36. The underlined sentence (Para.1) most probably shows that the court
- A. avoided defining the extent of McDonnell’s duties.
- B. made no compromise in convicting McDonnell.
- C. was contemptuous of McDonnell’s conduct.
- D. refused to comment on McDonnell’s ethics.
答案：C
答案句：In a rare unanimous ruling, the US Supreme Court has overturned the corruption conviction of a former Virginia governor, Robert McDonnell. But it did so while holding its nose at the ethics of his conduct, which included accepting gifts such as a Rolex watch and a Ferrari automobile from a company seeking access to government.
参考译文：在一次罕见的全体一致裁决中，美国最高法院推翻了前弗吉尼亚州州长罗伯特·麦克唐纳的腐败定罪。但它在这样做时，对其行为道德嗤之以鼻，这些行为包括接受一家寻求接触政府的公司赠送的劳力士手表和法拉利汽车等礼物。
定位线索：题干“The underlined sentence (Para.1)”→答案句取自第1段“holding its nose at the ethics of his conduct”；文中“holding its nose”（嗤之以鼻）对应选项C“was contemptuous of”（蔑视）。
解析：题干问第一段划线句表明法院的态度。答案句指出法院推翻了定罪，但“holding its nose at the ethics”意为“对道德嗤之以鼻”，即蔑视其行为，对应C选项“contemptuous”（轻蔑的）。A项“避免界定职责范围”无中生有；B项“在定罪上不妥协”与事实相反（法院推翻了定罪）；D项“拒绝评论道德”与原文“holding its nose”明确表达态度矛盾。
37. According to Paragraph 4, an official act is deemed corruptive only if it involves
- A. leaking secrets intentionally.
- B. sizable gains in the form of gifts.
- C. concrete returns for gift-givers.
- D. breaking contracts officially.
答案：C
答案句：But under anti-bribery laws, proof must be made of concrete benefits, such as approval of a contract or regulation. Simply arranging a meeting, making a phone call, or hosting an event is not an “official act”.
参考译文：但根据反贿赂法，必须证明有具体利益，如批准合同或法规。仅仅安排会议、打电话或举办活动不是“官方行为”。
定位线索：题干“According to Paragraph 4”→答案句取自第4段“proof must be made of concrete benefits”；文中“concrete benefits”对应选项C“concrete returns”（具体回报）。
解析：题干问官方行为何时被视为腐败。答案句明确说必须证明有“concrete benefits”（具体利益），如批准合同或法规，对应C项“concrete returns for gift-givers”（给送礼者的具体回报）。A项“故意泄露机密”无中生有；B项“大额礼物”只是背景，不是判定标准；D项“正式违约”偷换概念，原文说的是“approval of a contract”而非“breaking contracts”。
38. The court’s ruling is based on the assumption that public officials are
- A. justified in addressing the needs of their constituents.
- B. qualified to deal independently with bureaucratic issues.
- C. allowed to focus on the concerns of their supporters.
- D. exempt from conviction on the charge of favoritism.
答案：A
答案句：Elected leaders must be allowed to help supporters deal with bureaucratic problems without fear of prosecution for bribery. “The basic compact underlying representative government,” wrote Chief Justice John Roberts for the court, “assumes that public officials will hear from their constituents and act on their concerns.”
参考译文：必须允许当选领导人帮助支持者处理官僚问题，而不必担心因贿赂被起诉。首席大法官约翰·罗伯茨代表法院写道：“代议制政府的基本契约假定，公职人员会听取选民的意见，并针对他们的关切采取行动。”
定位线索：题干“The court's ruling is based on the assumption”→答案句取自第3段“assumes that public officials will hear from their constituents and act on their concerns”；文中“act on their concerns”对应选项A“addressing the needs of their constituents”（解决选民需求）。
解析：题干问法院裁决基于什么假设。答案句引用罗伯茨的话，指出代议制政府的基本契约“assumes that public officials will hear from their constituents and act on their concerns”，即官员应听取选民意见并采取行动，对应A项“justified in addressing the needs of their constituents”（有理由解决选民需求）。B项“独立处理官僚问题”曲解原文“help supporters deal with”；C项“关注支持者”范围缩小，原文是“constituents”（选民）而非仅“supporters”；D项“免于偏袒指控”程度过重，原文只说“without fear of prosecution for bribery”。
39. Well-enforced laws in government transparency are needed to
- A. awaken the conscience of officials.
- B. guarantee fair play in official access.
- C. allow for certain kinds of lobbying.
- D. inspire hopes in average people.
答案：B
答案句：But the ruling reinforces the need for citizens and their elected representatives, not the courts, to ensure equality of access to government. Officials must not be allowed to play favorites in providing information or in arranging meetings simply because an individual or group provides a campaign donation or a personal gift. This type of integrity requires well-enforced laws in government transparency, such as records of official meetings, rules on lobbying, and information about each elected leader’s source of wealth.
参考译文：但该裁决强化了公民及其民选代表（而非法院）确保平等接触政府的必要性。不能允许官员仅仅因为个人或团体提供竞选捐款或个人礼物，就在提供信息或安排会议时偏袒。这种诚信需要政府透明度方面执行良好的法律，如官方会议记录、游说规则以及每位民选领导人财富来源的信息。
定位线索：题干“Well-enforced laws in government transparency are needed to”→答案句取自第4段“ensure equality of access to government”和“This type of integrity requires well-enforced laws”；文中“equality of access”对应选项B“guarantee fair play in official access”（保证官方接触中的公平）。
解析：题干问需要透明度法律的目的。答案句先说需要“ensure equality of access to government”（确保平等接触政府），随后指出“This type of integrity requires well-enforced laws”，即法律服务于平等接触，对应B项“guarantee fair play in official access”。A项“唤醒官员良心”无中生有；C项“允许某些游说”曲解原文“rules on lobbying”（规范游说）；D项“激发普通人希望”范围扩大，原文未提“hopes”。
40. The author’s attitude toward the court’s ruling is
- A. sarcastic.
- B. tolerant.
- C. skeptical.
- D. supportive.
答案：D
答案句：The court’s ruling is legally sound in defining a kind of favoritism that is not criminal. … The court’s ruling is a step forward in the struggle against both corruption and official favoritism.
参考译文：法院的裁决在法律上是合理的，它界定了一种不构成犯罪偏袒行为。……法院的裁决是在反腐败和反官方偏袒斗争中向前迈出的一步。
定位线索：题干“The author's attitude toward the court's ruling”→答案句取自第3段“legally sound”和末段“a step forward”；文中“legally sound”（法律上合理）和“a step forward”（进步）对应选项D“supportive”（支持）。
解析：题干问作者对法院裁决的态度。答案句用“legally sound”（法律上合理）和“a step forward”（进步）等正面评价词，表明作者支持该裁决，对应D项“supportive”。A项“讽刺”无依据，全文语气客观正面；B项“容忍”程度不足，作者明确赞赏；C项“怀疑”与“legally sound”等正面表述矛盾。