1) In a rare unanimous ruling, the US Supreme Court has overturned the corruption conviction of a former Virginia governor, Robert McDonnell. But it did so while holding its nose at the ethics of his conduct, which included accepting gifts such as a Rolex watch and a Ferrari automobile from a company seeking access to government.
2) The high court’s decision said the judge in Mr. McDonnell’s trial failed to tell a jury that it must look only at his “official acts,” or the former governor’s decisions on “specific” and “unsettled” issues related to his duties.
3) Merely helping a gift-giver gain access to other officials, unless done with clear intent to pressure those officials, is not corruption, the justices found.
4) The court did suggest that accepting favors in return for opening doors is “distasteful” and “nasty.” But under anti-bribery laws, proof must be made of concrete benefits, such as approval of a contract or regulation. Simply arranging a meeting, making a phone call, or hosting an event is not an “official act”.
5) The court’s ruling is legally sound in defining a kind of favoritism that is not criminal. Elected leaders must be allowed to help supporters deal with bureaucratic problems without fear of prosecution for bribery.” The basic compact underlying representative government,” wrote Chief Justice John Roberts for the court,” assumes that public officials will hear from their constituents and act on their concerns.”
6) But the ruling reinforces the need for citizens and their elected representatives, not the courts, to ensure equality of access to government. Officials must not be allowed to play favorites in providing information or in arranging meetings simply because an individual or group provides a campaign donation or a personal gift. This type of integrity requires well-enforced laws in government transparency, such as records of official meetings, rules on lobbying, and information about each elected leader’s source of wealth.
7) Favoritism in official access can fan public perceptions of corruption. But it is not always corruption. Rather officials must avoid double standards, or different types of access for average people and the wealthy. If connections can be bought, a basic premise of democratic society—that all are equal in treatment by government—is undermined. Good governance rests on an understanding of the inherent worth of each individual.
8) The court’s ruling is a step forward in the struggle against both corruption and official favoritism.
36. The undermined sentence (Para.1) most probably shows that the court___.
[A] avoided defining the extent of McDonnell’s duties.
[B] made no compromise in convicting McDonnell.
[C] was contemptuous of McDonnell’s conduct.
[D] refused to comment on McDonnell’s ethics.
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选项[C]正确。
由题干中的The underlined sentence (Para. 1)定位到第一段第二句的画线处。该句指出，虽然如此，但最高法院却对麦克唐纳行为的道德标准嗤之以鼻,他的行为包括从一家寻求接近政府的公司那里收受，像劳力士手表和法拉利汽车等礼物。由此可知，最高法院对罗伯特·麦克唐纳的行为表示不耻。[C]中的was contemptuous of对应原文中的holding its nose,由此可确定本题答案为[C]。
37. According to Paragraph 4, an official act is deemed corruptive only if it involves___.
[A] concrete returns for gift-givers.
[B] sizable gains in the form of gifts.
[C] leaking secrets intentionally.
[D] breaking contracts officially.
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选项[A]正确。
由题干中的Paragraph4定位到第四段。第四段第二句指出,根据反贿赂法，证据必须是实实在在的好处,譬如批准某个合同或某条规定。第二句接着进行解释,仅仅安排一次会见、打个电话或主持项活动都算不上“公务行为"。由此可知，只有给予送礼者具体的回报,才可以被认为是受贿，由此可确定本题答案为[A]。
38. The court’s ruling is based on the assumption that public officials are___.
[A] allowed to focus on the concerns of their supporters.
[B] qualified to deal independently with bureaucratic issues.
[C] justified in addressing the needs of their constituents.
[D] exempt from conviction on the charge of favoritism.
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选项[C]正确。
由题干中的court's ruling和assumption定位到第五段。第五段最后一句指出，法院的首席法官约翰·罗伯茨写道，“代议制政府下的基本契约认为，公职人员应听取其选民的意见，并按其意愿行使职能。”由此可知，法院的裁决是基于公职人员应听取其选民的意见，并按其意愿行使职能这一假设。由此可确定本题答案为[C]。
39. Well-enforced laws in government transparency are needed to___.
[A] awaken the conscience of officials.
[B] guarantee fair play in official access.
[C] allow for certain kinds of lobbying.
[D] inspire hopes in average people.
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选项[B]正确。 
由题干中的Well-enforced laws和government transparency定位到第六段的最后一句话。该句指出,这种廉正需要在政府透明度方面有实施得力的法律。而这种廉正是指第六段第二句中的"官员不得只是因为某个人或团体向其提供竞选捐赠或赠予礼物，在提供信息或安排会见方面就有所偏袒”，即官员应该向与其接触的人们提供平等的机会。由此可知，在政府透明度方面有实施得力的法律是为了保证人人有平等的机会接近政府，由此可确定本题答案为[B]。
40. The author’s attitude toward the court’s ruling is___.
[A] sarcastic.
[B] tolerant.
[C] skeptical.
[D] supportive
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选项[D]正确。
由题干中的the court's ruling和题文同序原则定位到最后一段。最后一段指出,法院的裁决是在反腐败和公务偏袒的斗争中向前迈进的一步。由此可知,作者对于该项裁决的意见是支持的，由此可确定本题答案为[D]。
战时如平时，平时如战时