The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1868, prohibits state governments from denying citizens the “equal protection of the laws”. Although precisely what the framers of the amendment meant by this equal protection clause remains unclear, all interpreters agree that the framers’ immediate objective was to provide a constitutional warrant for the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which guaranteed the citizenship of all persons born in the United States and subject to United States jurisdiction. This declaration, which was echoed in the text of the Fourteenth Amendment, was designed primarily to counter the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dred Scott V Sanford that Black people in the United States could be denied citizenship. The act was vetoed by President Andrew Johnson, who argued that the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery, did not provide Congress with authority to extend citizenship and equal protection the freed slaves. Although Congress promptly overrode Johnson’s veto, supporters of the act sought to ensure its constitutional foundations with the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment.
The broad language of the amendment strongly suggests that its framers were proposing to write into the Constitution not a laundry list of specific civil rights but a principle of equal citizenship that forbids organized society from treating any individual as a member of an inferior class. Yet for the first eight decades of the amendment’s existence, the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the amendment betrayed this ideal of equality. In the Civil Rights Cases of 1883, for example, the Court invented the “state action” limitation, which asserts that “private” decisions by owners of public accommodations and other commercial businesses to segregate their facilities are insulated from the reach of the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection under the law. After the Second World War, a judicial climate more hospitable to equal protection claims culminated in the Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown V. Broad of Education that racially segregated schools violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
1. According to this passage, which of the following is correct?
2. According to the passage, which of the following most accurately indicates the sequence of the events listed below?
I. Civil Rights Act of 1866 II. Dred Scott V. Sanford
III. Fourteenth Amendment IV. Veto by President Johnson
3. According to the passage, the original proponents of the Fourteenth Amendment were primarily concerned with ______.
4. The author implies that the Fourteenth Amendment might not have been enacted if ______.
5. The passage suggests that the principal effect of the state action limitation was to ______.
问题1选项
A.By presenting a list of specific rights, framers of the Fourteenth Amendment were attempting to provide a constitutional basis for abroad judicial protection of the principle of equal citizenship.
B.Interpreters of the Fourteenth Amendment have not reached consensus with regard to what its framers meant by the equal protection clause.
C.Not until after the Second World War did the Supreme Court begin to interpret the Fourteenth Amendment in a manner consistent with the principle of equal citizenship that it expresses.
D.The framers of the Fourteenth Amendment were aware that the phrase “equal protection of the laws” had broad implications.
问题2选项
A.I-II-IV-III
B.I-IV-III-II
C.III-II-I-IV
D.II-I-IV-III
问题3选项
A.detailing the rights afforded by the principle of equal citizenship
B.providing support in the Constitution for equal protection for all citizens of the United States
C.overturning the Civil Rights Act of 1866
D.asserting that the civil rights protected by the Constitution included nonracial discrimination as well as racial discrimination
问题4选项
A.Congress’ authority with regard to legislating civil rights had not been challenged
B.the framers had anticipated the Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown V. Board of Education
C.the framers had believed that it would be used in deciding cases of discrimination involving non-racial groups
D.Most state governments had been willing to protect citizens’ civil rights
问题5选项
A.allow some discriminatory practices to continue unimpeded by the Fourteenth Amendment
B.influence the Supreme Court’s ruling in Brow n V. Board of Education
C.provide expanded guidelines describing prohibited actions
D.prohibit states from enacting laws that violated the intent of the Civil Rights Act of 1866
第1题:C
第2题:D
第3题:B
第4题:A
第5题:A
第1题:
【选项释义】
According to this passage, which of the following is correct? 根据这篇文章，下列哪个选项是正确的？
A. By presenting a list of specific rights, framers of the Fourteenth Amendment were attempting to provide a constitutional basis for abroad judicial protection of the principle of equal citizenship. A. 通过列出具体权利的清单，第十四修正案的制定者试图为国外对平等公民权原则的司法保护提供宪法基础。
B. Interpreters of the Fourteenth Amendment have not reached consensus with regard to what its framers meant by the equal protection clause. B. 第十四条修正案的解释者对于其起草者所说的平等保护条款的含义没有达成一致意见。
C. Not until after the Second World War did the Supreme Court begin to interpret the Fourteenth Amendment in a manner consistent with the principle of equal citizenship that it expresses. C. 直到第二次世界大战后，最高法院才开始以与第十四条修正案所表达的平等公民权原则相一致的方式解释第十四条修正案。
D. The framers of the Fourteenth Amendment were aware that the phrase “equal protection of the laws” had broad implications. D. 第十四修正案的起草者意识到“法律的平等保护”一词具有广泛的含义。
【考查点】事实细节题
【解题思路】根据第二段最后两句：例如，在1883年的民权案中，最高法院发明了“国家行为”的限制，断言公共设施和其他商业企业的所有者对其设施进行隔离的“私人”决定不受第十四条修正案保障的法律平等保护的影响。第二次世界大战后，最高法院在《布朗诉教育委员会》一案中裁定，实行种族隔离的学校违反了第十四条修正案的平等保护条款，这一裁决使司法环境对平等保护要求更加友好。可知选项C正确
【干扰项排除】
A选项，根据第二段的第一句：…write into the Constitution not a laundry list of specific civil rights…（……并没有在宪法中列出具体的公民权利……）可知选项A属于反向干扰；
B选项，根据第一段第二句：…all interpreters agree that…the Civil Rights Act of 1866…（所有的解释者都同意，起草者的直接目标是为1866年的民权法案提供宪法保障）可知，选项B属于反向干扰；
D选项在文中没有提及，属于无中生有。
第2题:
【选项释义】
According to the passage, which of the following most accurately indicates the sequence of the events listed below? 根据短文，下列哪个选项最准确地说明了下面所列事件的顺序？
I. Civil Rights Act of 1866 I. 1866年民权法案
II. Dred Scott V. Sanford II. 德雷德•斯科特起诉桑福德案
III. Fourteenth Amendment III. 第十四条修正案
IV. Veto by President Johnson IV. 约翰逊总统否决
A. I-II-IV-III
B. I-IV-III-II
C. III-II-I-IV
D. II-I-IV-III
【考查点】事实细节题
【解题思路】根据原文可知，《民权法案》是1866年出台的，《第十四条修正案》是1868年批准的，所以《第十四条修正案》在《民权法案》之后；根据第一段的内容可知，《民权法案》中的宣言其主要目的是为了反对最高法院在Dred Scott起诉Sanford案中做出的黑人可以被剥夺公民权的裁决。由此可知，诉讼发生在《民权法案》之前，所以选项D正确。
【干扰项排除】A、B、C选项根据解析可排除。
第3题:
【选项释义】
According to the passage, the original proponents of the Fourteenth Amendment were primarily concerned with ______. 根据这段话，第十四修正案的最初支持者主要关心的是______。
A. detailing the rights afforded by the principle of equal citizenship A. 详述平等公民权原则所赋予的权利
B. providing support in the Constitution for equal protection for all citizens of the United States B. 在宪法中支持对所有美国公民的平等保护
C. overturning the Civil Rights Act of 1866 C. 推翻1866年的民权法案
D. asserting that the civil rights protected by the Constitution included nonracial discrimination as well as racial discrimination D. 主张宪法保护的公民权利既包括非种族歧视也包括种族歧视
【考查点】推理判断题
【解题思路】根据第一段的最后两句：The act was vetoed by President Andrew Johnson, who argued that the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery, did not provide Congress with authority to extend citizenship and equal protection the freed slaves. Although Congress promptly overrode Johnson’s veto, supporters of the act sought to ensure its constitutional foundations with the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment.（该法案被安德鲁•约翰逊总统否决，他认为废除奴隶制的第十三修正案没有给国会赋予自由奴隶公民权和平等保护的权力。尽管国会迅速推翻了约翰逊的否决，但该法案的支持者试图通过第十四条修正案来确保其宪法基础。）由此可知，《第十四条修正案》的支持者最关心的是宪法是否为所有美国公民的平等保护提供了支持，选项B符合原文。
【干扰项排除】A、C、D选项不能通过文章信息推理出来。
第4题:
【选项释义】
The author implies that the Fourteenth Amendment might not have been enacted if ______. 作者暗示，如果______，第十四条修正案可能不会颁布。
A. Congress’ authority with regard to legislating civil rights had not been challenged A. 国会在立法民权方面的权威没有受到挑战
B. the framers had anticipated the Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown V. Board of Education B. 起草者已经预见到了最高法院在《布朗诉教育委员会》一案中的裁决
C. the framers had believed that it would be used in deciding cases of discrimination involving non-racial groups C. 起草者认为，它将被用于裁决涉及非种族群体的歧视案件
D. Most state governments had been willing to protect citizens’ civil rights D. 大多数州政府都愿意保护公民的公民权利
【考查点】推理判断题
【解题思路】根据第一段最后两句：The act was vetoed by President Andrew Johnson, who argued that the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery, did not provide Congress with authority to extend citizenship and equal protection the freed slaves. Although Congress promptly overrode Johnson’s veto, supporters of the act sought to ensure its constitutional foundations with the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment.（该法案被安德鲁•约翰逊总统否决，他认为废除奴隶制的第十三修正案没有给国会赋予自由奴隶公民权和平等保护的权力。尽管国会迅速推翻了约翰逊的否决，但该法案的支持者试图通过第十四条修正案来确保其宪法基础。）可知，如果国会在立法公民权利方面的权威没有受到挑战，《第十四条修正案》也许不会颁布。选项A符合原文。
【干扰项排除】B、C、D选项不能通过文章信息推理出来。
第5题:
【选项释义】
The passage suggests that the principal effect of the state action limitation was to ______. 这段话表明，国家行动限制的主要作用是______。
A. allow some discriminatory practices to continue unimpeded by the Fourteenth Amendment A. 允许一些歧视性的做法继续下去，不受第十四修正案的阻碍
B. influence the Supreme Court’s ruling in Brow n V. Board of Education B. 影响最高法院对《布朗诉教育委员会》案的裁决
C. provide expanded guidelines describing prohibited actions C. 提供描述被禁止行为的扩展准则
D. prohibit states from enacting laws that violated the intent of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 D. 禁止各州颁布违反1866年《民权法案》意图的法律
【考查点】事实细节题
【解题思路】根据最第二段中提到的：…which asserts that “private” decisions...the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection under the law.（该限制规定，公共设施和其他商业企业业主所做出的对其设施实行种族隔离的“私人”决定不受《第十四条修正案》保证的法律平等保护的影响。）可知选项A符合原文。
【干扰项排除】B、C、D选项在文中没有提及，属于无中生有。
