An Effort to Maintain Peace: The United Nations
by
Beth Ann Bryant-Richards
SRA
Corrective Reading Series
Grade
6
©
2008 McGraw Hill
The United Nations was established at the end of World War
II by the allied
countries
in hopes of preserving peace throughout the world. Each of the allies—the
United
States, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union (now Russia), the Republic of
China
(now the Peoples’ Republic of China), and France—played a major role in the
establishment
of the group. People thought that world peace would be more likely if
nations
worked together in a spirit of cooperation and trust. By becoming
a member
nation,
a country agrees to accept the obligations of the United Nations Charter.
The United Nations Charter has four main goals: one, to maintain
international
peace
and security; two, to develop friendly relations among nations; three, to
cooperate
in
solving international problems and in respecting the rights of humans; and
four, to be a
center
for bringing together the nations of the world. These lofty founding ideals
of the
United
Nations charter are still at the forefront of the organization’s mission,
even though
the
efforts of the United Nations have not always been a success.
The United Nations replaced an earlier organization, the
League of Nations. The
League
of Nations was established after World War I as a diplomatic force for
preserving
peace
after the worst war in world history. However, since the League of Nations
was not
successful
in preventing World War II, leader nations—particularly the United States—
thought
it obsolete. At the beginning, there were 51 member nations in the United
Nations,
but now that number has risen to 191 countries.
The United Nations is divided up into administrative bodies
such as the Security
Council,
the General Assembly, and the International Court of Justice. Headquartered
in
New
York City, the United Nations is not a world government, and it does not create
or
pass
laws. The United Nations simply gives countries a chance to resolve problems
and
differences
that affect the global community. Since the emphasis is on global concerns,
the
official languages of the United Nations are: Arabic, Chinese, English, French,
Russian,
and Spanish. The working languages at the United Nations are English and
French.
So, if you are multilingual, you might want to apply for a job at the United
Nations!
Successful
Efforts
The United Nations, in conjunction with other agencies, has
worked tirelessly to
help
people who have been affected by famine, or displaced by war and natural disasters.
They
have provided humanitarian assistance in the form of clean drinking water,
food,
medical
care, and shelter. The United Nations feeds over 100 million people a year
in
over
80 countries throughout the world. Additionally, the U.N.’s High Commissioner
for
Refugees
has projects in 116 countries. Due to the efforts of the United Nations’
vaccination
and immunization programs in the developing world, small pox has been
virtually
eliminated, and polio is expected to be eliminated as a health issue in the
next
several
years.
Obviously, this kind of humanitarian work takes dedication
on the part of people
implementing
the programs. Unfortunately, there have been times when the work of the
United
Nations put the aid workers at risk. For example, three United Nations workers
who
were involved in a humanitarian effort to help refugees in Indonesia were
killed in
an
attack on September 6, 2000.
Unsuccessful
Efforts
There have been several times in the recent past when the
United Nations
attempted
to intervene in a humanitarian way, but because of internal strife or harsh
conditions,
the humanitarian efforts went awry. For instance, United Nations
peacekeepers,
along with United States forces, attempted to deliver food supplies to
starving
people in Somalia. Warlords diverted the food, and when the forces tried to
rectify
the situation, the Battle of Mogadishu occurred, causing a great outcry from
the
world.
Comprehension
1
The United Nations was chartered—
a
by the losers of World War I.
b
by the victors of World War II.
c
by the victors of World War I.
[anno:
b]
2
One of the countries that helped establish the United Nations changed its
name
from
the Soviet Union to—
a
Russia.
b
the People’s Republic of China.
c
the Republic of China.
[anno:
a]
3
Which one of the following is not a goal of the United Nations, as stated
in the
article?
a
to maintain international peace and security
b
to cooperate in solving problems
c
to work toward the goal of everyone speaking the same language
worldwide
[anno:
c]
4
The United Nations replaced an earlier organization called—
a
the United States.
b
the League of Nations.
c
the League of States.
[anno:
b]
5
Which one of the following is not an administrative body of the United Nations?
a
International Court of Justice
b
General Assembly
c
Congress
[anno:
c]
6
There are currently 191 member nations in the United Nations. When the
organization
began, there were—
a
5 member nations.
b
100 member nations.
c
51 member nations.
[anno:
c]
7
The working languages of the United Nations are—
a
Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.
b
Arabic, Chinese, English, and French.
c
English and French.
[anno:
c]
8
One of the humanitarian missions not mentioned in the article is—
a
feeding the hungry.
b
giving aid to children through immunizations.
c
making grants available to people.
[anno:
c]
9
As discussed in the article, what are the risks sometimes taken by aid workers?
a
They might have to drink unsafe water.
b
They might catch a disease like polio.
c
They might be attacked, as the workers in Indonesia were in 2000.
[anno:
c]
10
What were the United Nations peacekeepers and U.S. forces trying to do in
Somalia?
a
trying to prevent civil war
b
trying to prevent people from drinking unsafe water
c
trying to deliver food to starving people
[anno:
c]
Learn
About Words
A
Often, you can tell the meaning of a word from the other words and ideas in
the
story.
In
the paragraph, find the word that best fits the meaning below. Write the word.
1
part (1) [anno: role]
2
acting jointly (1) [anno:cooperate]
3
high, tall (2) [anno: lofty]
4
keeping (3) [anno: preserving]
5
to secure the approval of (4) [anno: pass]
6
knowing several languages (4) [anno: multilingual]
7
cooperation (5) [anno: conjunction]
8
almost entirely (5) [anno: virtually]
9
devotion (6) [anno: dedication]
10
conflict (7)[anno: strife]
B
A word may have more than one meaning. The word’s meaning depends on the
way
it is used.
Look
back at the paragraph to see how the word in boldface is used. Decide
which of the
three
meanings below fits best. Write the letter to the correct answer.
11
trust (1)
a
financial credit
b
a property interest
c
confident hope
[anno:
c]
12
spirit (1)
a
ghost
b
mood
c
life-giving force
[anno:
b]
13
center (2)
a
middle point
b
politically moderate
c
focus
[anno:
a]
14
force (3)
a
an influence
b
capacity to persuade or convince
c
strength or energy
[anno:
b]
15
resolve (4)
a
solve
b
to make or pass a formal resolution
c
determination
[anno:
a]
16
dedication (6)
a
to inscribe
b
to set apart for a definite purpose
c
loyal
[anno:
c]
17
instance (7)
a
example
b
instigation
[anno:
a]
C
Homonyms are words that sound alike but have entirely different meanings.
Match
each of these words with its definition.
Column
I Column II
18
ade to change [anno: affect]
19
aid divested of its central core [anno: cored]
20
aide beverage [anno: ade]
21
affect harmony [anno: chord]
22
effect an alliance [anno: bloc]
23
block to assist [anno: aid]
24
bloc an assistant [anno: aide]
25
chord light rope [anno: cord]
26
cord result [anno: effect]
27
cored square [anno: block]
D
Synonyms are words that have the same or nearly the same meaning.
For
each word in Column I, find a synonym in Column II and write it.
Column
I Column II
28
abbreviate commonplace [anno: ordinary]
29
absurd reputation [anno: character]
30
ordinary search [anno: scavenge]
31
character lawyer [anno: attorney]
32
scavenge senseless [anno: absurd]
33
attorney think [anno: mull]
34
mull shorten [anno: abbreviate]
35 quip joke [anno: quip]