Questions are based on the following passage. Every so often there a-考呗网题库移动版

单选题 Questions are based on the following passage.
Every so often there appears to be a turning point in the debate over guns in America. The latest came in December, when 20 children and six staff were shot to death at a school in New own,Connecticut. "We can't tolerate this any more," said Barack Obama shortly afterwards. "These tragedies must end. And to end them, we must change." Americans seemed to agree. Polls showed increased support for stricter gun laws in the aftermath (后果，余波) of the shooting. But as the months passed, that enthusiasm waned.
Sensing this, in March Democrats (美国民主党人) in the Senate introduced only a modest bill that contained few of the big restrictions first sought by gun-control advocates and by the administration. It aimed to toughen penalties for illegal gun sales and increase funding for school-safety programmes. Most important, it would have expanded the use of background checks, which are meant to keep unfit people, like criminals and the mentally-ill, from acquiring guns. Under current law, such checks are required only for sales handled by a licensed reseller. The bill would have extended the requirement to all purchases.
Although immensely popular, this was poison to many Republican legislators, who do not like the idea of government interference in private sales. So a compromise was hashed out between two pro-gun senators -- Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, and Patrick Toomey, a Republican from Pennsylvania -- that focused only on extending the checks to sales at gun shows and online.
In the end, even that proved too ambitious. Despite having once supported more background checks, the National Rifle Association threatened senators with electoral retribution (严厉的惩罚)if they backed "Obama's gun ban". Some appeared cowed. Early signs of support quickly faded, and on April 17th the Democrats failed to acquire the 60 votes needed to pass the background-check compromise, derailing their push for stricter gun laws.
Short memories cannot be blamed for the defeat. Democrats ceaselessly summoned the victims of Newtown and other gun violence during the debate. But far from swaying the 41 Republicans and four Democrats who blocked the measure, the strategy dismayed some. When the family members of victims showed up in Washington, Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, called them the,president's "props （道具）"
Mr Paul and others noted that the background-check proposal would not have stopped Adam Lanza, the shooter in Newtown, who had used his mother's legally-obtained guns to carry out his massacre. This is true, but proposals that would have taken some of the firepower out of Lanza's hands won even less support. Bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines did not even win a majority of votes in the Democrat-controlled Senate. The measure that came closest to passing this week would have made it easier to carry a concealed weapon.
"All in all, this was a pretty shameful day for Washington," said Mr Obama. He and his fellow Democrats vowed to continue to pursue tougher gun laws, but their way forward is now unclear. If a tragedy like Newtown cannot motivate support for even modest reforms, nothing will.
What did polls on guns show after the shooting in Newtown?

A．People think guns should be sold at gun shows and online.
B．More people support stricter gun laws.
C．People's enthusiasm about gun control waned.
D．Few people like government interference in private gun sales.

参考答案B

解析: 本文主要讲述了美国新城校园枪击事件引发的又一次对枪支问题的讨论。第1段指出美国新城校园枪击事件使得奥巴马和美国民众认为必须严格规范枪支法律。第2段讲述民主党人出台了一个法案，旨在将背景审查的范围扩大至枪支销售的所有渠道，而共和党人想将此范围限制在枪支展览和在线销售上。第3～6段指出，民主党和共和党的相关人士提出了折中方案，但该方案最终也没能成功，并说明原因和不支持者的看法。第7段总结指出奥巴马及民主党人立志严格规范枪支法律。
在美国，关于枪支问题的讨论总会时不时出现一些转折点。最近一次转折是在12月，康涅狄格州新城的20名儿童和6名员工在学校里被射杀。“我们不能再坐视不管了”，奥巴马随后很快说道。“这些悲剧必须结束。但是要结束，我们必须作出改变。”美国人似乎赞成此说法。【51】民意调查显示在枪击案发生后的一段时间里支持更严格的枪支法律的人数增加。但是几个月后，民众的热情消退了。
考虑到这一情况，参议院的民主党在3月份只提出了一个较宽松的法案。该法案几乎没有涵盖枪支管理倡导者和行政机构一开始提出的几项大的限制。该法案旨在加强对非法枪支销售的处罚力度和增加学校安全项目的资金、【52】最重要的是，该法案会扩大背景审查的范围，这是为了避免例如罪犯和患精神疾病的人之类的不适宜人群获得枪支：[53]根据现行法律，只有从授权的经销商那里购买枪支才需要进行背景审查。该法案会将背景审查扩大到整个销售环节．
尽管这个法案极受欢迎，但对许多共和党立法者来说却像是一剂毒药，他们不愿意政府干涉枪支的私人销售。因此，来自西弗吉尼亚州的民主党人乔·曼钦和宾夕法尼亚州的共和党人帕特里克·图米这两个支持拥有枪支的参议员想出一个折中的办法——背景检查只集中在枪展销售和在线销售上。
最后，即便是这样的法案也被认为要求过高。虽然全国步枪协会曾经支持扩大背景审查范围，但他们威胁参议员不要支持“奥巴马的枪支禁令”，否则选举时会受到惩罚。一些参议员已经被吓到，早期支持禁枪的迹象迅速消退。[54] 4月17日，民主党人未能获得所需要的60票通过枪支背景审查折中办法，无法推动建立更严格的枪支法律。
人们对于灾难的短暂记忆不能被指责为失败的原因。在辩论中，民主党人不停地召唤新城以及其他枪支暴力事件的受害者，但依然丝毫不能动摇阻止该举措的41位共和党人以及4名民主党人，这样的战术让人有些失望。当受害者的家属出现在华盛顿时，一位肯塔基州的共和党人兰德·保罗称他们为总统的“道具”。
【55】保罗先生和其他人指出，背景审查的提议可能也无法阻止新城枪击案的凶手亚当·兰扎，他实施大屠杀用的是他母亲依法取得的枪支：这是真的，但能减少类似兰扎这样的枪击案件的提议获得的支持更少。攻击性武器和高容量弹匣的禁令甚至没有在民主党控制的参议院赢得多数选票。本周马上要出台的措施将使得携带隐蔽武器变得更容易?
“总之，对于华盛顿来说这是非常耻辱的一天，”奥巴马说。他和他的民主党同僚发誓要继续推行更严格的枪支管制法律，但前进的道路尚不明朗如果连像新城那样的悲剧都不能激励适度改革，那就没有什么事情能激发改革了.
【定位】根据题干中的polls将本题出处定位于第1段倒数第2句。
【解析】B.。第1段倒数第2句指出，民意调查显示，在枪击案发生后支持更严格的枪支法律的人数增加，由此可见，更多的人支持更严格的枪支法律，故答案为B.。A.是根据第3段最后一句设置的干扰。C.(几个月后，民众的热情消退了。)不是民意调查的结果。D.是根据第3段第1句设置的干扰，是共和党立法者的态度，不是民意调查的结果?

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单选题 What is most important about the modest bill introduced in March?

A．Its aim to toughen penalties for illegal gun sales.
B．Its expansion of the requirement of background checks in gun purchases.
C．Its increase of funding for school-safety programmes.
D．Its restrictions sought by advocates and administration.

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单选题 According to the current law, what kind of gun sales must undergo background checks?

A．Gun sales online.
B．Gun sales at gun shows.
C．Gun sales to unfit people.
D．Gun sales handled by a licensed reseller.

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单选题 The background-check compromise was not passed because the Democrats _________.

A．failed to get enough votes
B．called the victims the president's "props"
C．summoned the victims of the tragedy
D．swayed the 41 Republicans who blocked the measure

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