With the possible exception of equal rights, perhaps the most heated argument ac

With the possible exception of equalrights, perhaps the most heated argument across the United States today is thedeath penalty (死刑).Many argue that it is aneffective deterrent（威慑）to murder, while others thinkthere is no enough proof that the death penalty reduces the number of murders.

The argument advanced by those opposed tothe death penalty is that it is cruel and inhuman punishment, that it is themark of a bad society and finally that it is of questionable effectiveness as adeterrent to crime anyway.

In our opinion, the death penalty is anecessary action. Throughout recorded history there have always been thosepeculiar persons in every society who made terrible crimes such as murder. Butsome are more dangerous than others.

For example, it is one thing to take thelife of another in time of blind anger, but quite another to coldly plan andcarry out the murder of one or more people in the style of a butcher. Thus,murder, like all other crimes, is a matter of different degree. While it couldbe argued with some reason that the criminal in the first instance should bemerely kept from society, such should not be the fate of the latter typemurderer.

The value of the death penalty as adeterrent to crime may be open to discussion. But the majority of peoplebelieve that the death penalty protects them. Their belief is proved by thefact that the death penalty prevents murder. For example, from 1954 to1963,when the death penalty was carried out from time to time in California,the murder rate remained between three and four murders for each 100 000population. Since 1964 the death penalty has been done only once, and themurder rate has risen to 10.4 murders for each 100 000 population. The sharpclimb in the state’s murder rate, which began when killings stopped, does nothappen by chance. It certainly shows that the death penalty does deter manymurderers. If the law about death penalty is vetoed(否决),some people will be murdered—some whose lives may have been saved ifthe death penalty were in effect. This is really a life or death matter. Thelives of thousands of people must be protected.

1.The main purpose of this passage is to______.

A. speak for the majority

B.support a veto

C.speak ill of the government

D.argue for the value of the deathpenalty

2.Which of the following is among theheated arguments across the USA besides death penalty?

A. Air pollution.    B.Thewar against Iraq.

C.Equal rights. D.Electionof president.

3.The numbers in the last paragraph showthat______.

A. if they stick to death penalty, thenumber of murders will be reduced

B.death penalty almost stopped from 1954to 1963

C.the population of California has risen

D.death penalty is of little value

4.It can be inferred that the writerthinks that ______.

A. the death penalty is the mostimportant problem in the United States today

B.the second type of murderers(inParagraph 4) should be sentenced to death

C.the veto of the law about death penaltyis of little importance

D.the value of the death penalty as adeterrent to crime is not to be discussed

试题答案

答案：1D2C3A4B