2021-2022年山東省煙臺市公共英語五級(筆試)真題(含答案)

2021-2022年山東省煙臺市公共英語五級(筆試)真題(含答案)學校:________班級:________姓名:________考號:________

一、1.ListeningComprehension(15題)1.Howcanthemosteffectivecomplaintbemade?

A.Showingthefaultitemtothemanager.

B.Explainingexactlywhatiswrongwiththeitem.

C.Sayingfirmlythattheitemisofpoorquality.

D.Askingpolitelytochangetheitem.

2.Whatwilltheclassdonow?

A.Hearanotherreport.

B.DiscussoneofEmilyDickinson'spoems.

C.Hearalecturegivenbytheteacher.

D.Discusspoemstheyhavewrittenthemselves.

3.WangpreferstolivewithanEnglishfamily.

A.RightB.Wrong

4.PartB

Directions:Youwillhear3conversationsortalksandyoumustanswerthequestionsbychoosingA,B,CorD.YouwillheartherecordingONLYONCE.

聽力原文：M:Now,I'dliketosaythatIthinkthatthisgovernmentproposingtobuildmorenuclearpowerstationsinthiscountryisreallybeingstupid.Thepointaboutnuclearpoweristhatwehaven'tlearnttodoawaywiththewaste.Wehaven'tlearnttocopewiththewastefromityet.

W:Well,Isometimesthinkthat,youknow,they'vegotanimpossiblejob.ImeanalltheimpressionIgetisthatthereisnoalternative...well,that'stheimpressionIget.

M:No,no,noI...Idon'tagreewiththatatall.Thereareplentyofalternatives.There'sthesun...solarpower...thatisasourcethatisalwaysthere,wealwayshaveit.

W:Idon't...Idon'tquiteseewhatyou'regettingatactually,solarpower,what'sthat?

M:Well,theheatfromthesun,itcanbeusedinsolarpanelsonthetopsofhousesforheating,storinguppowertoheatwaterandtoheatthehouses,youknow,somesolarpanelsareinoperationalreadyandtheyaresavingmoney...

W:That'sagoodpointactually,butisitreallyviable,that,ImeanbecauseI'd...

M:SorryitmustbejAndtheonegreatadvantageisthatIcansee,ifthegovernmentsetupsmallunitstobuildsolarpanelsandtoinstallthem,itwouldbecreatingemploymentwhichwouldimprovetheunemploymentsituationandbringterrificadvantages.

W:IhaveheardthatinEngland,Imean,there'snotenoughsun,isthere?For,Imean,solarpanelshere?

M:Yes,well,that'snotquitetrue.I...thereisquiteabitofsun...youmaynotfeeltheactualheatofitonsomeoccasions.

W:No,youarerightthere!

M:Butthelightpowerfromthesunwill.

Whatdoesthemanthinkofthegovernment'spresentproposalaboutbuildingmorepowerstationsinthecountry?

A.It'sadangerousproposal.

B.It'sastupidproposal.

C.It'sanadvantageousproposal.

D.It'saviableproposal.

5.Whatadvantagesdoesworkhave?

6.PartC

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerthequestionsorcompletethenotesinyourtestbookletforQuestions21-30bywritingNOTMORETHANTHREEwordsinthespaceprovidedontheright.YouwillhearthetalkTWICE.

Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions21-30.

聽力原文：ForthoseofyouwhoareeitheralreadystudyingintheUnitedStatesorplanningtooneday,itmightbeinterestingtoknowsomethingabouttheforeignstudentpopulationintheUnitedStates.Fortheacademicyear1995/96therewasasumofapproximately344,000foreignstudentsstudyingintheUnitedStates.Thisfigureof344000mayseemlikeaverylargenumberuntilyoucompareitwiththetotalpopulationof241,000,000.Theforeignstudentpopulationhasbeengrowingforanumberofyearsandisstillgrowing,buttherateofincreasehasdroppedsharplyduringthe1990s.Duringthe1980s,thepopulationgrewquiterapidly.Forexample,between1985and1990,theaverageyearlyincreasewas12.5%.However,thepictureinthe1990sisquitedifferent.Therateofincreasehasdeclinedquitenoticeably.Infact,therateofincreasebetween1994/95and1995/96wasonly0.5%,orone-halfofonepercent.Althoughtheoverallrateofincreasehasdroppedtoonly0.5%,thenumberofstudentsfromsomepartsoftheworldisincreasingwhilethenumberofstudentsfromotherareasisdecreasing.Forexample,duringthissameperiod,thatisbetweentheacademicyears1994/95and1995/96,therewasadecreaseinthenumberofstudentsfromtheMiddleEast,whilethenumberofstudentsfromSouthandEastAsiaincreased.Thesechangesinthenumberofstudentscomingfromdifferentpartsoftheworldnodoubtreflectedchangingeconomicandpoliticalsituations.I'msureyouareawareofmanyofthesechanges,andperhapsyoucandiscussthematournextmeeting.Fortodaylet'sconfineourtalktofirst,adiscussionoftheoriginofthesestudents,or,inotherwords,wheretheycamefromsecond,thekindsofstudiestheypursue;and,finally,theacademiclevelstheyarefoundin.Ifwehavealittletimeleft,wemightquicklytalkaboutinwhichgeographicareasmostofthemgotoschool.

Let'sdiscusstheoriginsoftheforeignstudentpopulationintheUnitedStatesfortheacademicyear1995/96.Let'sdiscussitinorderfromthoseareassendingthemoststudentstothoseareassendingthefeweststudents.IfwelookatthefiguresprovidedbytheannualcensusofforeignstudentsintheUnitedStatesfortheyear1995/96,weseethatmostoftheforeignstudentsstudyingintheUnitedStatesduringthisyearwerefromSouthandEastAsia.Thisisaratherlargegeographicalareawhichincludessuchconu-triesasChina,Korea,Pakistan,India,Malaysia,andIndonesia.Thetotalnumberofstudentsfromthisarea,SouthandEastAsiawas156,830.Inotherwords,roughly2outofevery5foreignstudentscomefromSouthandEastAsia.Almost24000ofthistotalwerefromChina.Malaysiawasclosebehindwithjustalittleover23000students.ThenextlargestnumberofstudentscamefromtheMiddleEast.ThenumberofstudentsfromtheMiddleEastcametoaboutone-thirdthenumberfromSouthandEastAsia.ThefourthlargestnumbercamefromSouthAmerica.NextcameEurope,Africa,NorthAmerica,andOceania.Let'srecapitulatewhatwe'vesaid.ThelargestnumberofstudentsstudyingintheUnitedStatesduringtheacademicyear1995/96werefromSouthandEastAsia,followedbytheMiddleEast,SouthAmerica,Europe,Africa,NorthAmerica,andOceania.

Whatfieldsaretheselargenumbersofforeignstudentsstudyingin?Itprobablywon'tsurpriseyouthatthelargestnumberareinthefieldofengineering.Infact,21.7%ofthetotalnumberarestudyingengineering.Businessandmanagementisclosebehind,however,withatotalof18.9%.Thethirdmostpopularfieldw

7.WhatwerethetwothingsthatinterestedDr.Huber?

8.Mr.Millerhadknownalotaboutcarpentryandelectricwiringbeforehewasengagedindo-it-yourself.

A.TrueB.Fasle

9.WhatdidEuropeansthinkofpotatoes?

10.PartB

Directions:Youwillhear3conversationsortalksandyoumustanswerthequestionsbychoosingA,B,CorD.YouwillheartherecordingONLYONCE.

聽力原文：Whenaconsumerfindsthatanitemsheorheboughtisbrokenorinsomeotherwaydoesnotreachthestandardofthemanufacturer'sclaimforit,thefirststepistopresentthewarranty,oranyotherrecordswhichmighthelp,atthestoreofpurchase.Inmostcases,thisactionwillproduceresults.However,ifitdoesnot,therearevariousmeanstheconsumersmayusetogainsatisfaction.

Asimpleandcommonmethodusedbymanyconsumersistocomplaindirectlytothestoremanager.Ingeneral,the"higherup"theconsumertakeshisor"hercomplaint,thefasterheorshecanexpectittobetackled.Insuchacase,itisusuallysettledintheconsumer'sfavor,assumingheorshehasajustclaim.

Consumersshouldcomplaininpersonwheneverpossible,butiftheycannotgettotheplaceofpurchase,itisacceptabletophoneorwritethecomplaintinaletter.

Complainingisusuallymosteffectivewhenitisdonepolitelybutfirmly,andespeciallywhentheconsumercandemonstratewhatiswrongwiththeiteminquestion.Ifthiscannotbedone,theconsumerwillsucceedbestbypresentingspecificinformationastowhatiswrong,ratherthanbymakinggeneralstatements.Forexample,"Theleftspeakerdoesnotworkatallandthesoundcomingoutoftherightoneisunclear"isbetterthan"thisstereodoesnotwork".

Thestoremanagermayadvisetheconsumertowritetothemanufacturer.Ifso,theconsumershoulddothis,statingthecomplaintaspolitelyandasfirmlyaspossible.Butifapolitecomplaintdoesnotachievethedesiredresult,theconsumercangoastepfurther.Sheorhecanthreatentotakethesellertocourtorreportthesellertoaprivateorpublicorganizationresponsibleforprotectingconsumers'rights.

Whenaconsumerfindsthathispurchasehasafaultinit,whatisthefirstthingheshoulddo?

A.Complainpersonallytothemanager.

B.Threatentotakethemattertocourt.

C.Writeafirmletterofcomplainttothestoreofpurchase.

D.Showsomewrittenproofofthepurchasetothestore.

11.Wecanmakearound-the-worldflighttripfreeofchargeifwefinishreadingenoughbooks.

A.RightB.Wrong

12.HowmanypoemsdidDickinsonwrite?

A.Almost2,000.B.Nearly1,000.C.800D.1,200.

13.WhendidthisexpressioncomeintotheAmericanLanguage?

A.SometimeaftertheCivilWar．

B.DuringtheSecondWorldWar．

C.WhenpresidentGeorgeBushwasinoffice．

D.DuringtheperiodofIndependenceWar．

14.Itsoundsabitunscientificthatagoodmanageris______ratherthan______.

15.WhatwasthereunderarockonceatthesoutherntripofAfrica?

二、2.UseofEnglish(10題)16.

【C14】

17.

【C13】

18.

【C10】

19.(34)

20.(48)

21.

【C15】

22.

【C5】

23.(43)

24.(46)

25.

【C3】

三、3.ReadingComprehension(15題)26.(75)

27.

Fromthelastparagraphwecaninferthat______.

A.thegovernmenthopestosolvetheproblembywayofvolunteerrestrictions

B.morethan47millionAmericanswhoarequalifiedtogetfluvaccineshotscannotgetthemthisyear

C.Americahastodealwithalimitedsupplyoffluvaccinesthisyear

D.normallyonlyasmallpercentageofAmericanpopulationgetsfluvaccineshotseachyear

28.(69)

29.Itwaslateintheafternoon,andIwasputtingthefinaltouchonapieceofwritingthatIwasfeelingprettygoodabout.Iwantedtosaveit,butmycursorhadfrozen.Itriedtoshutthecomputerdown,anditseizedupaltogether.Unsureofwhatelsetodo,Iyanked(用力猛拉)thebatteryout.

Unfortunately,Windowshadbeeninthemidstofadelicateandcrucialundertaking.Thenextmorning,whenIturnedmycomputerbackon,itinformedmethatafilehadbeencorruptedandWindowswouldnotload.Then,itofferedtorepairitselfbyusingtheWindowsSetupCD.

IopenedthespecialdrawerwhereIkeepCDs,butnoWindowsCDinthere.Iwasforcedtocallthecomputercompany'sGlobalSupportCentre.Mycallwasansweredbyawomaninsomeunnamed,far-offland.IfinditannoyingtomakesmalltalkwithsomeonewhenIdon'tknowwhatcontinentthey'restandingon.SupposeIweretocommentonthebeautifulweatherwe'vebeenhavingwhentherewasamonsoonattheotherendofdiephone?SoIgotrighttothepoint

"Mycomputeristellingmeafileiscorruptedanditwantstofixitself,butIdon'thavetheWindowsSetupCD."

"Soyou'rehavingaproblemwithyourWindowsSetupCD."Shehasapparentlybeendozingand,havingcometojustasthesentenceended,wasattemptingtocoverforherinattention.

Itquicklybecameclearthatthewomanwasnotacomputertechnician.Herjobwastoserveasagatekeeper,ahumanshieldforthetechnicians.Hersoleduty,asfarasIcouldtell,wastoraiseglobalstresslevels.

Tomakemedisappear,thewomangavemethephonenumberforWindows'creator,Microsoft.Thisislikegivingsomeonethephonenumberfor,Idon'tknow,NorthAmerica.Besides,theCDworked;Ijustdidn'thaveit.NomatterhowmanytimesIrepeatedmystory,wecamebacktothesameplace.Shewascalmandresolutelypolite.

Whenmyvoicehitacertaindecibel(分貝),Iwaspassedalong,likeahot,irritablepotato,toatechnician.

"Youdon'thavetheWindowsSetupCD,ma'am,becauseyoudon'tneedit,"heexplainedcheerfully.

"Windowscamepreinstalledonyourcomputer!"

"ButIdoneedit

"Yes,butyoudon'thaveit."Wewentonlikethisforawhile.Finally,heofferedtowalkmethroughtheuseofadifferentCD,onethatwoulderasemyentiresystem."Ofcourse,you'dloseallyoure-mail,yourdocuments,yourphotos."Itwaslikeofferingtodropasafeonmyheadtocuremyheadache."Youmightbeabletorecoverthem,butitwouldbeexpensive."Hesoundeddelighted."Andit'snotcoveredbythewarranty(產(chǎn)品保證書)!"Thesafebegantoseemlikeagoodidea,provideditwasfull.

Ihungupthephoneanddrovemycomputertoasmall,friendlyrepairplaceI'dheardabout.Asmart,helpfulmandugoutaWindowsCDandtoldmeitwouldn'tbeaproblem.Anhourlater,hecalledtoletmeknowitwasready.Ithankedhim,andwechattedabouttheweather,whichwasthesameoutsidemywindowasitwasoutsidehis.

Whydidtheauthorshutdownhercomputerabruptly?

A.Shehadsavedwhatshehadwritten.

B.Shecouldn'tmovethecursor.

C.Thecomputerrefusedtowork.

D.Thecomputerofferedtorepairitself.

30.(78)

31.PartC

Directions:Answerquestions71-80byreferringtothefollowinggames.

Note:AnswereachquestionbychoosingA,BorCandmarkitonANSWERSHEET1.Somechoicesmayberequiredmorethanonce.

Whichschool...

isnotforboys?71.______

haswonthenationalaward?72.______

ownsmostfull-timefacultymemberswhoholdaPh.D.orterminaldegreeintheirfield?

73.______

hasagoodreputationforwhattheydoforsomespecialpersons?74.______

hasalimitintheageforthosewhowillliveoncampus?75.______

putemphasisondevelopingstudentsverbaltalents?76.______

doesnotofferanyscholarships?77.______

providesstudentswithvocationaltraining?78.______

combinesliberalartswithprofessionalstudiesandpromotesservicetoothers?79.______

appliesadvanceddevicestoteaching?80.______

A

EllesmereCollegeisoneofthefastest-growingindependentschoolsinthecountryoverthepasttwoyears,withpupils'numberrisingbyalmost20%.Thegrowthhasledtoa$1millioninvestmentprogramin1999andthebuildingofanewlowerschoolforboysandgirlsagedninetothirteen.Thenewlowerschoolwillbethelargestsinglebuildingprojectatthecollegesinceitsfoundationin1884.

Intheseniorschool,two-thirdsofthepupilsareboarders,andboardingisavailablefromtheageof11.Thesixthform.isstrongwithover120pupils;thereisanexceptionallywide-rangeofA-levelsubjectsonofferandtheCollegehaspioneeredtheuseofvideoconferencingtechnologyasawayofimprovingitscurriculum.MicrosoftOfficequalificationsarealsoavailableinthesixthform.

TheCollegeissetinextensivegroundsinthebeautifulNorthShropshireLakeDistrict.Facilitiesareexcellentandvarious,andincludemanysportsfields,sixall-weathertenniscourts,indoorandoutdoorshootingranges,anine-holegolfcourseandapurpose-builttheater.TheCollegesailingclubhasboatswithinwalkingdistanceonWhitemere.

ThemajorityofthedaypupilsattheCollegeenjoytheCollegebusservicewhichcoversaverywidearea.BoardingthroughouttheSchoolhasbenefitedfromarecentmultimillionpoundrefurbishmentwhichhasdoneawaywithdormitoriesinfavorofmodern,comfortablerooms,thelargestsleepingsix,butmostsleepingtwoorone.

Academicstandardsarehighforaschoolwithabroadentryrange.Manyscholarshipsareawardedacrossarangeoftalents,buttheemphasisofanEllesmereeducationisfirmlyonbreadthwitheachpupilachievinghisorherfullpotential,whateverthatmaybe.Recentpupilsuccessesrangefrominternationalhonorsinshooting,fencingandcanoeingtoarecentleaver'selection—afteronlyoneyearasanundergraduate—toanExhibitioninchemistryatJesusCollege,Oxford.TheCollegehasanationalreputationforthequalityofitsdyslexiaprovision.

B

Thechoiceoftherightschoolforyoursonordaughterisimportant.Forover100yearsEdgehillCollegehasproudlypreparedindependently-mindedyoungpeopletotaketheirplaceinaworldofrapidlyadvancingtechnology.

Thefoundationsofasoundeducationarelaiddownearlyinlife.Edgehilldoesthiswithinthefriendlywallsofitsprepscho

32.(80)

33.

Fromthetextwecanseethattheauthorseems______.

A.optimisticB.pessimisticC.troubledD.uncertain

34.

Fromthepassage,welearnthattheauthor______.

A.didn'tlikeRaoul'swayofdeliveringthepaper

B.didn'trealizewhyRaouldeliveredthepaperthatway

C.didn'tknowthatRaoulcameveryearlyinthemorning

D.didn'tfeelitnecessarytomeetRaoulwhenhecame

35.

Whatdoestheunderlinedword"they"inParagraph2referto?

A.Creativeandcompetitiveinsuranceproducts.

B.Insurancecompanies.

C.Otheralternatives.

D.Investments.

36.Beforeabigexam,asoundnight'ssleepwilldoyoubetterthanporingovertextbooks.That,atleast,isthefolkwisdom.Andscience,intheform.ofbehavioralpsychology,supportsthatwisdom.Butsuchbehavioralstudiescannotdistinguishbetweentwocompetingtheoriesofwhysleepisgoodforthememory.Onesaysthatsleepiswhenpermanentmemoriesform.Theothersaysthattheyareactuallyformedduringtheday,butthen"edited"atnight,toflushawaywhatissuperfluous.

Totellthedifference,itisnecessarytolookintothebrainofasleepingperson,andthatishard.Butafteradecadeofpainstakingwork,ateamledbyPierreMaquetatLiegeUniversityinBelgiumhasmanagedtodoit.TheparticularstageofsleepinwhichtheBelgiangroupisinterestedisrapideyemovement(REM)sleep,whenbrainandbodyareactive,heartrateandbloodpressureincrease,theeyesmovebackandforthbehindtheeyelidsasifwatchingamovie,andbrainwavetracesresemblethoseofwakefulness.Itisduringthisperiodofsleepthatpeoplearemostlikelytoreliveeventsofthepreviousdayindreams.

Dr.MaquetusedanelectronicdevicecalledPETtostudythebrainsofpeopleastheypracticedataskduringtheday,andastheysleptduringthefollowingnight.Thetaskrequiredthemtopressabuttonasfastaspossible,inresponsetoalightcomingoninoneofsixpositions.Astheylearnthowtodothis,theirresponsetimesgotfaster.Whattheydidnotknowwasthattheappearanceofthelightssometimesfollowedapattern—whatisreferredtoas"artificialgrammar".Yetthereductionsinresponsetimeshowedthattheylearntfasterwhenthepatternwaspresentthanwhentherewasnot.

Whatismore,thosewithmoretolearn(i.e.the"grammar",aswellasthemechanicaltaskofpushingthebutton)havemoreactivebrains.The"editing"theorywouldnotpredictthat,sincethenumberofirrelevantstimuliwouldbethesameineachcase.Andtoeliminateanydoubtsthattheexperimentalsubjectswerelearningasopposedtounlearning,theirresponsetimeswhentheywokeupwereevenquickerthanwhentheywenttosleep.

Theteam,therefore,concludedthatthenerveconnectionsinvolvedinmemoryarereinforcedthroughreactivationduringREMsleep,particularlyifthebraindetectsaninherentstructureinthematerialbeinglearnt.Sonow,ontheeveofthatcrucialtest,mathsstudentscansleepsoundlyintheknowledgethatwhattheywillrememberthenextdayarethebasicrulesofalgebraandnottheincoherenttalkfromtheradionextdoor.

Researchersinbehavioralpsychologyaredividedwithregardto______.

A.howdreamsaremodifiedintheircourses

B.thedifferencebetweensleepandwakefulness

C.whysleepisofgreatbenefittomemory

D.thefunctionsofagoodnight'ssleep

37.PartA

Directions:ReadthefollowingtextsandanswerthequestionswhichaccompanythembychoosingA,B,CorD.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.

TodayTVaudiencesallovertheworldareaccustomedtothesightofAmericanastronautsintip-topcondition,withfairhair,crew-cuts,goodteeth,anuncomplicatedsenseofhumourandaseverelylimitednon-technicalvocabulary.

Whatmarksoutanastronautfromhisearthboundfellowhumanbeingsissomethingofadifficultproblem.Shouldyouwishtointerviewhim,youmustapplybeforehand,andyoumustbepreparedforalongishwait,evenifyourapplicationmeetswithsuccess.Itis.inanycase,outofthequestiontointerviewanastronautabouthisfamilylifeorpersonalactivities,becausealltheastronautshavecontractswithanAmericanmagazineunderconditionsforbiddinganyunauthorizeddisclosuresabouttheirprivatelives.

Certainobviousqualifiesareneeded.Anyonewhowouldbeaspacemanmustbeinperfecthealth,musthavepowersofconcentration(sinceworkinsideaspacecraftisexceptionallydemanding)andmusthaveconsiderablecourage.Again,space-workcallsfordedication.Courageanddedicationareparticularlyessential.Inthewell-knowncaseoftheChallengersevencrewmemberslosttheirlivesinspacebecauseofthefaultyequipmentintheshuttle.Anothermustbeoutstandingscientificexpertise.Itgoeswithoutsayingthattheyallhavetohaveprofessionalaeronauticalqualificationsandexperience.

Astrikingfeatureoftheastronautsistheirages.Fortheyoungerman,inhistwenties,say,spaceisout.OnlyoneofthefiftymenworkingforNASAin1970wasunder30.TheoldestastronauttodateisAlanShepard,America'sfirstmaninspace,who,atnearlyfifty,wasalsothemanwhocaptainedApollo13.Theaverageageisthelatethirties.ThecrewmembersofApollo11wereallbornwellbeforetheSecondWorldWar.In1986theChallengerastronautshadanaverageageof39.Therangewasfrom35to46.

Inasocietywheremaritalcontinuityisnotalwaysexhibited,theastronauts'recordinthisrespecthitsyouintheeye.OfallthemarriedmeninNASAgroup,onlytwoorthreearedivorcedfromtheirwives.Mindyou.itishardtotellwhethersomethinginthebasiccharacterofanastronautencouragesfidelityorwhethertheselectionprocessdemandsthatacandidateshouldbehappilymarried.

TheNASAastronautsliveinunattractivesmallcommunitiesdottedhereandtherearoundthebaseinTexas.Youwouldexpectthemtofindtheirfriendsfromamongtheirprofessionalassociates,butthisisnotthecase.Rather,theyprefertomakefriendswiththenormalfolkintheirdistricts.Astronauts,likeeverybodyelse,mustgetfedupwithtalkingshopallthetime,andwhereastheyareindeedanelite,theirdailylifeoutsideworkshouldbeasnormalaspossible,ifonlyforthesakeoftheirfamilies.

Asfortheastronauts'politicalleanings,theyseemtobetowardstheright.Thismaybeduetothefactthatalargeproportionoftheastronautshaveamilitarybackground.Ontheotherhand,itcouldbejustcoincidence.

Detailsoftheprivatelifeofanastronautarehardtocomeby,becausetheyare______.

A.hisownbusinessandprivacy

B.secretsasfarasinterviewsareconcerned

C.thepropertyofanAmericanmagazine

D.thefirst-ratenationalconfidentialinformation

38.(70)

39.Themanbehindthisnotion,JackMaple,isadandywhoaffectsdarkglasses,homburgs(翹邊帽)andtwo-toeshoes;yethehasbecomesomethingofalegendinAmerica'spolicedepartments.Forsomeyears,startinginNewYorkandmovingontohigh-crimespotssuchasNewOrleansandPhiladelphia,heandhisbusinesspartner,JohnLiederhavemarketedatwo-tiersystemforcuttingcrime.

First,policedepartmentshavetosortthemselvesout:rootoutcorruption,streamlinetheirbureaucracy,andmakemorecontactwiththepublic.Second,theyhavetoadoptacomputersystemcalledComstatwhichhelpsthemtoanalyzestatisticsofallmajorcrimes.Theseareconstantlykeyedintothecomputer,whichthendisplayswhereandwhentheyhaveoccurredonacolor-codedmap,enablingthepolicetomonitorcrimetrendsastheyhappenandtospothigh-crimeareas.InNewYork,Comstat'sstatisticalmapsareanalyzedeachweekatameetingofthecity'spolicechiefandprecinctcaptains.

MessrsMapleandLinder("specialistsincrime-reductionservices")havenodoubtthattheirsystemisamaincontributortothedropincrime.WhentheyintroduceditinNewOrleansinJanuary1997,violentcrimedroppedby22%inayear;whentheymerelystartedworkinginformallywiththepolicedepartmentinNewark,NewJersey,violentcrimefellby13%.Policedepartmentsarenowlininguptopayasmuchas$50,000amonthforthesetwomentoputthemstraight.

Probablyallthesenewpoliciesandbitsoftechnicalwizardry,addedtogether,havemadeabigdifferencetocrime.Butthereremainanomaliesthatcannotbeexplained,suchasthefactthatcrimeinWashingtonD.C.,hasfallenasfastasanywhere,althoughthepolicedepartmenthasbeencorruptandhopelessand,inlargestretchesofthecity,neitherpolicenorresidentsseemdisposedtofightthecriminalsintheirmidst.

Themoreimportantreasonforthefallincrimerates,manysay,isamuchlesssophisticatedone.Itisafactthatcrimerateshavedroppedastheimprisonmentratesoared.In1997thenationalincarcerationrate,at645per100000peoplewasmorethandoubletheratein1985,andthenumberofinmatesincityandcountyjailsroseby9.4%,almostdoubleitsannualaverageincreasesince1990.Surelysomecriminologistsargue,onesetoffiguresisthecauseoftheother.Itisprecisebecausemorepeoplearebeingsenttoprison,theyclaimthatcrimeratesarefalling.A1993studybytheNationalAcademyofSciencesactuallyconcludedthatthetriplingoftheprisonpopulationbetween1975and1989hadloweredviolentcrimeby10-15%.

Yetcauseandeffectmaynotbesoobviouslylinked.Tobeginwith,thesaleandpossessionofdrugsarenotcountedbytheFBIinitscrimeindex,whichislimitedtoviolentcrimesandcrimesagainstproperty.Yetdrugoffencesaccountformorethanathirdoftherecentincreaseinthenumberofthosejailed;since1980,theincarcerationratefordrugarrestshasincreasedby1000%.Andalthoughaboutthree-quartersofthosegoingtoprisonfordrugoffenceshavecommittedothercrimesaswell,thereisnotyetacrystal-clearconnectionbetweenfillingthejailswithdrug-pushersandadeclineintherateofviolentcrime.Again,thoughnationalfiguresaresuggestive,localonesdiverge:theplaceswherecrimehasdroppedmostsharply(suchasNewYorkCity)ar