研究生综合英语试题及答案
2系、所、院 __专业__姓名___学号
I. Reading Comprehension (20%) Directions: Each of the following passages below is followed by some questions. Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each of the questions, then mark your answer on the ANSWER SHEET I . Passage One Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage: As California prepares for its first execution in 22 years, opponents of the death penalty have launched a campaign to try to turn public opinion around. This will not be easy. A public opinion poll has shown that 83% of Californians favor the death penalty (compared with 79% of all Americans). Three years ago, when capital punishment（死刑）was the central political issue in California?6?8s elections, voters threw out the Supreme Court justices who were thought to be blocking the return of the gas chamber (死刑毒气室). Clergymen, Lawyers, civil-rights activists and other abolitionists set off from Sacramento, the state capital, on October 13th on a protest-march that was due to end － at least until the San Francisco earthquake － on October 22nd , in a vigil (值夜) outside the gates of San Quentin. Inside the prison, 239 condemned people wait on death row. According to the state attorney- general, one of these condemned men, Mr. Robert Harris, is coming to the end of his appeal process and will soon be executed. In 1979 Mr. Harris murdered two teenagers whose car he wanted for an armed robbery. His lawyer still has some delaying measures in mind, including a fresh appeal to the United States Supreme Court. The abolitionists see their current demonstration, which took two years to plan, as the start of a long educative process. The man who did most to bring it to fruition is the Rev Joe Doss, an Episcopalian(主教 派教会的) rector(教长) and lawyer who represented several condemned men in Louisiana where he used to live. The fight against capital punishment, says Mr. Doss “is the strongest ecumenical (全基督教的) bond among all faiths”. Amnesty(大赦) International, the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People are all central to the campaign. And, this being California, a brilliant company of stars gave the affair a touch of charm. “We are convinced”, says Mr. Doss, “that if people understand the facts they will see that capital punishment is counterproductive. It will take a while. But the public is smarter than the politicians.” That must be the abolitionists hope. The politicians, reading the polls, are nearly all of one mind. Almost all the candidates campaigning for elections next year have spoken out in favor of the gas chamber. Only one elected official, state Senator Diane Watson of Los Angeles, has bravely joined the abolitionists. (420 words) 1. Why is it not easy for the death penalty opponents to change the public opinion? A. The opponents are not backed by the government. B. The opponents are not firm enough. C. An overwhelming majority not only in California but also in all America is for the death penalty. D. Many opponents withdrew from the campaign. 2. The Supreme Court justices were thrown out of the election in California three years ago ________. A. because they were strongly against the death penalty B. because they refused to execute death penalty Paper A