新西兰英语 316 Sir Geoffrey Palmer’s new job

　　On May 31st, a number of ships from Turkey tried to go to Gaza but were attacked by Israeli soldiers. Nine Turks were killed. Israel had blocked the port of Gaza to stop Palestinians bringing in weapons.
Now the United Nations has decided¹ to hold an Inquiry² into this attack. New Zealander Sir Geoffrey Palmer is the Head of the Inquiry. He will start his new job on August 10th. The first progress report is due by the middle of September. One Israeli, one Turk and the President of Columbia are the other three members of the Inquiry. They will meet in New York.
Sir Geoffrey is a very well-known lawyer in New Zealand. He was also Prime³ Minister for a short time from 1989 to 1990. He was probably chosen for this job because New Zealand is not involved with either Israel or Palestine so a New Zealander can be fair to both sides. He is also a very respected lawyer.
Questions
1. Why is Israel represented on the Inquiry but not Palestine?
2. Why is Turkey important in the Middle East?
3. Will a UN Inquiry report change anything in the Middle East?

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

3 prime   

adj.首要的，主要的；最好的，第一流的

参考例句：

• The prime minister spoke of the general insecurity in the country.总理谈到了全国普遍存在的不安全。
• He met with the Prime Minister of Japan for an hour.他和日本首相会见了一个小时。