An expression used by Americans for about 100 years is"to pass the buck". It means refusing to take responsibility, letting others decide and act for【C1】______. President Gerald Ford dramatized the phrase after【C2】______Richard Nixon"s place in the White House. Ford announced in a special television broadcast that he had decided to【C3】______Nixon for any crimes he may have committed as President. Ford said such a decision had to be【C4】______by him alone, that he could not let others do it for him. "The buck stops here, "said Ford. He remembered another【C5】______Harry S. Truman—who made that expression【C6】______more than 25 years ago. Truman had a sign on his desk which said; "The buck stops here. "The message was dear;【C7】______the President of the United States could not act and make the final decision on important national matters, who【C8】______could? A president who refused take the responsibility and "passed the buck" to someone else would【C9】______find himself in serious trouble. Where did the expression come from? It seems to have come from the【C10】______game of poker where the players, one after the other, mix and pass out the cards. The phrase seems to have come to【C11】______in the gambling houses of the West. There, a silver dollar was put in【C12】______of a player to show that he would be the next dealer to pass out the cards. A dollar, silver or paper, was called a"buck". It still is.【C13】______, nobody seems to know. Forceful leaders,【C14】______, make decisions, take risks and responsibility. The risks can be great. Every choice at times may lead to【C15】______. In a military leader it may be defeat and ruin, in business, financial failure, loss of a job. Therefore, it is easier to pass the【C16】______and let others take the risks. Nobody, however, likes a man who passes the buck. He is soon found out and【C17】______an unpleasant name-buck-passer. Nevertheless, buck-passers are found among us everywhere.【C18】______, the most famous buck-passer in history has been the devil. That is the picture we get of him from the ancient myths. The only time he seems to have acted for himself【C19】______when he rebelled and tried to seize God"s throne. But God threw him out. Since then, he has spent most of his energy in【C20】______the buck, letting others do his work for him.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】解析：本题考查形容词的词义。前文提到以前的总统推卸责任(to pass the buck)，那么从杜鲁门开始，The buck stops here，即“银元传到这里为止”，也就是“责无旁贷”的意思。此块牌子放在杜鲁门的办公桌上，这样这一说法就出名了。故选famous“著名的”。known as后要接名词性短语，而more than 25 years ago为状语，因此不符；world—shaking意为“震惊世界的”，用词过大，不选；reasonable为“有道理的”，不符句意，不选。