雅思写作精品范文最新章节_曹伟,查莫斯 (Iain Chalmers),吴晓飞著

6 Fixed Punishments for Criminals对罪犯的固定惩罚

Some people believe that there should be fixed punishments for each type of crime. Others,however,argue that the circumstances of an individual crime and the motivation for committing it should always be taken into account when deciding on the punishment. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Since ancient times,humans have discussed the topic of justice and how best to punish crimes. One of the simplest ways is to have set punishments for each type of offence,an approach that finds favour with 1 some. The alternative is to closely study the nature and circumstances of each individual crime before deciding the fate of the offender， effectively 2 passing tailor-made sentences for each crime committed.

从古至今，人类就一直在讨论正义和如何最好的惩治犯罪等话题。最简单的方法之一是对于每类犯罪都施以固定的惩罚，一些人倾向于此。另一种选择是在决定违法者的命运之前仔细研究个体犯罪的性质和情节，对于每桩犯罪都有效施以量体裁衣式的刑罚。

There are certainly a number of advantages to having set punishments for crimes. Most notable are the practical benefits involved. The judicial system would simply have to decide whether an individual was guilty or not of committing a particular crime,and if they are found guilty,pass the corresponding sentence. This approach means that minor offences like speeding and littering can be resolved very quickly， freeing up 3 time and resources to deal with more serious crimes. It could also be argued that fixed punishments remove any potential bias or prejudice that could creep into 4 sentencing,as each person will always receive the same treatment if found guilty.

对于犯罪行为设置固定的惩罚肯定是存在很多好处的。最明显的是其包含的实用性优点。司法系统只需要简单地决定一个人是否犯下了一项特定罪行，如果其有罪，就适用相应的刑罚。这种方法意味着诸如超速驾驶和乱扔垃圾这样轻微的违法行为很快就能解决，从而腾出更多时间和资源去处理更加严重的犯罪。此外，由于每个人如果有罪受到的刑罚都一样，所以固定的刑罚就可以除去渗透到判决中的各种潜在的偏颇之见。

However,fixed punishments have a number of drawbacks and can easily lead to unfair sentences. Crime is a very complex subject and giving fixed punishments is a very simplistic approach. There are many factors worth considering when appraising the severity of a serious crime. Taking murder for example,the offender could have been provoked,they may have reacted in a moment of passion,or perhaps they had been plotting it for months. One set sentence won't be appropriate for these very different circumstances,even if they could all be classed as murder. Although the process of determining motive and circumstance might be long and costly,it is worth it in order to maintain a high level of justice and make sure it is only the most deserving of criminals that get the toughest sentences.

然而，固定的刑罚有很多缺陷，容易导致不公正的判决。犯罪是一个非常复杂的课题，而给予固定的刑罚是一种极为简单的做法。当评价一起严重犯罪的情节轻重时，有很多因素都是值得考虑的。以谋杀为例，犯罪者可能是被挑衅的，可能是激情犯罪，或者还有可能是精心策划了数月。就算这些都可以被归类为谋杀，固定的判决对于这些完全不同的情节来说是不合适的。虽然判定动机和情节的过程可能会很长，代价很高，但是这么做还是值得的，其目的在于保持正义的高水准并确保重罪重判、判罪适当。

In summary,fixed punishments for crimes can have practical advantages in certain situations,for example in minor offences. However,for more serious offences it is best to take a more analytical approach 5 and consider all aspects of a crime before passing sentence.

总之，对犯罪的固定刑罚在某些情况下，例如对于轻微犯罪来说，是有实际优势的。然而，对于更加严重的犯罪来说，最好采用分析更加透彻的方法，并考虑犯罪的各个方面之后再决定刑罚。

表达方式解析

shuzi1 “ …finds favour with… ”是用于替换“like or prefer”的高级说法，其对象通常是抽象事物，如“find favour with an argument or method”，该词组通常不与具体的物体搭配。例如：An alternative is to take the entire course in a single weekend. This approach finds favour with those who work during the week.

shuzi1 在本文语境中，“ effectively ”的意思并非“有效的”，它的意思与“in other words”类似，目的是说明某事虽然表面上是一回事，但实际上是另外一回事。中国雅思考生很少在这个意义上使用“effectively”一词。例句：①This new tax will apply to those who own three or more properties,effectively restricting it only to the rich.②Tom has made it clear that he will not accept any offer with a salary lower than his previous job. Given the current nature of the job market,this effectively means that he will remain unemployed.

shuzi1 “ freeing up ”or“ free up ”意思和“make available”相似，该词组经常和“time”or“resources”搭配。例如：①Now that the meeting is cancelled,that frees up time for me to go to Jane's party.②With Ben having to withdraw from the event due to injury,a space is now freed up for another competitor to take part.

shuzi1 “ creep into ”通常使用比喻义，意为“不好的事情以不易察觉的方式暗中产生影响”。本文中提到“bias or prejudice that could creep into sentencing”，这句话的意思是偏见几乎不能被察觉到，但依然存在而且很不好。例如：①It seems that a few bugs have crept into the computer system,everything is running so slowly.②It seems that religious intolerance is beginning to creep into society at all levels.

shuzi1 词组“ take a…approach ”非常实用，也是很正式的书面用语。例如：①We need to take a more constructive approach to criticism.②Those wishing to lose weight would be well advised to take a more scientific approach to dieting,rather than simply skipping meals.