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. The high court' s decision said the judge in Mr. McDonnell' s trail failed to tell a jury that it must look only at his "official acts" , or the former governor' s decisions on "specific" and "unsettled" issues related to his duties. Merely helping a gift-giver gain access to other officials, unless done with clear intent to pressure those officials, is not corruption, the justices found. The court did suggest that accepting favors in return for opening doors is "distasteful" and "nasty. " 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". The court' s ruling is legally sound in defining a kind of favoritism that is not criminal. Elected leaders must be allowed to help supporters deal with bureaucratic problems without fear of prosecution of 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. " 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 will-enforced laws in government transparency, such as records of official meetings, rules on lobbying, and information about each elected leader' s source of wealth. Favoritism in official access can fan public perceptions of corruption. But it is not always corruption. Rather officials must avoid double standards, or different types of access for average people and the wealthy. If connections can be bought, a basic premise of democratic society—that all are equal in treatment by government—is undermined. Good government rests on an understanding of the inherent worth of each individual. The court' s ruling is a step forward in the struggle against both corruption and official favoritism.

单选题 The underlined sentence(Para. 1)most probably shows that the court______.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】解析：根据题干中的关键词The underlined sentence(para．1)可以快速回到原文的划线句子，But it did so while holding its nose at the ethics of his conduct，which included acceptinggifts such as a Rolex watch and a Ferrari Automobile from a company seeking access to government，联系文章第一句话，虽然最高法院没有判定Robert McDonnell受贿罪，但是holding its nose at theethics of his conduct，即在道德上却对他的行为嗤之以鼻。由此可以锁定C选项中的was con—temptuous of，即法院其实非常轻视Robert McDonnell的行为。D选项中出现ethics，虽在原文中有相同的词，但是，此句话说的是拒绝从道德的标准评论Robert McDonnell的行为。

单选题 According to Paragraph 4, an official act is deemed corruptive only if it involves______.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】解析：从第四段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 hos—ting an event is not an“official act．”可以知道，对腐败的定义是，只有受贿者给予了行贿者实际的好处，例如a contract or regulation，如果提供的不是具体的好处，仅仅只是：arranging a meet—ing，making a phone call，or hosting an event，那么这种行为就不是受贿。由此选A。

单选题 The court' s ruling is based on the assumption that public officials are______.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】解析：细节判断题。由题干的assumption定位到第五段最后一句：“The basic con—pact underlying representative government，”wrote Chief Justice John Roberts for the court，“assumesthat public officials will hear from their constituents and act on their concerns．”即官员要听从选民的呼声，并对他们关注的话题相应采取行动解决问题。同时前一句也在讨论官员准许帮忙支持者解决政务问题，而不用担心被起诉贪污。都是在讨论解决问题，C选项中address the needs(解决需求)，等同于deal with，act on problems，Must be allowed同义替换为justified(并具有合法性)。故选C。

单选题 Well-enforced laws in government transparency are needed to______.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】解析：根据题干中的关键词Well—enforced laws in government transparency可以锁定第六段This type of integrity requires will—enforced laws in government transparency…each electedleader’s source of wealth．但是从这句话中找不到所需的信息，从this type of可以知道这句话与前面的句子联系紧密，因而可以追溯到这一段的第一句话，But the ruling reinforces the need for citizens and their elected representatives，not the courts，to ensure equality of access to government，即执法力度需要加强市民及其当选代表，而不是法院获得接近政府的平等的机会。equality与B选项的fair play相对应，因此选B。