The US military officially declared end of Iraq War with a flag-lowering ceremony on Dec. 15, 2011. And the next day, it handed over its last base in Iraq to the Iraqi authorities.
“The cost was high―in blood and treasure for the United States and also for the Iraqi people,” American’s Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said. “But those lives have not been lost in vain, a free, democratic Iraq was worth the sacrifice.”
On Dec. 31, 2011, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced Dec. 31, which is the day of fulfillment of the withdrawal of all foreign troops from the country, as the National Day of Iraq.
The National Day of Iraq deserved to be celebrated, but a lot of people expressed worry, including Leon Panetta. He said, “Iraq will be tested in the days ahead by terrorism and by those who would seek to divide it, by economic and social issues, by the demands of democracy itself.”
The Iraq War was started by the United States in 2003 and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein. In the bloody eight years, almost 4,500 US soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqis lost their lives in the war.
The underlined word “fulfillment”（in Paragraph 3） probably means_______according to the text.
A. completion B. obedience
C. performance D. satisfaction
(Find the KEY in this issue)
military 军方，军队
flag-lowering 降旗
authority 当局，官方
democratic 民主的
withdrawal 撤退
terrorism 恐怖主义
democracy 民主
topple 推翻
regime 政权