【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[听力原文] The question often asked is why the United States did not enter World War Ⅱ until 1941 and why it waited until after it had been attacked by Japan. To find the answer, we've got to go all the way back to World War I and even farther back to George Washington. Our first president advised the nation to avoid foreign entanglements, and, for our first century, we were quite adept at doing so. It was not until the Spanish-American War at the end of the nineteenth century that America's interests were carried abroad by force of arms. The Spanish-American War turned America into an imperial power with the acquisition of the Philippines, Cuba, and other Spanish territories. The first years of World War l were boom years for American industry, as we supplied massive amounts of materiel for the warring nations. Most went to the Allied side since our hearts were really with them. Many Americans went to Canada or England to join their fighting armies and to look for adventure, but our armed forces stayed home. But the war wouldn't let us stay out for long. German submarines began sinking ships, ships carrying Americans and American cargo. Despite the protests of our government, the sinking continued. The Germans knew they were provoking us to go to war, but our army was small and far away and would have to cross a massive ocean full of their submarines to reach the battlefields of Europe. Well, we did declare war on April 6, 1917. Rapidly expanded our military, and rushed our men to Europe, losing very few to those German subs. Many historians agree that America tipped the balance in favor of the Allies and ensured victory in l918. Then came the backlash in the l920s. America was tricked into the war by the British and French, said many. American industrialists earned massive profits from the blood of American men dying in Europe, said more. The theme of the greedy war profiteer took root and was hard to shake. A whole movement grew, known as isolationism, which called for America to remain out of world affairs unless threatened directly. The military was restricted by a miniscule budget. America failed to ratify the Treaty of Versailles, the treaty Germany was forced to sign in 1919 to end the war, and America refused to join the League of Nations. According to the professor, what factor was decisive in causing America to go to war in 1917? 从“But the war wouldn't let us stay out for long. German submarines began sinking ships, ships carrying Americans and American cargo”可以看出，美国原本没有参战，但由于德国潜艇攻击了美国船只，这使得美国不得不参与战争。