Question

    The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States. Let’s meet some of the great women who have left their mark on the country’s highest court.

Margaret Brent

In the early years of our nation, women were generally prevented from practicing law. However, there were some exceptions. One such exception was Margaret Brent, who settled in Maryland with her sisters in 1638 and became a wealthy landowner. Brent appeared before courts several times to file lawsuits( 诉 讼 ) against people who owed her money.

Lucy Terry Prince

Lucy was well -known for her skills as a public speaker, and in 1796 she became the first black woman in America to argue before a Supreme Court justice. The case arose from a land dispute, and Lucy argued against two leading lawyers. Chief Justice Samuel Chase , who oversaw the case, said that Prince “made a better argument than he had ever heard from a lawyer in Vermont.”

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1933, Ginsburg attended Cornell University and Columbia Law School. Between 1972 and 1978, she argued six cases before the Supreme Court concerning laws that kept women out of certain occupations. She won five of them. In the spring of 1993, Justice Byron White retired from the Supreme Court. President Bill Clinton then picked Ginsburg to be his replacement.

Myra Bradwell

In 1872, the Illinois Supreme Court denied Myra Bradwell’s admission to the Illinois Bar despite the fact that she had passed the state bar exam. Bradwell then asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn(撤销) the Illinois court’s decision. Unfortunately for Bradwell, the tables weren’t turned. The Supreme Court claimed that there was nothing unconstitutional about denying a woman the chance to practice as a lawyer.

1.Which of the following describes Margaret Brent?

A.Brave and determined B.Generous and friendly

C.Considerate and optimistic D.Traditional and scholarly

2.What was Samuel Chase’s attitude to Lucy’s argument?

A.Favorable B.Uncaring

C.Doubtful D.Grateful

3.Who served on the Supreme Court?

A.Margaret B.Myra Bradwell

C.Lucy Terry Prince D.Ruth Bader Ginsburg

4.What does the author mean by the underlined sentence in the text?

A.Bradwell failed the state bar exam B.Bradwell’s request was unconstitutional.

C.The Illinois Supreme Court broke the law. D.The Supreme Court ruled against Bradwell.

5.What does the underlined word “denied” mean?

A.Liked. B.Refused

C.Introduced D.Worried

Answer

1.A

2.A

3.D

4.D

5.B

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。本文主要介绍了四个在最高法庭留下名声的伟大女人。

1.推理判断题。根据第二段中的“In the early years of our nation, women were generally prevented from practicing law.”及“Brent appeared before courts several times to file lawsuits against people who owed her money.”可知, Brent在女人不得从事法律工作的时期多次出庭，对欠她钱的人提起诉讼。由此可知Brent勇敢且坚定。故选A项。

2.推理判断题。根据第三段中的Samuel Chase说的话“made a better argument than he had ever heard from a lawyer in Vermont”，由a better argument than可知，提出的理由比他从佛蒙特州的律师那里听到的任何理由都要充分。由此推断出Samuel Chase对于Lucy的辩论是赞同的。故选A项。

3.细节理解题。根据第四段“In the spring of 1993, Justice Byron White retired from the Supreme Court. President Bill Clinton then picked Ginsburg to be his replacement.”可知Ginsburg接替拜伦·怀特法官在最高法院的职位。故选D项。

4.词句猜测题。根据前两句“In 1872, the Illinois Supreme Court denied Myra Bradwell’s admission to the Illinois Bar despite the fact that she had passed the state bar exam. Bradwell then asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the Illinois court’s decision.”（ 1872年，尽管Myra Bradwell通过了州律师考试，但伊利诺伊州最高法院还是拒绝了她进入伊利诺伊州律师协会。Bradwell随后要求美国最高法院推翻伊利诺斯法院的裁决。）及划线单词Unfortunately for Bradwell可知，美国最高法院不支持Myra Bradwell。故选D项。

5.词句猜测题。根据“despite the fact that she had passed the state bar exam”，由“despite”可知此处是对比关系，即尽管Myra Bradwell通过了州律师考试，但是伊利诺伊州最高法院还是拒绝了她进入伊利诺伊州律师协会。因此猜测出“denied”意为拒绝。故选B项。