2. 外语
  3. In the U.S.A, 85% of the population over the age of 21 approve of the death penalty. In the many states which still have the dea

In the U.S.A, 85% of the population over the age of 21 approve of the death penalty. In the many states which still have the dea

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问题     In the U.S.A, 85% of the population over the age of 21 approve of the death penalty. In the many states which still have the death penalty, some use the electric chair, which can take up to 20 minutes to kill, while others use gas or lethal injection.  20 minutes to kill, while others use gas or lethal injection.
    The first of these was the case of Ruth Ellis who was hanged for shooting her lover in what was generally regarded as a crime of passion. The second was hanged for murders which, it was later proved, had been committed by someone else.
    The pro-hanging lobby(赞成极刑的活动集团) uses four main arguments to support its call for the reintroduction of capital punishment. First there is the deterrence theory, which argues that potential murderer’s theory would think twice before committing the act if they knew that they might die if they were caught. The armed bank robber might, likewise, go back to being unarmed.
    The other two arguments are more suspect. The idea of retribution demands that criminals should get what they deserve: if a murderer intentionally set out to commit a crime, he should accept the consequences. Retribution, which is just another word for revenge, is supported by the religious doctrine of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
    The arguments against the death penalty are largely humanitarian. But there are also statistical reasons for opposing it: the deterrence figures do not add up. In Britain, 1903 was the record year for executions and yet in 1904 the number of murders actually rose. There was a similar occurrence in 1946 and 1947. If the deterrence theory were correct, the rate should have fallen.
    The other reasons oppose the death penalty are largely a matter of individual conscience and belief. One is that murder is murder and that the state has no more right to take a life than the individual. The other is that Christianity advises forgiveness, not revenge.
The passage is mainly about ______.
选项 A、the argument in favor of the death penalty
B、the argument against the death penalty
C、the argument about the abolition of the death penalty
D、the argument about the reintroduction of the death penalty
答案D
解析 文章第一段提到美国还存在死刑，接下去从正反两方分别阐述了赞成或反对的理由，所以这是一个关于再次引入死刑的讨论。
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