READING COMPREHENSION

1.2 HAIL AND FAREWELL FROM A MILITARY UNIT

Tomorrow we will stand on the parade field at Fort Myer and the mantle of Army Chief of Staff
will pass to General George W. Casey. It has been a tremendous privilege and honor to serve
alongside you - the Soldiers, civilians and family members - who make the Army the world's
preeminent land force, the ultimate instrument of national resolve.
Upon becoming 35th Army Chief of Staff in August 2003, I issued an "Arrival Message" to the
force. In that message I spoke of standing in an Iranian desert in 1980, on a moonlit night, at
a place called Desert One, Where eight of our comrades lost their lives and others were
forever scarred. I spoke of keeping a photo of the carnage that night to remind me of the grief
and failure of that mission and the commitment survivors of that operation made to a different
future.
Having now been in this Army for almost four decades, and having seen the Army my father
served in for 32 years before that, I can tell you in no uncertain terms that today's battle-
hardened Army does, in fact, reflect the different "future" we envisioned.
Standing on the shoulders of those who have gone before us, the men and women of today's
Army have remained focused on our nonnegotiable responsibility to the nation. For almost
232 years, the Army has never failed the American people, and it never will. We have been
resolute in the pursuit of our four overarching strategies - providing relevant and ready land-
power; training and equipping Soldiers to serve as warriors and growing adaptive leaders;
sustaining the all-volunteer force composed of highly competent Soldiers who are provided a
quality of life commensurate with the level of their service; and providing infrastructure and
support to enable the force to fulfill its strategic roles and missions. Furthermore, instead of
reigning-in our drive to transform during a time of war, we have leveraged opportunities in this
conflict to establish and accelerate the momentum necessary to reshape the entire force into
a more capable campaign-quality force with vastly improved joint and expeditionary
capabilities.
Specifically, as we serve alongside our joint and allied partners in Iraq, Afghanistan and
elsewhere, we have improved the Army's ability to operate and dominate in any environment
against current, emerging and unforeseen threats. While working to grow the regular Army by
30,000 since 2004, we now have authority to permanently increase our end strength by over
74,000 Soldiers across all components - active, National Guard and Reserve. We have
created far more capable and strategically deployable brigade-sized formations that are
designed to receive and integrate new technologies and equipment as soon as they become
available. There has been a significant expansion and enhancement of Army special
operations forces. We have and are continuing to increase Soldier and unit effectiveness and
protection, as evidenced in our reset efforts and modernization plans. We have been
developing a forward-looking doctrine that guides how we organize, train, fight and sustain
our forces.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly given that Soldiers are our centerpiece, the Army's
intellectual and cultural transformation is creating and maintaining a learning and adaptive
force that will dramatically improve how we face future challenges. We are growing innovative
Soldiers and pentathlete leaders through training and education built on recent combat
experience. Literally, every aspect of today's Army has been touched by change, with the
exception of our enduring values.
During my tenure as Army chief of staff, I have seen our Soldiers continuously demonstrate
why they are our greatest strength. Their adherence to the warrior ethos is as inspiring as it is
necessary. Their ability to learn and adapt as we fight an ever-changing enemy and transform
to meet complex future threats is essential. Their dedication and optimism about our future
are contagious.
We must never forget that war is fought in the human dimension. Therefore, technology will
always play an important but distinctly secondary role, because even our most sophisticated
satellites and computers cannot get into the mind of the enemy, interact with local leaders,
understand other societies and cultures, or make the instantaneous life or death decisions
required to meet our 21st century challenges. Men and women with their "boots on the
ground" are necessary to do all this.
Let there be no mistake, fighting and adapting today, while transforming for an uncertain and
complex future against traditional, irregular, catastrophic and disruptive threats is vital to
America's security. Although those in uniform have borne a disproportionate burden during
the opening engagements of this long war, we are not fighting and cannot win this war alone.
Defeating our enemies requires a shared understanding of the threat and a strategic
consensus. It requires a concerted effort, utilizing all elements of power - diplomatic,
informational, military and economic. Finally, it requires a national commitment to recruit,
train, equip and support those in uniform and their families, something that is a matter of
priorities, not affordability.

Questions:

1. In the first paragraph, the sentence “the ultimate instrument of national resolve”. Which of
the following Spanish sentences is the closest in meaning?
A/ El último instrumento de respuesta nacional
B/ La ultimación del instrumento de resolución nacional
C/ El instrumento definitivo de resolución nacional
D/ El instrumento definitivo para dar un giro a la nación
2. When did the author of the letter become 35th Army Chief of Staff ?
A/ In 1980
B/ In 2003
C/ In 2004
D/ He did not become Army Chief of Staff
3. For how long has he been a member of the Army?
A/ 32 years
B/ Since he went to Desert One
C/ Since 1980
D/ For almost 40 years
4. Why do you think he is complaining about his soldiers?
A/ Soldiers don´t adapt to changes
B/ He is not complaining about his soldiers
C/ Soldiers don’t show optimism
D/ Soldiers are not capable of adapting to the enemy
5. What does the expression “boots on the ground” mean?
A/ Soldiers present on the battlefield
B/ Soldiers wearing their complete uniform at all times
C/ Soldiers are intelligent and have a complete situational awareness
D/ Soldiers are of sound mind