新GRE阅读机经榜首：14法案(含解析-考前必读)

短文章版TheFourteenthAmendmenttotheUnitedStatesConstitution,ratifiedin1868,prohibitsstategovernmentsfromdenyingcitizenstheequalprotectionofthelaws.Althoughpreciselywhattheframersoftheamendmentmeantbythisequalprotectionclauseremainsunclear,allinterpretersagreethattheframers'immediateobjectivewastoprovideaconstitutionalwarrantfortheCivilRightsActof1866,whichguaranteedthecitizenshipofallpersonsbornintheUnitedStatesandsubjecttoUnitedStatesjurisdiction.Thisdeclaration,whichwasechoedinthetextoftheFourteenthAmendment,wasdesignedprimarilytocountertheSupremeCourt'srulinginDredScottv.SandfordthatBlackpeopleintheUnitedStatescouldbedeniedcitizenship.TheactwasvetoedbyPresidentAndrewJohnson,whoarguedthattheThirteenthAmendment,whichabolishedslavery,didnotprovideCongresswiththeauthoritytoextendcitizenshipandequalprotectiontothefreedslaves.AlthoughCongresspromptlyoverrodeJohnson'sveto,supportersoftheactsoughttoensureitsconstitutionalfoundationswiththepassageoftheFourteenthAmendment.(172words)1.TheauthorimpliesthattheFourteenthAmendmentmightnothavebeenenactedif○Congress'authoritywithregardtolegislatingcivilrightshadnotbeenchallenged○theframershadanticipatedtheSupremeCourt'srulinginBrownv.BoardofEducation○theframershadbelievedthatitwouldbeusedindecidingcasesofdiscriminationinvolvingnon-racialgroups○moststategovernmentshadbeenwillingtoprotectcitizens'civilrights○itsessentialelementshadnotbeenimplicitintheThirteenthAmendment2.Inthecontextinwhichitappears,overrodemostnearlymeans○Atrampled○Bextended○Cannulled○Dneutralized○Ecompromised长文章版FourteenthAmendmentTheFourteenthAmendmenttotheUnitedStatesConstitution,ratifiedin1868,prohibitsstategovernmentsfromdenyingcitizensthe“equalprotectionofthelaws.”Althoughpreciselywhattheframersoftheamendmentmeantbythisequalprotectionclauseremainsunclear,allinterpretersagreethattheframers’immediateobjectivewastoprovideaconstitutionalwarrantfortheCivilRightsActof1866,whichguaranteedthecitizenshipofallpersonsbornintheUnitedStatesandsubjecttoUnitedStatesjurisdiction.Thisdeclaration,whichwasechoedinthetextoftheFourteenthAmendment,wasdesignedprimarilytocountertheSupremeCourt’srulinginDredScottv.SandfordthatBlackpeopleintheUnitedStatescouldbedeniedcitizenship.TheactwasvetoedbyPresidentAndrewJohnson,whoarguedthattheThirteenthAmendment,whichabolishedslavery,didnotprovideCongresswiththeauthoritytoextendcitizenshipandequalprotectiontothefreedslaves.AlthoughCongresspromptlyoverrodeJohnson’sveto,supportersoftheactsoughttoensureitsconstitutionalfoundationswiththepassageoftheFourteenthAmendment.ThebroadlanguageoftheamendmentstronglysuggeststhatitsframerswereproposingtowriteintotheConstitutionnotalaundrylistofspecificcivilrightsbutaprincipleofequalcitizenshipthatforbidsorganizedsocietyfromtreatinganyindividualasamemberofaninferiorclass.Yetforthefirsteightdecadesoftheamendment’sexistence,theSupremeCourt’sinterpretationoftheamendmentbetrayedthisidealofequality.IntheCivilRightsCasesof1883,forexample,theCourtinventedthe“stateaction”limitation,whichassertsthat“private”decisionsbyownersofpublicaccommodationsandothercommercialbusinessestosegregatetheirfacilitiesareinsulatedfromthereachoftheFourteenthAmendment’sguaranteeofequalprotectionunderthelaw.AftertheSecondWorldWar,ajudicialclimatemorehospitabletoequalprotectionclaimsculminatedintheSupremeCourt’srulinginBrownv.BoardofEducationthatraciallysegregatedschoolsviolatedtheequalprotectionclauseoftheFourteenthAmendment.TwodoctrinesembracedbytheSupremeCourtduringthisperiodextendedtheamendment’sreach.First,theCourtrequiredespeciallystrictscrutinyoflegislationthatemployeda“suspectclassification,”meaningdiscriminationagainstagroupongroundsthatcouldbeconstruedasracial.ThisdoctrinehasbroadenedtheapplicationoftheFourteenthAmendmenttoother,nonracialformsofdiscrimination,forwhilesomejusticeshaverefusedtofindanylegislativeclassificationotherthanracetobeconstitutionallydisfavored,mosthavebeenreceptivetoargumentsthatatleastsomenonracialdiscriminations,sexualdiscriminationinparticular,are“suspect”anddeservethisheightenedscrutinybythecourts.Second,theCourtrelaxedthestateactionlimitationontheFourteenthAmendment,bringingnewformsofprivateconductwithintheamendment’sreach.来源:考18.Thepassagesuggeststhattheprincipaleffectofthestateactionlimitationwasto(A)allowsomediscriminatorypracticestocontinueunimpededbytheFourteenthAmendment(B)influencetheSupremeCourt’srulinginBrownv,BoardofEducation(C)provideexpandedguidelinesdescribingprohibitedactions(D)prohibitstatesfromenactinglawsthatviolatedtheintentoftheCivilRightsActof1866(E)shifttostategovernmentstheresponsibilityforenforcementoflawsprohibitingdiscriminatorypractices19.Theauthor’spositionregardingtheintentoftheframersoftheFourteenthAmendmentwouldbemostseriouslyunderminedifwhichofthefollowingweretrue?(A)Theframershadanticipatedstateactionlimitationsastheyaredescribedinthepassage.(B)Theframershadmerelysoughttopreventdiscriminatoryactsbyfederalofficials.(C)TheframerswereconcernedthattheCivilRightsActof1866wouldbeoverturnedbytheSupremeCourt.(D)Theframerswer