Ⅲ. Choose the proper words or expressions from the list below and fill in the blanks.

lawyers sitting judge Democrats civil law appointed judges civil politicians law school on the bench Republicans electing

Judges in America are overwhelmingly____ 1 ____;the only exceptions are a few justices of the peace and the like, in a handful of states. They are the last survivors of what was once a mighty tribe of lay judges. Basically, then, all judges are lawyers; but only a tiny percentage of lawyers are, or ever become,____ 2____ .Who are they, and where do they come from？

In ____3____ countries like Italy or France, judging is a career of its own. Judges are ____4____ servants, separated by training and experience at an early stage from the practicing bar. A person who wants to be a judge will typically take some competitive examination right out of ____5____ （or after some period of practical training）. Those who pass the exams become judges. They will probably stay judges for the rest of their careers. Beginners start out as beginner judges; successful judges rise to higher and better courts. Usually the ____6____ has never practiced law and never will.

The situation in the United States could hardly be more different. American judges are lawyers, plain and simple. Usually, they are lawyers who are, or have been, ____7____ .One survey of judges in the United States Courts of Appeal, for example, found that four out of five had been“political activists”at some point in their careers. The situation is the same on state courts—perhaps more so. Judges are usually faithful party members, a seat ____8____ is their reward for political service. They are also supposed to be good lawyers and to have the stuff of good judges; whether this is actually taken into account depends on where they are, who does the choosing, and so on.

The political nature of judgeships is underscored by the fact that in most states judges are elected, not ____9 ____.They run for office on a regular slate, and in many states they have to attach party labels to themselves—that is, they run as ____10____ or ____11____ .This idea of ____12____ judges strikes Europeans as very peculiar—as odd as if we elected doctors or policemen or government chemists.