Listen to the VOA special English program about the debate on capital punishment and fill in the blanks with the missing information. Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is one of the most 1)_____________issues in the United States today. Opponents say the death sentence is too2)____________. They say it is often unfair. Others say that people who kill should die for 3)______________. In 1972, the Supreme Court of the United States 4)_______________. The high court based its decision on 5)_____________________________. The court ruled that the death penalty was 6)_______________ punishment, because of the way the states enforced it. But the decision left open the possibility that the Supreme Court might accept capital punishment. The high court ruled on the subject again in 1976. It approved the right of states to make new laws 7)_____________the death sentence. Many states enacted the new laws. Their measures satisfy Supreme Court’s requirements. More than 8)_________________ have been executed in the United States since 1976. Almost 300 of them were in the state of Texas. Last year, 9) _____________________________________. 33 of these people died in the state of Texas. One study shows that 10) ____________________________________________, but debate is growing. This is especially true after recent events in the state of Illinois.