Question

【題目】 The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States. Let’s meet some of the great women who have left their mark on the country’s highest court.

Margaret Brent

In the early years of our nation, women were generally prevented from practicing law. However, there were some exceptions. One such exception was Margaret Brent, who settled in Maryland with her sisters in 1638 and became a wealthy landowner. Brent appeared before courts several times to file lawsuits( 訴 訟 ) against people who owed her money.

Lucy Terry Prince

Lucy was well -known for her skills as a public speaker, and in 1796 she became the first black woman in America to argue before a Supreme Court justice. The case arose from a land dispute, and Lucy argued against two leading lawyers. Chief Justice Samuel Chase , who oversaw the case, said that Prince “made a better argument than he had ever heard from a lawyer in Vermont.”

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1933, Ginsburg attended Cornell University and Columbia Law School. Between 1972 and 1978, she argued six cases before the Supreme Court concerning laws that kept women out of certain occupations. She won five of them. In the spring of 1993, Justice Byron White retired from the Supreme Court. President Bill Clinton then picked Ginsburg to be his replacement.

Myra Bradwell

In 1872, the Illinois Supreme Court denied Myra Bradwell’s admission to the Illinois Bar despite the fact that she had passed the state bar exam. Bradwell then asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn(撤銷) the Illinois court’s decision. Unfortunately for Bradwell, the tables weren’t turned. The Supreme Court claimed that there was nothing unconstitutional about denying a woman the chance to practice as a lawyer.

【1】Which of the following describes Margaret Brent?

A.Brave and determinedB.Generous and friendly

C.Considerate and optimisticD.Traditional and scholarly

【2】What was Samuel Chase’s attitude to Lucy’s argument?

A.FavorableB.Uncaring

C.DoubtfulD.Grateful

【3】Who served on the Supreme Court?

A.MargaretB.Myra Bradwell

C.Lucy Terry PrinceD.Ruth Bader Ginsburg

【4】What does the author mean by the underlined sentence in the text?

A.Bradwell failed the state bar examB.Bradwell’s request was unconstitutional.

C.The Illinois Supreme Court broke the law.D.The Supreme Court ruled against Bradwell.

【5】What does the underlined word “denied” mean?

A.Liked.B.Refused

C.IntroducedD.Worried

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】A

【2】A

【3】D

【4】D

【5】B

【解析】

這是一篇說明文。本文主要介紹了四個在最高法庭留下名聲的偉大女人。

【1】推理判斷題。根據(jù)第二段中的“In the early years of our nation, women were generally prevented from practicing law.”及“Brent appeared before courts several times to file lawsuits against people who owed her money.”可知, Brent在女人不得從事法律工作的時期多次出庭，對欠她錢的人提起訴訟。由此可知Brent勇敢且堅定。故選A項。

【2】推理判斷題。根據(jù)第三段中的Samuel Chase說的話“made a better argument than he had ever heard from a lawyer in Vermont”，由a better argument than可知，提出的理由比他從佛蒙特州的律師那里聽到的任何理由都要充分。由此推斷出Samuel Chase對于Lucy的辯論是贊同的。故選A項。

【3】細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第四段“In the spring of 1993, Justice Byron White retired from the Supreme Court. President Bill Clinton then picked Ginsburg to be his replacement.”可知Ginsburg接替拜倫·懷特法官在最高法院的職位。故選D項。

【4】詞句猜測題。根據(jù)前兩句“In 1872, the Illinois Supreme Court denied Myra Bradwell’s admission to the Illinois Bar despite the fact that she had passed the state bar exam. Bradwell then asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the Illinois court’s decision.”（ 1872年，盡管Myra Bradwell通過了州律師考試，但伊利諾伊州最高法院還是拒絕了她進入伊利諾伊州律師協(xié)會。Bradwell隨后要求美國最高法院推翻伊利諾斯法院的裁決。）及劃線單詞Unfortunately for Bradwell可知，美國最高法院不支持Myra Bradwell。故選D項。

【5】詞句猜測題。根據(jù)“despite the fact that she had passed the state bar exam”，由“despite”可知此處是對比關系，即盡管Myra Bradwell通過了州律師考試，但是伊利諾伊州最高法院還是拒絕了她進入伊利諾伊州律師協(xié)會。因此猜測出“denied”意為拒絕。故選B項。

詞句猜測題包括詞義猜測和句意猜測兩類，詞義又包括單詞和短語意義的猜測。對詞義考查主要有對生詞詞義的推測和對熟詞生義的推測或是在特定場合下的理解。

技巧之一：根據(jù)對比關系猜測詞義

表示對比關系的有標志詞有unlike; not; while; on the other hand; in spite of; despite; in contrast等。如第5小題由“despite”可知此處是對比關系，即盡管Myra Bradwell通過了州律師考試，但是伊利諾伊州最高法院還是拒絕了她進入伊利諾伊州律師協(xié)會。因此猜測出“denied”意為拒絕。故選B項。