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In recent years, there has been an increasing awareness of the inadequacies of the judicial system in the United States. Costs are staggering both for the taxpayers and the parties-and the parties have to wait sometimes many years before having their day in court. Many suggestions have been made concerning methods of improving the situation, but as in most branches of government, changes come slowly. One suggestion that has been made in order to maximize the efficiency of the system is to allow districts that have an overabundance of pending cases to borrow judges from other districts that do not have such a backlog. Another suggestion is to use pretrial conferences, in which the judge meets in his chambers with the parties and their attorneys in order to narrow the issues, limit the witnesses, and provide for a more orderly trial. The theory behind pretrial conferences is that judges will spend less time on each case and parties will more readily settle before trial when they realize the adequacy of their claims and their opponents’ evidence. Unfortunately, at least one study has shown that pretrial conferences actually use more judicial time than they save, rarely result in pretrial settlements, and actually result in higher damage settlements. Many states have now established another method, small-claims courts, in which cases over small sums of money can be disposed of with considerable dispatch. Such proceedings cost the parties almost nothing, In California, for example, the parties must appear before the judge without the assistance of counsel. The proceedings are quite informal and there is no pleading-the parties need to make only a one-sentence statement of their claim. By going to this type of court, the plaintiff waives any right to a jury trial and the right to appeal the decision. In coming years, we can expect to see more and more innovations in the continuing effort to remedy a situation which must be remedied if the citizens who have valid claims are going to be have their day in court. 6.The pretrial conference, in theory, is supposed to do all of the following except _____. A. narrow the issues B. cause early settlement C. save judicial time D. increase settlement cost 7. What is the main topic of the passage? A. All states should follow California’ s example in using small-claims courts in order to free judges for other work. B. The legislature needs to formulate fewer laws so that the judiciary can catch up on its older cases. C. Nobody seems to care enough to attempt to find method for making the judicial system more efficient. D. While there are many problems with the court system, there are viable suggestions, for improvement. 8. The word “ parties” means mostly _______. A. jury members B. commentators C. parties in a lawsuit D. taxpayers 9. Which of the following is true about small-claim courts? A. It is possible to have one’s case heard by a jury if he or she is dissatisfied with the court’s decision. B. The parties must plead accurately and according to a strict form. C. The decision may not be appealed to a higher court. D. The parties may not present their cases without an attorney’ s help. 10. What can we assume from the passage? A. Most people who feel they have been wronged have a ready remedy in courts of law. B. Many people would like to bring a case to court, but are unable to because of the cost and the time required. C. The judicial system in the US is highly acclaimed for its efficiency. D. Pretrial conferences will someday probably have replaced trials completely. C In today's Ireland, it seems hard to imagine the grim days of the 19th century when so many of the population starved, or that, in those days, many poor people had no clue how to prepare any food other than boil a potato. Nowadays, it is quite possible to eat both well and heartily all over the island. Tourism has made a vast difference to the standards of cooking in Ireland. Until recently there was hardly any tradition of eating out in many districts, except perhaps on very few occasions at a local hotel. Patterns of diet were old-styled, based firmly on 'meat and two vegetables' (somewhat overcooked), potatoes (of course) and large quantities of dairy produce. Now things are very different. Tourist demands for predictable, inexpensive fast-food are met, as everywhere, with hamburgers and pizzas - a better bet being fish and chips. But more sophisticated tastes have introduced wholefoods and vegetarian restaurants (almost unheard of before), and a vast number of new restaurants, often French in style, have opened in the main tourist centres. Food 'events' such as Kinsale's Gourmet festival or Galway's Oyster Festival attract large numbers of visitors and reflect the new interest in food. (责任编辑：admin) |