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

　　二

　　There is extraordinary exposure in the United States to the risks of injury and death from motor vehicle accidents.More than 80 percent of all households own passenger cars or light trucks and each of these is driven an average of more than 11，000 miles each year.Almost one-half of fatally injured drivers have a blood alcohol concentration of 0.1 percent or higher.For the average adult，over five ounces of 80 proof spirits would have to be consumed over a short period of time to attain these levels.One third of drivers who have been drinking，but fewer than 4 percent of all drivers，demonstrate these levels.1)Although less than 1 percent of drivers with BACs of 0.1 percent or more are involved in fatal crashes，the probability of their involvements is 27 times higher than for those without alcohol in their blood.There are a number of different approaches to reducing injuries in which drinking plays a role.Based on the observation that excessive consumption correlates with the total alcohol consumption of a country‘s population，it has been suggested that higher taxes on alcohol would reduce both.While the heaviest drinkers would be taxed the most，anyone who drinks at all would be punished by this approach. 　　To make drinking and driving a criminal offense is an approach directed only at drinking drivers.In some states，the law empowers police to request breath tests of drivers committing any traffic offense and higher BAC can be the basis for arrest.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates，however，that even with increased arrests，there are about 700 violations for every arrest.At this level there is little evidence that laws are effective ways to reduce drunk driving.In Britain，motor vehicle accidents fell 25 percent immediately following implementation of the Road Safety Act in 1967. 2) As Britishers increasingly recognized that they could drink and not be stopped，the effectiveness declined，although in the following three years the death-rate seldom reached that observed in the seven years prior to the Act. 　　Whether penalties for driving with a high BAC or excessive taxation on consumption of alcoholic drinks will deter the excessive drinker responsible for most accidents is unclear.One thing is clear，however：unless we deal with automobile and highway safety and reduce accidents in which alcoholic drinking plays a role，many will continue to die. 　　1.The author is primarily concerned with____. 　　[A] interpreting the results of surveys on traffic accidents 　　[B] reviewing the effectiveness of attempts to reduce drunk driving 　　[C] analyzing the causes of the large number of annual traffic deaths 　　[D] making an international comparison of experience with drunk driving 　　2.It can be inferred that the 1967 Road Safety Act in Britain____. 　　[A] changed an existing law to lower the BAC level which defined drunk driving 　　[B] made it illegal for the drunk driver to drive 　　[C] increased the number of drunk driving arrests 　　[D] placed a tax on the sale of alcoholic drinks 　　3.The author implies that a BAC of 0.1 percent ____. 　　the sale of alcoholic drinks 　　[A] is unreasonably high as a definition of drunk driving 　　[B] penalizes the moderate drinker while allowing the heavy drinker to consume without limit 　　[C] is well below the BAC of most drivers who are involved in fatal crashes 　　[D] proves that a driver has consumed five ounces of 80 proof spirits over a short time 　　4.The author cites the British example in order to____. 　　[A] show that the problem of drunk driving is worse in Britain than in the U.S. 　　[B] prove that stricter laws against drinking drivers would reduce traffic deaths 　　[C] prove that a slight increase in the number of arrests of drunk drivers will not deter drunk driving 　　[D] suggest that taxation of alcohol consumption may be more effective than criminal laws 　　5.The word“deter”in the last paragraph probably means____. 　　[A] prevent [B] encourage [C] punish [D] threaten

　　1.[B] 本文探讨了饮酒和汽车事故率的关系，以及相应的限制酒后驾驶的法律对事故率的影响。这在最后一段体现得最为明显。 　　2.[B] 第二段第一句是这一段的主题句。英国的例子旨在说明，在英国，在刚刚实施新的道路安全法——根据本段第一句该项法律肯定也将酒后驾驶视为刑事犯罪——以后，汽车事故少了，但是，因为根据这项法律可以被逮捕的人是血液内酒精含量超过一定标准的人，并不是所有酒后驾车的人，所以人们后来认为喝少量酒也没有关系，这样，这项法律的效力也就下降了。 　　3.[A] 根据第一段第五、六句，1/3的酒后驾车者能达到这个含量，但是这还不到所有驾驶员人数的4 %.虽然在达到或超过0.1 %的人中不到l %卷人致命的事故中，但是，他们出事的可能性是不喝酒的人的28倍。由此可见，在作者看来，还有很多没有达到这个含量的人也同样危险，因此，0.1 %的含量标准太高了。 　　4.[C] 参阅第2题题解。 　　5.[A] 该词意为“阻止”。