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法律与道德 法律与道德长久以来相互依存，如黑夜之于白昼，看来截然两端却又无论如何难以分隔，他们息息相 关且相互影响，在历史的发展过程中两者的关系也跟着成为永恒的话题之一了。法律与道德两者相互以螺 旋状作用并上升发展，正如人类历史以不可阻碍的步伐前进。 法律与道德在相互磨合中彼此渐渐的区分了开来，但无法避免的是，随着观念的转变，道德标准的更 改，法治的进步，法律与道德又开始相互磨合
以彼此适应，然后又相互区分。这是一个不可避免的过程， 并且是以螺旋状上升并且发展的。 虽然法学家对法律与道德的关系一直颇有争议，但道德对于法律的作用是无法忽视的，即便许多人极 力的回避这一问题。法律是道德的下限，也就是说，当一种行为侵犯特定的社会关系或社会秩序，仅靠道 德约束和谴责已不足以制止时，就需要将该道德规范确认为法律规范，运用国家强制力来予以实施。如在 市场经济条件下，当诚实信用道德规范已不能有效遏制信用严重滑坡时，就需要将诚实信用确认为《民法 通则》所规定的法律原则，并通过对欺诈行为进行制裁来保证该法律原则的实施；而当民事制裁已不能有 效制止欺诈时，就需要运用刑罚手段来打击诈骗犯罪。但是，法律的下线仅仅是就法律的制裁功能而言的。 法律还有另外一个重要功能：激励。这就涉及到法律的上线问题。即当对一种行为的赞赏或奖励，仅靠道 德评价或社会评价已不足以支持时，就需要将其上升为国家意志，以国家强制力来予以支持。北京市和四 川省分别制定的《北京市见义勇为人员奖励和保护条例》和《四川省保护和奖励见义勇为条例》 ，就是在这 方面所做的有益尝试和努力。然而我们就是鼓励道德对法律的作用了吗？显然答案是否定的。对于涉及道 德的案件全然的用法律来解决还是以法律与道德相结合的方式求解，争议声此伏彼起。但不可回避的是我 们的确将道德规则置入了法律条文，如“公序良俗”“诚实信用” 、 。我们似乎确立了一个道德对法律有绝对 掌控权的法律体系，当然是涉及到有关方面的时候。一旦涉及到与此有关的案例，忠实与“法律就是法律” 的法学家们坚决摒弃道德对与法律的过于干涉而有些法学家坚持引用所谓的“公序良俗”“诚实信用” 、 。我 们来看以下几则案例：其一， 麻旦旦案” “ 。这则 2001 年引得全国注目的陕西“处女嫖娼案”其审判结果如 下：一审判决麻旦旦仅获赔偿 74.66 元，二审判决增加了误工费等（合计 9135 元） 。判决结果既出，大众 惊诧于没有给予精神赔偿也没有要求原告公开道歉。与法判决并无任何不妥之处那么何以公众反响如此之 大？道德二字在法律施行中以舆论的方式给其莫名的压力和阻力。其二，2002 年，西南某大学以违反校规 “发生不正当性行为，品行恶劣，道德败坏”为由，对未婚先孕的女大学生李静及其男友李军作出勒令退 学的处罚决定。这对恋人认为学校的做法侵犯了他们的隐私权，将母校告上法庭。该事件在全社会引起广 泛关注，学者们认为受教育权是宪法赋予每一位公民的重要权利，学校仅凭自己内部处罚条例就剥夺公民 的受教育权，其合法性令人质疑。有学者在分析这一事件的背景时指出，这一广泛关注的事件其实质是教 育道德化还是教育法治化理念冲突使然。其三，2002 年轰动一时的发生在四川泸州市的“二奶”争遗产案
件。二审最终判决第三者败诉，这是否说明道德战胜了法律？法学界对此至今争论不休。但道德对与法律
的力量在中国的法学界无疑是巨大的。且不论公众，道德在公众的心目中的作用的根深蒂固是有其历史性 的；当法律人也高举道德的旗帜时，我们应当深思。法制国家不是不允许道德的存在和作用，而是应当制 止道德对于法律的过度干涉。这势必涉及到一个度的问题，什么度才能被视为是合适的？又是一个主观性 课题，也就是说从另一个角度涉及到了道德。那么看来我们陷入了一个循环：道德对法律的作用其合法性 需得用道德来证明。 在此我们不得不得以重提一个关于道德和法律之间被讨论了无数次的问题：道德和法律之间的区分和 联系。从细微处其不同点谓之繁浩，其主要的不同之一在于产生的条件不同。原始社会没有现代意义上的 法律，只有道德规范或宗教禁忌，或者说氏族习惯。法律是在原始社会末期，随着氏族制度的解体以及私 有制、阶级的出现，与国家同时产生的而道德的产生则与人类社会的形成同步，道德是维系一个社会的最 基本的规范体系，没有道德规范，整个社会就会分崩离析。其二在于法律与道德两者是否有强制性措施保 证其施行。依靠国家的强制力作为实施的保证是法律规范的突出特征也是其与生俱来的固有特征。而道德 所能依靠的仅仅是个人的良心谴责与社会的舆论压力。其三，法律是外化的，道德是内化的。法律仅仅规
定外部行为，对于行为的内在动机所在则并不涉及；而道德其关注点在于内心的动机。虽然这一区分得到 了大家的认同但我们不可避免的意识到这样的分类有其不足的地方。法律上的善意取得制度、无因管理制 度，甚至是区分犯罪的故意与过失，这些情况下都要区分行为人的内心主观状态，虽然，这种区分是通过 对行为人的外在行为进行推断而得出的，并且，即使是道德评价也不可避免要有通过行为而推断内心状态 的时候。如尊老爱幼、拾金不昧、见义勇为，美德并非仅停留在内心体验的层面。其四，法律是道德的下 限，即“法律是社会的道德低线。 ”而法律与道德的联系溯其根源则可回到法律的产生和道德的产生等多方 面。 道德与法律不可截然分开但在法治社会中我们应当如何看待道德，如何看待道德作用于法律，如何能 在法治社会进程中走得更平稳，是一个值得深究的课题在具体案件中，怎样适用法律，怎样把握法律与道 德平衡度，仍然是一个有待具体分析的问题。【相关新闻】天津“许云鹤案”二审引发关注 扶人还是撞人 成庭审焦点 2011 年 8 月 22 日下午，备受关注的许云鹤不服一审判决上诉案件，在天津市第一中级人民法 院开庭。 事情还得从两年前说起。2009 年 10 月 21 日，在天津市红桥区红旗路，天津市民许云鹤与王秀芝老太太之 间发生了纠纷。年近 70 岁的王秀芝老太太称自己被许云鹤驾车撞倒在地；许云鹤则认为自己并没有撞人， 他主动停车，下车搀扶，是助人为乐。2011 年 6 月 16 日，天津市红桥区法院一审判决许云鹤赔偿王秀芝 10.8 万余元。最终，许云鹤不服一审判决提起上诉。 二审庭审现场，当事人双方争论的焦点在哪里？该案又为何会引起社会广泛关注？ 庭审现场，双方对事件描述大相径庭 在 2011 年 8 月 22 日的庭审现场，当事双方对两年前事件发生时的一幕进行了描述。 许云鹤说，2009 年 10 月 21 日，他行驶在天津市红桥区红旗路最左面的车道，这时一名老太太横跨半条马 路来到中间的护栏，在跨越护栏时被护栏绊了一下，一下子摔倒在地，就倒在他的车前。 许云鹤称，当时他将车停下，下车搀扶老太太，没想到一碰老太太，她就直喊疼。于是，许云鹤拨打了 120。 后来，老太太说要借电话用，当许云鹤把电话借给她时，她在电话里说自己被车撞了，让人赶紧来。 据许云鹤介绍，老太太的女儿赶到现场后，直接表示让他“拿 8 万了事”。一年多后，老太太到法院起诉 了许云鹤，要求赔偿医疗费等 16 万余元。 而事件的另外一方王秀芝老太太的说法则与许云鹤的说法大相径庭。 在法庭上，王秀芝回忆了当天的详细情况。她说，当她爬过中心护栏时，看见许云鹤的车飞快地开过来， 于是就站在护栏旁边准备躲避一下，没想到车子还是撞到了自己的腿部，自己被撞弹起后，趴在车前部， 又摔倒在地上。 医院检查结果表明，王秀芝右胫骨平台骨折、右膝内外侧半月板损伤。 双方各提出两项诉讼请求 2011 年 6 月 16 日，天津市红桥区法院一审判决许云鹤赔偿王秀芝 10.8 万余元。 法院判决理由是：不能确定小客车与王老太身体有接触，也不能排除没接触。假设双方并未发生碰撞，原 告自己摔伤，但被告在并道后发现原告时距离原告只有四五米，在此短距离内作为行人的原告突然发现车 辆向其驶来，必然会发生惊慌错乱，其倒地定然会受到驶来车辆的影响。 一审判决称，王秀芝因跨越中心隔离护栏属违法行为，对事故的发生负有不可推卸的责任，但许云鹤也要 承担 40%的民事赔偿责任。 许云鹤难以接受法院假设自己“惊吓”到王老太的判决理由，更加难以接受 10 余万元的罚款数额，因此提 起上诉。 在二审庭审现场，上诉人许云鹤提出了两条上诉请求：一是撤销一审错误判决，驳回被上诉人全部诉讼请 求；二是全部诉讼费用由被上诉人承担。 许云鹤的律师陈述两条上诉请求的理由时认为，本案不属于交通事故，目前没有证据证明王秀芝受伤到底 是否与碰撞有关，不应按照交通事故处理。而一审判决是根据猜测和假定作出的，没有证据支持。 其次，王秀芝被鉴定为八级伤残系其拒绝治疗导致，应该自己承担责任。同时，跨越护栏属于违法行为，
被上诉人应该负全部责任。 而此案的被上诉人王秀芝也同样提出了两项诉讼请求。一是驳回上诉人上诉请求，维持原判；二是诉讼费 用由上诉人承担。 王秀芝的律师陈述其理由时认为，《道路交通安全法》并未将“接触”作为法定要件，因此此案属于交通 事故；上诉人驾驶没有强制保险的机动车上路属违法行为，且制动不及时，在交通事故中负有过错责任； 其拨打 120 送被上诉人去医院等行为，是依法履行救助义务，并非助人为乐。 此外，上诉人没有缴纳强制保险，应该承担相应的保险责任。 交警未做出责任认定，责任分担存在争议 记者注意到，一审判决书并没有认定许云鹤是否碰撞王秀芝的事实。 据了解，警方指定的鉴定机构天津市天通司法鉴定中心最终的鉴定结论为：“不能确定许云鹤驾驶的小客 车与人体接触部位，不能排除小客车与王秀芝有接触，也不能排除小客车与王秀芝没有接触。” 一审审判人员曾找到参与王老太太诊疗的天津市人民医院张寅龙医生。张寅龙认为，“无法确定原告伤情 的具体成因， 但能够确定原告伤情系外伤所致。 根据原告的年龄和具体伤情， 原告自己摔伤的可能性较小。 ” 交通民警到达事故现场后，对事故现场进行拍照记录，其中测量许云鹤的车与老太太距离为 2.4 米。而处 理这起交通事故的西站交警大队也没有做出责任认定。 天津市公安交管局出具的事故证明表明，当事双方对此事故的基本事实陈述不一致，都无法提供证人及证 明交通事故事实的相关证据。 一审法院确认原告损失范围 11 万余元，被告许云鹤在 40%责任以内赔偿被告 1400 余元，在交强险范围内 赔偿 10.7 万余元，许云鹤未及时投保交强险系未履行法定义务的违法行为，故交强险限额内的无过错责任 应由被告许云鹤承担，所以许云鹤总计赔偿王老太太 10.8 万余元。 在 2011 年 9 月 22 日二审庭审现场，当事双方均提出了众人围观及评价的事实，却都不能提供任何一位证 人。 一位从警十余年的警官告诉记者，在办案中寻找目击证人非常困难。有些明明在现场的人，在警方询问时 会以什么都没看见作答，有的证人作证一次后就再也联系不上。这让一些简单的案件最后成为悬案。 下次开庭将进行证据质证 “许云鹤案”经过网络传播和媒体转载，引起了广泛的社会关注。 据了解，双方当事人都在网络上注册，发布自己的观点。媒体的相关报道引发了网友的热烈讨论和广泛关 注。社会普遍关心该案的进展，有人担心这起案件会不会成为另一个“彭宇案”，可能不利于在全社会倡 导助人为乐的精神。 吉林大学法学院副教授李綦通认为，根据《道路交通安全法》第七十三条规定，公安机关交通管理部门应 当根据交通事故现场勘验、检查、调查情况和有关的检验、鉴定结论，及时制作交通事故认定书，作为处 理交通事故的证据。如果相关证据缺失的话，对于事实的认定是非常困难的。 他说，公众对“许云鹤案”的关心，表现了人们对社会基本善恶道德的关注，但这并不是单纯的法律规范 能够调整的问题。 2011 年 8 月 22 日的二审首次庭审，并没有当庭宣判。记者了解到，下次开庭将进行证据质证。 【相关新闻】男子自称搀扶老太反被告上法庭 自称搀扶救助一位摔倒的老太太却成被告，法院“推理分析”做出判决，网友号召捐款支持被告。 2007 年 7 月，南京的一位老太太将青年彭宇告上法庭，称对方撞倒自己，要求其赔偿十几万元的损失。彭 宇则称自己好心帮助那位老太太，将她扶起送她去医院，却反被诬。 彭宇称，2006 年 11 月 20 日，他在公共汽车站好心扶一名跌倒在地的老人起来，并送其去医院检查。不想， 受伤的徐老太太及家人得知胫骨骨折，要花费数万元医药费时，一口咬定是彭宇撞了人，要其承担数万元 医疗费。被拒绝后，老人向鼓楼区法院起诉，要求彭宇赔偿各项损失 13 万多元。 2007 年 7 月以来，此案一直是当地最热烈的网上话题，西祠胡同“南京零距离”一个论坛就有上百 个帖子讨论此事，网友几乎一边倒相信并支持彭宇，并感慨现在好人不好做。对于以后遇到有老人摔倒的
情况是否上前救助，网上展开了激烈辩论。 昨天，南京市鼓楼区法院对彭宇案做出了一审判决，称“彭宇自认，其是第一个下车的人，从常理分析， 他与老太太相撞的可能性比较大”。裁定彭宇补偿原告 40%的损失，即 45876 元，10 日内给付。 判决书中还称如果不是彭宇撞的老太太，他完全不用送她去医院，而可以“自行离去”，“但彭宇未作此 等选择，他的行为显然与情理相悖”。 两个月前庭审期间坚持“以后碰到这种事还会出手相助”的彭宇，在昨天走出法院大门时也没有了当时的 坚决，“再不会这么冲动了，”他说。 此案唯一目击证人陈先生高呼：“朋友们，以后还有谁敢做好事？” 彭宇已因此失业 昨天开庭前彭宇见到记者，他说自己为了这个案子已经丢了工作：“从 7 月 6 日最后一次开庭以来，我还 一直没有去上班。这个事情没有了结之前，我没有心思工作。一个星期之前，我正式辞去了工作。” 彭宇和律师高式东对判决结果的预计都比较乐观，“这个案子我觉得胜诉的可能性比较大，因为仅从证据 角度出发，老太太并没有充分的证据证明自己的观点——是彭宇撞倒了她。”高式东说，“因为民事诉讼 的原则就是这样：谁主张、谁举证。老太太说是彭宇撞倒了她，那她就得拿出充分的证据来证明，而不用 彭宇找出证据证明自己没有撞。” 但他们没有想到的是，法院用逻辑推理和分析的方法做出了认定和判决。 判决书：从常理分析?? 首当其冲的就是核心问题：彭宇和老太太到底有没有相撞？ 鼓楼区法院认为， 老太太是与彭宇相撞受伤。 理由是： “根据日常生活经验分析， 老太太(原文为“原告”) 倒地的原因除了被他人的外力因素撞倒之外，还有绊倒或者滑倒等自身原因情形。但双方在庭审中均未陈 述存在老太太绊倒或滑倒等事实，故根据本案现有证据，应着重分析老太太被撞倒之外力情形。” 判决书继续说：“人被外力撞倒后，一般首先会确定外力来源，辨认相撞之人；如果撞人之人逃逸，作为 被撞倒之人的第一反应，是呼救并请人帮忙阻止。本案事发地点是公共场所的公交站台，且事发时间是视 线较好的上午，事故发生的过程非常短促，故撞倒老太太的人不可能轻易逃逸。而根据彭宇自认，其是第 一个下车的人，从常理分析，他与老太太相撞的可能性比较大。” 法院认为，如果彭宇是见义勇为做好事，“更符合实际的做法是抓住撞倒原告的人，而不是好心相扶。” “如果被告是做好事，根据社会情理，在老太太的家人到达后，其完全可以说明事实经过并让老太太的家 人将她送到医院，然后自行离开。但彭宇未作此等选择，他的行为显然与情理相悖，”判决书写道。 “如果不是他撞的，应该不会垫钱” 在和老太太家人一起将老太太送到医院后，彭宇曾掏出了 200 多元钱给老太太的家人交医药费，彭宇的解 释是，“当时老太太家里人急着给老人看伤，又说没带钱。这样我才把钱给了他们，他家里人当时还说要 给我打欠条。”而现在这成了他有责任的证据之一。 判决书作了这样的表述：“在事发当天，彭宇曾给老太太 200 多元钱，且此后一直未要求老太太返还。关 于彭宇给钱的原因双方说法不一：老太太说是彭宇先行垫付的赔偿款；彭宇认为是借款。” “彭宇和老太太素不相识，一般不会贸然借款。即便如彭宇所说是借款，在有承担事故责任之虞时，也应 当请公交站台上无利害关系的其他人证明，或者向老太太家属说明情况后索取借条或说明。但彭宇在本案 中未存在上述情况，而且在老太太家人陪同前往医院的情况下，由他借钱给老太太的可能性不大。” “而如果撞伤了他人，则最符合情理的做法是先行垫付款项，”基于上述判断，法院认为，可以认定这 200 多元钱并非借款，而是赔偿款。 双方均无过错 “本案中，发生事故时，老太太在乘车过程中无法预见将与彭宇相撞；同时，彭宇在下车过程中因为视野 受到限制，无法准确判断车后门左右的情况，故对此次事故，彭宇和老太太均不具有过错。” 但没过错并不代表不负责任。判决书认为：“本案应根据公平原则合理分担损失，本院酌定被告补偿 原告损失的 40%较为适宜。被告彭宇在此判决生效的 10 日内一次性给付原告人民币 45876 元；1870 元的诉
讼费由老太太承担 1170 元，彭宇承担 700 元。 法官在宣读完判决书后即刻离开法庭，彭宇也随即被摄像机包围。现场一片寂静，众记者在瞬间竟没有人 发问，只是把目光和话筒递向了埋着头的彭宇。 “意料之外，”高式东律师说了一句话后，便开始收拾自己的东西。彭宇还是一言不发，眼眶却已开始泛 红。过了好一会儿，他低声说：“我要找说理的地方。” 高式东律师在被问到如何评价结果时，用了“没有以事实为基础”笼统作答。对于是否上诉，他表示将在 与彭宇再行商议后决定。 昨天下午，一直为此案出庭作证、也是此案唯一证人的陈老先生依然出现在旁听席上。“我之所以一直坚 持作证到现在，完全是凭着自己的良心和当天我的亲身经历。”陈老先生在庭前说，他也希望今天能看到 一个结果，还事实一个公道。但陈老先生失望了，他的情绪甚至比彭宇更激动：“朋友们，”他大声对着 摄像机说，“以后还有谁敢做好事？” 彭宇版：我在做好事 彭宇，南京一家通讯公司的技术人员。据《金陵晚报》早前报道，彭宇回忆说，去年 11 月 20 日上午 9 点 左右， 83 路公交车， 坐 在水西门广场站下车。 他第一个走下了车， 看到一位老太太倒在离站台不远的地方。 出于好心，他忙上前将其扶起。“我也不知道这一扶，会惹出这么多麻烦来！” 事发时，现场有一名 50 多岁的陈先生也过来帮忙，一起将老太太搀扶到路边。见老太太的侄女、儿子相继 赶来，帮忙的陈先生就走了。 当天上午，彭宇帮老太太及其家人叫了出租车，可老太的儿子提出，怕忙不过来，问彭能不能一同去 医院。彭宇想了一下，同意了。当得知是胫骨骨折要花费几万元换人造股骨头时，徐老太太一拍大腿对彭 宇说：“小伙子，就是你撞的啊！”彭宇当时就蒙了。 徐老太版：他撞了我 而老太太对事实的陈述是另一个版本。据《现代快报》报道，徐老太称，“我当时亲眼看到他撞到我的！” 当时她在车站赶后面一辆 83 路公交车，从前面一辆车后门窜下来的彭将其撞倒。徐老太表示，“我们老两 口都有退休金和医保，儿子在公安局工作，不是说承担不起医药费，只是要讨回一个公道。”经鉴定，徐 老太的伤势已经构成八级伤残，仅医药费就花去了 4 万余元。 今年 1 月 4 日，徐老太太向鼓楼区法院起诉，以彭宇将其撞倒在地致其受伤为由，要求赔偿总计 13.6 万余 元。 媒体：老太太儿子是警察 4 月底，鼓楼区法院第一次开庭审理此案。奇怪的是，彭向承办法官申请，向当时出警的派出所调取彭宇、 陈先生及高老太的原始询问笔录时，派出所却以正在装修为由，无法提供。后来更是声称笔录遗失。老太 太儿子刚好是警察，让网友们不禁猜测，笔录不知去向其中或有蹊跷。 江苏电视台城市频道《甲方乙方》节目曾拍到这样一组镜头：当事的派出所长说，“我至少找了 6 次还是 没有找到，不过我拍了笔录纸的照片，”并说，“我为了搞清事实才用手机拍了笔录的。”当被追问到谁 的手机拍的，所长拿出手机说就是他的这部手机。紧接着，彭宇当着所长的面调出照片 Exif 信息证明照片 并非所长手机所摄。在记者的追问下，这位所长说出了实情，照片是老人的儿子拍摄的。卢所长说老人的 儿子对他说是同行，他就把老太儿子的手机扣下了。 目击者：老太自己摔的 据证人陈先生在今年 7 月 6 日第三次开庭时所做陈述，他看到的情况是：老太太手里拎着保温瓶，向第三 辆公交车跑去。她跑到第二辆车的车尾时，不知为什么就跌倒了。这时，他看到从第二辆车后门下车的彭 宇走了几步，上前帮忙，然后自己也上前帮忙，并打电话叫老人的儿女过来，整个过程大约半个小时。徐 老太太曾在法庭上称不认识陈先生，当时不是他帮助的自己，陈先生非常气愤，提出自己当时曾用自己的 手机帮老太太打电话，手机里有通话记录可以证明。 网友：好人做不得 老太太的儿子是警察，派出所不提供关键的证据，证人证明小伙子无辜，媒体采访时老太太态度傲慢，不
停地有网友站出来说自己好心帮忙被反咬一口的故事，所有这些综合在一起，大部分网友认定彭宇是好心 没好报，无辜受害，对他充满了同情。案件宣判后，在西祠、凯迪等网上论坛，都有网友号召给彭宇捐款。 【相关新闻】广州市民签名拒绝冷漠 悼念遭碾压身亡女童 2011 年 10 月 22 日，广州全市 100 多间“西关小屋”以“拒绝冷漠 唤醒真爱”为主题，开展了交通安 全主题宣传等活动，号召市民朋友遵守交通规则，安全驾驶、安全出行，发动市民签名支持，并用文字悼 念不幸离世的小悦悦。志愿者们同时向市民发出呼吁，用真爱赶走冷漠。 在这些“西关小屋”，志愿者们依托留言板，并邀请市民一起绘制“让世界充满爱”的主题海报、在“拒 绝冷漠 唤醒真爱”的横幅上签名支持等，同时，各站点还通过站点微博发出倡议，活动共吸引了超过万名 市民的参与。据悉，除“西关小屋”悼念活动外，广州青年志愿者协会 19 支志愿服务直属总队也针对本次 活动主题开展一系列弱势群体帮扶志愿服务活动。 小朋友用画笔 为悦悦爸妈加油 记者在动物园南门的“西关小屋”看到，很多市民写下了“拒绝冷漠 唤醒真爱”的寄语，并签下了自己的 姓名，表示支持该行动。家住白云区的徐磊是来广州打工八年的山东人，“我来广州这么多年，一直觉得 这座城市是充满爱心的城市，但经过这件事，觉得生活在这个城市的人们都要反思，都要唤醒自己心中的 爱心，关爱身边的每个人，无论是亲人或是路人。” “这几天一直都有关注小悦悦的新闻，前天听到她去世的消息非常难过。希望这件事给每位市民一个 深刻教训，其实只要我们每一个市民都奉献自己的一点爱心、点燃自己心中的热心，那么这个社会就会充 满温情。”白领“广州妹”梁嘉怡告诉记者。 在中山纪念堂的“西关小屋”，市民们不仅用文字表达了对“拒绝冷漠 唤醒真爱”行动的支持，还有 小朋友拿起画笔表达了心中的看法。记者看到画面上画了蜡烛以及闪亮的烛光，旁边还配了“加油”二字， 希望小悦悦的爸爸妈妈能继续坚强地活下去。 志愿服务团体：让爱心驱走冷漠 广州青年志愿者协会秘书处有关负责人表示，“小悦悦事件”表明，当今社会在人际互助、彼此信任方面 还有很大的发展空间，在全社会范围内倡导“拒绝冷漠，唤醒真爱”十分有必要，而参与志愿服务是将该 理念落实到具体行动中的可行的方式。志愿服务可以传递爱心、传播文明，志愿者在把关怀带给社会的同 时，把“爱心”和“文明”从一个人身上传递到另一个人身上，最终汇聚成一股强大的社会暖流。 小悦悦事件发生后，一时间骂声一片，许多人在批评那 18 个路人冷血的同时，也提出了应立法来保障见 义勇为事件，让小悦悦的悲剧不再发生。 对此，笔者以为，一个文明社会，其对人性的约束，最起码是有道德约束和法律约束两方面的。近些年来 我国法制越来越完善，法律教育也不断增强，但自南京彭宇案到天津许云鹤案，可以看出道德意识在不断 淡漠。法律是最后的手段，是只有在一个社会道德沦丧、人人自危的时候才适用的底线。而“见义勇为” 本是道德层面的东西，我认为在国内，道德还不至沦落至此。 澳门大学助理教授邱庭彪博士说，根据澳门法律，冷漠路人可能遭到最高罚金达 120 万元。而在小悦悦案 中，我们可以看到，一名男子开着一辆红色电动三轮车经过，其后座满载着纸皮。这名男子就是经常出没 于五金城的“收买佬”。 出现在视频中的第二个“路人”，是劳保店北侧一家售卖铁线商铺的员工。一个 卖废纸为生的男子和一个卖铁线的员工，他们一生的积蓄都不够 120 万。这便是“见死不救”背后的动机 因为救不起。南京徐老太事件后，又有多起类似事件发生，民众一颗热心都已经凉了。不敢救，因为不知 道扶起的，是不是另一个“徐老太”。他们也为人父母，或许家里也有人外出打工，一家老小需要他们的 照料。 救人有风险， 他们这样生活在社会底层、 拿微薄薪水的人， 担不起这个风险。 彭宇赔了徐老太 45876.36 元，若是他们也赔了这四万五，怎么养活那一大家子？所以，他们不敢。而社会舆论一致谴责他们，甚至 扬言要人肉搜索，可见这些民众也是冷漠的。 在笔者看来，立法保护“见义勇为”，和三鹿奶粉事件后的“给奶制品立法”的提议一样，是头痛医头脚 痛医脚的行为，只能治标，不能治本。要从根本上避免小悦悦的惨剧发生，应加大对基层人民的社会保障， 不断建立健全完善的社会保障体系。不仅要保障和提高人民的生活水平，也应该改革一些冷漠的制度，比
如医院“不给钱不救人”的情形很常见，这一惯例体现了道德的冷漠，与其立法鼓励见义勇为，不如立法 改善全社会的生存环境。要让底层人民不用靠“碰瓷”来换钱，也要让他们有足够的经济保障，不用担心 救人的后顾之忧。 网友盛赞澳门法律，殊不知澳门不会出现“见死不救”的情况，是因为不会惹来经济麻烦。社会保障做得 好，伤者有了保障来兜底，路人可能遇到的麻烦不存在，才会热情救助。 人的本质都是善良的，若有道德缺失，也是在艰难的生活中，一些意志力不强的人为了生存无奈放弃了道 德。道德不能拯救道德，法律同样不能，经济基础决定上层建筑，唯一可行之道便是不断改善人民生活水 平，当他们不需要再为生计犯愁的时候，互帮互助、邻里有爱的社会风气便能形成了。而法律所需要做的， 便是制约那些想要讹诈的人，依法严惩诈骗之人。 【观点链接】京华时报：10 余学者称立法制裁见死不救难令道德回升 小悦悦离开我们，已经三天了。因她的死引发的讨论和思考，仍在继续。 父母怎能那样大意？18 路人何至如此冷漠？我们应该怎样看待拾荒阿婆的救人之举？世道人心真的沦落了 吗？这个社会到底得了什么病？这名两岁女童的死，以一种触目惊心的方式，拷问着每个国人的灵魂。 或许，我们可以换个视角考虑问题，将“小悦悦父母”“18 路人”和“拾荒阿婆”都替换成“我们”，然 后扪心自问：我，能否比他们做得更好？我们，能否为推动这个社会向真、向善、向美做些什么？ 本报记者采访各领域知名专家十余人，现将他们最有价值的思考以专题讨论的形式呈现于此，以期推动这 场讨论走向纵深。 京华时报：小悦悦事件发生后，出现了“立法惩罚见死不救”的声音，你对此是否赞成？ 迟夙生：我不赞同通过立法来强制见死不救，这不符合我们国家的国情。这个还是要从道德层面上来解决。 如果通过在刑法里强硬立个罪，我觉得对公民太不公平了。贪官污吏那么多都解决不了，能逼着老百姓在 这个事情上给定个罪么？ 陈光中：见死不救是社会道德问题，采取法律的强制手段是要非常慎重的。法律的强制手段，不是一个万 灵的膏药，这个社会不能什么事情都通过国家的强制力量来治理，这未免太依靠法律了。而且即便立法规 定了，道德跟不上来，也会导致有人一看到别人受伤，为了不被追究责任，就跑掉了。这样不解决问题。 阮齐林：从法理上讲，见死不救只是道德问题，不是法律问题。法律不能惩罚人不做出一定的行为，对见 死不救者不能追究任何的法律责任。如果进行立法追究，会使我们每个人的负担很重，也可能导致一些人 看到这种情况就躲避，这样立法也是没有效果的。另外，对于路人从道德上谴责也要注意分寸。有些人是 事后诸葛亮。对于当事者，他们当时不一定对现场情况了解得那么清楚。可能有的人既不了解其中的来龙 去脉，自己又有很重要的事情，于是匆匆而过，这有可理解的成分。不要一味地指责路人冷血，在道德上 做负面评价，付诸法律更加不妥。 邵建：见死不救不是法律问题，而是一个道德问题，对于道德的问题千万不能立法。法律的存在，只是禁 止你做什么，而不是强迫你做什么。见死不救这一行为固然不善，但不是恶。这时法律如果出动，不仅是 逼人为善，而且直接侵害一个人可以不为善的权利。法律作为人的行为的外在规范，逼不出道德也逼不出 善。道德是心性问题，必须发乎其内。以为通过惩罚见死不救之类的立法就可以引发见义勇为，就可以改 善我们的道德，这是一种法律迷信。它会导致国人更加恐惧，以为做好事的成本更高了，更会想尽各种办 法来逃避这类法律。结果使立法得不到落实，社会的道德状况也更加下坠。总之，道德问题的归道德、法 律问题的归法律，道德的病不能靠法律医，立法解决不了这个问题。 朱永平：小悦悦事件发生后，我明确提出应该立法惩罚见死不救者，我认为现在立法时机已经成熟。目前， 我们国家的道德滑坡严重，特别是受一些司法案例影响，讹诈救助者、诬陷好人的情况让社会风气变得很 坏。从南京彭宇案再到小悦悦事件，越来越多的类似案例说明，需要通过法律进行道德指引，而案例也往 往是推动法律产生的动力。比如醉酒驾驶造成群死群伤的案例，最终推动了危险驾驶罪的制定。 京华时报：如何进行立法设计？ 朱永平：我主张把两种行为纳入法律去调整，但不是纳入刑法，而是纳入《治安管理处罚法》。一种行为 是见危不救或者叫怠于救助。怠于救助应定义为轻微的违法行为，我国的治安管理处罚法正是调整人们的
轻微违法行为的一部法律。我们要设定，非职务的特定人群，对处于危险状况的人，要有通知、保护现场 和实施一定救助的义务。如果不履行这三项义务，证据确凿，就可以进行一定处罚，最高拘留 15 天，还可 以进行警告或罚款。第二种是对诬陷、讹诈救助者的行为，我认为也可以纳入《治安管理处罚法》去调整。 现在，诬陷、讹诈救助者的行为在我们社会已经造成了极坏影响，但却没有法律去调整。因此，我主张， 既要惩罚见危不救或者怠于救助的人，又要惩罚诬陷、讹诈救助者的人。 京华时报：多数人反对对见死不救进行立法惩罚，认为这是道德问题，不是法律问题，立法强制可能引发 公众为逃避处罚而故意远离事故现场。 朱永平：任何法律制定之后，都会有人想去规避。我们不能片面理解法律和道德的关系，很多事情都是把 道德的东西上升为法律的。另外，我们人人都可能处在需要被救助的状况，不能等事情发生在自己身上， 才知道路人冷漠的可怕，才知道立法的重要性，我们应该设身处地考虑这个问题。 京华时报：作为关系心理学家，你也是赞同对见死不救进行立法的，你的理由是什么？ 胡慎之：人类所有行为的动机只有两个，一个是趋利，一个是避害。对于助人的动机，本来我们是要趋利， 比如会让我们心安。而当我们感觉不安全的时候，人类的动机就是避害为主，为了自保，我们就会选择不 去助人。我们现在的环境，人与人之间是一个不安全不信任的关系，太多关于“救人者反被冤枉”的案例， 让我们对做好事有担心，小悦悦事件已经说明这一点。而如果立法规定见死不救要受到处罚，人们就会重 新思考趋利避害，假如我救助了，我还能得到良心的安定；假如我不救助，可能会受到处罚。因此，法律 可以更好地规范人的行为，让人们对需要帮助者进行施救。 京华时报：可能也会有人为了避害，跑得远远的。 胡慎之：就算他跑掉了，他的心里还是会有很强烈的罪恶感，这会规范他的行为，下次再碰到这样的事情， 他可能就不跑了。这是道德约束和法律约束的区别，法律会让人有罪恶感，而道德只会让人产生愧疚感。 相比之下，罪恶感是很难消除的，而愧疚感会被一些合理化的东西消除。比如小悦悦事件，有路人会想， 自己没救，别人也没救，他的内心谴责就会小很多，这在心理学上叫做“旁观者效应”。 京华时报：有人提出，见死不救毕竟不恶，如果立法会直接侵害一个人可以不为善的权利。 胡慎之：我们不要把它称之为善和恶的问题，这应该是我们每个人的责任。作为公民，我们都有责任去维 护这个社会的生存环境。 见义勇为是否需要立法促进？ 应扩大见义勇为“义”字范围 京华时报：有人建议，为了让人们放心做好事，可以立法奖励和保护见义勇为者。你怎么看？ 邵建：我觉得没有必要。见义勇为为什么要保护？它是不需要保护的。比如彭宇案，法官只需要坚持“谁 主张、谁举证”的原则就可以了，老太主张彭宇撞了自己，要拿出证据来，老太拿不出证据，彭宇就是安 全的。但法官当时的逻辑是：如果不是你彭宇撞的，你为什么要做这个好事？这样彭宇就很难辩。也就是 说，坚持“谁主张、谁举证”就可以保护见义勇为者，如果再去立法就是多余了。 朱永平：我非常赞同在全国立一部奖励和保护见义勇为的法律。目前，全国各地绝大部分的省份和有立法 权的市，对于见义勇为都作了地方性的法规或条例，但基本上都把见义勇为定义为与违法犯罪行为作斗争 这样的概念，有的还提到要“不顾个人安危”，我认为这个概念把见义勇为里的“义”字框死了，应该把 “不顾个人安危”删掉，把“义”的范围扩大化，把对路人的救助、把对危险状况的救助，把通知、保护 现场和实施一定救助的义务都纳入到见义勇为的范畴里去，并在物质上对见义勇为者重奖。而且国外的立 法理念也是在确认自己没有危险的情况下才去救人。如果确认自己没有危险不去救人，才是怠于救助。 是否应追究父母监护责任？ 父母为第一位责任主体 京华时报：对于这件事，也有人提出应该追究小悦悦的父母疏于监护的责任。你怎么看？ 邵建：小悦悦的父母已经失去了他们的宝贝女儿，我觉得现在再说他们的监护不力，这个对父母太不公平 了，也没必要。这事如果放在欧美发达国家，追究家长的责任我一点意见都没有，但中国的情况不一样， 特别是那些农民工身份的父母，他们的生存太艰难、太不容易了，每天劳作繁重，很难时时刻刻把孩子带
在身边，总是有疏忽的时候。这种情况下再谈追究家长的监护问题，我感觉太奢侈了。 姚建龙：我是研究未成年人法的，从我的专业视角，我认为这首先是一起有关儿童保护的悲剧性事件，其 次才是社会伦理道德问题。事件发生后，国内的媒体都在责备 18 名路人没有施救，而且把小悦悦的父母看 成是悲剧事件中广获同情的受害人。实际上，从儿童利益最大化的角度讲，父母是儿童保护中第一位的责 任主体，首先要把这个明确下来，才能讨论路人的冷漠问题。试问，孩子没有脱离父母监护，何来交通肇 事？没有交通肇事，何来路人冷漠。父母和路人是第一和第三的顺序，现在没有讨论一，就直接跳到三了。 京华时报：你认为造成这种现象的原因是什么？ 姚建龙：这与文化背景有关。 路人为何如此冷漠？道德滑坡原因何在？ 社会道德滑坡司法应承担主要责任 京华时报：在这件事中，你认为是什么原因让路人选择了集体冷漠？其中反映出来的国人道德滑坡问题， 原因是什么？ 迟夙生：我认为社会道德的滑坡，司法应该承担最主要的责任。此前南京彭宇案、天津许云鹤案，给社会 风气带来了很坏影响。这两起案件的判决都没有考虑社会公共利益和社会公德。一部法律的制定，在总则 里都要考虑维护社会的公平正义，维护社会的公德。但两起案件，法官都是机械地执法，起到了很坏的作 用，影响了百姓。要想让老百姓从这些判决所带来的阴影里走出来，我认为就得把案件改判，然后把改判 后的案件广泛宣传。但我们国家很重要的问题是，法官判错了案件不被追究。 邵建：我认为不能太多谴责路人，那样也不公平。那 18 名路人难道没有恻隐之心吗？肯定有，至于为什么 没有表现出来，我认为应该到我们身处的社会环境中去找原因。社会环境不好会导致我们缺乏安全感，导 致做好事的成本高，而且心有余悸。特别是南京彭宇案的判决，影响特别恶劣，大家都不敢做好事，生怕 给自己惹麻烦，因此出现了“事不关己、高高挂起”的冷漠心态。 谈方：小悦悦这件事是极其罕见的人性泯灭的悲剧，不救她的不仅仅是 18 个人，很多人在网上不记名调查 中表示不会救她。但是，我还是认为这不代表社会主流。第一，陈阿婆最后施救了；第二，后续的医疗救 护中，大家都是全力以赴；第三，社会如此大规模的反思，甚至称“刮骨疗伤”，这也说明了社会的主流 并非见死不救。我办“中国好人网”3 年半，网站登录的好人好事有 13000 多条，我每天都被很多好人好 事感动着。见义勇为、舍命施救的不仅仅是 18 个人。汶川地震以及各种灾难性事件中的大规模施救，这才 是主流。 京华时报：你觉得从小悦悦被撞倒到她被救起的 387 秒，以及事发后 18 名路过的路人，能否反映当下中国 的道德状态？ 陈光金：我觉得不能。每个时期都有见死不救的事件发生。每个时期也都有见义勇为的事迹涌现。现在有 一种倾向是容易把个案上升到整体全局。这其实侧面反映了人们对社会的某种情绪。 京华时报：你觉得悲剧的酿成原因有哪些？ 陈光金：首先，从整体来讲，中国处在一个高速发展的转型期，也是矛盾的高发期。这样的过程中每一个 人当然都觉得应该从高速的发展中分一杯羹，但是期望和现实的差距、横向的比较中，人们很容易形成不 满的情绪。有的人发展得不好，他不会去分析为什么自己不好，反过来会去怀疑发展得好的人有问题。而 恰恰一部分发展得好的人确实有问题，证实了这部分人普遍的推测。这是转型期的一种社会病。这个转型 期需要沉淀和稳定的过程。过 10 至 20 年，到了成熟期的时候，人们会渐渐理性。 此外，媒体的炒作、夸大也没有起到好作用。媒体对过往一些事件的过分渲染让人们觉得每个人都不值得 信任。对正面的报道嗤之以鼻，非要发掘有什么坏的问题，如果媒体不正确对待这些问题，社会心态容易 走向极端。媒体报道要就事论事，要讲究证据。批评监督是天然的职责，但是必须有一个边界。造谣、夸 大式的监督是有问题的。当下社会网络媒体的发展也像酵母一样，是一个放大机制，当人们有不满情绪的 时候，放大的方向就是向负面发展。 京华时报：有一种观点认为，是媒体对彭宇案、许云鹤案的报道和过分渲染给人造成好人没好报的印象， 加剧了人与人之间的不信任，你认同这一观点吗？
陈力丹：道德滑坡是人所共知的，这不是媒体的责任。因为媒体的新闻价值选择就是异常事件，这就造成 了无形中事件被放大。当然，媒体固然要在本身的职业道德范围内进行检讨，是不是虚夸、是不是失实。 遇到某些一哄而起的事件的时候，不要去炒作。但媒体反映的社会现实还是社会现实。道德滑坡就是道德 滑坡，不要拉不出屎怪茅房。 新闻是干什么的？新闻媒体就是社会的监测器和瞭望哨。发现危险的情况，要告诉群体，这是为了群体的 整体的安全。人们需要你的信息来获知安全感，这是新闻工作的本质，而不在于是好事还是坏事。小心这 个地方有问题，小心那个地方有问题，这才是媒体的职责。警戒坏事是人的生存需要。不允许我们说坏事 等于不允许我们告诉别人危险。这甚至都不仅仅是人的需要，大家看看动物世界就明白了，动物在生存的 时候，总有几个动物在周围巡视，发现危险情况就会发出信息，于是整体就会跑走。那几个动物就像我们 新闻媒体。 如何改善社会道德环境？ 重拾社会信任关键在重建政府信任 京华时报：你在上面讲到很多问题是因为社会转型造成的，那么，身处转型期的我们应该怎么办？ 陈光金：我们当然应该有所作为。必须要有强有力的制度建设。与老百姓衣食住行等民生相关的领域，一 定要完善规则、强化执行力度。尤其要处理好强势与弱势的关系。比如一定要坚决打击售假贩假、保护食 品药品安全、司法执法中要严格依法，避免出现冤情扩散到社会上去，充分尊重民意和民权。对日常行为 也要强调法律制约，比如见死不救考虑纳入法律的惩罚等等。为什么形成“撞伤不如撞死”的观念？因为 撞死的惩罚小于撞伤的成本。这些必须通过严惩起到社会警示作用。 京华时报：人与人之间的信任，如何才能重拾？所谓“人情冷漠”的问题，如何才能解决？ 陈光金：无可否认，我们当下信任水平有所下降。这一点，政府在司法、执法和行政领域是否按规则去办 事很重要，到底是规则还是潜规则在起作用？这是社会诚信建设的关键。如果大家都按照规则来办事，就 会有确定性，相互之间的信任就会提升。而规则大多数是政府制定的，要重拾社会信任，重建政府的信任 是一个关键的问题，然后才谈得上社会的信任。 邵建：我认为有必要加强公民的道德意识教育，加强传统文化学习。在优良传统文化保留得好的社会，人 们是乐于助人的，因为助人不需要付出很高的、意想不到的社会成本，他们享受自己因帮助别人而带来的 内心的快乐。但在我们目前的社会，人们感受不到帮助别人的乐趣，还要提防自己将要付出什么样的代价。 作为社会成员，都应该多学习传统文化，用它来指导我们的行为。另外，社会是一个网络，应加强社群建 构，把彼此陌生的区域建设成熟人社会，加强人们互助性的联系，提高责任感。 京华时报：如何才能鼓励人们见义勇为？ 迟夙生：我认为可以通过社会呼吁。前几天，我和胡益华律师成立了“停止冷漠公益法律援助”律师联盟。 如果以后有人主动救人遭遇讹诈，律师联盟将免费提供法律援助。我们的最大初衷就是消除好心人在助人 为乐时的后顾之忧。通过这些引领，使耍赖者少耍赖，救助者少点麻烦。我认为目前用这些方式解决比较 妥当。 谈方：我们的政府要通过这件事深刻反思，把精神文明和物质文明同步发展。我所接触到的一些“好人没 好报”的事情，大部分跟政府有关部门不作为有关，是他们没有担当起惩恶扬善的职责。很多好人在推诿 扯皮中继续受到伤害。表面上受伤的是个人，实际上受伤的是整个社会道德。 最近我们说的文化体制改革，绝不能仅仅理解成是文化产业的发展，更需要在精神文明建设方面进行加强， 否则会形成误读。 要把精神文明建设，特别是思想道德建设放到最重要的位置。要明白文化体制的发展和改革是为了传承和 承载这些东西的。而当务之急，我建议开展一次“好人有好报，恶人有恶报”的专项治理活动。就像打黑， 打击黄赌毒一样的，在全国去调查摸底好人没好报的例子有多少。被冤枉的还他们公道，伤病的给予救治， 因做好人去世的，要给予他的家人关爱。总之，温暖好人心。 中国人缺乏儿童权利的观念，认为孩子是父母的，父母失去了孩子很悲惨，要去同情，也就是以父母为重
心考虑问题。父母当然是受害人，但是我们把重心向前移一步就会发现，儿童才是受害者。而谁造成了儿 童受害现象，首先是父母没有监护好。 京华时报：有人提出，父母失去孩子已经很悲惨了，这时再去责怪他们太残酷。 姚建龙：这确实是个两难的问题。按照中国人的传统观念，这时还去责难小悦悦父母，甚至主张追究他们 的法律责任，无疑是在伤口上撒盐。但撒盐是必要的消毒措施。这起事件中，小悦悦是一个只有两岁多的 完全无行为能力人，她没有危险意识，她已离家百米，跑出去六七分钟后，她的母亲才到。中国的父母很 多时候都没有对孩子暂时脱离监护会有危险的意识。 他们总会有无数“理所当然”甚至“不得已”的理由， 将未成年子女独自放任在危险的地方，认为他们没有办法，要忙着谋生。可是谋生的目的是什么？还不是 让孩子生活得更好吗？我认为，孩子的监护与贫富没有关系，主要是父母对自己法律责任的认识。通过这 起悲剧事件，我们应该让父母明白一个最简单、最浅显，也是最容易被大家忽视的道理，那就是要看好自 己的孩子。这是父母的法律责任，而且是沉重的法律责任。 【观点链接】红网：避免下一个小悦悦式悲剧，有必要修改刑法 之所以写下这个论题，是因为当前针对小悦悦之死的争议陷入了混沌状态。现在主要有两种意见引导 舆论方向：一种是社会“冷漠”论，大多数媒体正在做社会道德滑坡的揭批和反思，要针对见死不救立法； 另一种是追究小悦悦父母监护责任论，以南方某报刊登题为《父母法律责任越小，孩子越危险》的署名文 章为代表。 小悦悦被碾轧事件发生后，几乎是全民声讨十八位“冷血”路人的见死不救，数百家报纸、网站、电台、 电视台发表评论谴责“冷漠”，个别省份还为此展开专题讨论；与此相呼应，也有不少知名人士呼吁以立 法形式规定“见死不救者应受惩罚”。 道德要不要？当然要，但道德却是靠不住的。道德要是靠得住，还要法律干什么？公众谴责十八个路人， 其实只是发泄愤怒的广场效应。即便十八个路人都见义勇为，于事件本质并无根本性改观。法律要不要？ 毫无疑问，法律必须要，而且要有威慑力。 我们可以旗帜鲜明地褒奖见义勇为的果敢坚强，但也必须态度明确地容得下见义不为的胆小懦弱。立法规 定“保护见义勇为者不被诬陷”当然是正确的，但“见死不救者应受惩罚”就显得强人所难了。见死不救 入刑的初衷很好，问题是谁能举证“冷血”路人就一定是“见”死不救了？视力不好而没有看清现场的大 有人在，不明真相而担心讹诈的更是大有人在。 很明显，如果第一位肇事司机不能、不敢逃逸，那么能在第一时间将小悦悦送到医院抢救，也就没 有后来的十八位“冷血”路人了。而肇事司机的逃逸与否，一是来自于做人的良知是否使其不能逃逸，二 是来自于法律的威慑是否令其不敢逃逸。 避免下一个小悦悦，有必要修改刑法第一百三十三条。我极力主张将撞人后的肇事逃逸行为等同于故意杀 人：你不跑，也就是普通的交通肇事，一般轻判为“三年以下有期徒刑或者拘役”；而只要你跑了，就按 照刑法第二百三十二条规定重处为“死刑、无期徒刑或者 10 年以上有期徒刑”。——虽然严刑峻法也不是 万能的，但不可否认，如果让肇事逃逸付出的代价更高，肇事逃逸现象自然会越来越少。 要厘清谁是小悦悦之死的第一责任人，不能简单下判断。至于那个极端的“将小悦悦父母推上法庭”之言 论，其实也不能说一无是处。小悦悦之死，做父母的监护不力当然有责任，但将社会主义初级阶段的中国 父母与发达资本主义高级阶段的美国父母相提并论，分明是陷入了教条主义的误区。“路人再冷漠、再混 蛋，也只是路人；能真正照看好小悦悦的，首先是父母甚至只能是父母，而不是路人。”——不错，但请 问某教授，当下为生计彼于奔命的中国家庭有多少父母能做到对孩子的监护万无一失？ 【观点链接】大洋网：不赞成“见死不救入刑” 应立法惩罚诬陷讹诈者 2011 年 10 月 21 日上午，在珠岛宾馆举行了“谴责见死不救行为，弘扬见义勇为精神”系列座谈会 的最后一场，这也是参与人员最多的一场。参与讨论的人员全部来自广东省法学界，在短短的 3 个小时座 谈会中，来自法学界的 29 名专家积极发言，围绕“小悦悦事件”中涉及的相关法律问题进行探讨，对于社 会上近期热议的焦点“见死不救入刑”的说法，在场的法学专家都认为不应将见死不救入刑，另一方面， 法学专家都不约而同提到要将见义勇为立法，并保障见义勇为者的利益。
不应将“见死不救”入刑 在法学专场讨论会上，在场不少法学界专家人士都不约而同提到了，当前社会上热议的话题是否要将“见 死不救入刑”的说法，在场法学界人士都认为，不应将“见死不救入刑”。 “是不是把 18 个路人都确定为主体？还是 5 米之内、12 米之内？还是排除没有行为能力的人，这个是很 困难的。这个结果是不确定。上升到刑法的调整范围是不现实的。” 广东天爵律师事务所律师、广东省政 协委员陈紫芸认为，法律调整的范围是有构成要件，要有具体的犯罪行为，具体的犯罪结果。见死不救的 行为是不作为的行为，涉及的行为主体是很多的，是不特定的行为主体。 广东外语外贸大学法学院院长、教授蔡镇顺则认为，公众的救助属于道德范畴，不是法律问题。实际上也 无法执行，甚至可能适得其反。建议立法规定交通肇事者作为救助被害人的第一责任人。” “我认为对于当事人救助义务的规定，怠于救助的要从重处罚，对于路人应该明确免除责任。应该明确救 助的条件。”佛山市中级人民法院办公室副主任李军说，从我国的宪法和法律来看，没有公民救助的义务。 我国的道德规范中有相关的规定。这是道德问题。18 个路人的行为是道德问题，完全没有立法的必要。定 罪的规定，国外的规定与我们所讲的是不一样的，有的是特殊人的，有的是普通人。 应立法惩罚讹诈救助者的人 在昨日的讨论会上，专家学者在不赞成将“见死不救入刑”的同时，法学界人士都建议要将“见义勇为” 立法。 广东古今来律师事务所律师、广东省人大代表吴青提议，在明年“两会”的时候提出“见义勇为” 立法议案。 吴青在会上说， 目前就见义勇为来讲， 只有 1998 年省政府的规章， 只是解决了救助人受到伤害补救的问题， 没有对诬陷者的惩处。上海和深圳在考虑相关的立法。国外也有相关的立法，我觉得小悦悦事件凸现出对 广东立法的必要性。作为人大代表明年将提出立法议案。 省公安厅法制处政委陶文辉则说，省见义勇为基金会成立到现在发放了 2000 多万，现在还是比较少，是因 为现在见义勇为的范围还比较小，应该进一步扩大，要防止民众怕负责任的心理。 广东大同律师事务所主任、研究生导师朱永平认为，要修改广东省见义勇为条例，目前这个法律法规的见 义勇为概念是与犯罪行为作斗争。对于见义勇为的概念在立法方面首先要进行修改，对危险的人的控制和 保护义务也应该包括在内。建议增加几个行为，一是他人遇险的时候应该报告，二是保护现场，三是减少 危险等行为。要对见义勇为行为给予国家立法保护。第二，建议广东的全国人大代表在全国人大开会的时 候提交议案，把见义勇为的行为列入法律。要惩罚诬陷和讹诈救助人的行为。 见义勇为者应推荐参政议政 广东博厚律师事务所主任詹礼愿则表示，除了要对见义勇为行为进行奖励外，对获得见义勇为奖的人员， 如果有参政议政能力，应该在政协和人大留下一定的名额给他们。对于见死不救的，可以视其身份进行不 同的谴责，予以适当的处分。 【观点链接】中国青年报：专家称保障见义勇为者权益应由政府负责 10 月 21 日零时 32 分， 遭两车碾压的广东佛山女孩小悦悦离开人世， 一朵含苞待放的小花提前凋谢。 网络上充满悼念小悦悦的声音。截至记者发稿，仅新浪微博已有几千条相关留言：“天堂没有来来往往的 车辆”，“愿天堂没有人心冷漠”?? 一个年幼生命的离去，带给我们的是巨大的心灵震撼，她引发了一场关于道德危机的全社会的大讨论。 人们开始反思：如何才能让社会停止冷漠？如何才能让类似的惨剧不再发生？如何才能让见义勇为者越来 越多？ 对此，部分律师、学者建议将见死不救、见危不助等行为入罪，也有很多学者表示，与其立法惩处“见死 不救”，不如立法鼓励和保障“见义勇为”。 见死不救罪是万不得已的手段 小悦悦事件发生后，广东省各界开展了“谴责见死不救行为，倡导见义勇为精神”的大讨论。 “为了鼓励见义勇为，惩治见危不救，有必要以立法的形式，对见危不救的行为，尤其是对社会特殊人群， 作出明确的‘惩恶’规定。”律师朱列玉认为，特殊人群应负担见危施救的义务，比如规定公务人员见危
不救，必须受诸如开除公职的纪律处分，直至追究刑事责任；先进人士见危不救，取消各类荣誉称号等。 广东省高级人民法院研究室副主任费汉定认为，“18 个路人见死不救，是受社会关系和社会心理影响的， 是整个社会缺乏信任的一个缩影，不能简单地归咎于司法裁判的负面影响。”费汉定觉得，这不纯粹是司 法问题，司法应该为改变这种社会现象确立正确的价值导向。 事实上，早在 2001 年全国两会上，就有 32 名人大代表建议刑法增加“见危不救罪”和“见死不救罪”两 项新罪名。2009 年，湖北荆州 3 名大学生为救两名落水少年溺亡，船老板“见死不救、挟尸要价”，再次 引发社会对见死不救的立法讨论。 反对将“见死不救”轻易入罪的理由主要是，法与道德的关系不能随意模糊。对于小悦悦事件中 18 名路人 的行为，我们可以谴责他们道德缺失，但不能说他们是“犯了罪”，因为法律并没有规定他们有必须救人 的义务。 现实生活中的确发生过公民因为救人而惹上麻烦的事，比如被诬赖为肇事者；或是因为救助不当，扩大了 损害；或是救助时自己受到伤害，使许多人在伸出援手之前有了顾虑。这种正常顾虑，如果被定位为一种 “具有严重社会危害性”的行为，显然是对刑法的滥用，刑法作为惩处手段，必须恪守“最后的”、“必 须的”、“万不得已”的底限。 可以想象，如果见死不救或见危不助成为一项罪名，很多人为此可以一遇事就躲着走，以免牵扯太多麻烦。 真要有什么人出意外了，都躲得远远的，连看看情况再做打算的可能性都大大降低，这就违背了立法初衷。 各地立法不同，同样见义勇为行为待遇不一 目前，我国规范和保障见义勇为行为的法规包括：31 个省（区、市）出台的地方性法规中的 19 个条例、8 个规定、4 个办法。 全国人大常委、中国人民大学教授郑功成认为，地方五花八门的立法必然造成同一种见义勇为行为所受到 的待遇不一致，只有通过国家立法来保障见义勇为者的权益、确立褒奖见义勇为行为的制度，才能在全国 范围内形成统一的好制度。他建议：“如果制定专门的见义勇为法律还需要一定时间和条件的话，可以考 虑先由国务院制定见义勇为行政法规，待实施一段时期后再上升为法律。” 这 31 部地方性法规和规章，初步构建起了对见义勇为者的法律保障体系框架，但在这个体系框架内，很多 规定仍不完善，各地分歧较多。 哪些行为属于见义勇为？有的地方规定为“维护国家利益、社会公共利益或他人的利益，置个人的安危于 不顾，挺身而出，与违法犯罪作斗争的行为”。有的地方将“协助公安、司法机关和保卫部门抓违法犯罪 分子的行为；检举、揭发犯罪行为；提供重要线索的罪证，协助公安司法机关破获重大犯罪案件的行为” 归为见义勇为。 重庆市曾经有一个案例，青年何某为救落水儿童献身，然而，根据当时《重庆市鼓励公民见义勇为条例》 的规定，何某的行为不能认定为见义勇为，因为该条例限定见义勇为必须是“与违法犯罪作斗争”，抢救 落水儿童不在此列。 另外，很多省份相关条例都规定，“见义勇为一定要事迹突出”。有人指出，“事迹是否突出”只能作为 奖励大小的标准，不能作为认定见义勇为的标准，况且事迹是否突出并没有硬性的评判标准，如果把事迹 突出作为认定见义勇为的标准，实践中恐怕难以公平操作。 对见义勇为行为的确认，需要证据来支持。受助者，以及见义勇为行为发生时在场的公民，都是见义勇为 行为的目击证人，他们的证言是确认见义勇为行为的重要证据，但现实中，有些受助者害怕支付见义勇为 受伤、死亡者的补偿费用，一跑了之，或者干脆不承认被救的事实，见义勇为者受伤以后，很多群众不打 电话报警。 广东省人大常委会法工委副主任袁古洁认为，有必要通过立法明确规定在场的其他公民应有的义务，一旦 发生见义勇为行为，在场公民应产生一种特定的法律援助义务，如作证、将受伤者及时送往医院救治、协 助报警等。 广东省法学会专职副会长朱占同认为，要对见义勇为者进行法律保障，“对于见义勇为的人诉讼的案件在 证据不足的情况下，证据规则要对见义勇为的人有利。社会建设是要花钱的，要为见义勇为者埋单。”
保障见义勇为者权益应是政府责任 综观各地法规，大多操作性不强，主要缘于政府保障部门的权利和义务不明确。《江西省维护社会治安见 义勇为奖励保障办法》共有 14 条，却无一条明确其保障部门“社会治安综合治理委员会”的权利和义务。 此外，缺乏强制性也是这类法规的问题所在。《福建省奖励和保护见义勇为人员条例》在“法律责任”一 章中对行为确认、医疗救治、诬陷报复、工作人员操守、贪污挪用经费等环节作出了“给予行政处罚”、 “依法追究刑事责任”等笼统规定，缺乏可操作性。 现行的地方法规中，保障的对象多为见义勇为者本人，偶有提及“牺牲或完全丧失劳动能力的见义勇为 人员”的家人，以及“在同等条件下，享有就业、住房、入学、入伍、土地承包等优先权”。有关专家指 出，见义勇为的保障对象不能局限于见义勇为者本人，无论其是否完全丧失劳动能力，只要影响了其家庭 的正常生活，其家属都应同时被列入保障对象的范围。 《吉林省见义勇为人员奖励和保护条例》在“见义勇为人员的奖励”部分称，“应当给予下列奖励：授予 荣誉称号、颁发奖金、其他奖励。”然而，条例全文并未提及明确的保障标准，其他地方法规中大多如此。 “中国好人网”发起人谈方教授表示，应追踪保障见义勇为者，网站将救小悦悦的陈阿婆一家列为网站长 期跟踪帮扶的对象，以后他们一家遇到有病治不起，就业、上学等问题，都会给予帮助。 1993 年 6 月，公安部、中宣部、中央政法委等部门联合发起成立了全国性公募基金会——中华见义勇为基 金会。随后，各地方也相继成立了见义勇为基金会。 然而，基金会的作用也有其局限性，中华见义勇为基金会多年来救助的多是涉及公安的见义勇为行为， 比如协助公安机关和保卫部门抓违法犯罪分子的行为，每年救助的对象也很有限。 北京大学法学院教授姜明安认为，基金会只是见义勇为奖励和救助资金的来源渠道之一，“基金会只负责 见义勇为奖励和救助资金的募集和发放。只有各级人民政府和有关部门才是负有全面责任的主体，除了资 金保障外，见义勇为公民的安全保障、劳动就业、医疗和其他救济，对见义勇为行为的宣传等，都应当是 各级政府和有关部门的职责。” 【其他】立法或是立碑都不如摆清利害 小悦悦事件已被人海量评论了：从道德滑坡到人性拯救，从立法救人到立碑警示，从制度检讨到自 省呼唤，从旁观者效应到监护者失职??这样的大探讨无疑是对我们社会的大体检，从中发现社会病症。 在这场“道德大探讨”中，立法救人与立碑警示的声音可堪商榷。 法律与道德的最大区别是，法律靠强制，道德靠自觉。见义勇为（警察除外）、救死扶伤（医生除外）只 能靠道德提倡，并通过道德评价形成一种道德压力，促使人们自觉行动，不宜以法律的形式强制要求。有 人在网上做了个该不该为见义勇为立法的调查，结果是：“不该立法，让法律的归法律，道德的归道德” 占 17%；“应该立法，这种事需要法律介入”占 11%；“说不好，见死不救难以界定，容易误伤”占 6%； “换个角度，先立法保护见义勇为不被诬陷”占 63%??由此可见，要立法，也是立保护见义勇为者的法。 立律强制人们做职业和义务之外的事，这本身就是反道德的。但我们仍然要从道德良知上要求和呼唤人们 去帮助需要帮助的人，尤其是不需要代价或代价不高的情况下，更应该主动助人。研究“自私”行为的英 国生物学家里查德·道金斯在《自私的基因》一书中认为，那些更有互助精神、更有道德的动物群落和人 类群体具有更强的竞争力。利他的动因是自私基因的潜在作用，无论是动物还是人，利他行为都是通过生 存法则的内驱动和内强制引发的。 内驱动与内强制表现在行为上，就是一种自觉。因此，与其动用强硬的立法规定，不如告诉人们，在一个 分工明确、强弱互有的社会中，每个人都不是一个孤岛；离开了群体，可能就成为汪洋大海中一艘无助的 小船，随时会被风浪掀翻；只有富有利他精神、互帮互助的人才更具竞争能力和生存能力；只有我为人人， 才能人人为我。我们不要去追问“我为人人”的动机是不是为了“人人为我”，只要大家都这么做了，就 完成了道德的自我实现。 基于人的自私本性，最好的激励莫过于为人们核算互助的“惠率”，而立碑警示的倡议则极易流于空泛形 式主义的窠臼。不难想象，有几个人会到那块碑前去自比自照自己的道德形象？
面对道德的滑落，“道德门诊部”和“道德处方”无疑会批量出现，其间一定也会有“庸医”，这需要大 家审慎甄别。
Suppose you are working as a reporter for a campus English newspaper, and you are asked to cover the following event: Li Jun and Wang Hao are fourth-year computer majors sharing the same dormitory room. Due to a severe case of polio in childhood， Wang Hao has to walk with two crutches. For more than three years since they entered the university， Li Jun has been helping his roommate climb stairs, carry things, and get meals and hot water regardless of how bad the weather is. Last semester when the class had an outing， Li Jun borrowed a wheelchair so that Wang Hao could go hiking with others. Li and other students pushed the wheelchair all the way to the top of the mountain. Because of what Li Jun has done for Wang Hao over the years, the student union of the university decided at a recent meeting to award Li Jun the title of " Model Student in Learning from Lei Feng" when they hold the May Fourth Youth Day student meeting the next week. Step One: summarize the story in a few simple sentences. A fourth-year computer major shares the dorm with a classmate who walks on crutches. For more than three years, he has been helping this roommate climb stairs, carry books, and get meals and hot water. The student union will award him the title of ― Model Student in Learning from Lei Feng‖ next week. Step Two: combine the sentences into one. For more than three years， a fourth-Fear computer major has been helping his disabled roommate climb stairs, carry books, and get meals and hot water, so the student union will award him the title of "Model Student in Learning from Lei Feng" next week. Step Three : Underline all the verbs in the sentence. and put them in reverse time order. i. e.. beginning with the latest event and ending with the earliest. For more than three years, a fourth-year computer major has been helping his disabled roommate climb stairs* carry books, and get meals and hot water, so the student union will award him the title of "Model Student in Learning from Lei Feng‖ next week. The reverse time order: award-help-climb,carry, get Step Four: Rewrite the sentence by following this reverse time order. Next week, the student union will award a fourth-year computer major the title of "Model Student in Learning from Lei Feng" because he has been helping a disabled roommate climb stairs, carry books, and get meals and hot water for more than three years. FIVE: Carefully edit the sentence you have written. The student union next week will award the title of ―Model Student in Learning from Lei Feng‖ to a fourth-year computer major who has been, for more than three years, he1ping a disabled roommate climb stairs, carry books. and get meals and hot water.
During the seven-day National Day holiday, the entire class of second-year English majors went to Huang Shan for a week. On the first day of class after the holiday, the students were too exhausted to concentrate. Some even dozed off. The professors were upset and said that the students" "minds were not on their studies." Then the department announced that the class would have the mid-term examination in a week‘s time, which is two weeks before the schedule. The second-year English majors will have their mid-term in a week's time--two weeks before schedule--because their professors said their "minds were not on their studies " after their long tour in Huang Shan during the seven-day National Day holiday. Last night, a third-year geology major ate noodles at a roadside eatery. An hour later, an acute pain developed in his stomach. His roommates believed he suffered food poisoning and rushed him to the hospital. Now doctors say he is in stable condition.
A third-year geology major is said to be in stable condition after his roommates rushed him to hospital last night when he developed symptoms of food-poisoning from the noodles at a roadside eatery. A car collision happened on the Huning Expressway in the small hours of October 13th , causing two deathes and one injury. Two people were killed and another injured in a car collision on the Huning Expressway in the small hours of October 13th . A new tendency has been found in the beginning of this semester in some major universities, where the number of graduate students is similar to or even larger than that of undergraduates because the country has increased research demand. Major universities enrolled more graduate students than undergraduates this year in response to the increasing research demand of the country. Something went wrong with the water supply from October 3rd to 4th bringing a great deal of inconvenience to students who remained in school during the seven-day holiday. The water supply was cut off from October 3rd remained in school during the seven-day holiday. to 4th , inconveniencing the students who
1. a lead should contain the essence of the story. 2. a lead should begin with the most important elements of information 3. the time element should be placed before or after the verb. 4. a lead should avoid mentioning names unfamiliar to the reader. 5. a lead should avoid abstract words and use vivid, concrete words that enable the reader to visualize the scene
Children learn some key skills for future social networking SHANGHAI - Seven schools in the city will be teaching their students how to play golf next year. All of the schools - one private and six public schools - are located in the city's more affluent neighborhoods, such as those in Xuhui and Luwan districts. Li Yuhua, principal of Yongchang Private School, which has already introduced golf courses, said golf is an effective way for students to learn patience and resilience. "Golf is not an optional course, it is compulsory for every pupil in the first, second, third and sixth grades," he said. "We start to train the kids how to swing and putt by using the sponsored simulators in the playground at first. But, starting this year, we started taking students to the central Shanghai Youth Golf Base one afternoon a week." Li said the golf class is popular with students and that he has received lots of positive feedback from parents, although he refused to say how much the course added to the cost of tuition. "I can tell you about 90 percent of parents are in favor of the golf classes, with only few saying they are worried it may interfere with their children's studies." As one of the seven schools, Yongchang Private School introduced the course two years ago and it has also set up an amateur golf team with over 10 members. A 34,000-square-meter course is being built at the school's satellite campus in the city's Jinshan district at a cost of which costs about 3 million yuan ($476,190). A total of 13 primary and middle schools across the country, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, have said they intend to include golf class in their curricula in the near future. "I see lots of my friends sending their children to professional golf classes to develop a social manner and temperament that will be beneficial for their future networking," said Cui Zhiqiang, former vice-president of the China Golf Association. But Cui said it was of the utmost importance that the schools paid proper attention to safety issues. "Golf balls and clubs are made of hard materials, so we need to make sure that they are used properly." Yu Tianhao, a physical education teacher from Shanghai Yongchang Private School, said he usually has two other assistants to help him supervise 30 children in a golf class. "We also give safety lessons before they start practicing and buy them insurance," said Yu. Cui is also worried that golf classes may lead to a sense of elitism among students. "You wouldn't want first grade kids to think too good about themselves simply because they're playing golf," he said. Zhao Hong, the mother of a 7-year-old boy in Shenzhen, said she started to send he son to learn golf at weekends when he was only 4 years old. "I consciously cultivated his interest in golf, as it's going to be an very important social skill for him in the future," said Zhao. "I'm expecting Shenzhen to have such golf classes in school soon. I believe it won't take long."
Zheng Yanyan, a professor from Beijing Sport University, however, has reservations about the courses. "I don't regard golf as a pure sport in China, because there is too much social attachment." China Daily (China Daily 11/07/2011 page7 Comment on "Students get into the swing" (China Daily, Nov 7) I disapprove of building a 34,000-square-meter golf course beside a school campus in the suburb. For me, golf is a game of wealthy people, not "a key skill for social networking" that children should learn. The huge money spent on golf courses is a reminder how wide the gap between the poor and the rich in China has become. Every day, tens of thousands of migrant workers rush into big cities. They have to do backbreaking work for long hours to feed their families, and get little rest in the crowded migrant workers "camps" they live in. So it's wrong to build a vast, arrogant golf course in the suburb merely for the recreation of rich people and their children. One of the vital principles of Chinese economic development is that groups that get rich first should help others to become prosperous. That is to say, the rich are supposed to create opportunities for those who still have to struggle even for basic necessities. Therefore, building a golf course for the second generation of wealthy people is not only a waste of precious money, but also will hurt China's social harmony. Anna Jiao, via e-mail End the vicious circle of poverty The State must provide services and opportunities to the poor to help them lead a life as fulfilling as their wealthy compatriots China's poverty alleviation efforts have made great progress in the past decade. Thanks to the wide coverage of minimum income subsidies in cities, only 1 percent of urban residents are now living below the poverty line. At the same time, the rural population living in poverty has decreased by 67 million since 2000. However, there is still much to be done as there are still 130 million people living below the poverty line, which was recently increased to about $1 per person per day, and there is a growing divide between the rich and poor that is causing social conflicts. So the challenge is to improve the current poverty alleviation policies to fit the new economic conditions. There are two key characteristics of China's economy today: fast growth and the growing social divides. The economy, if it maintains the current growth rate, will mean a per capita GDP of $15,000 in 2020, transforming the nation from a low-income country to a middle-income one. But despite this, the income gaps between rural and urban residents, different social classes and different regions are all widening. China needs to pay more attention to comparative poverty, which is more serious than absolute poverty because it is a matter of social justice. This means a change in how we define and understand poverty. Poverty is more than just a low income and weak consumption ability; it is also an inability to change one's situation for the better, as it also means poor education opportunities, inadequate
healthcare, unstable employment and poor housing. In other words, poverty alleviation efforts should also focus on ways to increase opportunities and personal development as well as incomes. To achieve this, the State must provide more services and opportunities for the poor, including better education, better healthcare, more job opportunities and wider social insurance. More investment is needed to create opportunities for both poor people and the impoverished regions, because in China the problem of poverty is related to place. Therefore, in the coming years, the State should reform its poverty alleviation policy and expand its measures so that not only more people are lifted out of poverty, but also more people are prevented from falling into it. It should also combine its poverty alleviation strategy with a national income distribution and redistribution policy. There are a great number of people living slightly above the poverty line, who cannot get any government help, although their conditions are not much better than those living below the poverty line. People living on the edge of the poverty line are at great risk of falling into poverty, because their opportunities and personal development options are the same as those living below the poverty line. It is the responsibility of the State to prevent these people from falling into the ranks of the poverty-stricken population. The experience in China and in other countries shows that poverty is a vicious circle, as children living in poverty-stricken families are more likely to be poor and deprived as adults, and their own children are more likely to grow up poverty-stricken. This further curbs the liquidity between different classes in China, which is already very weak. As the second largest and the most energetic economy in the world, China is fully able to help all its children escape this vicious circle; all it needs to do is to invest more for their future. The free lunch for a limited number of children in poverty-stricken areas is a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done to raise the quality of compulsory education, to increase pre-school education resources and to provide the children, not officials, with a safe ride to school. With the widening income gap, the State has no choice; it must ensure that income distribution is fairer. A series of policies concerning distribution and redistribution are expected to come out in the near future, which will help to address this issue. Last but not least, government support is needed to ensure the poverty-stricken population has a voice and can participate in social affairs. After all, they are also citizens and have the same right to a fulfilling life as their rich compatriots. Work together to keep Earth green and safe Updated: 2011-12-17 07:25 (China Daily) The debate on United Nations climate change conference will continue, even though the 194 countries managed to come up with the Durban Platform. After the drama and confusion in the South African city, Tian Wei, moderator and anchor of CCTV News who also serves as special advisor to the UN Development Programme (UNDP) China, interviewed UNDP Administrator Helen Clark. Q: Are you satisfied with the outcome of the Durban conference? What do you think was the biggest challenge the conference handled in the two weeks? A: In Durban, governments faced the extremely difficult question of coming to a unified agreement on how to create a new global regime to address climate change. The conference could
not have had a timelier task - a recent report by the Global Carbon Project stated that carbon dioxide emissions reached record levels in 2010. The outcome of the conference, also known as the Durban Platform, represents a package of decisions Taken together, these decisions represent important progress in the UN's work on climate change, and the (UN) secretary-general has called on the parties to quickly implement these decisions and to continue working together. The Durban climate conference took decisions that are crucial for the direction and pace of international action to combat climate change, and all countries were involved in these decisions. The agreement will help lay the groundwork for how countries, large and small, deal with the opportunities and challenges of transitioning their economies toward low-emission and climate-resilient development. The parties tackled the biggest challenges, including a new legal regime for climate change encompassing all signatories, the future of the Kyoto Protocol and the establishment of the "Green Climate Fund". Q: What will be the UNDP's mission in facing the challenges of climate change after the conference? A: UNDP is involved in many aspects of the climate change challenge. We are working closely with individual countries and in global conferences like Durban to support efforts that tackle the causes and impacts of climate changeWe are committed to assisting countries to move the agenda forward. Durban made progress in important areas like adaptation to climate change, technology development and transfer, and climate finance. UNDP provides substantial technical assistance to developing countries on climate change issues. We aim to meet the very high demand for capacity building to access climate finance. Q: How do you see the role of China at the Durban conference and beyond on climate change? A: China's agreement to join the consensus was an important factor in the success of Durban. The task ahead for China, as for all countries, is to lift the level of ambition on greenhouse gas reduction, with the objective of seeing that the world as a whole keeps temperature rise to below 2 C above pre-industrial levels. It has been estimated that if the world does not depart from business as usual, by 2080 an additional 600 million people may face malnutrition, and an additional 1.8 billion people - more than the current population of China and the USA put together - may face water shortages. China itself is vulnerable to climate change. China's 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) aims for a low-carbon economy and society. The goals and targets in the plan demonstrate China's ambition to reduce fossil fuel consumption, promote low-carbon energy sources, and become more climate-resilient. UNDP has worked in China for more than 30 years. We are proud to be working alongside China to address a number of the big development challenges of today: uneven development, poverty and inequality, and climate change and environmental degradation. Q: What do you think about the deep divisions between the developing and developed countries? What should be the attitude of both sides in trying to resolve the differences? Is a global mechanism still working in our world today? A: The divisions are based on longstanding differences in power and wealth, but our world is seeing a slow convergence as developed countries' economies experience slow, or no, growth, and developing economies grow at a much faster pace. With that convergence, we are also seeing
shifts in the geopolitical sphere - as represented in the emergence of the G20, which brings together the major economies from both the developed and developing worlds. Further convergence would be assisted by a determination to complete both the WTO Doha Development Round and the climate negotiations. Fair trade rules will assist developing countries, and a new climate agreement, which delivers significant support for developing countries to make the transition to climate-resilient green economies, will bring great benefits. For these critical talks to succeed, we need renewed commitments to multilateralism. There are many challenges facing our world that cannot be resolved by countries acting alone. We have to work together, globally, to secure a peaceful and prosperous future. (China Daily 12/17/2011 page5)
EDITORIAL Beyond Durban Published: December 16, 2011 Startling new evidence that global carbon dioxide emissions are rising faster than ever did little to increase the urgency of the climate talks in Durban, South Africa, which concluded earlier this week. Once again, the world’s negotiators kicked the can down the road. Even as delegates from nearly 200 countries were meeting, the Global Carbon Project, an international collaboration of scientists, reported that emissions from carbon dioxide from fossil fuels, the main greenhouse gas, had jumped 5.9 percent in 2010, the sharpest one-year rise on record. The report also said that carbon emissions cumulatively had risen by an astonishing 49 percent since 1990, higher than any previous estimate. Nobody had expected great progress from Durban, the 17th in a series of habitually quarrelsome and mostly unproductive gatherings since the same countries met in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro under the auspices of the United Nations and agreed to address the gradual warming of the earth. Yet the underwhelming response to the genuinely bad news in the new report shows again how far world leaders are from making the hard decisions necessary to control the rise in greenhouse gas emissions. And it left them further than ever from achieving their stated goal of keeping average global temperatures from rising 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels — a commonly accepted threshold beyond which the planet’s climate patterns could be seriously destabilized. There were a few modest successes. One was an agreement to set up a “green fund” to help poor nations deal with climate change and reduce deforestation, a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. More important, with the United States applying much of the pressure, China and India consented to participate in any future agreement limiting emissions and play by the same rules as everyone else. Those two nations are huge producers of greenhouse gases and, until now, have disclaimed responsibility for reducing them. The latest figures show that China and India each had emission increases of about 10 percent since 2009. Since 1990, China’s emissions have tripled; India’s nearly so. Along with all other developing countries, China and India refused to sign on to the legally binding reduction targets agreed to by industrialized nations at the Kyoto conference in 1997. This time they agreed in principle to work toward a new international agreement “applicable to all parties.” The negotiators said they hoped to have such a pact in place by 2015, but, even
if that miracle occurred, ratification by member nations would not occur until 2020 at the earliest. The question now is what to do about rising emissions in the next decade. Though Durban has kept the collective process alive, the work of actually cutting emissions will fall to individual nations, especially the big emitters, to take the initiative. In America, the Obama administration has proposed huge increases in automobile efficiency, as well as tough clean air regulations that will mothball a lot of coal-fired power plants. Additional progress may occur in states like California with ambitious programs to encourage energy efficiency and alternative fuels. As for China, one can only hope that its dreadful pollution problems will drive it to new technologies and cleaner fuels, and that other nations will find it in their interest to do the same. What the latest data tell us is that the atmosphere cannot keep waiting for a grand bargain.
Questions for Discussion: Part One 1. What is news? What are some categories of news? 2. What is news value? What are some basic elements of news value? 3. What are the functions of the newspaper? 4. What are the features of a front page in a newspaper? 5. What are the main features of headlines in Lexis, Grammar and Rhetoric? 6. How do news magazines differ from newspapers in layout and news coverage? 7. What is news lead? What are direct lead and delayed lead? 8. What is the body structure of a news story? What are advantages of it? 9. What are the difference between tabloids and broadsheets? (at least four aspects) 10. What are the main functions of mass communication for society? 11. How to deal with new words in reading newspapers and magazines? 12. What is communication? What are the forms of communication? 13. What is the code of ethics for journalists? 14. What is journalism? What does the study of journalism include? 15. What is the definition of news agency? What are the major news agencies in America and Britain? 16. What are the benefits obtained via appreciating the language of English news? 17. What is privacy? What actions can be regarded as invasion of privacy? 18. Give a brief account of the general communication process 19. What is Yellow Journalism？ 20. What is hard news? What is soft news? How to distinguish between them?
Part Two 1. CIA 8. NPC 15. NBC CEO 24. FDA
2. OPEC 3. NYSE 4. IMF 5. FIFA 6. DJIA 7. CPI 9.MP 10. SOE 11. IPR 12. APEC 13. NSB 14. MPA 16. NGO 17. PPI 18. NMD 19. CFO 20. API 21. ISO 22. WTO 23. 25. IOC 26. BBS 27. ATM 28. GRE
1. CIA (Central Intelligence Agency 美国中央情报局) 2. OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries 石油输出国祖国) 3. NYSE (New York Stock Exchange 纽约证券交易所) 4. IMF (International Monetary Fund 国际货币基金组织) 5. FIFA (International Federation of Football Association 国际足球联合会) 6. DJIA (Dow Jones Industrials Average 道琼斯工业平均指数) 7. CPI (Consumer Price Index 消费者价格指数) 8. NPC (National People‘s Congress 全国人大) 9. MP (Member of Parliament 国会议员） 10. SOE ( State Owned Enterprise 国有企业) 11. IPR (Intellectual Property Rights 知识产权) 12. APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation 亚太经济合作组织) 13. NSB (National Statistics Bureau 国家统计局) 14. MPA (Master of Public Administration 公共管理硕士) 15. NBC (National Broadcasting Company 美国全国广播公司) 16. NGO (Non-government Organization 非政府组织) 17. PPI (Producer Price Index 制造者价格指数) 18. NMD (National Missile Defense) 国家导弹防御系统 19. CFO (Chief Finance Officer 首席财务官) 20. API (Air Pollution Index 空气污染指数) 21. ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 国际标准化组织
22. WTO (World Trade Organization 世界贸易组织) 23. CEO (Chief Executive Officer) 24. FDA（FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION 美国食品药品管理局） 25. IOC (International Olympic Committee) 国际奥林匹克委员会 26. BBS (Bulletin Board System 电子布告栏系统) 或 (Bulletin Board Service 电子布告服务) 27. ATM (Automated Teller Machine) 自动取款(出纳)机 28. GRE (Graduate Record Examination) 美国研究生入学考试
同济大学课程考核试卷（A 卷） 2010 — 2011 学年第 2 学期
命题教师签名： 课号：112148
此卷选为：期中考试( 年级 10 专业 题项 得分 I
审核教师签名： 课名：英文报刊选读
)、期终考试(√ )、重考 ( 学号 II III ) 试卷 姓名 IV V VI
考试考查：
得分
Part One Understanding the Styles and Structures of English Newspapers and Magazines (30%) Section A Inverted Structure (16%) Directions: In this part, there are two pieces of news that are incomplete. Choose from the lists below the best clause to complete each of them. Then mark your answer in the corresponding place on your Answer Sheet. (2×8=16 points)
1.
Festival honoring Sun Tzu
(A). The Art of War is one of the most successful books on military strategy and is widely known throughout the world
BEIJING – Binzhou city in the northern part of ____(1)_____. Binzhou is famous for being the hometown of Sun Tzu (born 535 BC), a strategist and high ranking military general during the late Spring and Autumn Period and the author of The Art of War. ____(2)_____. It has inspired many leaders and generals,
(B). Shandong province is holding a tourism festival from September to October
including Mao Zedong, General MacArthur and Napoleon. ____(3)_____, which shows 36 military strategies in the book. Binzhou is also famous for its big and juicy jujubes, and visitors will have the opportunity to pick dates in the city‘s suburbs. ____(4)_____. Binzhou provides individual and grouping tourism service to benefit tourists. (C). ―Binzhou has fantastic scenery, and I‘ve been there three times,‖ said Wei Xiaoxia, a senior reporter at China Tourism News
(D). One must-seeing scenic spot in Binzhou is a ―military city‖
2.
Chinese Muslims to begin pilgrimage to Mecca
(A). China has more than 20 million Muslims, about half of which are from the Hui ethnic group (B). The Mecca pilgrimage, also known as the hajj, is a Muslim religious tradition that specifies that all able-bodied Muslims who can afford to travel to Saudi Arabia must visit Mecca at least once in their lives (C). More than 2,600 Chinese Muslims from Northwest China‘s Ningxia Hui autonomous region will begin their annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia later this month (D). The Muslims will fly to Saudi Arabia via eight Air China charter flights between October 17 and 22
YINCHUAN -____(5)_____, local religious officials said Thursday. The number traveling this year is about 200 more than that of last year, said Hei Fuli, vice chairman and secretary-general of the Islamic Association of Ningxia. ____(6)_____, and will return to Ningxia between November 27 and December 2, Hei said. ―Because many of them are elderly people who do not understand Arabic and have never been abroad, we are giving them some etiquette training on everyday life in another country, as well as some religious training,‖ said Ma Shaozhong, imam of the Liming Mosque in Ningxia‘s city of Wuzhong. ____(7)_____. ____(8)_____. Chinese Muslims mainly live in the western provinces of Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan, Ningxia Hui autonomous regions and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.
Section B
Leads Matching (10%)
Directions: Choose from the list A-J five best headlines for the lead paragraphs in the list 9-13. Mark your answers on the Answer Sheet. 9. GUIYANG - The death toll rose to 17 miners on Wednesday after a massive buildup of gas and coal hit a colliery in Southwest China‘s Guizhou province, adding to
(A) Large fire sent enormous
smoke into air
(B) 17 miners lost their lives in
10.
11.
12.
13.
a rash of deadly mine accidents this year in the coal-rich province. SEOUL - The Republic of Korea (ROK) dropped a plan to give the Democratic People‘s Republic of Korea (DPRK) food aid to help flood victims after the DPRK failed to respond to the proposal, the unification ministry in Seoul said Tuesday. KABUL - Afghanistan‘s intelligence agency said on Wednesday it had thwarted a plot to assassinate President Hamid Karzai after arresting a bodyguard and five people with links to the Haqqani network and al-Qaeda. DALLAS - A large fire at a chemical plant south of Dallas that sent an enormous plume of smoke into the air on Monday forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents in the city of Waxahachie, fire officials said. BRUSSELS - The Libya mission is ―pretty close‖ to its end, however, NATO defense ministers are not expected to terminate the mission as they convene this week, the head of NATO said on Monday.
a mine accident
(C) Head
NATO said: mission close to end DPRK failed to respond to proposal mission ?pretty close‘ to end: NATO chief to kill president foiled Afghan
of
(D) Libya (E) Plot
(F) Death toll in mine accident stands at 17 (G) President Karzai: a narrow
escape!
(H) Hundreds evacuated after
Texas chemical plant fire
(I) ROK scraps plan to send
flood aid to DPRK
(J) NATO
terminated
defense
not
Section C News Briefs (10%) Directions: Read the five briefs from China Daily and answer questions 1-5 with a correct choice A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on the Answer Sheet. 14. FORT PIERCE, Florida – Kimberly Bergalis, the first person known to have contracted Aids from a health care-worker, died on Sunday after a poignant battle for her life and for laws to protect patients. This story is about ____________________. (A) Aids. (B) a health-care worker. (C) a poignant battle. (D) an Aids victim. 15. WASHINGTON –U.S. federal officials have seized 23,641 pounds of cocaine (or about 12 tons) hidden inside concrete fencing posts at a warehouse and storage lot at Miami, Florida, according to reports reaching here yesterday. This story is about ____________________. (A) U.S. federal officials. (B) A warehouse. (C) A report. (D) A seizure of cocaine. 16. BEIJING – The Friendship Hemodialysis Centre, a Sino-Japanese cooperative
venture equipped with more than 40 pieces of advanced equipment for blood purification, will go into operation at Beijing‘s Sino-Japanese Friendship Hospital in June. This story is about ____________________. (A) Beijing‘s Sino-Japanese Friendship Hospital. (B) advanced equipment for blood purification. (C) a sino-Japanese cooperative venture. (D) a blood centre. 17. MOSCOW – Hungry and exhausted passengers stormed an aircraft of The State Airline Aeroflot and ordered its crew to operate a flight which had been delayed more than 24 hours, Tass news agency reported on Tuesday. This story is about ____________________. (A) an aircraft. (B) a flight. (C) a long flight delay. (D) Tass news agency. 18. WELLINGTON – More than 500 policemen from 33 countries have met here at a three-day triennial International Police Association world congress in a bid to promote ties between police forces throughout the world. This story is about ____________________. (A) 500 policemen. (B) The International Police Association. (C) world police forces. (D) A world police congress.
Part Two
Reading Comprehension (20%)
Directions: There are two passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice. Passage One Literature is at once the most intimate and most articulate of the arts. It cannot impart its effect through the senses or nerves as the other arts can; it is beautiful only through the intelligence; it is the mind speaking to the mind; until it has been put into absolute terms, of an invariable significance, it does not exist at all. It cannot awaken this emotion in one, and that in anther; if it fails to express precisely the meaning of the author, if it does not say him, it says nothing, and is nothing. So that when a poet has put his heart, much or little, into a poem, and sold it to a magazine, the scandal is greater than when a painter has sold a picture to a patron, or a sculptor has modeled a statue to order. These are artists less articulate and less intimate than the poet; they are more exterior to their work; they are less personally in it; they part with less of themselves in the dicker. It does not change the nature of the case to say that Tennyson and
Longfellow and Emerson sold the poems in which they couched the most mystical messages their genius was charged to bear mankind. They submitted to the conditions which none can escape; but that does not justify the conditions, which are none the less the conditions of hucksters (小贩) because they are imposed upon poets. If it will serve to make my meaning a little clearer, we will suppose that a poet has been crossed in love, or has suffered some real sorrow, like the loss of a wife or child. He pours out his broken heart in verse that shall bring tears of sacred sympathy from his readers, and an editor pays him a hundred dollars for the right of bringing his verse to their notice. It is perfectly true that the poem was not written for these dollars, but it is perfectly true that it was sold for them. The poet must use his emotions to pay his provision bills; he has no other means; society does not propose to pay his bills for him. Well, and at the end of the ends, the unsophisticated witness finds the transaction ridiculous, finds it repulsive, finds it shabby. Somehow he knows that if our huckstering civilization did not at every moment violate the eternal finess of things, the poet‘s song would have been given to the world, and the poet would have been cared for by the whole human brotherhood, as any man should be who does the duty that every man owes it. The instinctive sense of the dishonor which money purchase does to art is so strong that sometimes a man of letters who can pay his way otherwise refuses pay for his work, as Lord Byron did, for a whole, from a noble pride, and as Count Tolstoy has tried to do, from a noble conscience. But Byron‘s publisher profited by a generosity that did not reach his readers; and the Countess Tolstoy collects the copyright that her husband foregoes; so that these two eminent instances of protest against business in literature may be said not to have shaken its money basis. I know of no others; but there may be many that I am culpably ignorant of. Still, I doubt if there are enough to affect the fact that Literature is Business as well as Art, and almost as soon. At present business is the only human solidarity; we are all bound together with that chain, what over interests and tastes and principles separate us. 19. A possible title that best expresses the meaning of the passage would be _________. (A) Literature and the Arts (B) The State of the Arts (C) Progress in Literature (D) The Man of Letters as a Man of Business 20. According to the author, Lord Byron _________. (A) refused payment for his work. (B) combined business with literature (C) founded a school for aspiring writers (D) did not copyright his work 21. The author of the passage proposes that writers and artists _________. (A) attempt to induce society to change its values. (B) make the best out of a bad situation (C) withhold their work until they gain recognition. (D) adopt the principles of commercialism. 22. The author feels grief at the fact Tennyson, Longfellow and Emerson _________. (A) all wrote mystical poems. (B) had to sell their poetry.
(C) were not appreciated in their time. (D) were prolific poets 23. The author implies that writers are _________. (A) not sufficiently paid for their work. (B) incompetent businessmen. (C) profiting against their will. (D) hucksters Passage Two Each advance in microscopic technique has provided scientists with new perspectives on the function of living organism and the nature of matter itself. The invention of the visible light microscope late in the 16th century introduced a previously unknown realm of single-celled plants and animals. In the 20th century, electron microscopes have provided direct views of viruses and minute surface structures. Now another type of microscope, one that uses X-rays rather than light or electrons, offers a different way of examining tiny details; it should extend human perception still farther into the natural world. The dream of building an X-ray microscope dates to 1895. its development, however, was virtually ceased in the 1940s because the development of the electron microscope was progressing rapidly. During the 1940s electron microscopes routinely achieved resolution better than that possible with a visible-light microscope, while the performance of X-ray microscopes resisted improvement. In recent years, however, interest in X-ray microscopes has revived, largely because of advances such as the development of new sources of X-ray illumination. As a result, the brightness available today is millions of times that of X-ray tubes, which, for most of the century, were the only available sources of soft X-rays. The new X-ray microscope considerably improves on the resolution provided by optical microscopes. They can also be used to map the distribution of certain chemical elements. some can form pictures in extremely short times; others hold the promise of special capabilities such as three-dimensional imagining. Unlike conventional electron microscopy, X-ray microscopy enables specimens to be kept in air and water, which means that biological samples can be studied under conditions similar to their natural state. The illumination used, so-called soft X-rays in the wavelength range of twenty to forty angstroms (十亿分之一米), is also sufficiently penetrating to imagine intact biological cells in many cases. Because of the wavelength of the X-rays used, soft X-ray microscopes will never match the highest resolution possible with electron microscopes. 24. The passage shows that the invention of the visible light microscope allowed scientists to _________. (A) develop the electron microscope later on (B) see viruses directly (C) understand more about the distribution of the chemical elements (D) discover single-celled plants and animals they had never seen before 25. The reason why it took so long to develop the X-ray microscope is that _________. (A) there was not enough money for the research (B) materials used to manufacture X-rays tubes were difficult to find (C) the source of illumination was not bright enough until recently
(D) X-ray microscopes were too complicated to operate 26. What is the major difference between X-ray microscopy and the traditional electron microscopy? (A) X-ray microscopy enables samples to be studied in natural environment. (B) X-ray microscopes can figure out the distribution of some chemical elements. (C) X-ray microscopes can form pictures in a very short time. (D) X-ray microscopes have the potential of three-dimensional imagining. 27. What can be inferred from the passage about the future of X-ray microscopes? (A) They will probably replace electron microscopes altogether. (B) They will eventually be much cheaper to produce than they are now. (C) They will provide information not available from other kinds of microscopes. (D) They will eventually change the illumination range that they now use. 28. What is the passage mainly about? (A) A new kind of microscope. (B) Sources of illumination for microscopes. (C) The detail seen through a microscope. (D) Outdated microscopic techniques.
Part Three Abbreviations (10%) Directions: In this part, there are abbreviations. Give the full forms of the following abbreviations and translate them into Chinese on the Answer Sheet. 1. IPR 2. OPEC 3. NYSE 4. IMF 5. FIFA
Part Four Answer the following questions (12%) Directions: In this part, there are several journalistic questions. Answer the following questions on the Answer Sheet. 21. What is news lead? What are direct lead and delayed lead? 22. What is news value? What are some basic elements of news value? 23. What is the body structure of a news story? What are advantages of it? Part Five Summary Writing and Comment Making (22%) Directions: In this part, there is a long news story. You are required to write a summary of it and make a comment on it on the Answer Sheet. Europe's Debt Dilemma: Will Cuts Stifle Growth? By Bruce Crumley / Paris Wednesday, May. 12, 2010 Oh how brief was the joy. On May 10, financial markets reacted euphorically to the creation of a nearly $1 trillion fund to assist euro-zone economies imperiled by massive debt. Since then, however, bourses have seesawed between moderate losses and gains as buyers contemplate what
happens next. The biggest question now being debated in capitals across the European Union: How can national governments who no longer face as great a risk of default bring their deficit and debt levels down without choking off the spending that's fueling already feeble growth? That puzzle puts the E.U. between a rock — trying to tackle government debt — and a hard place — appeasing the market forces that helped transform Europe's debt crisis to a full-blown emergency. In recent months, hedge funds have bet against Greece's ability to honor its staggering debt, which made it more expensive for Athens to borrow money to pay creditors. But it also raised the risk the contagion of doubt spreading to heavily indebted Portugal, Spain and Italy. To address the threat of that contagion possibly dragging down the entire euro zone, E.U. leaders and the International Monetary Fund belatedly forged a $950 billion package of funding, ready to come to the rescue if any other economies using the single currency are brought to the brink of insolvency by their own debt — or if moves by financial markets increase that possibility. However, by agreeing to the creation of that crisis fund, euro economies have implicitly committed themselves to taking action against the soaring, debt-increasing spending that sparked the current calamity in the first place. Logically — and cruelly — financial markets that only two days ago were reassured that the risk of sovereign default had been minimized are now pondering how national governments are going to cut spending without falling back into recession. At Wednesday's close, all European exchanges were up slightly after a modest contraction on Tuesday — mirroring activity in Asian markets — as buyers wondered whether looming action by governments to cut deficits and debt would blow holes in their economic boats. "You need to cut spending at the top of the economic cycle, not at the bottom — even if that's what markets, political backers, or partner governments are all telling you to do," says Eric Heyer, economist and deputy director at the French Economic Observatory in Paris. "If you cut spending across the board before you've attained sufficient growth to confirm sustained recovery, you'll sap what little expansion you do have, increase unemployment as business reacts to that, and in the end wind up with less revenue and more outlay than you saved with your cuts. The figures show we're far from sustained recovery." But it's getting harder for governments to wait for that recovery before they start reducing budgets, especially as most nations that were at the fore in creating the E.U.'s crisis fund are themselves loaded with debt. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right coalition took a beating in the May 9 election in the key state of North Rhine-Westphalia, in large part due to voter fury at Germany agreeing to partially fund Greece's debt rescue. In an attempt to quell the public's anger, Merkel was forced to renounce long-promised income tax cuts. And on May 11, conservative members of her ruling coalition vowed they would massively slash spending to reduce the budget deficit forecast of 6% this year. The next day, Spain did just that, with Prime Minister JoséLuis Rodrí guez Zapatero announcing that he had added another $19 billion in cuts to the $63.7 billion he's already planned in his effort to reduce the country's budget deficit from 11.2% of GDP in 2009 to 3% in 2013. In France, meanwhile, the government of President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced a freeze in spending levels and is preparing the public for additional cuts, all while denying that these are signs of a new era of austerity. The government is also resisting calls — for now, at least — from leftist opponents to repeal billions in tax cuts that were passed in the wake of Sarkozy's 2007 election victory. Heyer at the French Economic Observatory notes that for Sarkozy to fulfill his
promises to Brussels to reduce France's expected 2010 deficit of 8% to 3% in 2013 — a total reduction of $127 billion — he'll have to find $102 billion that's currently unaccounted for. "The only other source is growth, and it's not there yet," Heyer says, noting the first-quarter 2010 expansion of just 0.1% in France, 0.2% in Germany, and Spain's recession-exiting 0.1%. "Austerity before recovery risks renewed recession in most countries. Austerity by all countries at once is virtually sure to take them all down." The answer, Heyer says, is to halt deficit rises by freezing spending levels, and target cuts to areas not contributing to growth until recovery returns and reforms can begin in earnest. That's a go-slow approach the markets may not like, but one that seeks to avoid a double-dip recession they would hate even more. 1. Write a summary of the news item. ( at least 100 words ) (7%) 2. Make a personal comment on the news. ( at least 150 words ) (15%)
