阅读教程四重要文章.docx

阅读教程四重要文章.docx

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阅读教程四重要文章

阅读教程四重要文章

UnitoneAnimalsandtheirrights

Reading1AnimalLiberation

Ourattitudestoanimalsbegintoformwhenweareveryyoung,andtheyaredominatedbythefactthatwebegintoeatmeatatanearlyage.Interestinglyenough,manychildrenatfirstrefusetoeatanimalflesh,andonlybecomeaccustomedtoitafterstrenuouseffortsbytheirparents,whomistakenlybelievethatitisnecessaryforgoodhealth.Whateverthechild’sinitialreaction,though,thepointtonoticeisthatweeatanimalfleshlongbeforewearecapableofunderstandingwhatweeatisthedeadbodyofananimal.Thuswenevermakeaconscious,informeddecision,freefromthebiasthataccompaniesanylong-establishedhabit,reinforcedbyallthepressuresofsocialconformity,toeatanimalflesh.Atthesametimechildrenhaveanaturalloveofanimals,andoursocietyencouragesthemtobeaffectionatetowardspetsandcuddly,stuffedtoyanimals.Formthesefactsstemsthemostdistinctivecharacteristicoftheattitudeofchildreninoursocietytoanimals—namely,thatthereisnotoneunifiedattitudetoanimals,buttwoconflictingattitudesthatcoexistinoneindividual,carefullysegregatedsothattheinherentcontradictionbetweenthemrarelycausestrouble.

Notsolongagochildrenwerebroughtuponfairytalesinwhichanimals,especiallywolves,werepicturedascunningenemiesofman.Acharacteristichappyendingwouldleavethewolfdrowninginapond,weigheddownbystoneswhichtheingeniousherohadsewninitsbellywhileitwasasleep.Andincasechildrenmissedtheimplicationsofthesestoriestheycouldalljoinhandsandsinganurseryrhymelike:

“Threeblindmice,seehowtheyrun!

Theyallranafterthefarmer’swife

Whocutofftheirtailswithacarvingknife.

Didyoueverseesuchathinginyourlife

Asthreeblindmice”

Forchildrenbroughtuponthesestoriesandrhymestherewasnoinconsistencybetweenwhattheyweretaughtandwhattheyare.Today,howeversuchstorieshavegoneoutoffashion,andonthesurfaceallissweetnessandlight,sofaraschildren’sattitudestoanimalsareconcerned.Therebyaproblemhasarisen:

whatabouttheanimalsweeat

Oneresponsetothisproblemissimpleevasion.Thechild’saffectionforanimalsisdirectedtowardsanimalsthatarenoteaten:

dogs,catsandotherpets.Therearetheanimalsthatanurbanorsuburbanchildismostlikelytosee.Cuddly,stuffedtoyanimalsaremorelikelytobebarsorlionsthanpigsorcows.Whenfarmanimalsarementionedinpicturebooksandstories,however,evasionmaybecomeadeliberateattempttomisleadthechildaboutthenatureofmodernfarms,andsoscreenhimformreality.AnexampleofthisisthepopularHallmarkbookFarmAnimalswhichpresentsthechildwithpicturesofhens,turkeys,cowsandpigs,allsurroundedbytheiryoung,withnotacage,shedorstallinsight.Thetexttellsusthatpigs“enjoyagoodmeal,thenrollinthemudandletoutasqueal!

”while“Cowsdon’thaveathingtodo,butswitchtheirtails,eatgrassandmoo.”Britishbooks,likeTheFarminthebestsellingLadybirdseries,coveythesameimpressionofruralsimplicity,showingthehenrunningfreelyinanorchardwithherchicks,andalltheotheranimalslivingwiththeiroffspringinspaciousquarters.Withthiskindofearlyreadingitisnotsurprisingthatchildrengrowupbelievingthatevenifanimals“must”dietoprovidehumanbeingswithfood,theylivehappilyuntilthattimecomes.

Recognizingtheimportanceoftheattitudeweformwhenyoung,theWomen’sLiberationmovementhassuggestedchangesinthestorieswereadtoourchildren.Theywantbraveprincessestorescuehelplessprincesoccasionally.Toalterthestoriesaboutanimalsthatwerealtoourchildrenwillnotbeeasy,sincecrueltyisnotanidealsubjectforchildren’sstories.Yetitshouldbepossibletoavoidthemoregruesomedetails,andstillgivechildrenpicturebooksandstoriesthatencouragerespectforanimalsasindependentbeings,andnotascutelittleobjectsthatexistforouramusementandtables;andaschildrengrowolder,theycanbemadeawarethatmostanimalsliveunderconditionsthatarenotverypleasant.Thedifficultywillbethatnon-vegetarianparentsaregoingtobereluctanttolettheirchildrenlearnthefullstory,forfearthatthechild’saffectionforanimalsmaydisruptfamilymeals.Evennow,onefrequentlyhearsthat,onlearningthatanimalsarekilledtoprovidemeat,afriend’schildhasrefusedtoeatmeat.Unfortunatelythisinstinctiverebellionislikelytomeetstrongresistancefromnon-vegetarianparents,andmostchildrenareunabletokeeptheirrefusalinthefaceofoppositionfromparentswhoprovidetheirmealsandtellthemthattheywillnotgrowupbigandstrongwithoutmeat.Onehopes,asknowledgeofnutritionspreads,moreparentswillrealizethatonthisissuetheirchildrenmaybewiserthantheyare.

UnittwoCrimeandPunishment

ReadingoneTheDeathPenaltyintheUnitedState:

OldEnoughtoKill,OldEnoughtoDie

IntheUnitedStates,37statescurrentlyallowcapitalpunishmentforseriouscrimessuchasmurder.Americanshavealwaysarguedaboutthedeathpenalty.Today,thereisaseriousquestionaboutthisissue:

ShouldtherebeaminimumagelimitforexecutingcriminalsInotherwords,isitrightforconvictedmurdererswhokillwhentheyareminors,.,undertheageof18,toreceivethedeathpenaltyInmostcountriesoftheworld,thereisnocapitalpunishmentforminors.IntheUnitedStates,though,eachstatemakesitsowndecision.Ofthe37statesthatallowthedeathpenalty,30permittheexecutionofminors.

InthestateofSouthCarolina,aconvictedmurdererwasgiventhedeathpenaltyforacrimehecommittedwhilehewasaminor.In1977,whenhewas17yearsold,JamesTerryRoachandtwofriendsbrutallymurderedthreepeople.Roach’slawyerfoughtthedecisiontoexecutehim.Theyoungmurdererremainedondeathrow（aseparatepartofprisonforconvictedcriminalswhoaresentencedtodie）fortenyearswhilehislawyerappealedtothegovernor.Thelawyerarguedthatitiswrongtoexecuteapersonforacrimecommittedwhilehewasaminor.IntheUnitedStates,thegovernorofastatehasthepowertochangeasentencefromthedeathpenaltytolifeinprison.Nonetheless,thegovernorofSouthCarolinarefusedtostoptheexecution.Roachwasfinallyexecutedbyelectrocutionin1986.ThisisnotthefirsttimeaminorwasexecutedinSouthCarolina.In1944,a14-year-oldboydiedinthatstate’selectricchair.

InIndiana,a16-year-oldgirlisondeathrowforacrimeshecommittedwhenshewas15.PaulaCooperandthreefriendsstabbedanelderlywomantodeath.Theyrobbedtheoldwomantogetmoneytoplayvideogames.Cooper’slawyerhasappealedtothegovernorofIndianatostoptheexecutionbecausetheconvictedkillerisveryyoungandbecauseshewasabusedinchildhood.TheIndianagovernor,whofavorsthedeathpenalty,saidthathemustletthecourtstodotheirjob.Surprisingly,thegrandsonofthemurderedwomanagreeswiththegirl’slawyer.Adeeplyreligiousman,thegrandsonopposestheexecution,too,andwritestohisgrandmother’smurdererinprisononaregularbasis.

Althoughnoonebelievesthateitherofthesekillersdeservessympathy,somepeoplebelievethatcapitalpunishmentistoosevereforconvictedmurderswhoareminors.Theyfeelthatitiswrongtotreatminorsthesameasadultsinthesecase.Opponentsofthedeathpenaltyingeneralthinkitiswrongtotakeonelifeforanther.Theyarguethatcapitalpunishmentdoesnotprotectthevictimorthevictim’sfamily.Opponentsalsosuggestthatoccasionallyinnocentpeoplemaybeexecutedforcrimestheydidnotcommit.

Ontheotherhand,peoplewhoagreewiththedeathpenaltyarguethatitpreventsrepeatcrimesand,therefore,futurevictims.Theseproponentsofcapitalpunishmentbelievethatfearofthedeathpenaltydeterscrime.Thatis,fewerpeoplewillcommitmurderbecausetheyfearthedeathpenalty.

Thelawsconcerningcapitalpunishmentarechangingeveryday.Recently,Indianaraiseditsminimumagelimitforthedeathpenaltyto16.Beforethat,theagelimitinthatstatewas10.Perhapsotherstateswillchangetheirlawsinthefuture,butinthemeantime,thecontroversycontinues.

UnitthreeGunOwnershipandCensorship

Readingthree:

ArmingMyselfwithaGunIsNottheAnswer

Whenmyfatherdied15yearsago,mybrotherandIinheritedtheoldMidwesternfarmhouseourgrandparentshadpurchasedinthe1930s.IwastheonewhodecidedtogiveupmyharriedexistenceasateacherinNewYorkCityandmakealifeinthisidyllicvillage,population350,innorthernMichigan.

Afull-timejobintheEnglishdepartmentofanearbycollegequicklyfollowed.Isettledintosmall-townlife,charmedbyacommunitywhereyourneighborsarealsoyourfriendsandnooneworriesaboutlockingadoor.EventuallyIforgotaboutthebig-citystressofcrowds,noiseandcrime.

Ifeltsafeenoughtokeepmyphonenumberlistedsocolleaguesandstudentscouldreachmeafterhours.IwastotallyunpreparedwhenIreturnedhomeoneeveningtoanansweringmachinefilledwithincoherentandhorriblythreateningmessages.Icouldidentifythevoice—itbelongedtoaformerstudentofmine.Shockedandfrightened,Icalled911,andanofficerarrivedintimetopickupthephoneandhearthemanthreatentorapeandkillme.Thecoprecognizedthecallerasthestalkerinasimilarincidentthathadbeenreportedafewyearsbefore,andimmediatelyrushedmeoutofthehouse.Isoonlearnedthatmywould-beassailanthadbeenarrested,accordingtopolice,drunk,armedwitha19-inchdouble-edgedknif