Elena Kagan has reached a lifelong goal：being a Justice on the United States Supreme Court.The U．S. Senate confirmed Kagan on Thursday by a vote of 6337.She replaces Justice John Paul Stevens，who retired in June.
Kagan will take a sacred oath(誓言) to uphold the Constitution of the United States on Saturday at a swearingin ceremony.The new Justice will bring the number of women sitting on the nation’s highest court to three.Kagan joins Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor—all three New Yorkers.
Kagan is the fourth woman in history to sit on the Supreme Court.Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was the first female Justice.She was appointed by President Ronald Reagan and served from 1981 to 2006.
Kagan，who is 50 years old，is the second Justice appointed by President Barack Obama.(He appointed Justice Sotomayor in 2009.) Obama told reporters on Thursday that Kagan will make an “outstanding Justice who understands that her rulings affect people.” He also noted that the addition of another woman to the Supreme Court marks a sign of progress for the country.Obama and Kagan will celebrate her confirmation with a ceremony at the White House today.
Kagan has spent most of her adult life working with the law.She served in President Clinton’s administration as a legal adviser，was the head of Harvard Law School，and until her confirmation Thursday，was the U．S. Solicitor General—one of the most powerful lawyers in the federal government.Kagan was born in New York City.She grew up in an apartment on the Upper West side of Manhattan，the strongwilled，independent middle sister sandwiched between two brothers.
Kagan’s mother was a public school teacher who taught fifth and sixth grades.Her father was a lawyer.
The new Justice once wore a judge’s robe in a picture for her highschool yearbook.Now she’ll be wearing real ones as she and the other eight Justices decide some of the most important legal cases.
【小题1】What can we infer according to Paragraph 1?A．Elena Kagan has bee the only female Justice of America.B．It’s Kagan’s dream to be a Justice on the United States Supreme Court.C．Kagan achieved this position in the election by beating John Paul Stevens.D．It will take a long time for Kagan to bee a Justice on the United States Supreme Court.【小题2】Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?A．To take the place of an old Justice，a Justice was elected by the Senate.B．There will be four women working in the United States Supreme Court.C．Kagan will take a sacred oath before taking part in the election.D．No one but a New Yorker can be a Justice of the Supreme Court.【小题3】What is the main idea of Paragraph 5?A．Kagan is a born lawyer.B．It is about Kagan’s biography.C．Kagan’s character is fit for her job.D．Kagan has worked for two Presidents.【小题4】This text must be taken from .A．a storybookB．a textbookC．a newspaperD．a biography of famous peopleB
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(答案→)B
解析：
【小题1】 B
解析 推理判断题。由文章首句可知，成为美国最高法院大法官是艾琳娜·卡根一直以来的梦想。
【小题2】 A
解析 细节理解题。根据第一段最后一句，由于前法官退休，美国参议院不得不选举一名新法官接替他的位置，才会有艾琳娜·卡根当选。
【小题3】 B
解析 段落大意题。第五段全面介绍了卡根的生平，因此B项最具概括性。
【小题4】 C
解析 推理判断题。根据文章内容和题材的时效性可推断出这篇文章来自报纸。