For hundreds of years，the criminal law has been built around the idea that wrongdoers must be punished for their crimes.The most basic argument for punishment is that it preserves law and order and respects for authority.From this point of view，punishment does two things.It upholds the law，and it prevents others from thinking they can get away with doing the same thing without punishment.Punishment is based on the idea that many people have a barely controlled desire to act in forbidden ways.
One of the best ways to reduce crime is to reform or rehabilitate habitual criminals.The main problem is not the first offender or the petty thief but the repeated offender who commits increasingly serious crimes.According to criminologists，crime would decrease greatly if all such offenders could be turned away from wrongdoing.But U.S.prisons have had little success in rehabilitating inmates.About two-thirds of the people arrested in any year have a previous criminal record.
Rehabilitation of criminals could probably be improved greatly if experts could provide the right kind of program for different types of offenders.Criminals vary widely in the kinds of crimes they commit，their emotional problems，and their social and economic backgrounds.Not all offenders can be helped by the same treatment.Many require the aid of physicians，psychiatrists，or psychologists.Others respond well to educational or vocational training.In the early 1990s，there were about 1，300，000 criminals in U.S.city，county，state，and federal correctional institutions，and about 500，000 more were out on parole.Society spent more than $15 billion to operate prisons and related institutions yearly，but only a small part of this sum went to provide treatment.Nearly all the funds were used to feed and clothe prisoners and to keep them under control.
Since the 1ate 1970s，however，there has been a trend toward punishment rather than rehabilitation of offenders.Prison sentences are longer.Capital punishments have been used more frequently since the U.S.Supreme Court lifted a death penalty ban in 1976.Nevertheless，crime prevention should aim to prevent people from becoming criminals in the first place.Such a goal probably would benefit from reform programs in urban slums.These programs would include improved housing，schools，and recreation programs and increased job opportunities.
There are many other ways to reduce crime.People can be educated or persuaded to take greater precautions against crime.They can be taught，for example，how to protect their homes from burglary.Automobile thefts would drop sharply if drivers removed their keys and locked their cars when leaving them.Better lighting helps discourage purse-snatchings and other robberies on city streets and in parks.Many experts believe that strict gun-licensing laws would greatly reduce crime.
1.The belief that people tend to behave in forbidden ways____.
[A] leads to the formulation of the criminal law
[B] makes people value order above all else
[C] convinces people that crimes should be eliminated from the society
[D]is a false one that should not be taken seriously
2.In the second paragraph the author implies____.
[A] the U.S.prison system is not working effectively enough to reform criminals
[B] the best way to reduce crime rate is to rehabilitate habitual criminals
[C] reforming criminals in prison will turn them away from wrongdoing
[D] crimes would decrease if people‘s desire could be healthily channeled
3.The author speculates that rehabilitation can be made more effective if____.
[A] reform is directed to the criminals‘ emotional problems
[B] rehabilitation is aimed at changing the economic and social environment
[C] rehabilitation is facilitated by physicians，psychiatrists or psychologists
[D] crimes are dealt with in the ways that suit each kind
4.According to the author，punishment is a better means than rehabilitation in reducing crime rate____.
[A] so it should be used in place of rehabilitation
[B] so stricter sentences are absolutely necessary
[C] yet it does not work well in many cases
[D] but preventing crime is even more effective
5. The author concludes the passage by pointing out that____.
[A] the present gun-licensing laws are held responsible for most of the crimes
[B] educational failure accounts for most of the present offences
[C] more help should be provided for released criminals
[D] the long-term reduction of crime rate depends on multiple improvements 参考答案：
1.[A]意为：导致刑法的制定。第一段最后一句指出，(法律)惩罚是基于这样一种认识：许多人几乎无法控制自己的欲望，总想以不容许的方式行事。这里的含义是：为了制止人们这种想法和行为，制定法律来约束他们是必要的。
2.[A] 第二段第四、五句指出，但是美国监狱在改造罪犯方面不成功。每年被逮捕的人中有约2/3的人有前科。
3.[D] 第三段第一句指出，如果专家们能为不同的罪犯提供合适的改造方案，会大大地改进对罪犯的改造。注意：本句是一个虚拟句，表达作者的建议，它同时也是本段的主题句。
4.[D] 第四段提到，自20世纪70年代末以来，人们更重视惩罚而不是改造，死刑的适用更加频繁，但是，阻止犯罪应该首先防止人们成为罪犯。这句话(第四句)表达了作者的观点。
5.[D] 最后一段提到，人们自身也应该加强防范犯罪的意识，政府部门、法律部门也应该做出努力。可见，减少犯罪是一个综合治理问题。
There is extraordinary exposure in the United States to the risks of injury and death from motor vehicle accidents.More than 80 percent of all households own passenger cars or light trucks and each of these is driven an average of more than 11，000 miles each year.Almost one-half of fatally injured drivers have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.1 percent or higher.For the average adult，over five ounces of 80 proof spirits would have to be consumed over a short period of time to attain these levels.One third of drivers who have been drinking，but fewer than 4 percent of all drivers，demonstrate these levels.1)Although less than 1 percent of drivers with BACs of 0.1 percent or more are involved in fatal crashes，the probability of their involvements is 27 times higher than for those without alcohol in their blood.There are a number of different approaches to reducing injuries in which drinking plays a role.Based on the observation that excessive consumption correlates with the total alcohol consumption of a country‘s population，it has been suggested that higher taxes on alcohol would reduce both.While the heaviest drinkers would be taxed the most，anyone who drinks at all would be punished by this approach.
To make drinking and driving a criminal offense is an approach directed only at drinking drivers.In some states，the law empowers police to request breath tests of drivers committing any traffic offense and higher BAC can be the basis for arrest.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates，however，that even with increased arrests，there are about 700 violations for every arrest.At this level there is little evidence that laws are effective ways to reduce drunk driving.In Britain，motor vehicle accidents fell 25 percent immediately following implementation of the Road Safety Act in 1967. 2) As Britishers increasingly recognized that they could drink and not be stopped，the effectiveness declined，although in the following three years the death-rate seldom reached that observed in the seven years prior to the Act.
Whether penalties for driving with a high BAC or excessive taxation on consumption of alcoholic drinks will deter the excessive drinker responsible for most accidents is unclear.One thing is clear，however：unless we deal with automobile and highway safety and reduce accidents in which alcoholic drinking plays a role，many will continue to die.
1.The author is primarily concerned with____.
[A] interpreting the results of surveys on traffic accidents
[B] reviewing the effectiveness of attempts to reduce drunk driving
[C] analyzing the causes of the large number of annual traffic deaths
[D] making an international comparison of experience with drunk driving
2.It can be inferred that the 1967 Road Safety Act in Britain____.
[A] changed an existing law to lower the BAC level which defined drunk driving
[B] made it illegal for the drunk driver to drive
[C] increased the number of drunk driving arrests
[D] placed a tax on the sale of alcoholic drinks
3.The author implies that a BAC of 0.1 percent ____.
the sale of alcoholic drinks
[A] is unreasonably high as a definition of drunk driving
[B] penalizes the moderate drinker while allowing the heavy drinker to consume without limit
[C] is well below the BAC of most drivers who are involved in fatal crashes
[D] proves that a driver has consumed five ounces of 80 proof spirits over a short time
4.The author cites the British example in order to____.
[A] show that the problem of drunk driving is worse in Britain than in the U.S.
[B] prove that stricter laws against drinking drivers would reduce traffic deaths
[C] prove that a slight increase in the number of arrests of drunk drivers will not deter drunk driving
[D] suggest that taxation of alcohol consumption may be more effective than criminal laws
5.The word“deter”in the last paragraph probably means____.
[A] prevent [B] encourage [C] punish [D] threaten 参考答案：
1.[B] 本文探讨了饮酒和汽车事故率的关系，以及相应的限制酒后驾驶的法律对事故率的影响。这在最后一段体现得最为明显。
2.[B] 第二段第一句是这一段的主题句。英国的例子旨在说明，在英国，在刚刚实施新的道路安全法——根据本段第一句该项法律肯定也将酒后(超过规定含量)驾驶视为刑事犯罪——以后，汽车事故少了，但是，因为根据这项法律可以被逮捕的人是血液内酒精含量(BAC)超过一定标准的人，并不是所有酒后驾车的人，所以人们后来认为喝少量酒也没有关系，这样，这项法律的效力也就下降了。
3.[A] 根据第一段第五、六句，1/3的酒后驾车者能达到这个含量(BAC of 0.1 %)，但是这还不到所有驾驶员人数的4 %.虽然在达到或超过0.1 %的人中不到l %卷人致命的事故中，但是，他们出事的可能性是不喝酒的人的28倍。由此可见，在作者看来，还有很多没有达到这个含量的人也同样危险，因此，0.1 %的含量标准太高了。
4.[C] 参阅第2题题解。
5.[A] 该词意为“阻止”。
With its almost six billion people，the world offers a fascinating variety of human shapes and colors.As humans spread throughout the world，their adaptations to diverse climate and other living conditions resulted in this fascinating variety of complexions，colors，and shapes.Genetic mutations added distinct characteristics to the peoples of the globe.In this sense the concept of race，a group with inherited physical characteristics that distinguish it from another group，is a reality.Humans do indeed come in a variety of colors and shapes.
In two senses，however，race is a myth，a fabrication of the human mind.The first fabrication is the idea that any one race is superior to another.All races have their geniuses—and their idiots.Like language，no race is superior to another.Adolf Hitler‘s ideas were extreme.He believed that a superior race，called the Aryans，was responsible for the cultural achievements of Europe.They possessed the genetic stuff that made them inherently superior.Even many scientists of the time一not only Germany but throughout Europe and the United States—espoused the idea of racial superiority.Not surprisingly，they considered themselves members of the supposedly superior race!
In addition to the myth of racial superiority，there is a second myth—that of the existence of a“pure”race.From the perspective of contemporary biology，humans show such a mixture of physical characteristics.that the“pure”races do not exist.Instead of falling into distinct types clearly separate from one another，human characteristics flow endlessly together.These minute gradations made arbitrary any attempt to draw definite lines.
Large groupings of people，however，can be classified by blood type and gene frequencies.Yet even this arrangement does not uncover“race”。Rather，such classifications are so arbitrary that biologists and anthropologists can draw up listings showing any number of“race”。Ashley Montagu，a physical anthropologist，pointed out that some scientists have classified humans into only two“races”while others have found as many as two thousand.Montagu himself classified humans into forty“racial”groups.
This is not meant to imply that the idea of race is a myth.That idea is definitely very much alive.It is firmly embedded in our culture，a social reality that we confront daily.Sociologist W.I.Thomas observed that“if people define situations as real，they are real in their consequences”。The fact that no race is superior or that biologically we cannot even decide how people should be classified into races is not what counts.What makes a difference for social life，rather，is that people believe these ideas，for people act on beliefs，not facts.As a result，we always have people like Hitler.Most people，fortunately，do not believe in such extremes，yet most people also appear to be ethnocentric enough to believe，at least just a little，that their own race is superior to others.
1.It can be inferred from the first paragraph that the diversification of human race resulted from____.
[A] both genetic inheritance and environmental influences
[B] the differentiation of the inherited physical characteristics
[C] humans‘ adaptations to diverse climate and other living conditions
[D] genetic mutations alone
2.The word“fabrication”(in the first sentence of the second paragraph)probably means____.
[A] mystery
[B] invention
[C] exaggeration
[D] perspective
3.Why is there no“pure”race according to the passage?
[A] Because people of different races often get married.
[B] Because people have different blood types.
[C] Because racial characteristics overlap.
[D] Because there are so many races in the world.
4.Any attempt at classifying races____.
[A] is at best arbitrary
[B] is bound to be biased
[C] tends to pick out one race as superior
[D] takes culture into account
5.The author concludes the passage by pointing out that
[A] it is hardly possible to classify humans into racial groups
[B] we should be on our guard against any idea of racial superiority
[C] race is indeed a mystery to be explored and uncovered
[D] it is not important how people should be classified 参考答案：
1.[A]第一段第二句强调了环境因素的影响，第三句提到了基因变异的作用。
2.[B]该词此处意为：臆造，捏造。
3.[C]根据第三、第四段，不存在“纯的”种族，这是因为人的身体特征是无法划归清楚的(flow endlessly together)，任何想划一个清晰界限的做法都会证明是武断的。第四段还谈到不同的研究者对种族分类的多寡，这也是为了证明难以做到对种族进行清晰的分类。
4.[A] 意为：至多是武断的。参阅第四段，尤其是该段第三句。
5.[B]最后一段作者指出种族歧视存在的现实性。人们的错误观念与现实一样可怕，因此我们应该和反对种族歧视的做法一样防止种族歧视思想的产生。
The eradication of poverty is a shared responsibility for the international community—indeed，a moral imperative.This task has become no less urgent in the last decade，in spite of rapid economic growth in many parts of the world.While the percentage of the world‘s population living on less than $1 per day has fallen from 28.3%to 24.0%between 1987 and 1998，population growth(815 million) has kept the absolute number of poor steady at some 1.2 billion.If we take a higher cutoff point of $2 per day，the poor have increased by 250 million over the same time period，encompassing 2.8 billion people，or almost half of the world’s population.Nor do World Bank projections lend undivided hope for the future.Under the“business as usual”scenario，the number of poor on the $1 per day scale will not change during the projection period up to 2008.However，should policy measures be taken to boost economic growth and make the growth process more inclusive to the poor，the World Bank reckons that 500 million people could be brought out of extreme poverty by 2008.Even under this more optimistic scenario，Latin America and the Caribbean，and especially Sub-Saharan Africa would see little，if any，progress.The same pattern emerges under the higher cutoff point of $2 per day.
In the light of these dire statistics and projections，it is easy to appreciate the growing public concern that not enough is being done to address poverty and poverty-related social illnesses，such as poor work conditions，a lack of respect for human rights，and natural resource degradation.Indeed，such concerns have been vented with increasing frustration，including at the Ministerial Conference of the WTO in Seattle last year，and more recently at the joint spring meeting of the IMF and the World Bank.
One problem facing governments in poverty-stricken countries，civil society，and international organizations is that poverty is a multidimensional problem with no simple solution—not least because of its sheer scale.The causes and expressions of poverty are not the same everywhere，although some common terms can often be found，including a lack of access to education，basic health care，and unequal distribution of productive assets(1and，livestock，credits，etc.)。 Moreover，rural communities，which are often the hardest hit by poverty，face their own development problems related to poor infrastructure (roads，electricity，telecommunication，etc.)，which make it more costly to participate in the national and global economy.Another factor that perpetuates poverty is that the poor often lack political leverage to influence the policies and priorities of governments.
1.By saying that the eradication of poverty is a“moral imperative”，the author means____.
[A] it is a moral responsibility to do away with poverty
[B] it is closely related to the formulation of moral standard
[C] raising moral standard is the only solution to poverty
[D] it is morally impossible to find a solution to poverty
2.Between 1987 and 1998，the number of people living on two dollars a day____.
[A] actually increased
[B] fell slightly
[C] was cut down greatly
[D] kept rising steadily
3.What might happen in the year 2008 if proper policies for economic growth were made?
[A] 500 million more people would join the extremely poor.
[B] No drastic change would happen to the life of the poor in the present poor regions.
[C] The number of the poor on the $1 per day scale would be greatly cut.
[D] The number of the poor living on $2 dollars per day would be drastically decreased.
4.Why is it not easy to solve the poverty problem?
[A] Because the international community hasn‘t made enough effort at it.
[B] Because the governments in poor countries do not give enough attention to it.
[C] Because solving the problem is beyond the means of the poor countries.
[D] Because it is a problem that involves multiple factors.
5.Which of the following is NOT mentioned as an obstacle to the solution of poverty?
[A] The enormous size of the poor population.
[B] Slower economic development in extremely poor regions.
[C] The government policy in poverty-stricken countries.
[D] The classification of the poor population. 参考答案：
1.[A] 意为：消除贫困是一种道义。imperative这里是一个名词，意为“必须履行的责任”。
2.[A]根据第一段，在世界范围内，每天靠1美元过活的人在1987年～1998年间从28.3%降到24%，但是从人口增长的角度来看(这10年人口增长了8.15亿)，贫困人口的绝对数量还保持在12亿人。另外，如果我们以日平均2美元作为贫困线标准的话，那么，在同一段时间内贫困者的数量就增加了2.5亿人，涉及28亿人，几乎是世界总人口的一半。
3.[C]第一段提到，如果现在的经济形势“保持不变”，到2008年，靠日平均1美元生活的贫困人口的状况不会得到改观。但是，如果制定政策促进经济的发展，使经济的增长更多地涵盖到贫困人口，世界银行预测，到2008年，5亿人口可能脱离贫困。
4.[D] 意为：因为这是一个涉及很多因素的问题。最后一段提到，贫困国家的政府、文明社会(指相对发达的社会)和国际组织面临的一个问题是：贫困是一个多方面的问题，没有简单的解决方案——由于涉及面广更是如此。造成贫困的原因和贫困的形式各地不尽相同，虽然我们可能从中找出一些基本特征，如教育落后、基本医疗条件缺乏、生产资料分配不均等。
[C]意为：贫穷国家无力解决这个问题。
5.[D] 有关[A]参阅第2、3题题解。有关[B]、[C]参阅最后一段。
The existence of both racial and sexual discrimination in employment is well documented，and policymakers and responsible employers are particularly sensitive to the plight of the black female employee on the theory that she is doubly the victim of discrimination.That there exist differences in income between whites and blacks is clear，but it is not so clear that these differences are solely the result of racial discrimination in employment.The two groups differ in productivity，so basic economics dictates that their incomes will differ.
To obtain a true measure of the effect of racial discrimination in employment it is necessary to adjust the gross black/white income ratio for these productivity factors.White women in urban areas have a higher educational level than black women and can be expected to receive larger incomes.Moreover，State distribution of residence is important because blacks are overrepresented in the South，where wage rates are typically lower than elsewhere and where racial differentials in income are greater.Also，blacks are over-represented in large cities，and incomes of blacks would be greater if blacks were distributed among cities of different sizes in the same manner as whites.
After standardization for the productivity factors，the income of black urban women is estimated to be between 108 and 125 percent of the income of white women.This indicates that productivity factors more than account for the actual white/black income differential for women.Despite their greater education，white women’s actual average income is only 2 to 5 percent higher than that of black women in the North.Unlike the situation of men，the evidence indicates that the money income of black urban women was as great as，or greater than，that of whites of similar productivity in the North，and probably in the United States as a whole.
At least two possible hypotheses may explain why the adjustment for productivity more than accounts for the observed income differential for women.First，there may be more discrimination against black men than against black women.The different occupational structures for men and women give some indication why this could be the case.Second，the data are consistent with the hypothesis that the intensity of discrimination against women differs little between whites and blacks.Therefore，racial discrimination adds little to effects of existing sex discrimination.These findings suggest that a black woman does not necessarily suffer relatively more discrimination in the labor market than does a white woman.Rather，for women，the effects of sexual discrimination are so pervasive that the effects of racial discrimination are negligible.
1.The primary purpose of the passage is to____.
[A] explain the reasons for the existence of income differentials between men and women
[B] show that racial discrimination against black women in employment is less important than sexual discrimination
[C] explore the ways in which productivity factors influence the earning power of black workers
[D] sketch a history of racial and sexual discrimination against black and female workers in the labor market
2.The difference between income levels for black and white women is____.
[A] less than that for black and white men
[B] greater than that for black and white men
[C] greater since black women are subject to more discrimination
[D] smaller since women can only do low-paying jobs
3.Which of the following best describes the logical relationship between the two hypotheses presented in the fourth paragraph?
[A] They may both be true since each phenomenon could contribute to the observed differential.
[B] They are contradictory，and if one is proved to be correct，the other is proved incorrect.
[C] They are independent of each other，and it is hard to establish any relationship between them.
[D] The two hypotheses are logically connected so that it is impossible to prove either one to be true without also proving the other to be true.
4.If the second hypothesis mentioned by the author is correct，a general lessening of discrimination against women should lead to a(n) ____.
[A] higher white/black income ratio for women
[B] lower white/black income ratio for women
[C] lower female/male income ratio
[D] increase in the productivity of women
5.The author’s attitude toward racial and sexual discrimination in employment is one of____.
[A] apology [B] concern [C] indifference [D] indignation 参考答案：
1.[B] 文章最后一段是作者的结论，这段提到两个假设，一是对男性黑人的歧视可能比对女性黑人的歧视更严重;二是对妇女的歧视在黑人和白人之间没有多大区别。因此作者的结论是：就黑人妇女而言，种族歧视并没有使性别歧视加重——黑人妇女并没有受双重歧视，由于对任何种族的妇女的歧视占主导地位，种族歧视的影响几乎可以忽略不计了。
2.[A] 最后一段提到，有数据显示支持如下假设：对妇女的歧视在白人和黑人之间差别不大，因此，种族歧视在性别歧视之外几乎没有再添加影响。这些发现表明：在劳动力市场上，黑人妇女不一定比白人妇女遭受更多的歧视，更确切地说，对妇女来说，性别歧视是如此广泛存在，以至于种族歧视的影响可以忽略不计。
3.[A] 参阅第1题题解。
4.[A] 参阅第l题题解。
5.[B] 意为：关注。作者对黑人妇女在就业上可能存在的受歧视现象进行了实事求是的分析，并借助于数据进行了说明。作者的目的当然是找出根本原因，以便切实解决问题。从这个角度来看，作者对黑人妇女在工作中的地位是关心的。 2014年各月考研时事政治热点汇总 报名入口》》全国报考点汇总网上报名常见问题考研招生简章
发表于 2016-7-14 15:56:56