The International Whaling Commission’s (IWC) decision to retain its ban on whaling does not mean that the killings will stop. Quite the (1) .
Save the Whale. It’s a phrase which became annoying with (2) , an unfavorable shorthand for liberal consciences. How appalling, then, that in the year 2010, it should be pressed (3) service again, to fight the whaling nations: Norway and Iceland, who exempted themselves from the 1986 prohibition (4) by the IWC, and Japan, which hunts whales under cover of " (5) research".
I am completely (6) by this week’s events in Morocco, where talks broke down. In my heart, I agree with those who have (7) the news that this year’s negotiations of the IWC have broken up, and (8) the prohibition would not be lifted (as the US proposed in a desperate (9) to break the deadlock). Yet reason (10) something else. If we do not (11) some kind of new control, the (12) will be able to go on with their slaughter (13) . Membership of the IWC is (14) , and the ban was only ever intended to be (15) . Japan, which has been buying the votes of nations with no interest in whaling (only in the 16 Japan offers in turn), will continue to press its case, having invested millions of dollars in its (17) . Geoffrey Palmer, New Zealand’s Commissioner at the IWC, has proposed a year-long (18) period. In the meantime, more whales will die.
We stand at a crossroad for whales. We see the (19) existence of these animals as an indicator of ecological threat. As symbols of an endangered world, they evoke, and provoke, a feeling that they have the same qualities as human on a scale equal to their size and supposed (20) . To some this is so much sentimental words in the New Age.
18（）
A.turning off
B.lifting off
C.shutting off
D.cooling off
参考答案：D
解析：
[试题考点] 上下文语意关系和短语动词辨析。
[解题思路] 空格所在句的句意为“Geoffrey Palmer提议(给禁捕问题)一年的______期”，接着下句指出，更多的鲸鱼将面临死亡。将四个选项代入文中，只有选项[D]cooling off最符合文意，动名词短语cooling off作名词period的定语，意为“冷却期”，即将关于禁止捕鲸的讨论搁置一年，在这期间会有更多的鲸鱼遭到捕杀，故正确选项为[D]。
[干扰排除] 选项[A]turning off意为“关掉；避开”，选项[B]lifting off意为“(火箭、导弹等)发射；(直升机等)起飞”，选项[C]shutting off意为“关闭；停止”，将这三个选项代入文中，都不符合文意，故排除。