大学英语阅读教程2unit 1Politics.doc

PAGE PAGE 10 Unit 1 Politics In This Chapter Do you want to learn various aspects of American politics? In Part 1, You will read an article about poverty in American society. In Part 2, you will read articles about elections. Connecting to the Topic 1 Are poverty and politics linked? 2 What is the life of poor people in America like? 3 Is it possible for a Chinese American to become President of the United States? 4 Search information about election procedure in the U. S. and share with your classmates. Before You Read Strategy Understanding A Pronoun Reference Pronouns refer to nouns that precede them in a sentence or paragraph. These nouns are called antecedents. To ensure accurate understanding of a sentence in an article, you have to locate the noun which the pronoun stands for. You will easily find the antecedents by following these three steps: Read carefully the sentence in which the pronoun appears to get an accurate understanding of the sentence. Locate the antecedent to which the pronoun in the sentence refers. It is highly suggested that you check whether the pronoun agrees with its antecedent in number, gender and person. Replace the pronoun with the antecedent, and then read the whole sentence to see if the two “antecedents” accord with each other. Example: Justin presented proper identification before he was permitted to board the plane. Identify the antecedent to which the pronoun he refers. Answer: Justin. (“Justin” is a singular masculine antecedent, so the singular masculine pronoun “he” is used.) Practice: The supervisors told the workers that they would receive a bonus. Identify the antecedent to which the pronoun they refers. Answer: _________ Read Reading an Article Read the following article. Then do the exercises. Poverty in America Poverty exists because our society is an unequal one, and there are overwhelming political pressures to keep it that wa