一些地方禁止大孩子在萬圣節玩“不給糖就搗亂”游戲

Adults sometimes complain about Halloween — the annual festival that brings groups of kids to front doors， dressed in cute costumes and dreaming of handfuls of candy.

But when are kids too old to go trick-or-treating？ In some U.S. towns， it’s illegal for teenagers （and of course， adults） to indulge in the sweetest part of Halloween. That’s not to say there’s a consensus： even the towns that impose age limits don’t agree on the “proper” age for trick-or-treaters.

In one famous example， Chesapeake，Va.， until recently had a 1970s law on the books threatening any teen caught trick-or-treating with up to six months in jail.

The city changed the law after a massive opposition. But its statute still says kids over 14 who trick-or-treat are guilty of a misdemeanor（輕罪）.

Other towns have similar laws， from Jacksonville， Ill.， to Rayne， La.， both of which bar kids who are 13 or older from trick-or-treating.

In Belleville， Ill.， a law on “Halloween Solicitation” forbids anyone above eighth grade from going trick-or-treating. The city also requires anyone over 12 years old to get “permission of the Mayor or Chief of Police” if they want to wear a mask or disguise on days other than Halloween.

Many city regulations also impose time limits on the sugar carnivals， demanding that kids stop asking for treats by 7：30， 8 or 9 p.m. In Taft， Texas， for instance， trick-or-treaters can only operate from 6 to 8：30 p.m.

“The practice of persons in previous years on Halloween night in wandering all over the city late at night has become... undesirable， places a burden on the police department and creates an intolerable situation，” the city said in its law.

（材料來自National Public Radio網站，有刪改）

1. What does the underlined word “consensus” in Paragraph 2 mean？

A. A law. B. A limit.

C. An agreement. D. A contract.

2. How does the author develop the passage？

A. By following time order.

B. By using figures.

C. By making comparison.

D. By giving examples.

3. In Belleville， Ill.， who can disguise when it’s not Halloween？

A. Those who are over 12 years old and have the permit.

B. Those who are the friends of the Mayor or Chief of Police.

C. Those who are allowed by the Mayor or Chief of Police.

D. Those who are over 12 with the approval of the Mayor.

4. We can infer from the last two paragraphs that _______.

A. time limits on sugar carnivals benefit the police in Halloween

B. all cities in U.S. impose time limits on sugar games in Halloween

C. the police departments suffered a lot in previous carnivals

D. Halloween is not a happy festival for the police officials

1. C。解析：詞義猜測題。材料第二段的最后一句提到“即使是實行年齡限制的城鎮也沒有就‘不給糖就搗亂’的‘適當’年齡達成一致”。C項含有“共識，一致意見”之意，故選C。

2. D。解析：篇章結構題。材料第二段的第二句提到“在美國的一些城鎮，青少年（當然還有成年人）沉迷于萬圣節最甜蜜的部分是違法的”；材料第三段中提到“在一個著名的例子中，美國弗吉尼亞州的切薩皮克有一部成文于20世紀70年代的法律，威懾任何被抓到玩“不給糖就搗亂”游戲的青少年將面臨最高6個月的監禁”。D項“通過舉例”符合實際，故選D。

3. D。解析：細節理解題。材料第六段的第二句提到“該市還規定，12歲以上的人如果想在萬圣節以外的日子戴面具或進行偽裝，必須得到‘市長或警察局長的許可’”。D項“經市長批準的12歲以上的人”符合材料內容，故選D。

4. A。解析：推理判斷題。材料最后兩段中提到“很多城市的法規限定了在萬圣節玩‘不給糖就搗亂’游戲的時間”“前幾年一些人在萬圣節這天游蕩至深夜的做法給警察部門帶來了負擔，造成了無法容忍的局面”。A項“萬圣節糖果狂歡的時間限制有利于警方”是符合材料內容的推斷，故選A。