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Part A: Reading Comprehension

Directions: Read the following text. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. (40 points)

Text 2

Just how much does the Constitution protect your digital data? The Supreme Court will now consider whether police can search the contents of a mobile phone without a warrant if the phone is on or around a person during an arrest.
California has asked the justices to refrain from a sweeping ruling, particularly one that upsets the old assumption that authorities may search through the possessions of suspects at the time of their arrest. It is hard, the state argues, for judges to assess the implications of new and rapidly changing technologies.
The court would be recklessly modest if it followed Californias advice. Enough of the implications are discernable, even obvious, so that the justices can and should provide updated guidelines to police, lawyers and defendants.
They should start by discarding Californias lame argument that exploring the contents of a smartphonea vast storehouse of digital informationis similar to, say, going through a suspects purse. The court has ruled that police dont violate the Fourth Amendment when they go through the wallet or pocketbook of an arrestee without a warrant. But exploring ones smartphone is more like entering his or her home. A smartphone may contain an arrestees reading history, financial history, medical history and comprehensive records of recent correspondence. The development ofcloud computing,” meanwhile, has made that exploration so much the easier.
Americans should take steps to protect their digital privacy. But keeping sensitive information on these devices is increasingly a requirement of normal life. Citizens still have a right to expect private documents to remain private and protected by the Constitutions prohibition on unreasonable searches.
As so often is the case, stating that principle doesnt ease the challenge of line-drawing. In many cases, it would not be overly burdensome for authorities to obtain a warrant to search through phone contents. They could still invalidate Fourth Amendment protections when facing severe, urgent circumstances, and they could take reasonable measures to ensure that phone data are not erased or altered while waiting for a warrant. The court, though, may want to allow room for police to cite situations where they are entitled to more freedom.
But the justices should not swallow Californias argument whole. New, disruptive technology sometimes demands novel applications of the Constitutions protections. Orin Kerr, a law professor, compares the explosion and accessibility of digital information in the 21st century with the establishment of automobile use as a virtual necessity of life in the 20th: The justices had to specify novel rules for the new personal domain of the passenger car then; they must sort out how the Fourth Amendment applies to digital information now.
26. The Supreme Court will work out whether, during an arrest, it is legitimate to
[A]
prevent suspects from deleting their phone contents.
[B]
search for suspectsmobile phones without a warrant.
[C]
check suspectsphone contents without being authorized.
[D]
prohibit suspects from using their mobile phones.
27. The author’s attitude toward California’s argument is one of
[A]
disapproval.
[B]
indifference.
[C]
tolerance.
[D]
cautiousness.
28. The author believes that exploring one’s phone contents is comparable to
[A]
going through ones wallet.
[B]
handling ones historical records.
[C]
scanning ones correspondences.
[D]
getting into ones residence.
29. In Paragraphs 5 and 6, the author shows his concern that
[A]
principles are hard to be clearly expressed.
[B]
the court is giving police less room for action.
[C]
phones are used to store sensitive information.
[D]
citizensprivacy is not effectively protected.
30. Orin Kerr’s comparison is quoted to indicate that
[A]
the Constitution should be implemented flexibly.
[B]
principles of the Constitution should never be altered.
[C]
Californias argument violates principles of the Constitution.
[D]
new technology requires reinterpretation of the Constitution.
全文翻译

宪法对你的数字数据到底有多大的保护?最高法院现在将考虑,警察在逮捕过程中是否可以在没有搜查令的情况下搜查嫌疑人身上或身边的手机内容。

加利福尼亚州已要求大法官们不要做出影响广泛的裁决,尤其是一个会推翻旧假定的裁决——即当局可以在逮捕时搜查嫌疑人的财物。该州辩称,法官很难评估快速变化的新技术的影响。

如果法院听从了加州的建议,那将是一种鲁莽的谦逊。足够多的影响是可辨别的,甚至是显而易见的,因此大法官们可以而且应该为警察、律师和被告提供更新后的指引。

他们应该首先摒弃加州那个蹩脚的论点——即搜查智能手机(数字信息的巨大仓库)的内容与翻查嫌疑人的钱包类似。法院已经裁定,警察在没有搜查令的情况下翻查被捕者的钱包或皮夹并不违反第四修正案。但搜查一个人的智能手机更像是进入他或她的家。智能手机可能包含被捕者的阅读历史、财务历史、医疗记录以及近期通信的全面记录。与此同时,"云计算"的发展使得这种搜查变得更加容易。

美国人应该采取措施保护自己的数字隐私。但在这些设备上保留敏感信息日益成为正常生活的必需。公民仍有权利期望私人文件保持私密,并受到宪法关于禁止不合理搜查的保护。

通常情况下,陈述这一原则并不能减轻划定界限的挑战。在许多情况下,当局获得搜查令来搜查手机内容不会过于繁琐。在面临严重、紧急情况时,他们仍然可以在不遵守第四修正案保护的情况下行事,并且他们可以采取合理措施确保在等待搜查令期间手机数据不被删除或更改。不过,法院可能希望为警察留出空间,以便他们引用有权获得更多自由的情形。

但大法官们不应全盘接受加州的论点。新的颠覆性技术有时需要宪法保护的新颖应用。法学教授奥林·科尔将21世纪数字信息的爆炸和可访问性比作20世纪汽车使用成为生活实际必需的确立过程:当时大法官们不得不为乘用车这个新的个人领域制定新颖的规则;如今他们必须理清第四修正案如何适用于数字信息。

Answers & Explanations (答案与深度解析)

试题精解

26. [C] check suspects’ phone contents without being authorized.
【解析】细节题。第一段指出,最高法院现在将考虑“whether police can search the contents of a mobile phone without a warrant... during an arrest”(警察在逮捕期间是否可以在没有搜查令的情况下搜查手机内容)。C选项中的“without being authorized”(未经授权)正是对“without a warrant”的同义替换。B选项错在“search for mobile phones”(搜查手机本身),而原文是搜查手机的“contents(内容)”。

27. [A] disapproval.
【解析】态度题。作者在第三段指出:“如果法庭听从了加州的建议,那就太鲁莽、太保守了(recklessly modest)”。第四段更是直接说:“他们应该从抛弃加州蹩脚的论点(lame argument)开始...”。最后一段首句再次强调:“大法官们不应该全盘接受加州的论点(should not swallow... whole)”。这些用词(lame, recklessly modest)明确表达了作者对加州论点的“不赞成/反对(disapproval)”。

28. [D] getting into one’s residence.
【解析】细节推断题。第四段指出,探索智能手机的内容类似于翻查嫌疑人的钱包(这是加州的论点,被作者反驳)。作者明确表态:“But exploring one’s smartphone is more like entering his or her home”(但是,探索一个人的智能手机更像是进入他或她的家)。D选项“getting into one's residence(进入某人的住所)”是对原文的精确同义替换。

29. [D] citizens’ privacy is not effectively protected.
【解析】段落推理题。第五段提到公民有权期望私人文件受到宪法保护,免受无理搜查。但第六段紧接着说:“申明这一原则并没有减轻划定界限的挑战(doesn’t ease the challenge of line-drawing)”,警察在某些紧急情况下仍然可以使第四修正案的保护失效(invalidate Fourth Amendment protections),甚至法庭可能还想给警察留出更多享有自由的空间。这字里行间流露出的担忧正是:“公民的隐私并没有得到有效的保护(is not effectively protected)”。

30. [D] new technology requires reinterpretation of the Constitution.
【解析】例证题。最后一段引用法学教授 Orin Kerr 的话,将 21 世纪数字信息的爆炸与 20 世纪汽车的普及作对比。引用的核心目的在于其后的冒号解释:“大法官们当时必须为私家车这个新的个人领域制定新规则(specify novel rules);现在他们必须理清第四修正案如何适用(applies to)于数字信息”。这说明,面对“颠覆性的新技术”,我们需要对宪法保护进行“新颖的应用/重新解释(reinterpretation of the Constitution)”。D选项正确。

考研核心句型与长难句

【长难句剖析】
1. 动词的生动比喻与状语从句:
"The court would be recklessly modest if it followed California’s advice."
【解析】这里使用了一个极其精彩的矛盾修辞(oxymoron):recklessly modest(鲁莽地谨慎/保守)。作者认为,如果法庭在面对数字隐私这种重大问题时选择退缩(modest),这种不作为本身就是对公民权利的不负责任(recklessly)。
2. 插入语与抽象名词的具体化:
"They should start by discarding California’s lame argument that exploring the contents of a smartphone—a vast storehouse of digital information—is similar to, say, going through a suspect’s purse."
【解析】that 引导同位语从句,解释 argument 的内容。破折号中间的 a vast storehouse of digital information 是对 smartphone 的同位语解释。say 在此处作插入语,意为“比如说”。
3. 介词短语作状语及对比结构:
"Orin Kerr... compares the explosion and accessibility of digital information in the 21st century with the establishment of automobile use as a virtual necessity of life in the 20th..."
【解析】句式主干为 compares A with B。将21世纪的“数字信息激增”与20世纪的“汽车成为生活必需品”相比较,论证法律必须随着新技术的出现而更新。

Practice makes perfect.