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1、美国法学院入学考试LSAT阅读理解真题29AlthoughthelegalsystemsofEnglandandtheUnitedStatesaresuperficiallysimilar,theydifferprofoundlyintheirapproachestoandusesoflegalreasons:substantivereasonsintheUnitedStates,whereasinEnglandthereverseistrue.Thisdistinctionreflectsadifferenceinthevisionsoflawthatprevailinthetwo
2、counties.InEnglandthelawhastraditionallybeenviewedasasystemofrules;theUnitedStatesfavorsavisionoflawasanoutwardexpressionofthecommunity’ssenseofrightandjustice. Substantivereasons,asappliedtolaw,arebasedonmoral,economic,political,andotherconsiderations.Thesereasonsarefoundboth“inthelaw”and“out
3、sidethelaw,”sotospeak(sotospeak:可以说,可谓).Substantivereasonsinform(togivecharacteroressenceto“theprincipleswhichinformmodernteaching”)thecontentofalargepartofthelaw:constitutions,statutes,contracts,verdicts,andthelike.Consider,forexample,astatuteproviding(tomakeaprovisoorstipulation)that“novehicl
4、esshallbetakenintopublicparks”.Supposethatnospecificrationalesorpurposeswereexplicitlywrittenintothisstatute,butthatitwasclear(fromitslegislativehistory)thatthesubstantivepurposeofthestatutewastoensurequietandsafetyinthepark.Nowsupposethataveterans’groupmountsaWorldWarIIjeep(inrunningorderbutwi
5、thoutabattery)asawarmemorialonaconcreteslabinthepark,andchargesarebroughtagainstitsmembers.MostjudgesintheUnitedStateswouldfindthedefendantsnotguiltybecausewhattheydidhadnoadverseeffectonparkquietandsafety. Formalreasonsaredifferentinthattheyfrequentlypreventsubstantivereasonsfromcomingintopla
6、y,evenwhensubstantivereasonsareexplicitlyincorporatedintothelawathand.Forexample,whenadocumentfailstocomplywithstipulatedrequirements,thecourtmayrenderthedocumentlegallyineffective.Awillrequiringwrittenwitnessmaybedeclarednullandvoidandtherefore,unenforceablefortheformalreasonthattherequirement
7、wasnotobserved.Oncethelegalrule—thatawillisinvalidforlackofproperwitnessing—hasbeenclearlyestablished,andthelegalityoftheruleisnotinquestion,applicationofthatruleprecludesfromconsiderationsubstantiveargumentsinfavorofthewill’svali