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  3. The practice of capital punishment is as old as government itself. For most of history, it has not been considered controversial

The practice of capital punishment is as old as government itself. For most of history, it has not been considered controversial

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问题     The practice of capital punishment is as old as government itself. For most of history, it has not been considered controversial. Since ancient times most governments have punished a wide variety of crimes by death and have conducted executions as a routine part of the administration of criminal law. However, in the mid-18th century, social critics in Europe began to emphasize the worth of the individual and to criticize government practices they considered unjust, including capital punishment. The controversy and debate over whether governments should utilize the death penalty continue today.
    The first significant movement to abolish the death penalty began during the era known as the Age of Enlightenment. In 1764 Italian jurist and philosopher Cesare Beccaria published An Essay on Crimes and Punishments. Many consider this influential work the leading document in the early campaign against capital punishment. Other individuals who campaigned against executions during this period include French authors Voltaire and Denis Diderot, British philosophers David Hume and Adam Smith, and political theorist Thomas Paine in the United States.
    Critics of capital punishment argue that it is cruel and inhumane, while supporters consider it a necessary form of revenge for terrible crimes. Those who advocate the death penalty declare that it is a uniquely effective punishment that prevents crime. However, advocates and opponents of the death penalty dispute the proper interpretation of statistical analyses of its preventing effect. Opponents of capital punishment see the death penalty as a human rights issue involving the proper limits of governmental power. In contrast, those who want governments to continue to execute tend to regard capital punishment as an issue of criminal justice policy. Because of these alternative viewpoints, there is a profound difference of opinion not only about what is the right answer on capital punishment, but also about what type of question is being asked when the death penalty becomes a public issue.
Why was capital punishment questioned in the mid-18th century in Europe?
选项 A、Because people began to criticize their government.
B、Because the government was unjust in this period.
C、Because people began to realize the value of life.
D、Because social critics were very active at that tim
答案C
解析 从第一段第四句可以看出，18世纪中期欧洲人才开始重视人的价值。
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