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  3. Nobody likes to be spied on, especially by their allies, so it is hardly surprising that Europeans are angry about American espi

Nobody likes to be spied on, especially by their allies, so it is hardly surprising that Europeans are angry about American espi

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问题     Nobody likes to be spied on, especially by their allies, so it is hardly surprising that Europeans are angry about American espionage operations conducted against them, on their territory. These include spying on the European Union embassy in Washington, DC(with a bug in the fax machine), and on the governments of France, Germany and other countries, as well as the collection of large amounts of electronic data—in Germany’s case half a billion phone calls, e-mails and text messages every month. In a country where Gestapo crimes still leave dark shadows, and privacy rights have near-religious significance that causes outrage.
    Many Europeans see in the disclosure further evidence of American arrogance and unaccountabili-ty—just another episode in a story that includes an illegal war in Iraq, "extraordinary rendition" , water boarding and secret prisons. Some European politicians want a punitive response. One idea is to suspend agreements on sharing financial and other data between intelligence and law-enforcement agencies. Another is to halt talks on a big new transatlantic trade deal. A third is to offer asylum to Edward Snowden, the source of the leaks about his former employer, America’s National Security Agency.
    But any of these grandstanding approaches would be a mistake. One reason is hypocrisy. France has formidable foreign-intelligence services that spy on America, for economic and political advantage. Much of the intelligence that America gathers—especially in counter-terrorism—is shared with European countries. And much of the American activity in Europe happens in partnership with local agencies, even in Germany. Some of this co-operation may be of borderline legality in the countries concerned. Its disclosure may be embarrassing for politicians there. But that is hardly America’s fault.
    A second reason is self-interest. America’s security umbrella allows European countries to feel safe from, for instance, the possibility of future Russian aggression while spending little on defense. But Europeans cannot take such protection for granted. In many American eyes, Europeans are already wobbly, tiresome free-riders.
    Europe also has most to gain from a transatlantic trade deal. It desperately needs the extra economic growth an agreement would bring. America wants it too—but it is already enjoying a moderate economic revival of the sort the Europeans would kill for, and is also involved in negotiating a similar, transpacific pact, on which it can focus its efforts if the spying row makes dealing with the Europeans too difficult.
    Finally, there is the pointlessness of the threat. Even if European governments did cut intelligence links with the Americans, that would not stop the spying. America would continue to conduct operations against all but a handful of truly close allies, such as Canada and Britain.
Which of the following is true according to the first two paragraphs?
选项 A、American espionage operations only take place in European continent.
B、Some European politicians decide to take actions against America.
C、The Europeans are quite furious at America, but with no agreed measures.
D、European countries refuse to provide refugee to Edward Snowden.
答案C
解析 此题考查对文章指定段落及相关细节的理解。解题关键在于第一段第一句的angry和第二段第二句的want。want只说明一些欧洲政客对美国窃听行为提出了几点反击方法，但并未具体实施，同时也暗示了欧洲各方并未就此达成一致。选项[C]正符合此意。本题也可利用排除法获得正确答案。
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