Western juries have traditionally found

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问题:

Western juries have traditionally found eyewitness testimony to be the most convincing evidence in criminal trials. Seeing is believing, as the saying goes. In numerous cases, when witnesses pointed to the defendant, his or her fate was sealed. But how reliable is eyewitness testimony Recent cases have suggested that despite our best intentions, we may unwittingly distort what we perceive.
Artists and psychologists have long known that "seeing" is not a simple matter of recording visual input. People perceive the exterior world through a complex matrix of cultural expectations, personality traits, moods and life experiences. For example, researchers tested the cultural influence on perception by showing a set of optical illusions to various groups, and found that different groups responded in divergent ways. Accustomed to and inundated by perpendicular structures, Western Europeans succumbed easily to illusions based on rectangular lines. On the other hand, the Zulu people of South Africa, whose environment had been comprised almost entirely of circular forms (round houses, doors, etc.) did not fall prey to those linear illusions.
Cultural expectations also influence the selectivity of our seeing. The amount of visual information that exists far exceeds our ability to process it, so we must filter that sensory input into recognizable images. In looking at a face, we do not see elongated ovals set in complex shadows and shading, we see eyes. And that filtering process is informed by what we perceive to be significant, which is influenced by cultural norms. Some cultures may emphasize differences in hair color or texture, others the shape of a nose or mouth, others the set of the eyes.
But it is not only group expectations that color what we see, personality and mood fluctuation can also alter our perceptions. Orderly minds who shun ambiguity will see an off- center image as firmly fixed in the center. The same photograph of four young men allows for shifting interpretations based on our current feeling: a mood of happiness reveals boys enjoying a relaxing day, while anxiety changes the picture to students worrying about exams.
In addition, numerous more prosaic factors affect our ability to record an image accurately. Duration of the encounter, proximity to the subject, lighting, and angle all affect our ability to see, and even stress may further undermine the accuracy of our perceptions.
What will this mean for criminal trials Juries have often been reluctant to convict without eyewitness identification. Blood samples, fingerprints, and the like do not resonate as deeply with juries as does direct testimony, and frequently require understanding of complex scientific technicalities. But as confidence in eyewitness testimony wanes, such circumstantial evidence may someday replace visual identification as the lynchpin of criminal trials.

The different interpretations to the same photo of four men were based on ______ .

A.the sad mood of the boys

B.the happy mood of the students

C.the anxious feelings of the orderly minds

D.the current feelings of the people involved

考点:翻译专业资格考试翻译二级笔译(综合能力)翻译二级笔译综合能力
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宏达汽车公司生产的每辆小轿车都安装了驾驶员安全气囊。在安装驾驶员气囊的小轿车中,有50%安装了乘客安全气囊。只有安装乘客安全气囊的小轿车才会同时安装减轻冲击力的安全杠和防碎玻璃。如果上述判定为真,并且事实上李先生从宏达汽车公司购进的小轿车中装有防碎玻璃,则以下哪项一定为真I.这辆车一定装有安全杠。II.这辆车一定装有乘客安全气囊。III.这辆车一定装有驾驶员安全气囊。

A.只有I。

B.只有II。

C.只有III。

D.只有I和II。

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美国宪法修正案必须经过()的州议会或者()的州制宪会议的批准,才可以作为宪法的一部分生效。

A.2/32/3

B.3/42/3

C.2/33/4

D.3/43/4

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供应商

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使用万用表测量,应使用适当的量程使指针移动到满刻度的()附近,这样测出的数据才比较精确。

题型:单项选择题

演讲的结构应跌宕势如破竹,以下对演讲结构的描述与本讲不符的是()。

A.开头可开门见山,告诉演讲内容

B.结尾要“结而不束”

C.结尾要短促、有力

D.中间要内容充实、角度新、感情真挚

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