（每日一读）2014年2月高考英语考前突破 阅读理解能力 社会生活 白宫国宴邀请函因奥朗德与瓦莱丽分手而报废

白宫国宴邀请函因奥朗德与瓦莱丽分手而报废The White House has discreetly destroyed hundreds of embossed invitations to a state dinner honouring François Hollande because they included a reference to his now former partner.法国总统奥朗德 1 月底宣布与“第一女友”瓦莱丽分手，而白宫在此前就为他本月的访美之行印发了提及瓦莱丽的国宴邀请函。白宫为了跟上奥朗德私生活步伐，不得不报废了数百份国宴邀请函。French President Francois Hollande and former First Lady Valerie Trierweiler President Barack Obama's aides have struggled to keep up with the French leader's chaotic personal life after he was caught having an affair with an actress and broke up with long-time girlfriend Valérie Trierweiler. After scrapping the first 300 invites, the Americans were left wondering whether to include the name of Mr Hollande's new mistress, according to The New York Times. It was eventually settled that the French leader would be travelling solo to Washington, ending the nerve-racking uncertainty for the White House's protocol officers. The decision will spare Michelle Obama from a day of tea and local visits, which is usually how she entertains foreign leader's spouses while her husband holds bilateral talks. Instead, Mr Obama and Mr Hollande will today go to Monticello, the Virginia estate of Thomas Jefferson, who was one of America's first ambassadors to Paris before being elected president. The two presidents will hold a joint press conference tomorrow [TUES], where Mr Hollande may face the indignity of being questioned about his affair while standing next to the world's most powerful man. During a London press conference with David Cameron, Mr Hollande was has asked by a British reporter whether his "private life has made France an international joke". He declined to answer. It is not the first time that a French leader's personal life has caught the White House off guard. In 2007, Nicolas Sarkozy abruptly announced he was divorcing his second wife, Cécilia Attias, just weeks before a visit to Washington. Among the guests at Tuesday's state dinner will be Christine Lagarde, the French head of the International Monetary Fund, and actor Bradley Cooper, who speaks fluent French.