2018年可锐考研英语阅读精选及讲解

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2018年可锐考研英语阅读精选及讲解（六）

Every time Americans tune into local news broadcasts or read daily papers，they are likely to be

shocked at the increasing number of serious crimes committed by youths who are only sixteen

years old or even younger.It is sometimes difficult to imagine these youngsters behaving like

hardened criminals，but statistics continually prove that their crimes are often just as brutal as

those committed by their adult counterparts.Inevitably，people begin questioning how successful

the juvenile justice system is in reforming these youths and debating whether violent juveniles

should be tried as adults in our legal system.I feel there is no question that juveniles convicted of

serious crimes should face the same consequences as adults. While the teenage

population in the United States has declined over the past decade，violent crimes committed by

juveniles have sharply increased.It is common knowledge that the youth murder-arrest rate has

climbed dramatically.Examples of teen crime are vivid and terrifying.Newspapers and television

frequently report that youths with no apparent motives have shot and killed other people.The

effect on both families and society is large. Despite the increase in serious crimes

committed by young offenders，the punishment which juveniles receive has traditionally almost

never fit the severity of the crimes.Since the system has historically viewed children as not being

fully developed，physically or mentally，it has prevented them from being held accountable for

their wrongdoing.Although many of these“children”commit horrible crimes，they have been

routinely treated as victims of society.Until very recently，1ighter sentences and court

proceedings have been the norm.The message they sent to serious juvenile criminals is that

crime “pays” because there are no serious consequences for their actions.When the system

lacks an element of fear，there is nothing to prevent youthful offenders from committing future

crimes.The current trend of assigning adult sentences to youths who commit serious crimes is

absolutely just if the punishment is to fit the crime. Most pro-rehabilitation advocates

argue that juvenile criminals are completely different from adult ones and should，therefore，be

treated differently in the justice system.However，the cost to society is the same regardless of the

age of the criminal.What comfort does it give to the family of a killed or injured victim that the

person who killed or hurt their loved one was a minor? Families suffer no less because their

relatives are shot by young offenders.Instead of treating the loser who murders innocent people

like a victim of society，this person should be treated like any other person who victimizes society

and causes pain to individuals and communities. Tougher measures must be taken to

combat this growing problem of juvenile crime.In today‘s society，too many juveniles count on

light sentences given by the juvenile justice wyers can help a vicious criminal receive a

short sentence，and return to the streets to commit more crimes.When there are no harsh

consequences of being caught，committing crimes can be perceived as having positive benefits.As

a result，juveniles are continuing to become more violent and 1ess concerned with the value of

human life. Rehabilitation，recommended by many as the solution to juvenile crime，should be directed only towards youths who have committed minor offenses.However，the

juveniles who commit serious crimes should be tried as adults.A message has to be sent that we

will no longer tolerate brutal crimes simply because of the age of the criminal.These youths must

be held completely accountable for their crimes，suffering harsh consequences and ultimately

realizing that they are no longer protected by the law.

1.It can be inferred that juvenile criminals are those____. [A]who are under the age of 16 可锐教育官网

years old [B]who are not accountable for the crimes they commit [C]who can not

tell major crimes from minor crimes [D]who are more likely to become victims of the

society

2.That violent juvenile crimes are on the rise is manifested by the fact that____.

[A]penalty for juvenile criminals is becoming more and more serious [B]the society can

no longer tolerate juvenile crimes [C]youth murder-arrest rate has dramatically increased

[D]the young population has increased in the last ten years

3.The reason why young people are becoming increasingly violent is that____. [A]the

older they become，the stronger they are [B]they receive lighter punishment than they