2008年職稱英語綜合類a級考試試題及答案

第三篇 Shaming Punishments

Last month，James Connolly，a junior at the University of Massachusetts，stood in front of a local police station wearing a toga(長袍)as punishment.

His crime? He was charged with underage drinking，illegal possession of alcohol and excessive noise while holding a party.

This shaming punishment has increased in the US in recent years，mostly imposed by local judges for less—serious crimes，such as drunk driving and theft.

They believe shame is the best petty crime deterrent(威懾).For example，in Tennessee，Judge James McKenzie has made shoplifters(商店貨物扒手)stand outside Wal — Mart with signs that read，“I am a thief put here by order of Judge McKenzie”，“Alternative punishments like community service and fines don’t convey moral condemnation(譴責(zé))of the criminal，”said Dan Kahan ，a University of Chicago Law School professor ,in an article published on the university’S website.“They aren’t shameful enough。”

Shaming punishments are sometimes called Scarlet(紅色的)Letter punishments.The name comes from US author Nathaniel Hawthorne’S 1850 novel The Scarlet Letter.In this novel，a woman is forced to wear a scarlet “A”on her clothes as punishment forher adultery(通奸).

However, University of Iowa law professor Andrew Hosmanek said there is an important difference between the shaming punishments of colonial America and those assigned in states like Tennessee.

“Early societies often had are— acceptance’ ceremony to welcome the offender back into main society,”says Hosmanek.“Contemporary punishments in America lack this.”

Supporters of shaming punishment argue that public shaming is a good way of expressing community values。Some judges say shamed offenders seldom repeat their crimes.

Others aren’t SO sure。“There is little evidence to suggest that shaming punishments are successful in preventing people from committing specific crimes.And a shamed criminal may face a hard battle to regain credibility in society，”said Hosmanek.“So，a shaming punishment may force the offender into more crimes to support himself.”

Experts also debate shaming punishment’S damage to human dignity.“Since the point is to shame，it's of course degrading(侮辱人格的)，”said Linda Malone，director of the Human Rights and National Security Law Programme at William and Mary Law School.

“US law only prohibits punishment that is‘cruel and unusual’一not‘inhuman and degrading’.it's very difficult for a thief to prove that holding a sign in front of Wal-Mart is ‘cruel and unusual’.”

41. James Connolly was accused of all the following crimes EXCEPT

A. illegally possessing alcoh01

B. smuggling drugs

C. drinking at an illegal age

D. making too much noise at a party

42. Which of the following punishments does NOT morally condemn a criminal?

A.Holding a sign that announces his or her crime

B.Publishing his or her name on a website

C.Apologizing for the crime in front of Wal—Mart

D.Having to do useful work to help others without being paid

43. In the novel The Scarlet Letter, a woman is accused of

A .corruption

B. bribery

C. adultery

D.thee

44. The word “suggest’ in Paragraph10 could be best replaced by

A. propose

B. indicate

C. assume

D. explain

45. What does US law forbid?

A.Cruel and unusual punishments

B.lnhuman punishments

C.Degrading punishments

D.Shaming punishments

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（責(zé)任編輯：vstara）

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