，从阅读的角度看，即便读者开始并不清楚crescendo一词的含义，但通过紧随的下句便可推测其大致含义了，尤其是下句中三个动词的递进:started with...→intensified with...→climaxed with...更是强烈暗示出crescendo在句中的意义。英文报刊阅读对中国读者而言永远会有生词出现，我们应调用各种途径合理地猜测其意义，增强阅读能力。

Pro-Western，pro-Kremlin:这里前缀pro-表示亲某一方或支持某一方，构成形容词，意思分别为“亲西方的、亲俄罗斯的”，又如:prodemocracy，pro-China。其反义前缀是anti-。另外，这里Kremlin由原来的克里姆林宫外延拓展指代(metonymy)俄罗斯政府，类似表达报刊中常见。

Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces(INF)treaty:1987年12月8日签署了《中程和中短程核力量(INF)条约》(简称《中导条约》。)

Extradition:The legal process of sending someone who may be guilty of a crime back to the country where the crime is committed.

KGB:源于俄语Komitet Gossudarstvennoi Bezopastnosti，前苏联国家安全委员会(即克格勃)The intelligence and internal security agency(1954-1991)of the former Soviet Union.The KGB(or Committee of State Security)was the preeminent Soviet intelligence agency and Soviet equivalent of the American CIA.

Kowtow:源于汉语“磕头、叩头”，意即“讨好、听从”。英语词汇中有一些是借汉语(或广东话等方言)而来的，如cheongsam(旗袍)，mah-jongg(麻将)，lychee或litchi(荔枝)，loquat(枇杷)，kumquat(金橘)，gung-ho(有干劲)，chop-suey(杂碎)，lo mein(捞面)，chow mein(炒面)，tofu(豆腐)，feng shui(风水)，typhoon(台风)，bok choy(白菜)，tai chi(太极)，dim sum(广东早茶)等。

A chess champion turned opposition figure:由国际象棋冠军转而从政的反对派人物。又如professor turned business tycoon曾是教授现在是商界大亨，government official turned professor曾当官后执教，a lawyer turned politician曾是律师现从政等。

Beg to differ:Used to say politely that you do not agree with something that has just been said.类似于汉语的“恕不苟同”、“不敢苟同”。Beg在此没有乞求之意而是表示礼貌。

Police state:George Orwell笔下的《一九八四》描述的就是这样一个虚拟国度:老大哥Big Brother无时无刻不在监控着民众的言行。

G8:八国集团The Group of Eight，originally G7，referring to the submit conference of the 7 most powerful Western countries—the US，Britain，France，Germany，Japan，Canada and Italy，and Russia.Eight of the world's economically leading countries that in a cooperative effort meet periodically to address international economic and monetary issues.所谓八国集团，指的是八大工业国美国、英国、法国、德国、意大利、加拿大、日本，加上俄罗斯。严格地讲，它并非是一个严密的国际组织，以往被称为“富国俱乐部”。在8个国家里，除俄罗斯之外的7个国家是核心成员国，也就是以前的七国集团(G7)。20世纪70年代，世界主要资本主义国家的经济形势一度恶化，接连发生的“美元危机”、“石油危机”、“布雷顿森林体系”瓦解和1973—1975年的严重经济危机把西方国家弄得焦头烂额。为共同解决世界经济和货币危机，协调经济政策，重振西方经济，1975年7月初，法国首先倡议召开由法国、美国、日本、英国、西德和意大利六国参加的最高级首脑会议，后来，加拿大(1976年)、俄罗斯(1998年)分别加入。八国集团成员国的国家元首每年召开一次会议，即八国集团首脑会议(简称“八国峰会”)。

与此相关的另一国际合作论坛是G-20即20国集团。20国集团(Group 20)由八国集团、欧洲联盟以及一些亚洲、非洲、拉丁美洲、大洋洲国家财政部长和中央银行行长参加的20国集团创始会议于1999年12月16日在德国柏林正式举行，是一个国际经济合作论坛，属于布雷顿森林体系框架内非正式对话的一种机制。20国集团的成员包括美国、日本、德国、法国、英国、意大利、加拿大、俄罗斯，作为一个实体的欧盟和澳大利亚、南非以及具有广泛代表性的发展中国家中国、阿根廷、巴西、印度、印度尼西亚、墨西哥、沙特阿拉伯及发达国家韩国和土耳其。20国集团自成立至今，其主要活动为“财政部长及中央银行行长会议”，每年举行一次。The G-20(more formally，the Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors)is a group of finance ministers and central bank governors from 20 economies:19 of the world's largest national economies，plus the European Union(EU).It also met once at heads-of-government level，in November 2008.Collectively，the G-20 economies comprise 85％of global gross national product，80％of world trade(including EU intra-trade)and two-thirds of the world population.

MAD:相互确保毁灭或共同毁灭原则Mutual assured destruction，aka“nuclear deterrence”(核威慑)。The idea is that two nuclear rivals can make their relationship stable so long as each of them is capable of both destroying，and being destroyed by，the other.The logic is closely linked to possession of a secure second-strike nuclear force，which guarantees the possibility of devastating retaliation，so deterring either from launching a first strike.MAD was an important element in the view that deterrence was easy，and that it could be made stable and effective with relatively small nuclear arsenals.

Star Wars programme:星球大战计划即“Strategic Defense Initiative”(SDI)战略防御计划的俗称a program developed by the US during Reagan administration in the 1980s aimed at protecting the United States from incoming nuclear missiles.Announced during a televised address on defense policy on 23 March 1983，Reagan called for“space-based defenses”against nuclear attacks on the United Sates.Assigned a special priority，the SDI resulted in the creation of the Strategic Defense Initiative Office(SDIO)in the Department of Defense and beCome the Pentagon's single most expensive research and development program，costing some$30 billion.During Reagan's term，the Initiative was hotly debated:it was criticized for its high costs，dubious efficacy，and its potential for undermining the Anti-Ballistic Missile(ABM)Treaty(反弹道导弹条约简称反导条约).SDI did not progress very far in the latter part of the Reagan years partly because the initiative ran ahead of the technology；in the late 1990s，however，it resurfaced in the guise of National Missile Defense(NMD)(美国国家导弹防御系统).Fear of small nuclear attacks from rogue states(美国等西方所认为的不遵守国际公约的无赖国家)and terrorists has made NMD a priority for the George W.Bush administration；in December 2001 the administration gave notice of its intention to pull out of the ABM，thus paving the way for the development and testing of a comprehensive NMD system.

Orange Revolution:A series of protest and political events supported by the West in the presidential election in Ukraine to support the prowestern candidate Yushchenko in 2004 to 2005.颜色革命(Color Revolution)，又称花朵革命，是指21世纪初期一系列发生在中东欧和中亚地区的以颜色命名、以和平和非暴力方式进行的政权变更运动。参与者通常通过非暴力手段来抵制其政府。他们通常采用一种特别的颜色或者花朵来作为标志。包括捷克斯洛伐克的天鹅绒革命或“丝绒革命”Velvet Revolution、格鲁吉亚的玫瑰革命(Rose Revolution)、乌克兰的栗子花革命即橙色革命Orange Revolution(发生于2004年，因乌克兰首都基辅的市花是橙色的栗子花故得名)、伊拉克的紫色革命(Purple Revolution)、黎巴嫩的雪松革命(Cedar Revolution)、吉尔吉斯斯坦的郁金香革命(Tulip Revolution)或黄色革命、柠檬革命。

Warsaw Pact:华沙条约，简称华约Warsaw Pact(or Warsaw Treaty Organization)(1955-1991)，military alliance comprising eight states—Albania，Bulgaria，Czechoslovakia，East Germany，Hungary，Poland，Romania，and the USSR—led by the USSR and throughout its 35-year history the principal opponent of and military threat to NATO.华沙条约组织(简称华约组织或华约)是为对抗北大西洋公约(北约)组织而成立的政治军事同盟。1955年德意志联邦共和国加入北约后，欧洲社会主义阵营国家(包括德意志民主共和国)签署了《华沙公约》。该条约由前苏联领导人赫鲁晓夫起草，1955年5月14日于波兰首都华沙签署，东欧社会主义国家除南斯拉夫以外，全部加入华约组织。条约规定:“如果在欧洲发生了任何国家或国家集团对一个或几个缔约国的武装进攻，每一缔约国应个别地或通过同其他缔约国的协议，以一切它认为必要的方式，包括使用武装部队，立即对遭受这种进攻的某一个国家或几个国家给予援助。”1990年10月3日民主德国与联邦德国统一后退出华约。华约于1991年3月31日停止一切活动，官方于1991年7月1日在捷克斯洛伐克首都布拉格签署了关于华沙公约停止生效的议定书，华沙公约正式宣布解散。

NATO:北大西洋公约组织，简称北约组织或北约，是美国与西欧、北美主要发达国家为实现防卫协作而建立的一个国际军事集团组织。1949年4月4日美国与加拿大、英国、法国、比利时、荷兰、卢森堡、丹麦、挪威、冰岛、葡萄牙、意大利共12国在华盛顿签订了《北大西洋公约》，标志着北约正式成立。北约的目的是与前苏联为首的东欧集团国成员相抗衡，一旦某成员国受到攻击，其他成员国可以及时作出反应、联合进行反击。至前苏联解体、华沙公约组织宣告解散，北约遂成为一个地区性防卫协作组织。欧洲盟军最高司令历来由美国将领担任。北约就重大国际问题进行磋商合作，协调立场，加强集体防务，每年举行各种联合军事演习。北约拥有大量核武器和常规部队，是西方的重要军事力量。The North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO)，established in 1949，was the culmination of Western responses to a growing perception of threat from the Soviet Union in the years following the end of the Second World War.It followed on from the beginning of American re-engagement in Europe with Marshall Aid and the Truman Doctrine in 1947，from the formation of the Brussels treaty 1948 among Britain，France，and Benelux，and from the joint allied response to the Berlin blockade in 1948-1949.NATO originally had twelve members:the United States，Britain，France，Canada，Italy，the Netherlands，Belgium，Luxembourg，Denmark，Iceland，Norway，and Portugal.Greece and Turkey joined in 1952，the Federal Republic of Germany in 1955，and Spain in 1982.A post-Cold War round of enlargement began with the admission of Poland，the Czech Republic，and Hungary in 1999，and there is a queue of nine or more candidates hoping for admission in subsequent rounds.The parties to NATO agree to treat an attack on any one of them as an attack against all，each member being obliged to assist those attacked by taking“such action as it deems necessary，including the use of armed force，to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area”.They agree to settle disputes among themselves by peaceful means，to avoid economic conflict，and to work towards economic collaboration with each other.The North Atlantic Council is the basic political directorate of the alliance，and its military command is centred on the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe(SHAPE).

Crown Prosecution Service:英国皇家检控署The British government agency that is responsible for prosecuting criminal cases investigated by the police in England and Wales.

Mahatma Gandhi:圣雄甘地(1869—1948)，是印度民族主义运动和国大党领袖。他既是印度的国父，也是印度最伟大的政治领袖。他带领国家迈向独立，脱离英国的殖民道路。他的“非暴力反抗”的主张，影响了全世界的民族主义者和那些争取和平变革的国际运动。Preeminent leader of Indian nationalism and prophet of nonviolence in the 20th century.In 1906 he first put into action satyagraha，his technique of nonviolent resistance.Gandhi commanded influence hitherto unattained by any political leader in India.He refashioned the Indian National Congress into an effective political instrument of Indian nationalism and undertook major campaigns of nonviolent resistance.In the 1930s he also campaigned to end discrimination against India's untouchable class and concentrated on educating rural India and promoting cottage industry.India achieved dominion status in 1947，but the partition of the subcontinent into India and Pakistan was a great disappointment to Gandhi，who had long worked for Hindu-Muslim unity.In September 1947 he ended rioting in Calcutta by fasting.Known as the Mahatma(“Great-Souled”)，Gandhi had won the affection and loyalty of millions.In January 1948 he was shot and killed by a young Hindu fanatic.

新闻标题的修辞。本文标题中的“Vlad and MAD”采用押韵(尾韵，有时头韵)，旨在造成声色效果，渲染氛围，从而引起关注与读者兴趣。Vlad是指俄国时任总统普京(Vladimir Putin)，而MAD是文中提及的一个重要概念即“相互确保毁灭核战略”，从而点出此文是分析俄国对美国在东欧扩大战略武器部署的态度以及冷战时期沿用的“相互确保毁灭核战略”因此而可能回归。同时，MAD一词也是双关词汇，暗含此文认为普京对美国东扩作出的反应有些mad。又如After The Boom Everything Is Gloom，Soccer Kicks Off with Violence，Desperate Need，Desperate Deed等。

Ⅰ.According to the article，determine which statements are true and which are false.

1.Mr Putin has beCome tougher and tougher towards the West recently.

2.The change of Putin's attitude shows that Russia is becoming weaker and weaker and is afraid of the attack from the West.

3.Russia threatens to quit cooperation with the West in a series of arms control treaties to show its strong responses to the West.

4.The United States and its western allies were quite worry about the threats of Russia.

5.The author warns the West that Russia will support the terrorists in its counterattack against the West.

1.Why did Mr Putin make tough comments against the US recently_________?

A.Because Russia has beCome stronger and the US weaker.

B.Because the US wanted to install a missile defense shield in East Europe.

C.Because President Bush took Mr Putin as a trustworthy man.

D.Because the Russian generals requested that and forced him to do so.

2.How did President Bush react to Russia's tough attitude_________?

A.He warned Mr Putin to be aware of what he said.

B.He simply ignored what Mr Putin said.

C.He sent a succession of officials to pacify Mr Putin.

D.He urged the European countries to cooperate with the United States.

3.What has caused the change of Russia in reaction to the West?

A.That the US has beCome weaker with the Iraqi War.

B.That Russia has beCome richer with the rising oil prices.

C.That the missile defense shield will upset the nuclear balance.

D.All of the above.

4.Why does the author relate the event to the extradition of a KGBofficer?

A.To show the mounting tension between Russia and the West.

B.To demonstrate Mr Putin's determination not to betray his people.

C.To further explain the possible outCome of Russia's counterattack.

D.To give an example to display Russia's tough attitude towards the West.

5.What does the author imply in the last paragraph?_________

A.That a new wave of arms race begins.

B.That a new period of Cold War is to begin.

C.That Russia has beCome more authoritarian.

D.That Mr Putin is a real democrat and peace-lover.