Section I: Use of English

Directions: Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on the ANSWER SHEET. (10 points)

The ethical judgments of the Supreme Court justices have become an important issue recently. The court cannot [1] its legitimacy as guardian of the rule of law [2] justices behave like politicians. Yet, in several instances, justices acted in ways that [3] the court’s reputation for being independent and impartial.

Justice Antonin Scalia, for example, appeared at political events. That kind of activity makes it less likely that the court’s decisions will be [4] as impartial judgments. Part of the problem is that the justices are not [5] by an ethics code. At the very least, the court should make itself [6] to the code of conduct that [7] to the rest of the federal judiciary.

This and other similar cases [8] the question of whether there is still a [9] between the court and politics.

The framers of the Constitution envisioned law [10] having authority apart from politics. They gave justices permanent positions [11] they would be free to [12] those in power and have no need to [13] political support. Our legal system was designed to set law apart from politics precisely because they are so closely [14].

Constitutional law is political because it results from choices rooted in fundamental social [15] like liberty and property. When the court deals with social policy decisions, the law it [16] is inescapably political—which is why decisions split along ideological lines are so easily [17] as unjust.

The justices must [18] doubts about the court’s legitimacy by making themselves [19] to the code of conduct. That would make rulings more likely to be seen as separate from politics and, [20], convincing as law.

1.

[A]emphasize

[B]maintain

[C]modify

[D]recognize

2.

[A]when

[B]lest

[C]before

[D]unless

3.

[A]restored

[B]weakened

[C]established

[D]eliminated

4.

[A]challenged

[B]compromised

[C]suspected

[D]accepted

5.

[A]advanced

[B]caught

[C]bound

[D]founded

6.

[A]resistant

[B]subject

[C]immune

[D]prone

7.

[A]resorts

[B]sticks

[C]leads

[D]applies

8.

[A]evade

[B]raise

[C]deny

[D]settle

9.

[A]line

[B]barrier

[C]similarity

[D]conflict

10.

[A]by

[B]as

[C]through

[D]towards

11.

[A]so

[B]since

[C]provided

[D]though

12.

[A]serve

[B]satisfy

[C]upset

[D]replace

13.

[A]confirm

[B]express

[C]cultivate

[D]offer

14.

[A]guarded

[B]followed

[C]studied

[D]tied

15.

[A]concepts

[B]theories

[C]divisions

[D]conventions

16.

[A]excludes

[B]questions

[C]shapes

[D]controls

17.

[A]dismissed

[B]released

[C]ranked

[D]distorted

18.

[A]suppress

[B]exploit

[C]address

[D]ignore

19.

[A]accessible

[B]amiable

[C]agreeable

[D]accountable

20.

[A]by all means

[B]at all costs

[C]in a word

[D]as a result

Answers & Explanations (答案与深度解析)

核心逻辑解析

1. [B] maintain (维持)。解析：句意为“当法官表现得像政客时，法院就不能维持（maintain）其合法性”。emphasize(强调), modify(修改), recognize(承认)不符合语境。

2. [A] when (当...时)。解析：这里是一个条件/时间状语从句。当(when)法官像政客一样行事时，合法性受损。lest(唯恐), unless(除非)会导致逻辑相反。

3. [B] weakened (削弱)。解析：前文说最高法官面临伦理问题，后文举例说他们参与政治活动。显然，这些行为削弱了（weakened）法院独立和公正的声誉。restored(恢复), established(建立)是反义。

4. [D] accepted (接受)。解析：法官参加政治活动，使得法院的裁决不太可能被人们作为公正的判决来接受（accepted）。challenged(挑战)不合逻辑，因为加了 less likely。

5. [C] bound (约束)。解析：固定搭配 be bound by... (被...约束)。问题的一部分在于法官没有受到伦理准则的约束。

6. [B] subject (服从/隶属)。解析：固定搭配 be subject to (服从于/受制于)。法院至少应该让自己服从于行为准则。resistant(抵抗), immune(免疫)意思相反。

7. [D] applies (适用)。解析：搭配 apply to (适用于)。这种准则适用于联邦司法系统的其他人员。resort to(诉诸), stick to(坚持), lead to(导致)。

8. [B] raise (提出/引起)。解析：固定搭配 raise the question (提出问题/引发疑问)。这些案件引出了一个问题。evade(逃避), deny(否认), settle(解决)。

9. [A] line (界线)。解析：引发的问题是：法院和政治之间是否还存在一条界线（line）。a line between A and B (A与B之间的界限)。barrier(障碍)。

10. [B] as (作为)。解析：envision... as... (把...设想为...)。宪法制定者设想法律拥有独立于政治的权威。

11. [A] so (所以/以便)。解析：他们给法官永久的职位，以便（so that，这里省略了that）法官可以自由地做某事。

12. [C] upset (扰乱/使不快)。解析：有了永久职位，法官就不怕惹怒/得罪（upset）那些当权者。serve(服务), satisfy(满足)与独立性精神相悖。

13. [C] cultivate (培养/结交)。解析：法官不需要去培养/寻求（cultivate）政治支持。confirm(确认), express(表达)。

14. [D] tied (联系/捆绑)。解析：法律系统之所以要把法律和政治分开，恰恰是因为它们联系得太紧密了（closely tied）。guarded(守卫), followed(跟随)。

15. [A] concepts (概念)。解析：自由和财产是基本的社会概念（concepts）。theories(理论), divisions(分歧), conventions(习俗)。

16. [C] shapes (塑造/形成)。解析：当法院处理社会政策决定时，它所塑造/形成（shapes）的法律不可避免地带有政治色彩。exclude(排除)。

17. [A] dismissed (驳回/不予考虑)。解析：这就是为什么沿意识形态路线产生分歧的裁决很容易被当成不公正而驳回/不予理会（dismissed as unjust）。

18. [C] address (解决/处理)。解析：法官必须通过服从准则来解决/消除（address）人们对法院合法性的怀疑。suppress(镇压), exploit(利用), ignore(忽视)。

19. [D] accountable (负有责任的)。解析：make oneself accountable to... (对...负责)。法官必须对行为准则负责。accessible(可接近的), amiable(和蔼的)。

20. [D] as a result (结果/因此)。解析：法官受约束能让裁决看起来独立于政治，因此（as a result），作为法律才令人信服。in a word(简言之)。

考研核心搭配与长难句

核心高频词组：
• be subject to (受制于/服从于)
• apply to (适用于)
• apart from (独立于/除了...之外)
• be accountable to (对...负责)
• dismiss... as... (把...视为...而不予考虑)

长难句剖析：
"When the court deals with social policy decisions, the law it shapes is inescapably political—which is why decisions split along ideological lines are so easily dismissed as unjust."
【解析】When 引导时间状语从句；主句是 the law is political，其中 it shapes 是定语从句修饰 law；破折号后 which 引导非限制性定语从句，解释前面的现象；split along ideological lines 是过去分词短语作后置定语修饰 decisions。