一些地方禁止大孩子在万圣节玩“不给糖就捣乱”游戏

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（轻罪）.

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.

（材料来自National Public Radio网站，有删改）

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：词义猜测题。材料第二段的最后一句提到“即使是实行年龄限制的城镇也没有就‘不给糖就捣乱’的‘适当’年龄达成一致”。C项含有“共识，一致意见”之意，故选C。

2. D。解析：篇章结构题。材料第二段的第二句提到“在美国的一些城镇，青少年（当然还有成年人）沉迷于万圣节最甜蜜的部分是违法的”；材料第三段中提到“在一个著名的例子中，美国弗吉尼亚州的切萨皮克有一部成文于20世纪70年代的法律，威慑任何被抓到玩“不给糖就捣乱”游戏的青少年将面临最高6个月的监禁”。D项“通过举例”符合实际，故选D。

3. D。解析：细节理解题。材料第六段的第二句提到“该市还规定，12岁以上的人如果想在万圣节以外的日子戴面具或进行伪装，必须得到‘市长或警察局长的许可’”。D项“经市长批准的12岁以上的人”符合材料内容，故选D。

4. A。解析：推理判断题。材料最后两段中提到“很多城市的法规限定了在万圣节玩‘不给糖就捣乱’游戏的时间”“前几年一些人在万圣节这天游荡至深夜的做法给警察部门带来了负担，造成了无法容忍的局面”。A项“万圣节糖果狂欢的时间限制有利于警方”是符合材料内容的推断，故选A。