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幽幽草

Minority youths are more likely to face trial as adults
　　A WHITE KID SELLS A BAG OF COCAINE at his suburban high school. A Latino kid does the same in his inner-city neighborhood. Both get caught. Both are first-time offenders. The white kid walks into juvenile court with his parents, his priest, a good lawyer-and medical coverage. The Latino kid walks into court with his mom, no legal resources and no insurance. The judge lets the white kid go with his family; he's placed in a private treatment program. The minority kid has no such option. He's detained.
　　There, in a nutshell, is what happens more and more often in the juvenile-court system. Minority youths arrested on violent felony charges in California are more than twice as likely as their white counterparts to be transferred out of the juvenile-justice system and tried as adults, according to a study released last week by the Justice Policy Institute, a research center in San Francisco. Once they are in adult courts, young black offenders are 18 times more likely to be jailed-and Hispanics seven times more likely-than are young white offenders. "Discrimination against kids of color accumulates at every stage of the justice system and skyrockets when juveniles are, tried as adults," says Dan Macallair, a co-author of the new study. "California has a double standard: throw kids of color behind bars, but .rehabilitate white kids who commit comparable crimes."
　　Even as juvenile crime has declined from its peak in the early 1990s, headline grabbing violence by minors has intensified a get-tough attitude. Over the past six years, 43 states have passed laws that make it easier to try juveniles as adults. In Texas and Connecticut in 1996, the latest year for which figures are available, all the juveniles in jails were minorities. Vincent Schiraldi, the Justice Policy Institute's director, concedes that "some kids need to be tried as adults. But most can be rehabilitated."
　　Instead, adult prisons tend to brutalize juveniles. They are eight times more likely to commit suicide and five times more likely to be sexually abused than offenders held in juvenile detention. "Once they get out, they tend to commit more crimes and more violent crimes," says Jenni Gainsborough, a spokeswoman for the Sentencing Project, a reform group in Washington. The system, in essence, is training career criminals. And it's doing its worst work among minorities.
　　注（1）本文选自By Anamaria Wilson Time; 02/14/2000, Vol. 155 Issue 6, p68, 1/3p
　　注（2）本文习题命题模仿对象1997年真题text 5（其中因1997年真题text 5只有4个题目，所以本文第4题模仿参照对象为1999年 Text 4的第4题。



）
　　1. From the first paragraph we learn that _________.
　　[A]the white kid is more lucky than the minority kid
　　[B]the white kid has got a lot of help than the minority kid
　　[C]the white kid and minority kid has been treated differently
　　[D]the minority kid should be set free at once.
　　2. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
　　[A]Kids shouldn’t be tried as adults.
　　[B] Discrimination exists in the justice system.
　　[C]Minority kids are likely to commit crimes.
　　[D] States shouldn’t pass the laws.
　　3. The word “skyrocket” (Line 13, Paragraph 2) means ________.
　　[A]rising sharply
　　[B]widening suddenly
　　[C]spreading widely
　　[D]expanding quickly
　　4. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ________.
　　[A] something seems to be wrong with the justice system
　　[B]adult prisons have bad influence on the juveniles
　　[C] juveniles in adult prison are ill-treated
　　[D]the career criminals are trained by the system
　　5. The passage shows that the author is _________ the present situation.
　　[A] amazed at
　　[B]puzzled by
　　[C]disappointed at
　　[D] critical of
　　答案：CBAAD
　　篇章剖析
　　本文的结构形式为提出问题----分析问题。在第一段首先提出问题,以一个案例为切入点，对比白人少年与有色人种少年受到的不同待遇。第二段和第三段用事实进一步说明司法机关对有色人种的青少年的歧视以及他们受到的不公正待遇。第四段阐述了司法机关的这一做法造成的不良影响。
　　词汇注释
　　offender n.罪犯, 冒犯者
　　coverage n.保险项目；保险范围
　　option n.选择;供选择的事物
　　detain v.拘留,
　　in a nutshell 简括地,简言之；简要地说
　　felony n.[律]重罪
　　rehabilitate v. 使(身体)康复, 使复职, 使恢复名誉, 使复原
　　get-tough adj.强硬的
　　concede v.勉强, 承认
　　brutalize v.残酷地对待
　　detention n.拘留, 禁闭
　　难句突破
　　1．Minority youths arrested on violent felony charges in California are more than twice as likely as their white counterparts to be transferred out of the juvenile-justice system and tried as adults, according to a study released last week by the Justice Policy Institute, a research center in San Francisco.
　　主体句式：Minority youths are more than …
　　结构分析：这是一个比较长的简单句。“more than twice as likely as their white counterparts”是一种表示倍数的表达方式；“to be transferred out of the juvenile-justice system and tried as adults”不定式短语来修饰white counterparts; “according to a study released last week by the Justice Policy Institute”是现在分词做伴随状语；“a research center in San Francisco”是“the Justice Policy Institute”的同位语。
　　句子译文：刑法政策研究所是旧金山的一个研究中心。据其上周发表的研究结果，在加利福尼亚，因为犯重罪被少年法庭转出而以成人的身份被审判逮捕的非白人少年比白人少年多出两倍还要多。
　　题目分析
　　1． 答案为C，属推理判断题。作者在第一段中进行对比，目的在于引出同一性质案例因为对象不同，从而处理结果也不同这一论点。
　　2． 答案为B，属事实细节题。原文对应信息是：“Discrimination against kids of color accumulates at every stage of the justice system and skyrockets when juveniles are, tried as adults”。其它选项意思与原文不符。
　　3． 答案为A ，属猜词题。从单词所在的句子语境中，我们可以判断skyrocket与accumulate的意思相近，并且程度更强。了解到这一点就不难作出选择。
　　4．答案为A，属推理判断题。原文相关信息是“The system, in essence, is training career criminals. And it's doing its worst work among minorities”。
　　5．答案为D，属情感态度题。作者通篇都在阐述司法机关对有色人种青少年的不公正待遇。
　　参考译文
　　把他们关起来！
　　有色人种青少年更可能以成人的身份受审
　　一白人少年在他就读的郊区中学贩卖了一袋可卡因。一拉丁美洲少年在其居住的内城区附近也做了同样的事情。两个人都被抓住了。两个人都是初犯。白人少年是由其父母，牧师，知名律师陪伴，并带着医疗保险接受少年法庭的审理；而拉丁美洲少年却只有母亲陪伴，没有任何法律援助，也没有保险。法官判白人少年与其父母安然离开法庭，私下进行审理。而这位有色人种少年除了被拘留别无选择。
　　简而言之，这样的事情在少年法庭上越来越常见。刑法政策研究所是旧金山的一个研究中心。根据上周发表的研究结果，在加利福尼亚，因为犯重罪被少年法庭转出而以成人的身份被审判逮捕的非白人少年比白人少年多出两倍还要多。一旦被移交成人法庭，那些年轻的黑人犯法者被送进监狱的可能性是白人的十八倍，美籍西班牙人是白人的八倍。这项研究的合作者Dan Macallair说：“司法系统的每一个层面对有色人种中青少年的歧视越来越强，而这些年轻人一旦以成人的身份被审判的话，这种歧视表现得更为淋漓尽致。”加利福尼亚有一个双重标准：把犯罪的有色人种少年扔进监狱，对犯有同等罪行的白人少年却实行教育感化。
　　虽然青少年犯罪率在二十世纪九十年代初期达到高峰以来已经有所下降，但是未成年人触目惊心的暴力行为强化了公众对其强硬的态度。在过去六年中，有四十三个州通过的法律更容易使青少年以成人的身份受审。一九九六年美国德克萨斯州和康涅狄格州的记录是能收集到的最近的数字资料，资料表明在监狱服刑的所有青少年都是有色人种。作为司法政策研究所的所长，Vincent Schiraldi承认“有些青少年确实应该作为成人进行审判，但是他们中大多数人是可以教育感化的。”
　　成人监狱对待这些青少年却是非常残酷的。这些人自杀的可能性是少管所的罪犯的八倍，遭到性虐待的可能性是他们的五倍。“量刑计划”是华盛顿的一个改革团体，作为它的女发言人，Jenni Gainsborough认为“这些人一旦被释放，他们的犯罪率会更高，罪行会更恶劣。”这种体系实际上是在训练职业罪犯，对于有色人种而言情况更为糟糕。

幽幽草

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."

　　注（1）：本文选自By Sylvester Monroe Time; 03/15/99, Vol. 153 Issue 10, p47, 2/3p, 3c, 1bw

　　注（2）：本文习题命题模仿对象2003年真题 Text 4

　　1. 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

　　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. 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

　　答案：C A B D C

　　篇章剖析

　　本文采用提出问题-----分析问题的模式。



第一段和第二段提出问题，详细阐述一起同性恋谋杀案的发生经过。第三段和第四段指出被害人的死造成的影响和反应。第五段指出激进分子的做法及其影响。

　　词汇注释

　　homosexual n.同性恋

　　echo vt.摹仿, 重复

　　rallying point n.聚集点,号召力

　　legislator n.立法者

　　momentum n.动力, 要素

　　in the wake of adv.尾随, 紧跟, 仿效

　　lynching n.处私刑

　　allegation n.主张，断言, 辩解

　　offensive n.进攻, 攻势

　　grass-roots adj.一般民众的, 由乡间民间来进行的

　　难句突破

　　1．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.

　　主体句式：Gaither’s death has become a rallying point …

　　结构分析：在for引导的介词短语中，that引导定语从句来修饰bill; related to sexual orientation as well来修饰crimes.

　　句子译文：Gaither的死成为了一种推动力，促使那些维护同性恋权利的组织以及州立法委员去推行一项议案，使阿拉巴马已通过三年的仇视罪条文除了涉及有关种族、肤色、宗教信仰、出身之外，也应该包括有关性倾向方面的罪行。

　　题目分析

　　1．答案为C，属推理判断题。选项A，B，D都属于细节问题，在文中都可找到对应的信息。选项C归纳了前两段的内容。

　　2． 案为A，属推理判断题。文中对应信息是“Even Wyoming failed to pass hate-crime legislation in the wake of the Shepard lynching”。

　　3． 案为B ，属情感态度题。文中对应信息是“"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”。

　　4． 答案为D，属推理判断题。原文对应信息“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.”Gaither的被害虽然对立法有一定的影响，却还没有一定的改观。

　　5．答案为C，属主旨大意题。要综观全文，不要受到一些细节方面的干扰。

　　参考译文

　　阿拉巴马焚尸案

　　一名同性恋的残忍被害使法律条文里仇视罪不保护同性恋的州政府为之震惊

　　这件惨案在市议长乔治•卡尔顿的家乡阿拉巴马州Sylacauga被公开以后，他是这样告诉记者的：“这种事情不应该发生在这里”。他是在重复一年前在德克萨斯州的Jasper说过的话。几乎没有人听说过Jasper这个地方。一周以前，甚至没有人能在地图上指出Sylacauga的位置。Sylacauga是一座拥有13，000人口的小城，位于伯明翰和蒙哥马利之间，以大理石采石场、纺织厂和冰淇淋厂而知名。同Jasper一样，上周Sylacauga也被列入了近期所发生的仇恨事件。

　　据警察说，25岁的Steven Eric Mullins和21岁的Charles Monroe Butler Jr.预谋了两周来谋杀39岁的Billy Jack Gaither。2月19日那天，他们先安排与他在Sylacauga的一个酒吧见面，再把他引到预定地点。在那他们先是打他，随后把他扔进汽车后备箱，然后开车15英里来到Coosa县的Peckerwood Creek。Coosa县治安官代理Al Bradley说：“他们把他从后备箱里拖出来，拿出斧柄把他击打致死”。随后他们点燃了两个旧轮胎。Bradley说：“然后他们把尸体放到了火堆上”。代理说这两个人之所以这么做的原因就是因为Gaither是同性恋。

　　Gaither的死成为了一种推动力，促使那些维护同性恋权利的组织以及州立法委员去推行一项议案，使阿拉巴马已通过三年的仇视罪条文除了涉及有关种族、肤色、宗教信仰、出身之外，也应该包括有关性倾向方面的罪行。州代表Alvin Holmes没能在1996年通过原法律条文时使之得以修正，他是这样说的：“非得用某人的死来使这项法律在阿拉巴马积聚变更的力量真是太可悲了”。去年十月在怀俄明州发生了一件令国人感到愤怒的事情。一名同性恋学生Matthew Shepard遭人击打，死于围墙上。Holmes在这件事件之后曾提议扩展这一法律条文。在Shepard被人私刑处死事件之后，怀俄明州也没能通过仇视罪法律。虽然Gaither默默地保持着Sylacauga南方人的性情，但是他同Shepard一样，毫不隐瞒自己是同性恋这一事实。Mullins和Butler辩解说是性问题引发了这起谋杀，Gaither的朋友们对此提出质疑。Gaither的兄弟告诉CNN记者：“不管他的个人生活或其它方面怎么样，他不应该就这样被处死。”

　　“美国国家男女同志特遣队”这一组织的发言人Tracey Conaty说：“人们获得的启示是同性恋是二等公民。”

　　在Gaither被谋杀之前，一些激进分子就在策划发动一个大型的全国范围的支持同性恋的攻势。从3月21日到27日，特遣队发动“平等从家里开始”运动，收集50个州所发生的250件民众事件，目的在于通过反殴打同性恋这一法规。Conaty说：“法律条文反映一个团体的道德准则，并传达重要的信息”。作为特遣队政策研究所的负责人，Urvashi Vaid认为三月份发生的事件会使正直的人们为那些被剥夺了基本人权的邻居而担心。Vaid还说：“这不仅仅是一件同性恋的事情。”