Question

A centuries-old tradition of wearing a white horse-hair wig in court ended for many judges when a simpler new dress code came into force．

While judges in criminal cases will still wear them, those in civil and family hearings will appear bare-headed in court, wearing a new-style plain black robe, the British government said．

After a long debate, the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Philips, head of the judiciary(司法部) in England and Wales, finally ordered the changes in an attempt to modernize the courts．

Wigs have been an emblem(象征) of the British legal system since the 17th century when the fashion for wearing them in wider society went through to the courts．For hundreds of years before the reign(统治)of Charles II, judges and lawyers were expected to come to court with short hair and a beard．

The decision to abandon wigs has disappointed traditionalists who argue that they give judges an air of authority and impartiality．Wigs could also protect them from angry members of the public．John Mortimer, the barrister and author of the “Rumpole of the Bailey” books, opposed the changes．“The idea’s ridiculous! A barrister without his wig would be like a doctor without a stethoscope（听诊器）,” he wrote in a newspaper article when the changes were first proposed．

However, modernists argue that wigs are a hangover from the past that could intimidate people in court．In a newspaper interview, Lord Phillips described wigs as an anachronism（不合时宜之物）that gave the public a false impression of judges．

A Ministry of Justice survey last year found 70 percent of court workers wanted to keep wigs, compared to 42 percent of the public．

1．The reasons why wigs should be kept are the following EXCEPT________．

A．to build up the fair image of the judges．

B．to keep the judges from the harm from the audience．

C．to make the audience fear the judges．

D．to symbolize justice．

2．According to the British government, wigs will still be worn in ________．

A．murder cases         B．divorce cases           C．property cases D．real estate cases

3．The underlined word ‘intimidate’ in Paragraph 4 means ________．

A．frightened             B．dissatisfied            C．amused                 D．annoyed

4．Based on the article, which of the following inferences is TRUE?

A．Wearing wigs were very popular in the 17th century in Britain．

B．A stethoscope to a doctor is what a wig to a traditionalist．

C．The courts started the fashion of wearing wigs．

D．Many people favor the wigs for the judges．

5．The article is mainly about _________．

A．the difficulty in abandoning wigs in court．

B．the history of wearing wigs and the end of it．

C．abandoning wigs for many judges and the debate caused by it．

D．the opinion of the public and court workers on abandoning wigs．

Answer 1

【小题1】D

【小题2】A

【小题3】A

【小题4】A

【小题5】C