For some Americans, the political concepts that are set forth in the Declaration of Independence—particularly the concept of equality—have become standards by which American institutions should be measured. For example, as you will see, the Constitution did not allow for equal treatment for many Americans, including African Americans (who were not considered citizens) and women. The disparity
between the declaration's promise of equality and the Constitution's unequal treatment of Americans set the example for future conflicts over the issue of equality. Neither Thomas Jefferson nor the framers of the Constitution interpreted the word equality to mean equal income. Rather, they envisioned a nation in which all citizens had what we would now call equal opportunity. Equal opportunity promotes other American ideals, such as individualism and self-reliance. It also often leads to a meritocracy based on individual talent and effort. Those who have the advantage of more education, more money to invest in an enterprise, greater talent, and higher levels of energy will have a competitive edge and come out the winners. In recent times, some people have been unwilling to accept the results of simple equality of opportunity if it creates a gross maldistribution of wealth. Some have argued that the founders, who lived in a largely agrarian economy, could not have envisioned the huge disparities in income in an industrial age and certainly would not have thought them consistent with democratic government. Some reformers have thus backed the creation of a welfare safety net by which the government protects and promotes the economic security of its citizens. Other reformers have tried to level the playing field through programs known as "affirmative action." These programs give preferences to minorities and other groups to make up for past discrimination. Those who favor affirmative action views its opponents as heartless individualists, who would let other Americans remain in poverty because they lack the talent, luck, or education to rise above it. Opponents of affirmative action argue that such programs perpetuate unequal treatment and emphasize racial divisions in society. How is the first sentence of the second paragraph ("Neither Thomas Jefferson nor the framers of the Constitution..." related to the second sentence of the paragraph ("Rather, they envisioned a nation...)?
a. contrast
b. addition
c. cause and effect
d. example
a
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Conteste las preguntas orales, usando oraciones completas.
¿Ha estado Ud. en México alguna vez?
Eine Reportage. Geben Sie das folgende Gespräch in der indirekten Rede wieder (wiedergeben = recount). Verwenden Sie in Ihrer Reportage mindestens sechs Aussagen aus dem Gespräch und vier verschiedene Verben aus der Liste.
antworten (auf + acc.) erklären sagen versprechen bemerken fragen versichern zugeben beteuern meinen CLAIRE: Wollen wir etwas Musik hören? ALFRED: Natürlich. Wenn du willst. CLAIRE: Der Mann da drüben kann gut Gitarre spielen. ALFRED: Schön. Nun, du hattest – ich meine, wir hatten ein Kind. CLAIRE: Gewiss. ALFRED: War es ein Bub (boy) oder ein Mädchen? CLAIRE: Es war ein Mädchen. ALFRED: Und was für einen Namen hast du dem Mädchen gegeben? CLAIRE: Geneviève. ALFRED: Das ist ein hübscher Name. CLAIRE: Ich habe das Kind nur einmal gesehen. Dann wurde es mir weggenommen. ALFRED: Und die Augen? CLAIRE: Die waren noch nicht offen. _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________
Write the correct pronoun in the blank
It will be read by (whoever, whomever) opens the mail. What will be an ideal response?
Frau Köhler ist die Direktorin des Senioren-Büros der Stadt Karlsruhe. Seit ein paar Jahren gibt es da eine so genannte Leih-Oma°-Initiative. Da arbeiten ältere Damen, die gern jungen Familien helfen wollen, indem Sie sich um die Kinder kümmern. Frau Schuster, eine ältere Dame, kommt zu Frau Köhler um sich für einen solchen Job als Leih-Oma zu bewerben. Hören Sie sich den Dialog zwischen den beiden Damen an. und beantworten Sie dann die Fragen dazu. Sie brauchen nicht in ganzen Sätzen zu antworten. Sie hören ein neues Wort: die Leih-Oma (rent-a-grandma).
1. Was erzählt Frau Schuster über ihre Familie? __________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Was sucht die junge Frau, die bei Frau Köhler angerufen hat? __________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Wie viele Kinder hat die junge Frau? __________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Was erfahren wir über Frau Schusters sportliche Aktivitäten? __________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Warum möchte Frau Schuster als Leih-Oma arbeiten? __________________________________________________________________________________________