2012年10月自考00600高級(jí)英語(yǔ)試題及答案含解析

高級(jí)英語(yǔ)年月真題

00600201210

1、【單選題】Thepresidingjudgedescribedtheterroristattackasan______

crime．

alluring

abusive

A:

abnormal

B:

abominable

C:

答D:案：D

2、【單選題】Thebillionaire______hisonlydaughterhisentireestate．

deprived

entrusted

A:

presented

B:

bequeathed

C:

答D:案：D

3、【單選題】Through______teethshetoldherex-supervisortoleave

immediately．

sneezing

clenched

A:

shivering

B:

drenched

C:

答D:案：B

4、【單選題】Despiteallthegoodwillintheworld，theMiddleEastpeace

processremainsas______andfrustratingasever．

elusive

evasive

A:

inclusive

B:

conducive

C:

答D:案：A

5、【單選題】Thetwogreattennisplayerstogethermakea(n)______

combination．

sizeable

affordable

A:

perishable

B:

formidable

C:

答D:案：D

6、【單選題】Helivedquietlywithawomanwhowasneitheryoungnorold，

neither______norpretty．

sociable

irritable

A:

homely

B:

snobbish

C:

答D:案：C

7、【單選題】TheseTVviewersshowa(n)______lackofunderstanding．

generous

irresistible

A:

lamentable

B:

good-natured

C:

答D:案：C

8、【單選題】Heshowedgreat______ofcharacterwhenherefusedtoacceptthe

bribes．

force

ability

A:

strength

B:

potential

C:

答D:案：C

9、【單選題】Iwillgobacktomypeacefulhousealthoughitishumbleand

______．

cozy

mean

A:

worn

B:

shabby

C:

D:

答案：D

10、【單選題】Whentheauthorityoffathersbeginsto______，politicalpower

generallycollapses，aswell．

falter

filter

A:

rumble

B:

ramble

C:

答D:案：A

11、【單選題】Theglassremained______afterbeingdropped．

intact

content

A:

abstract

B:

compact

C:

答D:案：A

12、【單選題】I______thisspeechtothememoryofthesewomenandchildren．

devote

promote

A:

dedicate

B:

indicate

C:

答D:案：C

13、【單選題】Trytodosomephysicalactivitythreetimesaweekfor______

health．

opium

optimum

A:

minimum

B:

maximum

C:

答D:案：B

14、【單選題】Theyneedtobe______atcollaboratingwithcolleaguesoutside

theirowndepartment．

adopt

adept

A:

adapt

B:

C:

abrupt

答D:案：B

15、【單選題】Hedeterminedwhowouldgofirstwithacoin______．

toss

fling

A:

twist

B:

throw

C:

答D:案：A

16、【單選題】(1)Capitalpunishmenthasbeenineffectsincethe

1600’s．However,in1972theU．S．SupremeCourtruledthatthedeathpenaltywas

cruelandunusualpunishment，whichwasunconstitutionalaccordingtotheEighth

Amendment．Itwaspublicopinionthatthecurrentmethodsofexecution，hanging，

electrocution，andfacingafiringsquad，weretooslowandpainfulupon

thepersontobeexecuted．TheU．S．SupremeCourtreversedthisdecisionwhen

acleanerwaytobringaboutdeathwasfoundin1976．Thiscleanerwayisdeathby

lethalinjection，whichisquickandpainlessifadministeredright．(2)Many

peoplehavearguedforandagainstcapitalpunishmentsinceit

wasreinstituted．Somesaythedeathpenaltyiswhatthecriminaldeserves

whileothersobjecttoitbecausedeathisirreversible．Ifeelthedeathpenalty

isagoodformofjusticebecauseonlyabout250peopleayeargetthe

deathpenaltyandtheyareguiltybeyondadoubtanddon’tdeservelivingwith

thepossibilityofparole．(3)Thesentencingjudgeorjuryareorderedbythe

SupremeCourttolookforspecificaggravatingandmitigatingfactorsindeciding

whichconvictedmurderersshouldbesentencedtodeath．Someofthesemitigating

factorsarethedefendant’smotivation,character,personalhistory,andmostof

allremorse．Everyyearapproximately250newoffendersareaddedtodeath

row．In1994therewere2，850personsawaitingexecution．Yetnomorethan

thirty-eightpeoplehavebeenexecutedayearsince1976．Thisisaridiculously

lownumbercomparedto199personsexecutedin1935．(4)Thereasonforthisslow

executionrateistheprocessofappeals．Fromsentencingtoexecutionthereis

aboutaseven-to-eight-yearwait．Theconvicts’casesarereviewedbythestate

courtsandthroughthefederalcourts．Withallthisopportunityforthecaseto

beturnedoverorthesentencetobechangeditisalmostimpossibleforan

innocentpersontobeexecuted．Onlytwopeoplehavebeenprovedinnocentafter

theirexecutionintheUnitedStates．Thesewrongfuldeathsoccurredin1918and

1949．Sincethenthejusticesystemhasundergonealotoffinetuningmaking

thisextremelyunlikelytoday.(5)Oneargumentagainstthedeathpenaltyisthat

itcostslesstoimprisonsomeoneforlifethantoexecutethem．Thisisagood

pointthathasa1otofimpactonalotofpeople’sviewsregardingcapital

punishmentsincetheyaretheonesfootingthebill．throughtaxes．Ipersonally

wouldnotmindpayingthelittlebitextrajustsoIknowforsurethatthere’s

one1essmurdereronourplanet．Ifthedeathpenaltywasdoneawaywith，

prisonerswhoshouldhavebeenexecutedwillbemixedinwithotherinmates．It

wouldbepossibleandnottoounlikelyforthemtokillanotherinmateorpossibly

aprisonguard．Ifsomeoneislinedupforexecutionthentheymorethanlikely

deserveit．Theyhavecausedagreatdealofgrieftothefamilyandfriendsof

thevictimorvictimsanditseemsliketheonlywayjusticecouldbeservedis

forthecriminaltodie.(6)Forthepersontosimplygotojailseemsunfair．There

theywilleatthreemealsaday,gettowatchcableTVandbefriendother

inmates．Theyliveaprettydecent1ifeinprisonandtheydon’tdeserveit．Out

ofthefiftystatesintheUnitedStates37haveandusecapitalpunishment．Out

ofthesamefiftystatesonly18have1ifeimprisonmentwithoutparole．Inthe

other32statesapersonwhoshould’vebeenexecutedcanbereleasedafteras

1ittleas20yearsinprison．(7)Therearecertainstandardsthatarefollowedin

givingoutcapitalpunishment．Thedefendantcannotbeinsane,andtherealor

criminalintentmustbepresent．Also，minorsveryrarelyreceivethedeath

penaltybecausetheyarenotfullymatureandmightnotknowtheconsequencesof

theiractions．Finallythementallyretardedareveryseldomexecuted．Thereason

fornotexecutingtheretardedisthattheyoftenhavedifficulty

defendingthemselvesincourt,haveproblemsrememberingdetails，locating

witnesses，andtestifyingcrediblyontheirownbehalf．(8)Ifcapitalpunishment

werecarriedoutmoreitwouldprovetobethecrimedeterrentitwaspartly

intendedtobe．Mostcriminalswouldthinktwicebeforecommittingmurderifthey

knewtheirown1ivesareatstake．Asitturnsout，asveryfewpeopleare

executed，sothedeathpenaltyisnotasatisfactorydeterrent．Duringhighly

publicizeddeathpenaltycasesthehomiciderateisfoundtogodownbutitgoes

backupwhenthecaseisover．(9)ThomasEdison，afamousscientistandAmerican

hero，helpeddevelopandextensivelypromotedtheelectricchair．Theelectric

chairwasapopularmethodofexecutionfromthe1930stothe1970s．Thedeath

penaltyisapunishmentthatwillremainactiveforalongtimeinthefuture，

evenwithallthecriticism．Itisanancientwayofdealingwithextremely

seriousoffencesthatplagueourcountrytoday．Hopefullytheappealsprocesswill

beshortened，butremaineffective，somorecriminalscanbeexecuted，

makingprospectivecriminalsthinktwice．Thedeathsentencewasinstituted

some______yearsago．

200

300

A:

400

B:

C:

500

答D:案：C

17、【單選題】(1)Capitalpunishmenthasbeenineffectsincethe

1600’s．However,in1972theU．S．SupremeCourtruledthatthedeathpenaltywas

cruelandunusualpunishment，whichwasunconstitutionalaccordingtotheEighth

Amendment．Itwaspublicopinionthatthecurrentmethodsofexecution，hanging，

electrocution，andfacingafiringsquad，weretooslowandpainfulupon

thepersontobeexecuted．TheU．S．SupremeCourtreversedthisdecisionwhen

acleanerwaytobringaboutdeathwasfoundin1976．Thiscleanerwayisdeathby

lethalinjection，whichisquickandpainlessifadministeredright．(2)Many

peoplehavearguedforandagainstcapitalpunishmentsinceit

wasreinstituted．Somesaythedeathpenaltyiswhatthecriminaldeserves

whileothersobjecttoitbecausedeathisirreversible．Ifeelthedeathpenalty

isagoodformofjusticebecauseonlyabout250peopleayeargetthe

deathpenaltyandtheyareguiltybeyondadoubtanddon’tdeservelivingwith

thepossibilityofparole．(3)Thesentencingjudgeorjuryareorderedbythe

SupremeCourttolookforspecificaggravatingandmitigatingfactorsindeciding

whichconvictedmurderersshouldbesentencedtodeath．Someofthesemitigating

factorsarethedefendant’smotivation,character,personalhistory,andmostof

allremorse．Everyyearapproximately250newoffendersareaddedtodeath

row．In1994therewere2，850personsawaitingexecution．Yetnomorethan

thirty-eightpeoplehavebeenexecutedayearsince1976．Thisisaridiculously

lownumbercomparedto199personsexecutedin1935．(4)Thereasonforthisslow

executionrateistheprocessofappeals．Fromsentencingtoexecutionthereis

aboutaseven-to-eight-yearwait．Theconvicts’casesarereviewedbythestate

courtsandthroughthefederalcourts．Withallthisopportunityforthecaseto

beturnedoverorthesentencetobechangeditisalmostimpossibleforan

innocentpersontobeexecuted．Onlytwopeoplehavebeenprovedinnocentafter

theirexecutionintheUnitedStates．Thesewrongfuldeathsoccurredin1918and

1949．Sincethenthejusticesystemhasundergonealotoffinetuningmaking

thisextremelyunlikelytoday.(5)Oneargumentagainstthedeathpenaltyisthat

itcostslesstoimprisonsomeoneforlifethantoexecutethem．Thisisagood

pointthathasa1otofimpactonalotofpeople’sviewsregardingcapital

punishmentsincetheyaretheonesfootingthebill．throughtaxes．Ipersonally

wouldnotmindpayingthelittlebitextrajustsoIknowforsurethatthere’s

one1essmurdereronourplanet．Ifthedeathpenaltywasdoneawaywith，

prisonerswhoshouldhavebeenexecutedwillbemixedinwithotherinmates．It

wouldbepossibleandnottoounlikelyforthemtokillanotherinmateorpossibly

aprisonguard．Ifsomeoneislinedupforexecutionthentheymorethanlikely

deserveit．Theyhavecausedagreatdealofgrieftothefamilyandfriendsof

thevictimorvictimsanditseemsliketheonlywayjusticecouldbeservedis

forthecriminaltodie.(6)Forthepersontosimplygotojailseemsunfair．There

theywilleatthreemealsaday,gettowatchcableTVandbefriendother

inmates．Theyliveaprettydecent1ifeinprisonandtheydon’tdeserveit．Out

ofthefiftystatesintheUnitedStates37haveandusecapitalpunishment．Out

ofthesamefiftystatesonly18have1ifeimprisonmentwithoutparole．Inthe

other32statesapersonwhoshould’vebeenexecutedcanbereleasedafteras

1ittleas20yearsinprison．(7)Therearecertainstandardsthatarefollowedin

givingoutcapitalpunishment．Thedefendantcannotbeinsane,andtherealor

criminalintentmustbepresent．Also，minorsveryrarelyreceivethedeath

penaltybecausetheyarenotfullymatureandmightnotknowtheconsequencesof

theiractions．Finallythementallyretardedareveryseldomexecuted．Thereason

fornotexecutingtheretardedisthattheyoftenhavedifficulty

defendingthemselvesincourt,haveproblemsrememberingdetails，locating

witnesses，andtestifyingcrediblyontheirownbehalf．(8)Ifcapitalpunishment

werecarriedoutmoreitwouldprovetobethecrimedeterrentitwaspartly

intendedtobe．Mostcriminalswouldthinktwicebeforecommittingmurderifthey

knewtheirown1ivesareatstake．Asitturnsout，asveryfewpeopleare

executed，sothedeathpenaltyisnotasatisfactorydeterrent．Duringhighly

publicizeddeathpenaltycasesthehomiciderateisfoundtogodownbutitgoes

backupwhenthecaseisover．(9)ThomasEdison，afamousscientistandAmerican

hero，helpeddevelopandextensivelypromotedtheelectricchair．Theelectric

chairwasapopularmethodofexecutionfromthe1930stothe1970s．Thedeath

penaltyisapunishmentthatwillremainactiveforalongtimeinthefuture，

evenwithallthecriticism．Itisanancientwayofdealingwithextremely

seriousoffencesthatplagueourcountrytoday．Hopefullytheappealsprocesswill

beshortened，butremaineffective，somorecriminalscanbeexecuted，

makingprospectivecriminalsthinktwice．Accordingtothefirstparagraph，

peoplegenerallythoughtthat______．

lethalinjectionwaspainfulbutquick

deathpenaltywascruelandthereforeshouldbeabolished

A:

facingafiringsquadwasacleanerwayforcapitalpunishment

B:

themethodsthenusedtobringaboutdeathwereslowandpainful

C:

答D:案：D

18、【單選題】(1)Capitalpunishmenthasbeenineffectsincethe

1600’s．However,in1972theU．S．SupremeCourtruledthatthedeathpenaltywas

cruelandunusualpunishment，whichwasunconstitutionalaccordingtotheEighth

Amendment．Itwaspublicopinionthatthecurrentmethodsofexecution，hanging，

electrocution，andfacingafiringsquad，weretooslowandpainfulupon

thepersontobeexecuted．TheU．S．SupremeCourtreversedthisdecisionwhen

acleanerwaytobringaboutdeathwasfoundin1976．Thiscleanerwayisdeathby

lethalinjection，whichisquickandpainlessifadministeredright．(2)Many

peoplehavearguedforandagainstcapitalpunishmentsinceit

wasreinstituted．Somesaythedeathpenaltyiswhatthecriminaldeserves

whileothersobjecttoitbecausedeathisirreversible．Ifeelthedeathpenalty

isagoodformofjusticebecauseonlyabout250peopleayeargetthe

deathpenaltyandtheyareguiltybeyondadoubtanddon’tdeservelivingwith

thepossibilityofparole．(3)Thesentencingjudgeorjuryareorderedbythe

SupremeCourttolookforspecificaggravatingandmitigatingfactorsindeciding

whichconvictedmurderersshouldbesentencedtodeath．Someofthesemitigating

factorsarethedefendant’smotivation,character,personalhistory,andmostof

allremorse．Everyyearapproximately250newoffendersareaddedtodeath

row．In1994therewere2，850personsawaitingexecution．Yetnomorethan

thirty-eightpeoplehavebeenexecutedayearsince1976．Thisisaridiculously

lownumbercomparedto199personsexecutedin1935．(4)Thereasonforthisslow

executionrateistheprocessofappeals．Fromsentencingtoexecutionthereis

aboutaseven-to-eight-yearwait．Theconvicts’casesarereviewedbythestate

courtsandthroughthefederalcourts．Withallthisopportunityforthecaseto

beturnedoverorthesentencetobechangeditisalmostimpossibleforan

innocentpersontobeexecuted．Onlytwopeoplehavebeenprovedinnocentafter

theirexecutionintheUnitedStates．Thesewrongfuldeathsoccurredin1918and

1949．Sincethenthejusticesystemhasundergonealotoffinetuningmaking

thisextremelyunlikelytoday.(5)Oneargumentagainstthedeathpenaltyisthat

itcostslesstoimprisonsomeoneforlifethantoexecutethem．Thisisagood

pointthathasa1otofimpactonalotofpeople’sviewsregardingcapital

punishmentsincetheyaretheonesfootingthebill．throughtaxes．Ipersonally

wouldnotmindpayingthelittlebitextrajustsoIknowforsurethatthere’s

one1essmurdereronourplanet．Ifthedeathpenaltywasdoneawaywith，

prisonerswhoshouldhavebeenexecutedwillbemixedinwithotherinmates．It

wouldbepossibleandnottoounlikelyforthemtokillanotherinmateorpossibly

aprisonguard．Ifsomeoneislinedupforexecutionthentheymorethanlikely

deserveit．Theyhavecausedagreatdealofgrieftothefamilyandfriendsof

thevictimorvictimsanditseemsliketheonlywayjusticecouldbeservedis

forthecriminaltodie.(6)Forthepersontosimplygotojailseemsunfair．There

theywilleatthreemealsaday,gettowatchcableTVandbefriendother

inmates．Theyliveaprettydecent1ifeinprisonandtheydon’tdeserveit．Out

ofthefiftystatesintheUnitedStates37haveandusecapitalpunishment．Out

ofthesamefiftystatesonly18have1ifeimprisonmentwithoutparole．Inthe

other32statesapersonwhoshould’vebeenexecutedcanbereleasedafteras

1ittleas20yearsinprison．(7)Therearecertainstandardsthatarefollowedin

givingoutcapitalpunishment．Thedefendantcannotbeinsane,andtherealor

criminalintentmustbepresent．Also，minorsveryrarelyreceivethedeath

penaltybecausetheyarenotfullymatureandmightnotknowtheconsequencesof

theiractions．Finallythementallyretardedareveryseldomexecuted．Thereason

fornotexecutingtheretardedisthattheyoftenhavedifficulty

defendingthemselvesincourt,haveproblemsrememberingdetails，locating

witnesses，andtestifyingcrediblyontheirownbehalf．(8)Ifcapitalpunishment

werecarriedoutmoreitwouldprovetobethecrimedeterrentitwaspartly

intendedtobe．Mostcriminalswouldthinktwicebeforecommittingmurderifthey

knewtheirown1ivesareatstake．Asitturnsout，asveryfewpeopleare

executed，sothedeathpenaltyisnotasatisfactorydeterrent．Duringhighly

publicizeddeathpenaltycasesthehomiciderateisfoundtogodownbutitgoes

backupwhenthecaseisover．(9)ThomasEdison，afamousscientistandAmerican

hero，helpeddevelopandextensivelypromotedtheelectricchair．Theelectric

chairwasapopularmethodofexecutionfromthe1930stothe1970s．Thedeath

penaltyisapunishmentthatwillremainactiveforalongtimeinthefuture，

evenwithallthecriticism．Itisanancientwayofdealingwithextremely

seriousoffencesthatplagueourcountrytoday．Hopefullytheappealsprocesswill

beshortened，butremaineffective，somorecriminalscanbeexecuted，

makingprospectivecriminalsthinktwice．Amethodofexecutionthatisnot

mentionedinthisarticleis______．

hanging

injection

A:

decapitation

B:

electrocution

C:

答D:案：C

19、【單選題】(1)Capitalpunishmenthasbeenineffectsincethe

1600’s．However,in1972theU．S．SupremeCourtruledthatthedeathpenaltywas

cruelandunusualpunishment，whichwasunconstitutionalaccordingtotheEighth

Amendment．Itwaspublicopinionthatthecurrentmethodsofexecution，hanging，

electrocution，andfacingafiringsquad，weretooslowandpainfulupon

thepersontobeexecuted．TheU．S．SupremeCourtreversedthisdecisionwhen

acleanerwaytobringaboutdeathwasfoundin1976．Thiscleanerwayisdeathby

lethalinjection，whichisquickandpainlessifadministeredright．(2)Many

peoplehavearguedforandagainstcapitalpunishmentsinceit

wasreinstituted．Somesaythedeathpenaltyiswhatthecriminaldeserves

whileothersobjecttoitbecausedeathisirreversible．Ifeelthedeathpenalty

isagoodformofjusticebecauseonlyabout250peopleayeargetthe

deathpenaltyandtheyareguiltybeyondadoubtanddon’tdeservelivingwith

thepossibilityofparole．(3)Thesentencingjudgeorjuryareorderedbythe

SupremeCourttolookforspecificaggravatingandmitigatingfactorsindeciding

whichconvictedmurderersshouldbesentencedtodeath．Someofthesemitigating

factorsarethedefendant’smotivation,character,personalhistory,andmostof

allremorse．Everyyearapproximately250newoffendersareaddedtodeath

row．In1994therewere2，850personsawaitingexecution．Yetnomorethan

thirty-eightpeoplehavebeenexecutedayearsince1976．Thisisaridiculously

lownumbercomparedto199personsexecutedin1935．(4)Thereasonforthisslow

executionrateistheprocessofappeals．Fromsentencingtoexecutionthereis

aboutaseven-to-eight-yearwait．Theconvicts’casesarereviewedbythestate

courtsandthroughthefederalcourts．Withallthisopportunityforthecaseto

beturnedoverorthesentencetobechangeditisalmostimpossibleforan

innocentpersontobeexecuted．Onlytwopeoplehavebeenprovedinnocentafter

theirexecutionintheUnitedStates．Thesewrongfuldeathsoccurredin1918and

1949．Sincethenthejusticesystemhasundergonealotoffinetuningmaking

thisextremelyunlikelytoday.(5)Oneargumentagainstthedeathpenaltyisthat

itcostslesstoimprisonsomeoneforlifethantoexecutethem．Thisisagood

pointthathasa1otofimpactonalotofpeople’sviewsregardingcapital

punishmentsincetheyaretheonesfootingthebill．throughtaxes．Ipersonally

wouldnotmindpayingthelittlebitextrajustsoIknowforsurethatthere’s

one1essmurdereronourplanet．Ifthedeathpenaltywasdoneawaywith，

prisonerswhoshouldhavebeenexecutedwillbemixedinwithotherinmates．It

wouldbepossibleandnottoounlikelyforthemtokillanotherinmateorpossibly

aprisonguard．Ifsomeoneislinedupforexecutionthentheymorethanlikely

deserveit．Theyhavecausedagreatdealofgrieftothefamilyandfriendsof

thevictimorvictimsanditseemsliketheonlywayjusticecouldbeservedis

forthecriminaltodie.(6)Forthepersontosimplygotojailseemsunfair．There

theywilleatthreemealsaday,gettowatchcableTVandbefriendother

inmates．Theyliveaprettydecent1ifeinprisonandtheydon’tdeserveit．Out

ofthefiftystatesintheUnitedStates37haveandusecapitalpunishment．Out

ofthesamefiftystatesonly18have1ifeimprisonmentwithoutparole．Inthe

other32statesapersonwhoshould’vebeenexecutedcanbereleasedafteras

1ittleas20yearsinprison．(7)Therearecertainstandardsthatarefollowedin

givingoutcapitalpunishment．Thedefendantcannotbeinsane,andtherealor

criminalintentmustbepresent．Also，minorsveryrarelyreceivethedeath

penaltybecausetheyarenotfullymatureandmightnotknowtheconsequencesof

theiractions．Finallythementallyretardedareveryseldomexecuted．Thereason

fornotexecutingtheretardedisthattheyoftenhavedifficulty

defendingthemselvesincourt,haveproblemsrememberingdetails，locating

witnesses，andtestifyingcrediblyontheirownbehalf．(8)Ifcapitalpunishment

werecarriedoutmoreitwouldprovetobethecrimedeterrentitwaspartly

intendedtobe．Mostcriminalswouldthinktwicebeforecommittingmurderifthey

knewtheirown1ivesareatstake．Asitturnsout，asveryfewpeopleare

executed，sothedeathpenaltyisnotasatisfactorydeterrent．Duringhighly

publicizeddeathpenaltycasesthehomiciderateisfoundtogodownbutitgoes

backupwhenthecaseisover．(9)ThomasEdison，afamousscientistandAmerican

hero，helpeddevelopandextensivelypromotedtheelectricchair．Theelectric

chairwasapopularmethodofexecutionfromthe1930stothe1970s．Thedeath

penaltyisapunishmentthatwillremainactiveforalongtimeinthefuture，

evenwithallthecriticism．Itisanancientwayofdealingwithextremely

seriousoffencesthatplagueourcountrytoday．Hopefullytheappealsprocesswill

beshortened，butremaineffective，somorecriminalscanbeexecuted，

makingprospectivecriminalsthinktwice．Whichofthefollowingisclosestin

meaningtotheword“remorse”inParagraph3?

regret

rebellion

A:

revulsion

B:

recklessness

C:

答D:案：A

20、【單選題】(1)Capitalpunishmenthasbeenineffectsincethe

1600’s．However,in1972theU．S．SupremeCourtruledthatthedeathpenaltywas

cruelandunusualpunishment，whichwasunconstitutionalaccordingtotheEighth

Amendment．Itwaspublicopinionthatthecurrentmethodsofexecution，hanging，

electrocution，andfacingafiringsquad，weretooslowandpainfulupon

thepersontobeexecuted．TheU．S．SupremeCourtreversedthisdecisionwhen

acleanerwaytobringaboutdeathwasfoundin1976．Thiscleanerwayisdeathby

lethalinjection，whichisquickandpainlessifadministeredright．(2)Many

peoplehavearguedforandagainstcapitalpunishmentsinceit

wasreinstituted．Somesaythedeathpenaltyiswhatthecriminaldeserves

whileothersobjecttoitbecausedeathisirreversible．Ifeelthedeathpenalty

isagoodformofjusticebecauseonlyabout250peopleayeargetthe

deathpenaltyandtheyareguiltybeyondadoubtanddon’tdeservelivingwith

thepossibilityofparole．(3)Thesentencingjudgeorjuryareorderedbythe

SupremeCourttolookforspecificaggravatingandmitigatingfactorsindeciding

whichconvictedmurderersshouldbesentencedtodeath．Someofthesemitigating

factorsarethedefendant’smotivation,character,personalhistory,andmostof

allremorse．Everyyearapproximately250newoffendersareaddedtodeath

row．In1994therewere2，850personsawaitingexecution．Yetnomorethan

thirty-eightpeoplehavebeenexecutedayearsince1976．Thisisaridiculously

lownumbercomparedto199personsexecutedin1935．(4)Thereasonforthisslow

executionrateistheprocessofappeals．Fromsentencingtoexecutionthereis

aboutaseven-to-eight-yearwait．Theconvicts’casesarereviewedbythestate

courtsandthroughthefederalcourts．Withallthisopportunityforthecaseto

beturnedoverorthesentencetobechangeditisalmostimpossibleforan

innocentpersontobeexecuted．Onlytwopeoplehavebeenprovedinnocentafter

theirexecutionintheUnitedStates．Thesewrongfuldeathsoccurredin1918and

1949．Sincethenthejusticesystemhasundergonealotoffinetuningmaking

thisextremelyunlikelytoday.(5)Oneargumentagainstthedeathpenaltyisthat

itcostslesstoimprisonsomeoneforlifethantoexecutethem．Thisisagood

pointthathasa1otofimpactonalotofpeople’sviewsregardingcapital

punishmentsincetheyaretheonesfootingthebill．throughtaxes．Ipersonally

wouldnotmindpayingthelittlebitextrajustsoIknowforsurethatthere’s

one1essmurdereronourplanet．Ifthedeathpenaltywasdoneawaywith，

prisonerswhoshouldhavebeenexecutedwillbemixedinwithotherinmates．It

wouldbepossibleandnottoounlikelyforthemtokillanotherinmateorpossibly

aprisonguard．Ifsomeoneislinedupforexecutionthentheymorethanlikely

deserveit．Theyhavecausedagreatdealofgrieftothefamilyandfriendsof

thevictimorvictimsanditseemsliketheonlywayjusticecouldbeservedis

forthecriminaltodie.(6)Forthepersontosimplygotojailseemsunfair．There

theywilleatthreemealsaday,gettowatchcableTVandbefriendother

inmates．Theyliveaprettydecent1ifeinprisonandtheydon’tdeserveit．Out

ofthefiftystatesintheUnitedStates37haveandusecapitalpunishment．Out

ofthesamefiftystatesonly18have1ifeimprisonmentwithoutparole．Inthe

other32statesapersonwhoshould’vebeenexecutedcanbereleasedafteras

1ittleas20yearsinprison．(7)Therearecertainstandardsthatarefollowedin

givingoutcapitalpunishment．Thedefendantcannotbeinsane,andtherealor

criminalintentmustbepresent．Also，minorsveryrarelyreceivethedeath

penaltybecausetheyarenotfullymatureandmightnotknowtheconsequencesof

theiractions．Finallythementallyretardedareveryseld