Question

13．"If we can set it up so you can't unlock your phone unless you've got the right fingerprint（指纹），"Barack Obama asked last Tuesday，"why can't we do the same thing for our guns？"For this reasonable-sounding question，the president was praised throughout the media．
As it happens，though，there is a good answer to this question：there is no market for guns that work just some of the time．Guns are simple things designed to operate as easily and reliably as possible．The introduction of electronics eats away this simplicity，and to a degree that is absolutely unacceptable to the consumer．As President Obama well knows，the fingerprint software on his phone works rather erratically：Often it takes a user two or three tries to log in； occasionally，it falls asleep deeply and obeys the password．When this happens on an phone，the user is mildly inconvenienced．If this were to happen on a gun，the user would be dead．There is a reason that modern smartphones put the camera function outside of the authentication（认证） process．
How could we possibly think that guns are the same as other commercial products？It is true that，say，cars have become considerably safer over the last few decades； true，too，that"research"has contributed to this improvement．But it matters enormously that a car is not intended to hurt people，and that in a perfect world nobody would ever be injured by one．Can we say the same of guns？Of course not．Guns are killing machines，designed to do damage to living things．In fact，they have no other purpose．As such，the salient（突出的） question before any free people is not"are guns dangerous？"they are，but"who gets them，and why？"
This is not to say that nothing at all can be done to improve public safety．On an individual level，gun owners should do everything to ensure that their guns are kept away from children，and，where possible，they should train themselves in case they are ever called upon to shoot in anger．At the national level，the combination of better policing and economic growth can help to reduce crime-and，indeed，it has．In 1993，gun crime was more than twice as common as it is now，and there were fewer guns in circulation．Unpleasant as it is in its own right，that we have reached the point at which two-thirds of all guns-related deaths are deliberately self-inflicted （自虐） is a small victory．
How to deal with those deaths that remain？That is a tricky one．I do not know the answer，and nor，frankly，does anybody else．But selling fantasies to the ignorant is not going to cut it．
29．What does the writer mainly argue in this passage？B
A．Gun crime has been greatly reduced．
B．The idea of smart guns is not realistic．
C．Gun control will not succeed in America．
D．Guns-related deaths deserve public attention．
30．The underlined word"erratically"in Paragraph 2 probably meansC．
A．with effectiveness                                  
B．with passion and energy
C．in an unpredictable manner                     
D．in a reasonable and fair way
31．The writer supports his ideas in Paragraphs 2 and 3 mainly byD．
A．analyzing statistics（数据）                         
B．presenting problems and solutions
C．quoting the authorities（引用权威）           
D．making comparisons and contrasts
32．Which of the following might the writer NOT agree with？A
A．Few know how to deal with guns-related deaths．
B．Efforts to improve public safety have partly paid off．
C．The nature of guns makes them different from other products．
D．Guns using fingerprint software can risk the lives of the users．

Answer 1

分析 奥巴马提出使用指纹识别技术来控制枪支，作者在本文中对于这一做法提出自己的观点，认为这一建议并不实用．

解答 BCDA
29．B 推理判断题．根据第二段Often it takes a user two or three tries to log in； occasionally，it falls asleep deeply and obeys the password．When this happens on an phone，the user is mildly inconvenienced．If this were to happen on a gun，the user would be dead．如果指纹识别技术有时候会失灵，要多次尝试，不会给人带来生命危险．但是如果控制枪支的识别技巧出现了问题，就会导致人们死亡．可知作者认为通过指纹智能控制枪支的做法并不现实．故B正确．
30．C 词义猜测题．根据划线词后一句Often it takes a user two or three tries to log in； occasionally，it falls asleep deeply and obeys the password．有时候手机用户会多次尝试指纹识别才能使用手机，有时候手机还会死机，需要使用密码开机．也就是说指纹识别的方法有难以预测的问题．所以该词指C项含义．
31．D 写作手法题．作者在第二段中把指纹识别使用手机的方法与控制枪支的进行对比和比较，提出奥巴马的建议并不实用．故D正确．
32．A 细节理解题．根据第二段Guns are simple things designed to operate as easily and reliably as possible．The introduction of electronics eats away this simplicity，and to a degree that is absolutely unacceptable to the consumer．可知C项说法正确．根据第二段When this happens on an phone，the user is mildly inconvenienced．If this were to happen on a gun，the user would be dead可知D项正确；根据倒数第二段In 1993，gun crime was more than twice as common as it is now，and there were fewer guns in circulation．可知B项正确；根据最后一句But selling fantasies to the ignorant is not going to cut it．可知不要把枪卖给那些对于使用枪支无知的人是控枪很重要的方法，这也是很多人都知道的．故A项说法错误．

点评 英语写作是一项主观性较强的测试题．它不仅考查学生的写作基础而且还考查学生在写作过程中综合运用语言的能力．在撰写时要注意主谓语一致，时态呼应，用词贴切等．要提高英语写作水平，需要两方面的训练：一是语言基础方面的训练，要有扎实的造句、翻译等基本功，即用词法、句法等知识造出正确无误的句子；二是写作知识和能力 方面的训练以掌握写作方面的基本方法和技巧．