2011年12月英语六级考试大作战-模拟题(4)_第2页

　　For example, it is one thing to take the life of another in a fit of blind rage, but quite another to coldly plot and carry out the murder of one or more people in the style of a butcher. Thus, murder, like all other crimes, is a matter of relative degree. While it could be argued with some conviction that the criminal in the first instance should be merely isolated from society, such should not be the fate of the latter type murderer. 　　
　　The value of the death penalty as a deterrent to crime may be open to debate. But the overwhelming majority of citizens believe that the death penalty protects them. Their belief is reinforced by evidence which shows that the death penalty deters murder. For example, from 1954 to 1963, when the death penalty was consistently imposed in California, the murder rate remained between three and four murders for each 100,000 population. Since 1964 the death penalty has been imposed only once, and the murder rate has risen to 10.4 murders for each 100,000 population. The sharp climb in the state’s murder rate, which began when executions stopped, is no coincidence. It is convincing evidence that the death penalty does deter many murderers. If the bill reestablishing the death penalty is vetoed, innocent people will be murdered—some whose lives may have been saved if the death penalty were in effect. This is literally a life or death matter. The lives of thousands of innocent people must be protected.
　　52. The principal purpose of this passage is to___________.
　　A) speak for the majority
　　B) initiate a veto
　　C) criticize the government
　　D) argue for the value of the death penalty
　　53. The author’s response to those who urge the death penalty for all is likely to be _________.
　　A) negative B) friendly
　　C) supportive D) hostile
　　54. According to the Paragraph 4, it can be inferred that___________ .
　　A) the death penalty is the most controversial issue in the United States today
　　B) the second type of murderers should be sentenced to death
　　C) the veto of the bill reestablishing the death penalty is of little importance
　　D) the value of the death penalty as a deterrent to crime is not to be debated
　　55. The passage attempts to establish a relationship between_______________ .
　　A) the murder rate and the imposition of the death penalty
　　B) the effects of execution and the effects of isolation
　　C) the importance of equal rights and that of the death penalty
　　D) executions and murders
　　56. The author’s attitude towards “death penalty” is .
　　A) opposing B) supporting C) neutral D) sarcastic