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  3. In the USA, 85% of the population over the age if 21 approve of the death penalty. In the many states whcih still have the death

In the USA, 85% of the population over the age if 21 approve of the death penalty. In the many states whcih still have the death

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问题     In the USA, 85% of the population over the age if 21 approve of the death penalty. In the many states whcih 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.
    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 uses four main arguments to support its call for the reintroduction of capital punishment. First there is the deterrence theory, which argues that potential murderers 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 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 to oppose the death penalty are largely a mather of individual conscience and belief. One is that murder is murder and that the state has no more right to take a lifer than the individual. The other is that Christianity advises forgiveness, not revenge.  
We can learn from the last paragraph that______.
选项 A、neither the state nor the individual has the right to take a life
B、the sate has the right to take a life but the individual does not
C、the death penalty has nothing to do with individual conscience and belief
D、the deterrence figures have added up and the execution rate has fallen
答案A
解析 意为：无论是国家还是个人都无权杀人。最后一段指出，反对死刑的其他理由主要是与人的思想意识和信仰有关。一种人认为：杀人就是杀人(无论杀人者是谁)，国家和个人都无权杀害一条生命；另一种人认为：基督教劝人宽容，而不是报复。B意为：国家有权杀人，而个人没有。C意为：死刑与个人的思想意识及信仰无关。D意为：终止犯罪的人数增加了，判刑的人数降低了。选择项D表达的内容与最后一段无关，但倒数第二段提到：反对死刑主要是出于人道主义的原因，但是，也有统计数字作依据：(即使施行死刑)终止犯罪的人数也并未增加(the deterrence figures do not add up)。例如：英国1903年判以死刑的人突破历史记录，但是凶杀案第二年却实际有所增长；1946年和1947年的情况也是如此。这说明，“终止理论”实际上是缺乏事实根据的，因为，如果这种理论正确，(1904年和1947年的)犯罪率应该下降，而不是上升。
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