UNIT FOUR考研英语阅读理解精读篇.doc

UNIT FOUR TEXT ONE As Ameri?cas diges?t the news of anoth?er gun atroc?ity, a mall shoot?ing in Nebra?ska on Decem?ber 5th, they canno?t be blame?d for think?ing that guns are in too ready? suppl?y. But an artic?le in the lates?t Econo?mic Journ?a sugge?sts that the deman?d for illeg?al guns, at least?, is not met as easil?y as peopl?e might? fear. Sudhi?r Venka?tesh, now of Colum?bia Unive?rsity?, has talke?d to 132 gang-membe?rs, 77 prost?itute?s, 116 gun-ownin?g youth?s, 23 gun-deale?rs and numer?ous other? deniz?ens of Chica?gos Grand? Boule?vard and Washi?ngton? Park neigh?bourh?oods. He did not find many satis?fied custo?mers. Chica?go has unusu?ally tough? restr?ictio?ns on legal? handg?uns. Even so the black? marke?t is surpr?ising?ly “thin”, attra?cting? relat?ively? few buyer?s and selle?rs. The autho?rs recko?n that the 48,000 resid?ents of the two neigh?bourh?oods buy perha?ps 1,400 guns a year, compa?red with at least? 200,000 cocai?ne purch?ases. Under?groun?d broke?rs sell guns for $150-350, a mark-up of perha?ps 200% over the legal? price?. They also deman?d a fee of $30-50 for orche?strat?ing the deal. Even then, 30-40% of the trans?actio?ns fall throu?gh becau?se the selle?r canno?t secur?e a gun, gets cold feet or canno?t agree? on a locat?ion for the deal. Buyer?s also find it hard to verif?y the quali?ty of the merch?andis?e. They often? know littl?e about? the weapo?ns they covet?. “Tony”, who owns a .38 calib?re handg?un, learn?t how to use his weapo?n by fiddl?ing with it. He even put a stone? in it. “Did it fire?” Mr Venka?tesh asked?. “Im not sure. I think? it did,” Tony said. Fortu?natel?y for Tony and his peers?, their? rival?s and the victi?ms of crime? canno?t tell if their? guns work any bette?r than they can. Often?, showi?ng the “bulge?” is enoug?h to gain the respe?ct of rival? gangs?. In robbe?ries brand?ishin?g the weapo?n will usual?ly do. Store?keepe?rs do not wait for proof? that it works?. Marke?ts can overc?ome thinn?ess, t