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1、UNIT THIRTEENTEXT ONEOn Tuesday afternoon, as news about the Virginia Tech murders filtered out, the staff of a hamburger restaurant in downtown Austin gathered in front of a television suspended over the bar. A boyish-looking waiter speculated that if the gunman had really used a 9mm handgun, he mu
2、st have had an accomplice. That handgun can hold a fair number of bullets, he said, but the gunman would have had to stop to reload.It is not unusual for a Texan to be casually conversant about firearms. A state resident does not need a permit to buy a gun and guns do not have to be registered. Poli
3、ce are, as a result, not sure how many guns there are in the state. But the number is substantial. In a 2001 poll by the Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, 36% of respondents said that their household had at least one.The states gun laws are lax, and becoming more so all the time. In March
4、 Governor Rick Perry signed a bill into law that gives increased discretion to open fire. Previously, Texans were justified in killing someone only if “a reasonable person in the actors situation would not have retreated”. The new law, which takes effect in September, eliminates the need for escape
5、attempts. It assumes that the otherwise law-abiding citizen had a good reason for standing their ground. It also gives shooters immunity from civil suits.The law has plenty of critics. Law-enforcement officials say the duty to retreat saves lives because it discourages people from escalating conflic
6、ts. The new law seems to protect hysterical trigger-fingers who feel themselves genuinely threatened when no real threat exists. The law was probably not necessary anyway. There is no carjacking crisis in the state. And juries have never been sticklers about the duty to retreat. There is widespread
7、sympathy for the idea that, as Oliver Wendell Holmes put it in 1921, “Detached reflection cannot be demanded in the presence of an uplifted knife.”Still, the bill flew through the legislature with broad support. In a way, it simply marks a return to form for the state. Texas did not acknowledge a du
8、ty to retreat until 1973. And Texas is just the 16th state to pass such legislation since Florida did so in 2005. Floridas law goes even further, as it presumes that any cat burglar has murderous intent.Texans largely support gun ownership, despite the fact that the state has experienced mass murder
9、s of its own. In 1966 Charles Whitman, a student at the University of Texas at Austin, shot almost 50 passers-by from the top of the campus clock-tower. Sixteen died. And in 1991 George Hennard drove his truck into a restaurant in the small town of Killeen, where he killed 23 patrons before killing
10、himself. Before this week, those episodes were, respectively, the deadliest campus shooting and the worst mass shooting in Americas history.1. The waiter speculated that the murderer must have had an accomplice because_A the murderer was too young to commit such a serious murder by himself.B the mur
11、derer need an aid to reload bullets for him. C the murderer need someone to carry the weapon for him.D the murderer was instigated by some behind the curtain.2. Which one of the following statements is TRUE of the bill signed by the governer? A The bill could better safeguard the law-abiding citizen
12、.B The bill will encourage people to use guns more frequently.C The bill will make the gun laws of Texas more lax.D The bill will prevent gun owners from all civil suits. 3.Towards the new gun law of Texas, the law-enforcement officials attitude can be said to be_A supportive.B opposing.C indifferen
13、t. D unclear.4. The idea conveyed by Oliver Wendell Holmes statement is _A that people will naturally resist when feeling threatened.B that people will need to protect themselves when facing crisis.C that people naturally feel threatened even there is no real danger.D that people will retreat when f
14、ounding the danger.5. Which one of the following is TRUE of Texas law? A Texas is the 16th state to pass the duty to retreat through the legislature.B Texas new law won broad support from gun owners. C Floridas law goes too far away when compared with the new law of Texas. DThe new law was passed qu
15、ite smoothly.文章剖析：这篇文章讲述了德克萨斯州的枪支法律。第一段由一条新闻说明了德州人对枪支的熟悉程度；第二段讲述德州枪支拥有的情况；第三、四段讲述德州一项新的枪支法律使得该州的枪支法更为宽松；第五段讲述虽然之前有许多枪杀惨案，但是德州仍然支持强制合法。词汇注释：conversant adj. 熟悉的discretion n. 行动的自由hysterical adj. 异常兴奋的stickler n. 坚持己见的人难句突破：(1) On Tuesday afternoon, as news about the Virginia Tech murders filtered out,
16、 the staff of a hamburger restaurant in downtown Austin gathered in front of a television suspended over the bar.主体句式 The staff gathered in front of结构分析 这是一个复合句，as引导的时间状语从句做句子的状语；后面suspended 是television的定语。句子译文 星期二下午，关于弗吉尼亚科技学院杀人案的消息传开后，奥斯汀市区一家汉堡包餐厅的员工聚集在吧台上方的电视机前。(2) There is widespread sympathy for the idea that, as Oliver Wendell H
