Russian President Putin named Time magazine's "Person of the Year"
Russian President Vladimir Putin was named Time magazine's’ "Person of the Year" on December 19th. 2007 for strengthening stability（稳定）that made Russia a world power again.
The magazine recognized Putin's "extraordinary feat（技艺）of leadership in taking a country that was in a mess and bringing it stability，"said Richard Stengel，Time's managing editor.
The magazine noted that "Person of the Year" is not an honor or an endorsement（认可）but a recognition of leadership that shapes the world.
Putin，who is 56 years old，is very popular in Russia，making a great effort to cause economy to come to life on revenue（收入）from oil and natural gas.
Putin recently supported vice-PM Dmitry Medvedev's presidential bid，and said he would accept Medvedev's offer to serve as prime minister if Medvedev is elected on March 2.
The Kremlin said Wednesday the Time recognition was seen there as an acknowledgement of Putin's role in helping Russia pull out of its social and economic troubles in the 1990s.
Others considered for "Person of the Year" included Nobel Prize-winner Al Gore and author J.K. Rowling.
This year's choice was a return to the magazine's tradition of picking an individual rather than last year's choice of "You"，which refers to anyone creating or using content on the World Wide Web.
Putin is the fifth Russian（or Soviet）leader to be named Person of the Year：Gorbachev，Andropov，Khrushchev and Stalin，who was named twice.
小题1:How did Putin try to make Russia a world power again？
A．By performing arms race.
B．By making war.
C．By strengthening stability.
D．By getting foreign help.小题2:How many times have Russian leaders been named "Person of the Year" so far？
A．Five times.
B．Six times.
C．Seven times.
D．Eight times.小题3:Which of the following is Not True according to the passage？
A．Russia used to be in a mess.
B．Time always picks an individual to be the "Person of the Year".
C．Oil and natural gas caused Russia's economy to come to life.
D．Putin will leave office on March 2nd, 2007.小题4:What is the author’s attitude towards the matter?
A．Negative
B．Positive
C．Criticize
D．Objective
