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Suprises 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 whats inside. In America, and in many other countries, one special kind of box contains the future. Its called a ballot box. What people put into the box on election day can change the course oflustory. 惊奇常常是在箱子里出现：包在彩色包装纸里面的生日礼物 朋友寄来牛皮纸包的包裹 不论是怎样的箱子，人们喜欢打开来看看里面是什么。在美国以及其他许多国家，有一个特殊的箱子关系着一个国家的未来，它被称为投票箱。人们在选举日投在箱子里的东西可以改变历史的走向。 Elections are the lifeblood of a democracy. The word democracy literally means the people rule , an important concept in Americas history. In the mid-1700s, England began passing laws that made the American colorues angry. The colonists had to pay more and more taxes and enjoyed less and less freedom. They felt the govemment of England didnt 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. 选举是民主的原动力。民主这个字照字面的意思是人民自主竹，是美国历史中一个重要的观念0 18世纪中期，英国开始通过一些使美国殖民地愤怒的法律。殖民地人民必须交付愈来愈多的税，而享有愈来愈少的自由。他们感到英国政府没有代表他们的权益1776年月4日，殖民地宣布从英国独立出去。他们想要建立民主制度，使人们在政府中有发言权。 | 
