高级英语2012年10月真题试题及答案解析（00600）

死亡是富有戏剧性的一次性危机，而老年则是日复一日、年复一年地与强大的内外力量的抗争，是一种苦乐参半的逐渐接受自己的个性和生活的过程。

因此，以科学的名义做错事时，给我的感觉就像自己最喜欢的叔叔染上了酒瘾。

阿拉伯人曾习惯于靠吃几个枣子节俭度日。当他们获得东罗马帝国的财富，居住在几乎令人难以置信的豪华宫殿中时，他们并未因此就闲居不动。饥饿不再是一个动机，因为只需轻轻一点头，希腊奴隶就会奉上精美佳肴。

多数无所事事的富人免于从事单调乏味的工作之苦，但代价是难以言表的无聊。

一个国家的妇女通过她们在生活中的行为来塑造这个国家的道德、宗教和政治。

然而假如一位病人的哲学观接受安乐死，那么我们不明白为什么他人要用宗教上的反对意见来干预他的死亡。

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Do you argue for or against capital punishment? List three of your arguments.

When I was graduating from college，my generation also found the world in a ( 32 ).The economic machinery had broken ( 33 ) almost everywhere：In this country nearly a quarter of the ( 34 ) was out of work. A major war seemed all ( 35 ) likely.As a college newspaper editor at that time，I protested against this ( 36 ) as vehemently as student activists are protesting today.I wonder if this blandness of our diet doesn’t explain ( 37 ) so many of us are overweight and even dangerously so.When things had flavor, we knew what we were eating all the ( 38 )— and it satisfied us.A ( 39 ) of my mother-in-law’s wild strawberry jam will entirely satisfy your j am desire.But，of the ( 40 ) tinned or glass-packed strawberry jam，you need half a cupful to get the ( 41 ) of what you're eating.Literacy may not be an inalienable human right，but it is ( 42 ) that the highly literate Founding Fathers might not have found unreasonable or even ( 43 ).We are not only not attaining it ( 44 ) a nation，statistically speaking，but we are falling further and further ( 45 ) of attaining it.And，while 1 would not be so simplistic as to suggest that television is the cause，I believe it ( 46 ) and is an influence.To share a bedroom with one of these fellows is to lose one’s ( 47 ) in human nature，for, even after the ( 48 ) eventful day, there is no comparing notes with them，no midnight confidence，no casting ( 49 ) the balance of the day’s pleasure and pain.They sink，( 50 )once，into stupid，heavy slumber，leaving you to your own ( 51 ) devices.And they all snore abominably!Downtown，she ( 52 ) her car in a garage.Everything was getting ready for this moment.She did not carry the flowers in her ( 53 ) but she carried them in her heart.Now she was going to find out ( 54 ) it was death or life.Either ( 55 ) could tolerate.It did not ( 56 ) to her that the newsreel might not be there.

A.why B.unattainable C.down D.most E.faith F.while

G.at H.occur I.ideaJ.just K.whether L.teaspoonful M.mess

N.contributes O.she P.too Q.parked R.average S.car

T.as U.short V.up W.one X.mental Y.population

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They have caused a great deal of grief to the family and friends of the victim or victims and it seems like the only way justice could be served is for the criminal to die.

If capital punishment were carried out more it would prove to be the crime deterrent it was partly intended to be.

I personally would not mind paying the little bit extra just so I know for sure that there’s one less murderer on our planet.

Some say the death penalty is what the criminal deserves while others object to it because death is irreversible.

Since then the justice system has undergone a lot of fine tuning making this extremely unlikely today.

The expression “at stake” in Paragraph 8 means ( ).

The author does not mention that ( ).

It is obvious that the author of this article ( ).

Two persons put to death，one in 1918 and the other in 1949，were found to have been ( ).

The expression “footing the bill” in Paragraph 5 can be best replaced by ( ).

In the passage，the author implies that ( ).

A method of execution that is not mentioned in this article is ( ).

According to the first paragraph，people generally thought that ( ).

Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word “remorse” in Paragraph 3?

They need to be ( ) at collaborating with colleagues outside their own department.

He determined who would go first with a coin ( ).

To Kill or Not to Kill

(1)Capital punishment has been in effect since the 1600’s.However, in 1972 the U.S.Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty was cruel and unusual punishment，which was unconstitutional according to the Eighth Amendment. It was public opinion that the current methods of execution，hanging， electrocution，and facing a firing squad，were too slow and painful upon the person to be executed.The U.S.Supreme Court reversed this decision when a cleaner way to bring about death was found in 1976.This cleaner way is death by lethal injection，which is quick and painless if administered right.

(2)Many people have argued for and against capital punishment since it was reinstituted.(Some say the death penalty is what the criminal deserves while others object to it because death is irreversible).I feel the death penalty is a good form of justice because only about 250 people a year get the death penalty and they are guilty beyond a doubt and don’t deserve living with the possibility of parole.

(3)The sentencing judge or jury are ordered by the Supreme Court to look for specific aggravating and mitigating factors in deciding which convicted murderers should be sentenced to death.Some of these mitigating factors are the defendant’s motivation, character, personal history, and most of all (remorse).Every year approximately 250 new offenders are added to death row.In 1994 there were 2，850 persons awaiting execution.Yet no more than thirty-eight people have been executed a year since 1976.This is a ridiculously low number compared to 199 persons executed in 1935.

(4)The reason for this slow execution rate is the process of appeals.From sentencing to execution there is about a seven-to-eight-year wait.The convicts’ cases are reviewed by the state courts and through the federal courts.With all this opportunity for the case to be turned over or the sentence to be changed it is almost impossible for an innocent person to be executed.Only two people have been proved innocent after their execution in the United States.These wrongful deaths occurred in 1918 and 1949.(Since then the justice system has undergone a lot o f fine tuning making this extremely unlikely to day).

(5)One argument against the death penalty is that it costs less to imprison someone for life than to execute them.This is a good point that has a 1ot of impact on a lot of people’s views regarding capital punishment since they are the ones (footing the bill).through taxes.(I personally would not mind paying the little bit extra just so I know for sure that there’s one 1ess murderer on our planet).If the death penalty was done away with，prisoners who should have been executed will be mixed in with other inmates.It would be possible and not too unlikely for them to kill another inmate or possibly a prison guard.If someone is lined up for execution then they more than likely deserve it.(They have caused a great deal of grief to the family and friends of the victim or victims and it seems like the only way justice could be served is for the criminal to die).

(6)For the person to simply go to jail seems unfair.There they will eat three meals a day, get to watch cable TV and befriend other inmates.They live a pretty decent 1ife in prison and they don’t deserve it.Out of the fifty states in the United States 37 have and use capital punishment.Out of the same fifty states only 18 have 1ife imprisonment without parole.In the other 32 states a person who should’ve been executed can be released after as 1ittle as 20 years in prison.

(7)There are certain standards that are followed in giving out capital punishment.The defendant can not be insane, and the real or criminal intent must be present.Also，minors very rarely receive the death penalty because they are not fully mature and might not know the consequences of their actions.Finally the mentally retarded are very seldom executed.The reason for not executing the retarded is that they often have difficulty defending themselves in court, have problems remembering details，locating witnesses，and testifying credibly on their own behalf.

(8)(If capital punishment were carried out more it would prove to be the crime deterrent it was partly intended to be).Most criminals would think twice before committing murder if they knew their own 1ives are (at stake).As it turns out，as very few people are executed，so the death penalty is not a satisfactory deterrent.During highly publicized death penalty cases the homicide rate is found to go down but it goes back up when the case is over.

(9)Thomas Edison，a famous scientist and American hero，helped develop and extensively promoted the electric chair.The electric chair was a popular method of execution from the 1930s to the 1970s.The death penalty is a punishment that will remain active for a long time in the future，even with all the criticism.It is an ancient way of dealing with extremely serious offences that plague our country today.Hopefully the appeals process will be shortened，but remain effective，so more criminals can be executed，making prospective criminals think twice.

The death sentence was instituted some ( ) years ago.

Try to do some physical activity three times a week for ( ) health.

The glass remained ( ) after being dropped.

I ( ) this speech to the memory of these women and children.

I will go back to my peaceful house although it is humble and ( ).

When the authority of fathers begins to ( )，political power generally collapses，as well.

These TV viewers show a(n) ( ) lack of understanding.

He showed great ( ) of character when he refused to accept the bribes.

He lived quietly with a woman who was neither young nor old，neither ( ) nor pretty.

Through ( ) teeth she told her ex-supervisor to leave immediately.

The two great tennis players together make a(n) ( ) combination.

Despite all the goodwill in the world，the Middle East peace process remains as ( ) and frustrating as ever.

The billionaire ( ) his only daughter his entire estate.

The presiding judge described the terrorist attack as an ( ) crime.