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US democracy: Two parties, one core ideology
美國民主：兩黨，一種核心意識形態
In the West, democracy is seen as a form of government where supreme power (1) ______ (vest) in the people and is exercised by them either directly or indirectly through a system of representation, usually involving periodic free elections (2) ______ (contest) by more than one party. The West thinks this helps voters achieve their personal and national goals, and enables political parties, which represent voters according to their ideological and political beliefs, to make policies to fit their supporters. In a democratic system, voters of different views can find a party that matches their core beliefs and ideology on key issues.
However, it's far from an ideal situation. In most countries in the West and the Global South, the number of parties that actually have a chance to form a government is limited to two or at most three. During political campaigns, each party uses propaganda to (3) ______ (settle) scores with other competitors. And even after one party wins the election, government policies on some basic issues change (4) ______ (hard).
The US is a typical example. In the United States, only two political parties have the opportunity to form a government or gain a majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Admittedly, there have been times when the two parties had significant differences on important issues, but such cases were (5) ______ (few). For instance, their attitudes towards slavery were different: the Republican Party was against it while the Democrats supported it. But nowadays, their positions on private property, the role of market forces, military spending and global policing (self-given by the US) have been almost (6) ______ (identical).
This shows that the so-called democracy in some Western countries may not be as perfect as it (7) ______ (seem). Voters may not always get the policies they expect.
To build a better democratic system, it's necessary to encourage more diverse voices and real competition among parties.
Moreover, countries should focus on improving the quality of democracy and making it more beneficial to the people. Only in this way can democracy play a positive role in promoting social (8) ______ (develop).
We should also learn from different democratic practices around the world and try to find a model that suits our own countries' situations. In this way, we can make our countries more prosperous and harmonious with the help of a more (9) ______ (effective) democratic system.
And it's hoped that all countries can respect each other's choices and jointly promote the healthy development of global democracy, thus creating a more (10) ______ (peace) world.
答案：
is vested（考查動詞時態和語態，“supreme power” 與 “vest” 是被動關系，此處描述一般情況，用一般現在時的被動語態，考查一般現在時被動語態的用法）
contested（考查非謂語動詞，“elections” 與 “contest” 是被動關系，用過去分詞作后置定語，考查非謂語動詞作定語的用法）
settle（考查固定搭配，“settle scores with...” 表示 “與…… 算賬，與…… 較量”，“to” 后接動詞原形，考查固定搭配及動詞不定式的用法）
hardly（考查副詞，此處修飾動詞 “change”，用副詞形式，“hardly” 表示 “幾乎不”，考查副詞修飾動詞的用法）
few（考查形容詞，“were” 后接形容詞作表語，“few” 表示 “少的”，考查形容詞作表語的用法）
identical（考查形容詞，“been” 后接形容詞作表語，“identical” 表示 “相同的”，考查形容詞作表語的用法）
seems（考查動詞時態，此處描述一般情況，主語是 “it” 指代 “the so-called democracy”，用一般現在時第三人稱單數形式，考查一般現在時主謂一致）
development（考查詞性轉換，“promoting” 后接名詞作賓語，“develop” 的名詞形式是 “development”，表示 “發展”，考查詞性轉換）
effective（考查詞性轉換，“democratic system” 是名詞短語，需用形容詞修飾，“effective” 表示 “有效的”，考查詞性轉換）
peaceful（考查詞性轉換，“world” 是名詞，需用形容詞修飾，“peace” 的形容詞形式是 “peaceful”，表示 “和平的”，考查詞性轉換）
As usual, the core strategy of the election campaigns of the two parties is to (1) ______ (portray) the other as being at the far end of the ideological spectrum. In fact, if we took the just-concluded campaign hyperbole (2) ______ (serious), we would have to believe that president-elect Donald Trump's ideology is "totalitarianism" while incumbent Vice-President Kamala Harris' is "socialism". If that were true, voters would indeed have different choices and the US would have a real bipartisan system.
However, the truth is that no matter who becomes the new (3) ______ (lodger) in the Oval Office, the US will continue to be a private sector, market-oriented economy; a defender and practitioner of press freedom and freedom of expression; the strongest military power in the world; the firmest ally of Israel; a trigger-happy marauder in world affairs; a leading member of NATO; a key player in world trade and foreign direct investment flows; and (4) ______ (tough) on migrants and nosy about human rights if violated in countries that it considers as rivals or enemies.
Even on the issue of trade, President Joe Biden largely adopted the protectionist approach of Trump. Something similar occurred on migration, as even Harris (5) ______ (support) the wall along the border with Mexico, which is a symbol of Trump policy.
Certainly, the policies that Trump and Harris proposed during their campaigns on abortion, gun control, immigration, climate action and taxation were different. But in the end, even on these issues, the difference in actual policy outcomes would be (6) ______ (little).
This shows that the so-called differences between the two parties in the US may not be as big as they seem.
It's important for voters to see clearly the real situation and not be easily influenced by the campaign slogans.
They should analyze the policies carefully to make a more rational choice that can truly influence the country's (7) ______ (develop).
Moreover, the US needs to reflect on its political system and make efforts to improve it to make it more democratic and beneficial to the people.
Only in this way can the US build a more harmonious and stable society and play a positive role in global (8) ______ (affair).
Hopefully, the US can learn from other countries' good experiences and make changes to its existing system to better meet the needs of the people and contribute to the peaceful coexistence of the world.
In the future, we expect the US to become more open and inclusive, and work together with other countries to promote global (9) ______ (cooperate) and common development.
And it's believed that a more reasonable and effective political system will help the US achieve (10) ______ (sustainable) development.
答案：
portray（考查固定搭配，“the core strategy is to do sth.” 表示 “核心策略是做某事”，此處用動詞原形，考查固定搭配中動詞的形式）
seriously（考查詞性轉換，“take sth. seriously” 表示 “認真對待某事”，此處用副詞修飾動詞 “took”，考查詞性轉換及副詞修飾動詞的用法）
lodger（考查名詞，此處 “new” 修飾名詞，根據語境表示 “新入住者”，考查名詞在句中的運用）
tough（考查形容詞，“be tough on...” 表示 “對…… 強硬”，此處用形容詞作表語，考查形容詞作表語的用法）
supports（考查動詞時態，此處描述一般情況，主語是 “Harris” 為第三人稱單數，用一般現在時第三人稱單數形式，考查一般現在時主謂一致）
little（考查形容詞，“be” 后接形容詞作表語，“little” 表示 “少的，小的”，考查形容詞作表語的用法）
development（考查詞性轉換，“the country's” 后接名詞，“develop” 的名詞形式是 “development”，表示 “發展”，考查詞性轉換）
affairs（考查名詞單復數，“global affairs” 表示 “全球事務”，常用復數形式，考查名詞復數在固定短語中的用法）
cooperation（考查詞性轉換，“promote” 后接名詞作賓語，“cooperate” 的名詞形式是 “cooperation”，表示 “合作”，考查詞性轉換）
sustainable（考查詞性轉換，“development” 是名詞，需用形容詞修飾，“sustainable” 表示 “可持續的”，考查詞性轉換）
Terrified by China's growing industrial and technological competitiveness, Trump has promised to (1) ______ (impose) up to 60 percent extra tariffs on Chinese products. He may even strengthen economic and military alliances against China in Asia and other regions. But thinking that the actual policy under a Harris presidency would be different is just wishful thinking.
Despite the room for ideological diversity allowed by democracy, why are the actual outcomes so similar First, because regardless of press freedom, the US' media outlets, behind their showy posturing, hold an (2) ______ (identical) position on core issues.
Second, the obvious failures of the planned economy and the success of economies that have provided enough space for private initiatives and market forces to work have been a strong influencing (3) ______ (factor) for the US' political system.
Third, and most importantly, money is a key element in US politics. So much so that political analysts and experts, when predicting election results for both the White House and Capitol Hill, attach the greatest importance to corporations' contributions to the two parties' candidates as a (4) ______ (decide) factor. The limit on donations was removed by the US Supreme Court in 2010 through its decision in the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case.
Since then, millionaires and billionaires have been filling the two parties' coffers, and the parties have been (5) ______ (splurge) the donations on their political campaigns. In fact, it's estimated that in 2024 the total spending to elect a US president and members of Congress reached at least $15.9 billion.
When money plays a key role in election success, the political discourse among parties and candidates becomes similar and centers around the ideology and the wishes of the wealthy class. As a result, the expected diversity of thought across the political spectrum has become just a theoretical part of most Western democracies, especially US democracy.
Perhaps it's a bit extreme to say that in the US, ignoring the fact that legally there can be many political parties competing for power, from the perspective of ideology and core policies, money has helped create a (6) ______ (de facto) one-party system. The path that the US will follow under Trump will therefore not be very different from what would have happened if the Democrats had won the presidential election.
It's clear that the influence of money on politics is a serious issue that needs to be addressed.
Countries should work to make their political systems more just and democratic, ensuring that policies are made based on the (7) ______ (benefit) of the people rather than the interests of the wealthy.
Only in this way can true democracy be achieved and social (8) ______ (develop) be promoted.
Moreover, we should encourage more diverse voices in politics and avoid the situation where a few wealthy people dominate the political stage.
This will help build a more harmonious and stable political environment and contribute to the healthy development of the whole society.
Finally, it's hoped that the US can also make changes to improve its political system and better play its role in the international community with (9) ______ (sustainable) development.
And all countries should respect each other's political systems and learn from each other's good experiences to jointly promote global (10) ______ (cooperate).
答案：
impose（考查固定搭配，“promise to do sth.” 表示 “承諾做某事”，此處用動詞原形，考查固定搭配中動詞的形式）
identical（考查形容詞，此處修飾名詞 “position”，用形容詞原級，考查形容詞修飾名詞的用法）
factor（考查名詞，“a strong influencing factor” 表示 “一個強有力的影響因素”，根據語境及前面的 “a”，用名詞單數形式，考查名詞在句中的運用）
deciding（考查詞性轉換，此處修飾名詞 “factor”，需用形容詞，“decide” 的形容詞形式是 “deciding”，表示 “決定性的”，考查詞性轉換）
splurging（考查動詞時態，“have been + 現在分詞” 構成現在完成進行時，此處用現在分詞形式，考查現在完成進行時的用法）
de facto（考查固定短語，“de facto” 表示 “事實上的”，在句中作定語修飾 “one-party system”，考查固定短語的用法）
benefits（考查名詞單復數，“the benefits of...” 表示 “…… 的利益”，常用復數形式，考查名詞復數在固定短語中的用法）
development（考查詞性轉換，“promote” 后接名詞作賓語，“develop” 的名詞形式是 “development”，表示 “發展”，考查詞性轉換）
sustainable（考查詞性轉換，“development” 是名詞，需用形容詞修飾，“sustainable” 表示 “可持續的”，考查詞性轉換）
cooperation（考查詞性轉換，“promote” 后接名詞作賓語，“cooperate” 的名詞形式是 “cooperation”，表示 “合作”，考查詞性轉換）

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