Allaroundtheworld,lawyersgeneratemorehostilitythanthemembersofanyotherprofession---withthepossibleexceptionofjournalism.ButtherearefewplaceswhereclientshavemoregroundsforcomplaintthanAmerica.
Duringthedecadebeforetheeconomiccrisis,spendingonlegalservicesinAmericagrewtwiceasfastasinflation.Thebestlawyersmadeskyscrapers-fullofmoney,temptingevermorestudentstopileintolawschools.Butmostlawgraduatesnevergetabig-firmjob.Manyoftheminsteadbecomethekindofnuisance-lawsuitfilerthatmakesthetortsystemacostlynightmare.
Therearemanyreasonsforthis.Oneistheexcessivecostsofalegaleducation.ThereisjustonepathforalawyerinmostAmericanstates:afour-yearundergraduatedegreeatoneof200lawschoolsauthorizedbytheAmericanBarAssociationandanexpensivepreparationforthebarexam.Thisleavestoday’saveragelaw-schoolgraduatewith$100,000ofdebtontopofundergraduatedebts.Law-schooldebtmeansthattheyhavetoworkfearsomelyhard.
Reformingthesystemwouldhelpbothlawyersandtheircustomers.Sensibleideashavebeenaroundforalongtime,butthestate-levelbodiesthatgoverntheprofessionhavebeentooconservativetoimplementthem.Oneideaistoallowpeopletostudylawasanundergraduatedegree.Anotheristoletstudentssitforthebarafteronlytwoyearsoflawschool.Ifthebarexamistrulyasternenoughtestforawould-belawyer,thosewhocansititearliershouldbeallowedtodoso.Studentswhodonotneedtheextratrainingcouldcuttheirdebtmountainbyathird.Theotherreasonwhycostsaresohighistherestrictiveguild-likeownershipstructureofthebusiness.ExceptintheDistrictofColumbia,non-lawyersmaynotownanyshareofalawfirm.Thiskeepsfeeshighandinnovationslow.Thereispressureforchangefromwithintheprofession,butopponentsofchangeamongtheregulatorsinsistthatkeepingoutsidersoutofalawfirmisolateslawyersfromthepressuretomakemoneyratherthanserveclientsethically.
Infact,allowingnon-lawyerstoownsharesinlawfirmswouldreducecostsandimproveservicestocustomers,byencouraginglawfirmstousetechnologyandtoemployprofessionalmanagerstofocusonimprovingfirms’efficiency.Afterall,othercountries,suchasAustraliaandBritain,havestartedliberalizingtheirlegalprofessions.Americashouldfollow.
26.alotofstudentstakeuplawastheirprofessiondueto
[A]thegrowingdemandfromclients.
[B]theincreasingpressureofinflation.
[C]theprospectofworkinginbigfirms.
[D]theattractionoffinancialrewards.
27.WhichofthefollowingaddstothecostsoflegaleducationinmostAmericanstates
[A]Highertuitionfeesforundergraduatestudies.
[B]Admissionsapprovalfromthebarassociation.
[C]Pursuingabachelor’sdegreeinanothermajor.
[D]Receivingtrainingbyprofessionalassociations.
答案：C。该题是细节题，考察细节。首先根据段落定位原则定位到第三段。其次，根据题干关键词“thecostsoflegaleducation”精确定位到第三段第二句话“Oneistheexcessivecostsofalegaleducation.”问题是“whichofthefollowingaddstothecostsoflegaleducation”，因此定位句的下一句就是答案，即“ThereisjustonepathforalawyerinmostAmericanstates:afour-yearundergraduatedegreeinsomeunrelatedsubject,thenathree-yearlawdegreeatoneof200lawschoolsaccreditedbytheAmericanBarAssociationandanexpensivepreparationforthebarexam.”分析选项可知，选项C恰当概况了该句子的涵义。A选项利用三段末尾的“Thisleavestoday’saveragelaw-schoolgraduatewith$100,000ofdebtontopofundergraduatedebts.”进行干扰。B选项无中生有。D选项根据四段最后一句出现的“training”个别词汇进行干扰。
28.Hindrancetothereformofthelegalsystemoriginatesfrom
[A]lawyers’andclients’strongresistance.
[B]therigidbodiesgoverningtheprofession.
[C]thestemexamforwould-belawyers.
[D]non-professionals’sharpcriticism.
29.Theguild-likeownershipstructureisconsidered“restrictive”partlybecauseit
[A]bansoutsiders’involvementintheprofession.
[B]keepslawyersfromholdinglaw-firmshares.
[C]aggravatestheethicalsituationinthetrade.
[D]preventslawyersfromgainingdueprofits.
答案：A。该题为因果细节题，问原因。根据段落定位原则定位至倒数第二段。其次，题干中出现“theguild-likeownershipstructure”，精确定位到第二句“ExceptintheDistrictofColumbia,non-lawyersmaynotownanyshareofalawfirm.Thiskeepsfeeshighandinnovationslow.”此外，在该段最后一句提到“…keepingoutsidersoutofalawfirmisolateslawyersfromthepressuretomakemoneyratherthanserveclientsethically.”从而可以得出答案选A。
30.Inthistext,theauthormainlydiscusses
[A]flawedownershipofAmerica’slawfirmsanditscauses.
[B]thefactorsthathelpmakeasuccessfullawyerinAmerica.
[C]aprobleminAmerica’slegalprofessionandsolutionstoit.
[D]theroleofundergraduatestudiesinAmerica’slegaleducation.