Lawyers protesting about cuts don't attr

考试题库2022-08-02  28

问题 Lawyers protesting about cuts don't attract the same level of public support as doctors and nurses.What goes on in the courts is not widely understood,and most people do not expect to neecl a publicly funded lawyer in the way that they rely on hospitals.Nevertheless,access to justice is a fundamental democratic right,and the chaos and failure unfolding across the legal system as the result of cuts should concern everyone who cares about justice.Research carried out by civil servants and published in May after it was leaked shows that the disruptive effect of legal aid cuts in England and Wales has spread from the civil courts to the criminal courts:where increasing numbers of clefendants are appearing without legal advice or representation,as a consequence of changes including new means tests.More than half of juclges questioned for the study voiced concerns about defendants not understanding that a guilty plea could lead to a reducecl sentence.The government knows there is a problem.not least because the王950m reduction in the legal aid bill in 2016,compared with 2010,was more than twice as much as it expected.But ministers have already clelayed far too long in the face of clear evidence that cuts in the family courts have been harmful.Official figures show that the proportion of plaintif{s and defendants with legal representation fell from 60%in 2012 t0 33%in the first quarter of last year,and it is not uncommon for one party in a civil case to be represented by a lawyer while the other is not.Some sensible changes have already been suggested in a review commissioned by the Labour party last year.These include a loosening of the criteria for legal aid eligibility to include all cases involving children,and representation for families in inquests where the state is already funding one party such as the police-which represents an essential rebalancing of justice's scales.The report also made the not unreasonable suggestion that law should be taught in schools.Avoiding costly lawsuits by encouraging people to treat court as a last resort sounds reasonable,and some of the consequences of the cuts were no doubt unintended.But the"simpler"and"more responsive"system promised by the Conservative justice secretary Ken Clarke when embarking on these cost-saving measures in 2010 now looks like wishful thinking at best.The current justice secretary,David Gauke,must act to restore confidence in a damaged system.Legal aid began in the UK in the 1940s with the rest of the welfare state.In the US,a defendant's entittement to a lawyer in a criminal case is enshrined in an amendment to the constitution.While the rules in the UK may lack this constitutional underpinning,people are still entitled to access to justice-including lawyers paid for with legal aid.In the last paragraph,the author calls on the UK government toA.improve access to justice.B.reorganize welfare department.C.promote lawyers'status.D.amend the constitution.

选项 A.improve access to justice.
B.reorganize welfare department.
C.promote lawyers'status.
D.amend the constitution.

答案 A

解析 第六段③句指出,英国宪法中虽没有关于法律援助的条例,但是人们仍然有权获得公正待遇。由此可知,作者认为英国政府应当改善目前的法律援助状况,使人们得到公正待遇’A.正确。[解题技巧]B.利用首句welfare staie设障,但原文仅说明英国福利制度的实施时间,无关“福利部门重组”。C.将文意重点“(涉及律师的)法律援助”篡改为“律师自身地位”。D.将作者说明“美国宪法有法律援助相关条例而英国没有”的目的“强调英国民众也需法律援助/公正待遇同样重要”错解为“提议修改英国宪法”。
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