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Surprises 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 what's inside. In America, and in many other countries, one special kind of box contains the future. It's called a ballot box. What people put into the box on election day can change the course of history.
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。在美国以及其它许多国家，有一个特殊的箱子关系着未来，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 America's history. In the mid-1700s, England began passing laws that made the American colonies angry. The colonists had to pay more and more taxes and enjoyed less and less freedom. They felt the government of England didn't 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”，是美国历史中一个重要的观念。十八世纪中期，英国开始通过一些使美国殖民地愤怒的法律。殖民地人民必须付愈来愈多的税，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。一七七六年七月四日，殖民地宣布脱离英国独立。他们想要建立民主制度，使人们在政府中有发言权。
An effective democracy holds regular elections. In America, elections are held every two years for members of Congress. In these elections, all seats in the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate seats are up for grabs. In addition, every four years, voters go to the polls to elect the nation's president and vice-president. Voters also regularly cast their ballots for state and city government leaders and local school board members. Sometimes they also have to vote on a proposed law.
有效的民主制度定期举行选举。在美国，每两年选一次国会议员。在这些选举中，人们可以争取所有众议院的席位和三分之一的参议院席位。除此以外，选民每四年去投票所选出国家的总统和副总统。选民也定期投票选出州长、市长及当地学校的董事会成员。有时他们也必须投票决定提议的法律。
