|
|
考研英语阅读所占分值高，比重大，是考生赢取高分必要攻克的一大题型。而要提高阅读能力，多练习多积累是必要途径。新东方在线小编汇总整合了一些列精选文章，希望考生勤加阅读，不断提升自己的阅读速度和理解能力。》》点击进入2015考研英语备考专题
2015年考研英语阅读精选：savage murder
The savage murder of a gay man stuns a state where hate-crime laws do not
protect homosexuals"This is not the type of place where this happens," city
council president George Carlton told a reporter, after the horror became public
in his hometown, Sylacauga, Ala. He echoed what was said in Jasper, Texas, a
year ago. Few people then had ever heard of Jasper. A week ago, even fewer could
have pointed out Sylacauga on a map. A tiny city of 13,000, halfway between
Birmingham and Montgomery, Sylacauga was known for its white marble quarries,
textile mills and ice-cream factory. But last week Sylacauga, like Jasper,
became a chapter in the recent history of hatred.
According to police, Steven Eric Mullins, 25, and Charles Monroe Butler
Jr., 21, plotted for two weeks to murder Billy Jack Gaither, 39. On Feb. 19,
they arranged to meet him at a Sylacauga bar and lured him to a secluded area.
There they beat him and dumped him into the trunk of his car. They then drove
about 15 miles to Peckerwood Creek in Coosa County. There, says Coosa County
Sheriff's Deputy Al Bradley, "they took him out of the trunk, took an ax handle
and beat him to death." They set two old tires aflame, says Bradley, "then they
put the body on the fire." They did it all, the deputy says, because Gaither was
gay.
Gaither's death has become a rallying point for gay-rights organizations'
and state legislators' pushing a bill that would extend Alabama's three-year-old
hate-crimes law beyond race, color, religion and national origin to cover crimes
related to sexual orientation as well. "It's unfortunate that somebody had to
lose his life in order for this legislation to pick up momentum here in the
state of Alabama," says state Representative Alvin Holmes, who failed to get the
original law amended when it was passed in 1996. Holmes filed for extending the
law after Matthew Shepard, a gay student, was beaten and left to die on a fence
in Wyoming last October, an incident that sparked national outrage. Even Wyoming
failed to pass hate-crime legislation in the wake of the Shepard lynching. Like
Shepard, Gaither did not hesitate to admit being gay, though he adhered quietly
to Sylacauga's Southern dispositions. And friends dispute Mullins' and Butler's
allegations that a sexual proposition incited the murder. Gaither's brother
Randy told CNN: "Regardless of his personal life or anything, he doesn't deserve
to be killed for this."
"The message people are getting is that gay people are second-class
citizens," says Tracey Conaty, spokesperson for the National Gay and Lesbian
Task Force.
Before Gaither's murder, activists were planning a major national pro-gay
offensive. From March 21 to March 27, the task force will launch its "Equality
Begins at Home" campaign, with 250 grass-roots events in all 50 states aimed at
passing anti-gay-bashing legislation. Says Conaty: "These laws reflect the
conscience of a community and send an important message." The March events, says
Urvashi Vaid, director of the task force's policy institute, will involve
straight people concerned about neighbors denied basic human rights. Adds Vaid:
"It's more than just a gay thing."
1. The text intends to express the idea that __________.
[A] people should be concerned about their gay neighbors
[B]the gay people shouldn't be regarded as second-class citizens
[C] the legislation for the gay still has a long way to go
[D]more pro-gay campaigns should be launched
2. The author uses the example of Matthew Shepard to show that
________.
[A] it is difficult to extend the hate-crime legislation
[B]people want to extend the hate-crime law
[C]the gays are really in a terrible fix
[D] people are indifferent to the gay student
3. Alvin Holmes' attitude toward the gay victims is _________.
[A]indifferent
[B]sympathetic
[C]outrageous
[D]considerate
4. Similar to Matthew Shepard, Gaither's death ________.
[A]aroused people's sympathy for the gay
[B] sharpened people's awareness
[C]gave legislation some momentum
[D]failed to have any change in the legislation
5. What is implied in the first two paragraphs?
[A] there are many murders in the recent history of hatred
[B]the murder also happened in Jasper one year ago
[C] it is another case of the gay being tortured to death
[D]the city council president comes from Sylacauga
参考答案：C A B D C
八月中下旬，暑期已经接近尾声。考生目前要关注2015年全国硕士研究生招生简章的发布以及2015年考研大纲发布，届时，新东方在线名师第一时间权威解析发布，请广大考生收藏关注！另有研究生专业目录、考研参考书等最新考研信息，帮助考生及时了解目标院校招生政策及信息。
mtpdC1jZW50ZXI7IHdoaXRlLXNwYWNlOiBub3JtYWw7IA==">新东方名师考研课程直播 购买进行中 |
|
发表于 2017-8-6 15:53:59