In the past, the activities of political parties often had a very direct effect on citizen's everyday lives. In the 1930s, for example, strong party machines dominated local politics in many large cities. In some cities, such as Chicago, the party machine was almost omnipresent. Had you been living in such a city, the party machine would have affected your everyday life. Party machines then
bestowed government contracts on loyal supporters. The machines often helped the poor and the unfortunate with gifts of food and clothing (particularly before an election). Today, there are no real party machines. Nonetheless, political parties do affect your everyday life, if more indirectly. Consider that whichever party has the most members in Congress dominates that institution. Congressional leaders and committee chairs come from the dominant political party. Thus, a particular political party's success can often lead to new laws and regulations that affect your daily life. You may have to pay higher or lower taxes, face more or fewer employment opportunities, or experience changes in the social environment around you. Suppose, for example, that you live in a city with a relatively high and rising crime rate. If a political party that wants to spend more government resources on crime reduction wins a majority in Congress, your everyday life could be significantly affected. Similarly, political parties play important roles in state legislatures and governorships. A state legislature controlled by Democrats will create and implement different policies than a legislature controlled by Republicans, and vice versa. These policies could affect the amount of tuition you pay, the amount of state taxes that are withheld from your paycheck, the speed limit on your state's highways, the job opportunities available to you, and so on. What is the main idea of this passage?
a. Today, there are no real party machines.
b. Democrats and Republicans support very different legislative policies.
c. In the past, party machines, in cities like Chicago, strongly affected everyone.
d. Political parties have an important influence on our lives.
d
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A common problem in interpersonal communication is mindreading, which is assuming we understand what another person thinks, feels, or perceives. When we mindread, we act as if we know what's on another's mind, and this can get us into trouble. Marriage counselors and communication scholars say mindreading contributes to conflict between people. The danger of mindreading is that we may
misinterpret others and have no way to check the accuracy of our perceptions. Sometimes we do understand one another, but sometimes we don't. Consider a few examples. One person says to her partner, "I know you didn't plan anything for our anniversary because it doesn't matter to you." Whether or not the partner made plans, it's impossible to guess motives or to know why the partner forgot, if indeed he did. A supervisor notices that an employee is late for work several days in a row and assumes the employee isn't committed to the job. One friend tells another, "You were late coming over because you're still mad about what happened yesterday." The speaker is guessing reasons for the friend's tardiness and could well be wrong. Mindreading also occurs when we say things such as "I know why you're upset" (Has the person said she or he is upset?) or "You don't care about me anymore" (maybe the other person is too preoccupied or worried to be as attentive as usual.) We also mindread when we tell ourselves we know how somebody else will feel or react or what he or she will do. The truth is we don't really know; we're only guessing. When we mindread, we impose our perspectives on others instead of allowing them to say what they think. This can cause misunderstandings and resentment because most of us prefer to speak for ourselves. In the last paragraph, the word perspectives means a. worries. b. points of view. c. prejudices. d. misunderstandings.
¡Pura vida!: Vacaciones y festivos en el mundo hispanohablante
1. ¿Cuándo tiene lugar el Carnaval y qué celebra? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 2. ¿Qué otros días de fiesta son frecuentes a nivel nacional en los países hispanohablantes? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________
Why does the mother think they live in a fashionable neighborhood?
What will be an ideal response?
Answer the following questions based on the videos from “Capítulo 13”. (
¿Qué profesión es tradicional en la familia de Sandra? a. El agricultor b. La policía c. El contador d. El maestro