Topical News Lessons

part of the 20th century. It was not Ronald
Reagan's American armies that destroyed
the Soviet Union, but economic failure, and
the apartheid regime in South Africa ended
for the same reason.
Unfortunately, in the poorest countries,
military power will still be important, but in
countries where external cultural influences
are strong, soldiers will have a less
important role to play. I do not think the US
armed forces will win the war in Iraq. The
pessimistic soldiers are probably right. But
in the end, Microsoft and DreamWorks
could succeed where George Bush and his
military forces might fail.
The Guardian Weekly
2005-28-01, page 13

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©
Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2005

Taken from the news section in
www.onestopenglish.com
Choose the best answer according to the text. 
1. At the end of the Korean War
a. the USA had a very good army.
b. the USA had a terrible army.
c. the USA had a very poor army.
2. The author of the article believes
a. the USA will win the military battle in Iraq.
b. the USA probably will not win the war in Iraq.
c. the USA will certainly lose the war in Iraq.
3. ‘Rambo’ was a surprising answer because
a. American culture is everywhere.
b. Rambo is an American character.
c. Hollywood has greater power than President Bush.
4. Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts will ‘win the war’ because
a. many people in Iraq can watch satellite TV.
b. the Americans will leave Iraq.
c. they are American.
Find the opposites of these words in the text. 
1. optimistic
____________
2. success ____________
3. easy
____________
4. poor
____________
5. love
____________
6. internal ____________
7. boring ____________
8. weak
____________

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©
Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2005

Taken from the news section in
www.onestopenglish.com