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　　Compared with the glamorous thrill of the presidential primary, state elections in New Hampshire do not grip the voter - all those unfamiliar names, way down at the end of the ballot. That, at least, is the current explanation of how Tom Alciere managed to get elected to the state legislature last November. After an uneventful campaign of hand-shaking and sign-waving, this Republican from Nashua, who had lost several previous bids for office, won a seat by 55 votes. Whereupon his constituents learned that he was an advocate of killing policemen.

　　Mr. Alciere had not tried to conceal this. He posted vigorous notes on Internet discussion boards; one, in October, declared that "nobody will ever be safe until the last cop is dead." He often joined in radio talk-shows, sometimes describing himself as "Angry Tom". But in his election campaign Mr. Alciere was much mistier: he promised only to fight for individual freedom. He later said that he did not bring up his opinions about the police because nobody asked.

　　This has prompted some soul-searching among journalists, and others, who failed to spot Angry Tom behind Candidate Tom. Mr. Alciere blames the voters. In one Internet message, he called his constituents "a bunch of fat, stupid, ugly old ladies that watch soap operas, play bingo, read tabloids and don't know the metric system". These people, be it noted, are part of the New Hampshire electorate that is so often admired for its maverick charm, wielding much power in the choice of America's presidents through its first-in-the-nation primary.

　　The point is that New Hampshire pays attention to presidential races, but considers its own state law makers pretty unimportant. As Ken Gidge, a radio talk-show host puts it, quite possibly "a dog-catcher in a particular community has more power". New Hampshire's legislature has 400 members who face re-election every two years and earn an annual salary of $100. The legislature is a "dinosaur with a tiny little brain", a symbol of New Hampshire's disdain for government, says Arnie Arnesen, a political science professor at Franklin Pierce College. She claims that, in the past, some of its members have been found to have mental problems. No doubt others held opinions as pungent as Mr. Alciere's; but they did not have an Internet on which to publicize them.

　　At first, Mr. Alciere refused to leave his seat, insisting he was "not a nut". Then he said that he would step down, if 11 law makers pledged to bring his pet bills to a roll-call vote. He wants to legalize drugs, ban involuntary commitments to mental institutions, and replace state schools with online education. On January 10th, a compromise was reached: another freshman Republican agreed to submit eight of his proposals, and Mr. Alciere resigned. Some think he should have been kept around - to remind voters that they sometimes get what they deserve.

　　16. Tom Alciere could have been elected to the state legislature because        .

　　[A] people were familiar with his name for his several attendance campaigns
　　[B] he was a charming person and gave thrills to his people
　　[C] he approved of killing policemen
　　[D] he was always the last one on the ballot list

　　17. In the election campaign, Mr. Alciere        .

　　[A] declared that all the cops should be killed
　　[B] showed his anger on radio talk-shows
　　[C] was not asked about the police issue
　　[D] only played tricks with his constituents

　　18. Which of the following statements is not true?

　　[A] Some New Hampshire electorate has a little prestige in government.
　　[B] Journalists didn't pay enough attention to Alciere's hatred to police.
　　[C] Tom blamed his voters just to draw people's attention.
　　[D] The "stupid, fat, ugly old ladies" are a little popular in society.

　　19. The legislature is a "dinosaur with a tiny brain" implies        .

　　[A] New Hampshire pays too much attention to presidential races
　　[B] legislature members have mental problems
　　[C] some people want to be as pungent as Mr. Alciere
　　[D] there is indifference of the people on its own state governing

　　20. Mr. Alciere at last        .

　　[A] refused to leave his seat
　　[B] would never pay his pet bills
　　[C] resigned with some compromises accepted by the legislature
　　[D] was expelled from the position by the opposite leader