The Biggest Threat to the Role of Police Officers Every summer about a dozen journalists gather at
<center>The Biggest Threat to the Role of Police Officers</center>
Every summer about a dozen journalists gather at a former army training camp north of London to spend the day watching the training of London&39;s special armed police unit. These are the people who regularly have to tackle the increasing number of criminals who are prepared to carry guns.
The journalists also get a chance to shoot a gun on the practice range—none of it seems that difficult, and we put most of the bullets somewhere on the target. But then we move on to the next stage of the training, where some of the problems, which actually crop up on the street are imitated. The lights on the range are dimmed and we are stood in front of a large screen. We still have guns, but the bullets are fake, and videos are played where actors act out various types of situations.
Does the man holding a woman in front of him really have a gun or not? Is the man apparently preparing to surrender really going to, or is he going to raise the gun in front of him and shoot? We have to decide whether to shoot and when, just like the police officer has to when faced with this situation for real. The journalists&39; results here were not so impressive. I am afraid we killed many an innocent person carrying nothing more lethal than a stick.
The debate over whether more police in Britain should be armed with guns has been going on for years. The current policy is to have a small number of specialists available in each of the 43 police departments in Britain. They are kept up to scratch with intensive and regular training.
But the wisdom of that policy has been questioned as the amount of violence encountered by the police has grown. It is usually the ordinary street officer who is on the wrong end of this, rather than the armed experts who arrive rather later.
To see the direction in which the British police are heading, consider the experience of the Northumbria police who have responsibility for law and order in 5,000 square kilometers of Northeast England. The population is 1.5 million, living in rural areas and a few urban centers. The 3,600 police officers in the force deal with all the typical problems thrown up by the Britain of the 1990s.
John Stevens, head of the Northumbria Police Department, has just published his review of the past years. During 1994, for example, 61 officers (54 men and 7 women) were forced into early retirement after being attacked on duty. Before being allowed to leave the police for medical reasons, they lost between them 12,000 days on sick leave: the equivalent of 50 police officers off the street for a full year.
Stevens makes this observation: "The personal cost of policing has never been so high. One-third of the officers leaving were disabled in the very worst degree and will suffer for the rest of their lives for their efforts in the fight against crime."
This picture of a policeman&39;s lot could be repeated in many other parts of Britain, yet the police themselves still oppose more widespread arming of their officers. The most recent survey, conducted last year, showed that only 46% were in favor.
The general public, however, likes the idea: 67% favored wider issuing of guns. But they, of course, would not have to carry them and maybe even use them. Recalling my own experience shooting a gun on the practice range, I certainly would not want the responsibility.
It is clear to everyone that the police need more protection against the gun and the knife. They already carry longer clubs to replace the old ones. They have access to knife-resistant coats and gloves.
The likely next step is agreement from the government to test pepper spray, an organic substance derived from peppers that disables an attacker if sprayed in his face. If used properly, the discomfort, although extreme, is only temporary. Provided the spray is washed away with water, recovery should be complete within a couple of hours. Unpleasant, certainly, but better than being shot.
Many people in Britain would not mind seeing their police with longer clubs or even pepper spray. They would just like to see them. I have lost count of the times we have been filming police officers on the street when local residents have come up to us and told us it is the first time in weeks they have seen police in the area.
Actually the biggest threat to the traditional image and role of police officers does not come from guns and armed crime but the increase in the tasks we expect the police to carry out. New laws and police priorities are taking up so much time that many forces simply cannot afford to let their officers walk up and down the streets. Politicians are now asking members of the public to watch the streets. In some prosperous areas, local people pay private security firms.
Many officers believe it is all these extra duties, rather than the fear of being shot, that have really changed their role. In future, if you want to know what time it is there might not be much point asking a policeman. He either will not be there to ask or will not have the time to answer. 1. Why do actors act out various types of conditions? 2. Why did journalists "kill" many innocent persons ? 3. Why do the police oppose more widespread arming of the officers? 4. What do people in Britain want about the police officers? 5. What can you infer from the last sentence?<center>Exercises</center>
时间:2023-01-13 13:46:19
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In order to communicate the threat at a port facility or for a ship, the Contracting Government will set the appropriate security levels Security level 1 corresponds to()
A . normal situations
B . medium situations
C . high threat situations
D . special situatio
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Which of the following livestock has the biggest number in the UK?()
A、Beef cattle.
B、Dairy cattle.
C、Chicken.
D、Sheep.
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Repairing damage to the hull of a ship at or above the waterline reduces the threat of().
A . free surface effects
B . capsizing the ship
C . continued progressive flooding
D . wind overturning moment
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What these young men were doing()a threat to the safety of the whole neighborhood.
A . constructed
B . contracted
C . constituted
D . contributed
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What is the biggest advantage of using Web services to create SOA solutions?()
A . They are implemented using Java and XML
B . They support a client-server programming model
C . They are used to create tightly coupled applications
D . They are implemented using standardized technologie
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Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, by means of this powerful material and ___________ resources, promptly attacked the Xiongnu invasion, and fundamentally relieved the northern threat. That was the circumstance when Zhang Qian set out to the west.
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When the Western Han Dynasty was founded, the North was faced with the threat of a powerful nomadic nation. This nation, collectively referred to as .
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People are beginning to realize that to____nature at will is the biggest mistake that man has ever made.
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According to recent research, the biggest obstacle for men who want to help more at home is
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During the flight, which of the following is a threat?
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In the movie Up , Ellie's biggest dream is to be together with Carl. ( )
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Usually, businesses offer the biggest packages to top executives who have been with the company for a significant period.
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Having negative feelings about a particular group of people because that group is considered to be a threat to the majority is known as:
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The erosion of the white cliffs in the south of England has now become a threat to the local residents.
A.Right
B.Wrong
C.Not mentioned
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Overpopulation poses a terrible threat to the human race.Yet it is probably ________a threat to the human race than enviromental destruction.
A.no more B.not more
C.even more D.much more
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What will be the possible threat to plants in the future?
A.Storms and floods.
B.Disease and fire.
C.Less space for their growth.
D.Rapid increase of the animal population.
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The United Nations Conference on Drug Abuse that took place earlier this year in Vienna, was a very productive meeting. As never before, the nations of the world demonstrated a willingness to confront a common threat.
Most previous international gatherings on this subject have not seen the same intensity of delegate inter est. Many nations have gone through a shock of recognition. A decade ago, only those nations identified as "producing countries" also become "consuming countries", but many have witnessed the growth within their borders of drug trafficking gangs (often allied with terrorists) so powerful they present a danger to the state's stability. Many developing countries now have the worst of both worlds, in that they grow their own people. There is a growing sense of fright in ninny governments that matters are out of control and the single way to recover is through cooperation with other countries.
The high points of the conference were the drafting of two documents, both of which were adopted with out a disagreed vote. One was a joint declaration of intent to combat drag abuse and traffic. The other consisted of many detailed suggestions for particular regional and national policies.
Overall, the conference developed a two-level action plan. The focus was on ways to curb the demand for dangerous drugs and on methods of destroying at least interrupting the distribution process.
On the demand side, the delegates recommended the establishment of a system for collecting information on the nature and scope of narcotics use. In addition, they concluded that drug education should be taught in schools and that governments and labor organizations should act together in the anti-drug campaign in the work place. The delegates also recommended strict adherence to international agreements to curb the supply of narcotics.
The United Nations Conference was held to discuss ______.
A.ideological and individual differences
B.production
C.drug abuse
D.nations of file world
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There is widespread concern that the rising unemployment may ___ a threat to social stability.
A.jump
B.swim
C.pose
D.happy
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Lack of confidence is the biggest ________ to his success.
A barrier
B obstacle
C flaw
D drawback
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According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the biggest source of sodium in Americans' diets is_________
A. cheese
B. bread
C. pizza
D. sandwiches
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In order to communicate the threat at a port facility or for a ship, the Contracting Government will set the appropriate security levelsSecurity level 1 corresponds to .
A.normal situations
B.medium situations
C.high threat situations
D.special situations
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听力原文:Oil-rich countries like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have spent billions of dollars developing desalination plants along with other technologies to help insure a continued flow of useable water. Even so, the demand for water in those countries continues to outpace the creation of additional water supplies. With rapidly increasing populations and industries in Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, the threat of serious water shortages has led to increased political tensions.
Which of the countries mentioned contributed a lot to maintain the flow of usable water in the passage?
A.Saudi Arabia, Israel
B.Jordan, Syria
C.Saudi Arabia, Kuwait
D.Lebanon, the Palestinian territories
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§ [C] As demand for food rises faster than supplies are growing, the resulting food-price inflation puts severe stress on the governments of many countries. Unable to buy grain or grow their own, hungry people take to the streets. Indeed, even before the steep climb in grain prices in 2008, the number of failing states was expanding. If the food situation continues to worsen, entire nations will break down at an ever increasing rate. In the 20th century the main threat to international security was superpower conflict; today it is failing states.
A.- Rather than superpower conflict, countries unable to cope with food shortages now constitute the main threat to world security.
B.- To lower domestic food prices, some countries limited or stopped their grain exports. C
D.
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What is most appropriate to answer to the question: what are your biggest weakness?
A.Sometimes I can be impatiet with process of a project,but that is just just because I like to get things done
B.I don’t like people telling me what to do
C.I am really lazy
D.Well, I have a weakness for having a drink during lunch hour.