Make an outline of the text. Pick up useful expressions for each item.

21. Translate these word combinations into Russian:

expressions of human will and intellect; to pin a label upon smb; to exercise power directly; to choose through group consensus; a set of practices and procedures; the time-tested fundamentals; the intermediary of officials; a community organization; a tribal council; to arrive at decisions by consensus / majority vote; an investment of time and energy; to practice direct democracy; to be used interchangeably; to be impractical for private citizens; to be represented in the legislature; to be eliminated by majority vote; to remain accountable to smb for smth; to have an avenue for participation.

22. Make up sentences of your own with the following phrases:

to claim popular support; to be free of control; to vest rights in a person; a set of ideas and principles; to be molded through a tortuous history; to fall into basic categories; in the name of the people; a system of proportional representation; the goodwill of the majority; to operate in accordance with.

23. Match lines to make word partnerships:

24. Discuss the following questions:

I.1. Do you think democratic society is the only form of people’s organization? 2. What is the world’s first democracy? 3. Are ‘freedom’ and ‘democracy’ synonymous? Why? Why not? 4. How many categories do democracies fall into? 5. What definitions of democracy can you give? 6. What is direct democracy? 7. Under what conditions can a direct democracy operate? 8. Why does modern society offer few opportunities for direct democracy? 9. How does representative democracy act? 10. What are the ways to elect officials? 11. What is the main characteristic feature of all democracies?

II.1. Is rule by majority necessarily democratic? 2. What do we call a constitutional democracy? 3. Is democracy only a set of constitutional rules and procedures? 4. What do we understand by ‘pluralism’? 5. Do organized groups and institutions in a democratic society depend upon government for their existence, legitimacy or authority? 6. What units can serve a mediating role between individuals and social and governmental institutions? 7. In what ways do such groups represent the interests of their members? 8. How can individuals meaningfully participate both in government and in their own communities? 9. What are charitable organizations and churches examples of? 10. What do we call the society in which business associations and labour unions are controlled, licensed or watched?

25. Look through the texts about democracy. Find arguments for and against living in a democratic society:

26. Read and translate the text:

Democracy values

We live in a time when the call for freedom and democracy echoes across the globe. Eastern Europe has cast off the totalitarian governments of almost half a century, and the republics of the former Soviet Union are struggling to replace the Communist regime of almost 75 years with a new democratic order, something they could never before experience. But the drama surrounding the extraordinary political changes in Europe obscures the remarkable degree to which the promise of democracy has mobilized peoples throughout the world. North and South America are now virtually a hemisphere of democracy; Africa is experiencing an unprecedented era of democratic reforms; and new, dynamic democracies have taken root in Asia.

This worldwide phenomenon belies the skeptics who have contended that modern liberal democracy is a uniquely Western artifact that can never be successfully replicated in non-Western cultures. In a world where democracy is practiced in nations as different as Japan, Italy and Venezuela, the institutions of democracy can legitimately claim to address universal human aspirations for freedom and self-government.

Freedom House, a U.S.-based research organization, publishes an annual survey that rates every country on its degree of political freedom and civil liberties - two essential criteria for any democracy. Freedom’s apparent surge during the last decade by no means ensures its ultimate success. The fact that people naturally prefer freedom to oppression can indeed be taken for granted. But that is not the same as saying that democratic political systems can be expected to create and maintain themselves over time. On the contrary, the idea of democracy is durable, but its practice is precarious.

Democracy values may be resurgent today, but viewed over the long course of human history, from the French Revolution of the 18^th century to the rise of one-party regimes in the mid-20^th century, most democracies have been few and short-lived. While the desire for freedom may be innate, the practice of democracy must be learned. Whether the hinge of history will continue to open the doors of freedom and opportunity depends on the dedication and collective wisdom of the people themselves - not upon any of history’s iron laws, and certainly not on the imagined benevolence of self-appointed leaders.

Contrary to some perceptions, a healthy democratic society is not simply an arena in which individuals pursue their own personal goals. Democracies flourish when they are tended by citizens willing to use their hard-won freedom to participate in the life of their society - adding their voices to the public debate, electing representatives who are held accountable for their actions, and accepting the need for tolerance and compromise in public life. The citizens of a democracy enjoy the right of individual freedom, but they also share the responsibility of joining with others to shape a future that will continue to embrace the fundamental values of freedom and self-government.

27. Transcribe the following words:

Pericles [ ] procedure [ ]

Tortuous [ ] intermediary [ ]

legislator [ ] legislature [ ]

necessarily [ ] coexisting [ ]

diversity [ ] legitimacy [ ]

associations [ ] licensed [ ]

totalitarian [ ] extraordinary [ ]

virtually [ ] unprecedented [ ]

28. Match the word-halves:

29. Study the meaning of the given phrases:

30. Translate the given phrases into Russian. Pay attention to the use of prepositions:

31. Translate into Russian:

to rate a country on its degree of political freedom; to depend on the dedication and collective wisdom; to echo across the world; to be viewed over the long course of human history; call for freedom; to belie the skeptics; an artifact that can never be replicated; to be held accountable for; the need for tolerance and compromise; universal aspirations for freedom; to practice democracy in a country; to take root in a place; precarious practice; to cast off the government; the hinge of history.

32. Study the new words. Make up sentences with some of the given phrases: