A new study finds that blacks on death row (1) of killing whites are more likely to be executed than whites who kill minorities. It also concludes that blacks who kill (2) minorities are (3) likely to be executed than blacks who kill whites. For example, there is more than a twofold greater risk that an African-American who killed a white will be executed than a white person who kills a (4) victim. A Hispanic is at least 1.4 (5) more likely to be executed (6) such an offender kills a white.
The researchers of the study believe that there are two (7) explanations.. First, prosecutors often win (8) office if they win well-publicized cases. When a black kills a white, such killings gets more (9) and this idea can be (10) by many famous cases. (11) , the court judges at the state level are often (12) to elections, called retention elections. Retention election or judicial retention within the United States court system, is a periodic process, in which the voter (13) approval or disapproval for the judges presently (14) their position, and a judge can be removed from the position if the (15) of the citizens vote him or her out. Just as the researchers (16) out, death penalty is (17) political.
The findings of the study, in short, show that American justice systems clearly (18) white lives more than those of blacks or Hispanics. The researchers also say their findings (19) serious doubts about (20) that the U.S. criminal justice system is colorblind.
14（）
A.presenting
B.charging
C.preserving
D.holding
参考答案：D
解析：
[考点] 语义理解+固定搭配
本题还是考查动宾搭配。空格紧跟在judges之后，又不包含从句，因此空格处不能选动词，而只能选一个分词作后置定语，倘若还原成定语从句则应当为judges who are presently______their poison。空格后面跟的是宾语their position，因此要选择一个能与宾语搭配的动词。D选项hold the position是固定表达，意思是“在任，现任”，比如，He will hold the office next week(他下周上任)，代入句中，“那些目前在任的法官”。
[干扰项分析] A选项present意为“出现、给予”，代入句中，就成了“那些目前给予他们位置的法官”，而“他们”就是指“法官”，显然不合逻辑。B选项charge，该词有很多意思“冲锋、充电、要价、控诉”等等，都不符合题意；charge还有掌管的意思，引入句中正好表达了“那些目前掌管其位的法官”，但事实上，charge当管理、掌管讲，只能用作名词，常见搭配：in charge of(掌管、负责)、in the charge of(由……掌管、负责)，而此处需要的是动词的分词形式，所以排除选项B。C选项preserve，“保留、预留”，preserve a position“预留位置”是常见表达，但一旦引入句中，句子意思就成了“那些目前给他们(法官)预留位置的法官”，显然不合逻辑。