補(bǔ)全短文題

Landmines

　　Worldwide there are estimated to be 120 million landmines （地雷） spread through 62 countries. ＿＿＿＿＿（1） The United Nations is currently involved in 14 mine-clearing operations around the world but it estimates that, at current rate, it will take 1,000"years to remove all the world's landmines.

　　Landmines are a favorable weapon because they cost so little to produce - about 3 pounds per mine. ＿＿＿＿＿（2）

　　Landmines cause the death or injury of 70 people a day, of whom most are civilians. ＿＿＿＿＿（3） In fact, about half the landmines active today lie in unmarked fields, in countries no longer in conflict.

　　And landmines do not only kill and maim （使殘廢）; they also hold back economic development. In Afghanistan, for example, where the former Soviet Army laid down an estimated ten million landmines, more than half of the land which could be cultivated for agriculture is useless because it is so heavily mined. According to Eileen Maybin of the Charity Christian Aid, mines also condemn people to relying on overseas aid - aid which is often provided by governments which provided the landmines in the first place:

　　"＿＿＿＿＿（4） Because there are landmines on agricultural land, people are actually dependent on food aid. This is one of the ironies of the situation - that governments are providing money for food aid when, if the mines were cleared, people would be able to feed themselves."

　　Forty-nine countries have so far signed the United Nations Inhumane Weapons Convention, which restricts the manufacture and export of landmines. ＿＿＿＿＿（5） But some signatories （簽約國） of the UN Convention, such as the UK, continue to support the manufacture and export of these weapons. The British Government says that it won't support a complete ban because it considers the landmine a legitimate （合法的） military weapon if it is used responsibly.

　　A A further 19 countries, including the USA, France, Germany and Japan, have banned all exports of landmines completely.

　　B However, the cost of locating and removing them is high - between 300 pounds and 700 pounds per mine.

　　C A recent UN gathering of world leaders in Vienna, Austria, failed to secure a complete ban on the manufacture and sale of landmines.

　　D And every year, for every 100,000 mines removed, another two million are put down.

　　E Landmines are actually destroying the social fabric and economic independence of countries.

　　F And many of the casualties occur in countries where war has long since ended.

　　【參考答案】1. D　　2. B　　3. F　　4. E　　5. A