Democracy is found almost exclusively in the wealthier nations of the world. The key factor, however, is not the overall wealth of the nation but the way the wealth is distributed; democracy generally is found in nations that do not have extremes of income inequality. A large and relatively affluent middle class is especially important. Members of the middle class usually have sufficient social
and economic resources to organize effectively. Their economic power and organization enable them to hold the government accountable. Democracy also flourishes only in societies with many competing groups, each of which comprises less than a majority. In such a situation, no single group can win a majority of votes without negotiating with other groups. Since each group is a minority, safeguarding minority political groups protects everybody. Although democratic stability depends on competing interest groups, two additional conditions must be met. First, if minority political groups are so divided or ineffective that there is little chance they can win an election, the public may become disillusioned with the democratic process. Second, competing interest groups must share the same basic values. If they do not, they are not likely to be able to abide by the rules of the game. For example, fundamental differences between the values of Israelis who want peace with the Palestinians and the values of Israelis who do not, together with different values among different factions of Palestinians, make it difficult for democracy to thrive in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In the first paragraph, affluent means
a. unequal.
b. poor.
c. uneducated. d. wealthy.
D
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calculer les impôts (vous)
a. Je calcule les impôts. b. Je fais calculer les impôts.
The ___________ method of development gives the reasons why something occurred or explains
the consequences of something. Fill in the blank(s) with correct word
Decide whether the topic listed for the paragraph is too broad, too narrow, or the correct topic for the paragraph. Choose the letter of the correct answer.
Emergency medical services in many cities have begun advising 911 callers to give a person who has collapsed chest compressions but not mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.1 In emergencies, lives are generally saved or lost in the first six minutes, so trying to explain mouth-to-mouth procedures to callers was wasting precious time and doing more harm than good. In addition, new research suggests that mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is not effective in the first few minutes after a collapse. Therefore, emergency medical dispatchers are explaining to untrained callers only how to perform chest compressions to mimic2 a steady heartbeat until paramedics can arrive. Adapted from Robert Davis, “Simpler Method for CPR Adopted,” USA Today, February 24, 2004, 1A. Main Idea: a. Many emergency medical services dispatchers are no longer explaining to callers how to give a victim mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. b. Emergency medical services are advising people not to try to save someone who has collapsed. c. Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is very difficult to perform properly. d. Research has shown that mouth-to-mouth resuscitation does more harm than good.
Gramática: El futuro. Completa las siguientes oraciones con el futuro de los verbos entre paréntesis. Gracias a la tecnología, la gente_________________ (poder) hacer su trabajo en casa.
Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).