Real policemen hardly recognize any resemblance between their lives and what they see on TV —if they everget home in time. There are similarities, of course, but the cops don't think much of them.
The first difference is that a policeman's real life revolves round the law. Most of his training is in criminal law. He has to know exactly what actions are crimes and what evidence can be used to prove them in court. He has to know as a professional lawyer, and what is more, he has to apply it on his feet, in the dark and rain, running down an alley after someone he wants to talk to.
Little of his time is spent in chatting to scantily-clad (穿衣不多的) ladies or in dramatic confrontationswith desperate criminals. He will spend most of his working life typing millions of words on thousands of forms about hundreds of sad, unimportant people who are guilty —or not —of stupid, petty crimes.
Most television crime drama is about finding the criminal: as soon as he's arrested, the story is over. i real life, finding criminals is seldom much of a problem. Except in very serious cases like murders and terrorist attacks — where failure to produce results reflects on the standing of the police —little effortis spent on searching.
Having made an arrest, a detective really starts to work. He has to prove his case in court and to do thathe often has to gather a lot of different evidence. So, as well as being overworked, a detective has to beout at all hours of the day and night interviewing his witnesses and persuade them usually against their own best interests, to help him.
练习题:
Choose correct answers to the question:
1.The first sentence implies that ________.
A.the life of the real policemen and that of the policemen on TV are entirely different
B.the real policemen will find the similarities if they can get home in time
C.the real policemen seldom can get home in time to watch TV
D.the policemen shown on TV can always get home in time
2.It is essential for a policeman to be trained in criminal law _____.
A.so that he can catch criminals in the streets
B.because many of the criminals he has to catch are dangerous
C.so that he can justify his arrests in court
D.because he has to know nearly as much about law as a professional lawyer
3.The everyday life of a policeman or detective is ______.
A.exciting and glamorous
B. full of danger
C.devoted mostly to routine matters
D. wasted on unimportant matters
4.When murders and terrorist attacks occur,the police______.
A.prefer to wait for the criminal to give himself away
B.make great efforts to try to track down their man
C.try to make a quick arrest in order to keep up their reputation
D.usually fail to produce results
5.What’s the best title for the passage?
A.Policemen and Detective
B.Policemen’s Life-Fun and Fantasy
C.The Real Life of a Policeman
D.Drama and Reality