Surprises often come in boxes. Birthday presents wrapped in colorful paper, brown paper packages mailed from a friend. No matter what kind of box it is, people like to open it up and see what's inside. In America, and in many other countries, one special kind of box contains the future. It's called a ballot box. What people put into the box on election day can change the course of history.
Elections are the lifeblood of a democracy. The word democracy literally means "the people rule," an important concept in American history. In the mid-1700s, England began passing laws that made the American colonies angry. The colonists had to pay more and more taxes and enjoyed less and less freedom. They felt the government of England didn't represent their interests. On July 4, 1776, the colonies declared their independence from England. They wanted to establish a democracy where people could have a voice in government.
An effective democracy holds regular elections. In America, elections are held every two years for members of Congress. In these elections, all seats in the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate seats are up for grabs. In addition, every four years, voters go to the polls to elect the nation's president and vice-president. Voters also regularly cast their ballots for state and city government leaders and local school board members. Sometimes they also have to vote on a proposed law.
In the American electoral system, people don't really vote for presidential candidates. Instead, voters cast their ballots for "electors" who support each candidate. Each state has as many electors as the total number of its representatives in Congress. This equals two senators per state plus the number of its representatives in the House (which is based on the state's population). The candidate who has the most votes in a state wins all of the state's electors. To win the presidential election, a candidate must gain at least 270 of the 538 total electoral votes.
Over the years, the U.S. has made a number of election reforms. Some early reforms outlawed cheating, giving bribes and threatening voters. They also limited the amount of money candidates could receive from donors and spend on their campaigns. In 1870, black people gained the right to vote, and in 1920, that right was extended to women. In recent decades, laws against unfair rules for voting have been passed. No longer do people have to pay a special tax or pass a test in order to vote. In 1971, the voting age was lowered to 18. Other reforms made voting easier for the blind, the disabled and people who couldn't read. In some areas, ballots had to be printed in languages besides English.
In November, Americans will again elect those who will represent them in government. Although some citizens aren't even registered to vote--and some registered voters don't bother to go to the polls--most Americans exercise their right to vote. They realize that their future is wrapped up in a special package--the ballot box. It's a package that must definitely be "handled with care."
小题1:According to the context, what does a “ballot box” mean in Chinese?
A． * * 箱
B．投票箱
C．礼品箱
D．保险箱小题2:Democracy means that ____.
A．People couldn’t have a voice in a government.
B．In America, elections are held every four years for members of Congress.
C．Democracy is the lifeblood of elections.
D．Basically “ the people rule”, and it’s very important in American history.小题3:How will the votes distributed if Romney got 20 votes while Obama received 17 votes in California in the election?
A．Romney will win 20 votes in California.
B．Obama will win 20 votes in California.
C．Romney will win 37 votes in California.
D．Obama will win 37 votes in California.小题4: Which one is RIGHT about election reforms?
A．People have to pay a special tax to vote.
B．There are bribes and threatening in elections now.
C．People above eighteen years old can vote now.
D．The disabled or the blind have tough access to voting.小题5: What’s the main idea of this passage?
A．Birthday boxes in the U.S.
B．Election systems in the U.S.
C．Election reforms in the U.S.
D．Democracy in the U.S.
小题1:B
小题2:D
小题3:C
小题4:C
小题5:B
题目分析：本文主要讲了美国的选举系统，从民主制度开始，到选举制度，以及在此方面做出的一系列改革。让我们对美国的政治有了更深一步的理解。
小题1:词义猜测题。第一段从礼品箱过渡到投票箱，包括下文详解美国投票制度，由此得出答案为B。
小题2:细节理解题。A中couldn’t有误。B 不是民主的解释，且每四年有误。C中民主与选举位置颠倒。故选D。
小题3:推理判断题。从倒数第三段得出，美国选举最重要的规则是“胜者得全票”。一个个州分别统计，最后计算选举人票总数，谁超过270票即为赢家。所以此题答案为C。
小题4:细节理解题。A中投票不必缴税。B中贿赂与恐吓是早期选举时期存在的问题。C从倒数第二段最后一句“In 1971, the voting age was lowered to 18.”得出，18岁以上的公民现在可以投票选举了。D与文意想法。故选C。
小题5:本文讲述了美国的选举制度，故选B。
点评：词义猜测题体现了应用英语的重要能力，也是高考阅读理解中必考的题型。它不但需要准确无误地理解上下文，而且要有较大的泛读量，掌握或认识较多的课外词汇。考生应学会通过构词、定义、同位、对比、因果、常识、同义、反义及上下文线索等确定词义。