2015年ESL之日常生活 11 Discussing Capital Punishment

Discussing Capital Punishment 

Simon: What’s all that? 

Hilary: It’s a news report about the upcoming execution of Perry Hickock. 

Simon: That’s barbaric. We shouldn’t have capital punishment in this day and age. 

Hilary: This guy killed an entire family while trying to rob them in their own home. He was convicted of multiple murders and given the death penalty. This is about justice. 

Simon: This is about vengeance¹. He could have been given a life sentence without the possibility of parole. As it is, he has spent 22 years on death row. 

Hilary: Oh, I see, you’re one those people who is soft on crime. You think our criminals should be coddled. 

Simon: No, I don’t. But aside from my moral objections, executing someone with a lethal² injection or the electric chair is inhumane. Many executions are botched each year. 

Hilary: So what? These are people convicted of serious crimes. They deserve all the punishment they get. 

Simon: I’m going to have to start calling you “Hang ‘em high Hilary.” 

Hilary: And I’ll have to start calling you “Soft- hearted Simon.” 

 

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse 

1 vengeance   

n.报复，报仇，复仇

参考例句：

• He swore vengeance against the men who murdered his father.他发誓要向那些杀害他父亲的人报仇。
• For years he brooded vengeance.多年来他一直在盘算报仇。

2 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。