2014考研英語(yǔ)：閱讀理解高分強(qiáng)化訓(xùn)練(十六)_跨考網(wǎng)

　　2014考研英語(yǔ)：閱讀理解高分強(qiáng)化訓(xùn)練(十六)

　　Passage Two

　　There is a bitter battle over how to combat the nation's fastest-growing crime problem, juvenile offenders. While overall crime statistics in America's largest cities has dropped there is one category where it has skyrocketed. That category is homicides committed by youths under the age of 17. Between 1984 and 1994, murders committed by youths under 17 tripled. Demographic studies show that there will be a surge in the teen population in the coming years and experts believe that 25 percent of all murders committed by the year 2005 will be committed by juveniles.

　　Violence (i.e. Aggravated assaults) committed with guns by youths has also increased at roughly the same pace as homicides. After years of statistical decline, drug use by teens is also on the rise. None of these statistics would appear to bode well for future.

　　It now seems that everyday we are hearing about horrendous violent crimes being committed by juveniles. The most famous of late was the 6-year-old in northern California who almost beat to death a small baby. The baby was just released from the hospital on Thursday and has suffered brain damage from the attack by the 6-year-old.

　　There is also the case of the 15-year-old pregnant girl who was shot to death by another student in St. Louis. In Miami, two 16-year-old males have been charged with the murder of a Dutch woman tourist who just happened to end up in the wrong neighborhood. A 15-year-old New York boy tried to steal a pair of earrings from a woman. During the attack, the young woman fell to her death under a New York subway train.

　　In Fort Meyers, Florida, a group of teenagers shot and killed a high school band teacher. This case will be the subject of an upcoming ENN report, but a police investigation into this group of teens turned up "would-be junior terrorists" that could have rivaled some of the worst terrorist organizations in the world.

　　There seems to be growing awareness now of this juvenile crime problem in the United States. Several experts, as well as this publication, have been trying very hard to get the word out. People who have become victims of these young felons are angry and are calling for changes to be made in the juvenile justice system.

　　It has been a long-standing belief in the United States that juveniles who kill, rape and rob be treated differently than adult offenders. But this may soon change. In 1899, juvenile courts were established to help protect "juvenile delinquents." But it seems that today, the reasoning for the protection of the youths in the criminal justice system may be outdated and changes need to be made to accomodate these "14-year-old harden felons." Many critics, today, say that in reality too many hard-core juvenile offenders are arrested held and released time-after-time in a process that is called a revolving door. It seems to only come to an end when a truly heinous crime is committed.

　　Because of the rise in juvenile crime and the experts predictions that the problem is going to get worse before it gets better, many cities, states and even congress are trying to wrestle with the problem. Tallahassee, Florida has been experimenting with a couple of different programs to deal with troubled youths. In one case, Tallahassee Police received a report of a teenager breaking into an auto. Immediately, officers knew their suspect. The suspect was a 16-year-old who even held a job at a near-by restaurant. This 16-year-old who was on parole, had been known to commit 32 similar offenses. Officers had kept the suspect tracked on a point scale. He was arrested after he barricaded himself inside an apartment building. Because of his extensive criminal record prosecutors immediately sent him to trial in an adult court. This can be called the "get-tough" approach.