Those who fight against alcohol sales say the extra tax comes at a cost. Lee

游客2023-12-31  7

问题    Those who fight against alcohol sales say the extra tax comes at a cost. Lee Miller, a leader of Angelina Citizens for a Better Community, the group vowing to defeat the measure, points to data from the State of Texas showing that for every US$1 in revenue the state received from alcohol, US$9 is paid out for expenses like treatment for alcohol abuse, law enforcement services and motor vehicle crashes. "This will not benefit us as a community, " Mr. Miller said. "It costs us more money in expenses and in the lives of our children."
   Mr. Miller, who does not drink, says he is concerned that if the vote passes, his 12-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son will have easier access to alcohol.
   David Hatch, the political strategist of Angelina County Citizens for Responsible Business (ACCRB), argues that Mr. Miller’s cost revenue figures paint an inaccurate picture because they do not consider the additional sales taxes from alcohol purchases, only revenue from alcohol excise taxes, the bulk of which flow to the state.
   Oscar Dillahunty, a 69-year-old, one-time beer distributor who hired Mr. Hatch and started ACCRB, has estimated that the county could rack up at least US$15 million in annual beer sales alone, which would translate into US$225, 000 in sales tax revenue for Lufkin and US$75, 000 for the county. He says his estimate is based on sales in a similar county in Mississippi, where he previously owned a beer distributor.
   Many officials in towns and counties that recently went wet say they have not seen an increase in reported crime or drunken driving. Steven Cagle, the city manager in Duncanville, said the town had not devolved into "Drunkenville, " as church groups claimed it would.
   Three police chiefs — David Walker of Fort Payne, Tex., Benny Womack of Albertville, Ala., and Eddie Phillips of East Ridge, Term. — all say they have not seen any increase in law enforcement problems since alcohol sales began in 2004.
   But just as the feared public mayhem wrought by alcohol abuse often fails to materialize, the economic prosperity is often absent, too. In Albertville, Ala., the Rev. Willis Kelly, who preaches at Douglas First Baptist Church, says he is still waiting for the town’s financial boom. "The folks that wanted it to go wet campaigned on the idea that it would bring in money to build a new school, " Mr. Kelly said. "Last year, they collected only a little over US$100, 000 in extra taxes. That wouldn’t even buy toilet paper."
   Mr. Kelly says that since the vote in June, no new restaurants have opened in Albertville, a town of 18, 000 people 65 miles from Birmingham, and only one of the two grocery stores in town opted to sell beer and wine.
   Jon Howard, director of finance for Albertville, would not confirm Mr. Kelly’s tax numbers, and Mayor Carl Pruett declined to comment on the town’s economy.
   In Lufkin, where in recent years the economy has been surging without the help of alcohol sales, some citizens just want their town to be a bit more like the rest of the country and a little less Bible Belt. "This is the 21st century, " said Ernest Rowe, a 70-year-old retired forest worker. "I just want to be able to buy my case of Coors Light, come home and pop open a cold one." [br] The Rev. Willis Kelly______.

选项 A、expects a financial boom in the town
B、advocates that a new school be set up
C、doesn’t see much growth in Albertville
D、hopes that townsfolk can buy their drinks

答案 C

解析    语义推理。第七段第一句为本段主题句,即人们担心酗酒会带来社会混乱,但实际上这一点并未变成现实,且经济繁荣也未实现。余文对此予以例证,比如提到的经济没有起色,增税不足以提振经济。因此,C选项符合原意。【知识拓展】英语许多段落都有主题句,多数在段首,也有在段中和段末的。段首主题句经常由段落其余部分予以论证支撑,思路清晰,逻辑严密。本文第七段即如此。就本题而言,命题者成功设置了一个强有力的干扰项A,其语义与牧师Kelly的原话非常近似,但is still waiting这样的表达属委婉表述,字面意思似乎是“他还在等待经济繁荣”,其实深层意思为经济并没有起色。
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