True Story 10. Election Day.
Дата публикации: Feb 05, 2015 4:35:52 AM
Choose one idiom that best describes the idea of the story. Retell the story using as many of the idioms as possible.
all in good time (всё в свое время)
neck or nothing (либо пан, либо пропал)
strike while the iron is hot (куй железо, пока горячо)
one cannot be too careful (береженого бог бережет)
a link in the chain (звено цепи)
do one's best (лезть из кожи вон)
easy come, easy go (легко пришло, легко и ушло)
a chink in smb.'s armour (ахиллесова пята)
Retell the story using the words below. Find the odd-man-out -> perfect timing
unpolled - не проголосовавший
to stand for (an) election = to go to the polls - 1) идти на выборы, голосовать, 2) выставлять свою кандидатуру на выборах
electoral /election/ campaign
to be late for
ballot [ˈbælət] box (booth [buːð]) - избирательная урна
The people make their wishes known through the ballot box. - тайное голосование
voter [ˈvəʊtə(r)]
electioneering [ɪˌlekʃəˈnɪərɪŋ] - предвыборная кампания
to do one's best to do smth
public opinion poll - опрос общественного мнения
poll - список избирателей, голосование, выборы
to call election - назначить выборы
poller - избиратель
to canvass [ˈkænvəs]
1) обсуждать; дебатировать, дискутировать, спорить; подробно обсуждать
2) ходатайствовать (о чём-л.); собирать (заказы, пожертвования, взносы)
3) собирать голоса перед выборами, вербовать сторонников перед выборами
4) проверять действительность результатов голосования
Изложение
Хеб Кейси очень хотел стать мэром своего городка.
Пока шла избирательная компания он трудился не покладая рук, убеждая людей голосовать за него.
Он развешивал листовки с призывами голосовать за Хеба Кейси.
Он приходил к людям домой и агитировал голосовать за него.
Он написал письма чуть ли не каждому жителю городка с аналогичными призывами.
Хеб также выступал на митингах, где громко и настойчиво убеждал людей голосовать за свою кандидатуру.
Наконец наступил день голосования.
Даже в последний день Хеб совсем сбился с ног пытаясь убедить людей голосовать за свою кандидатуру.
Он развесил еще больше объявлений, позвонил и пришел в гости ко многим людям.
Когда Хеб добрался до избирательного участка чтобы самому проголосовать, оказалось, что время голосования закончилось.
Хеб опаздал и не смог проголосовать за себя сам.
Каково же было его разочарование, когда в утренней газете он прочитал, что проиграл выборы, не добрав один голос.
Translation
Herb Casey wanted to become a mayor of his town though when the election was called he stood for it.
He was doing his best to persuade people to vote for him while the electoral campaign was continuing.
He was posting up notices of voting for himself.
He was coming to the voters and canvassing them for his candidature.
He was sending a lot of letters to the pollers suggested voting for Herb Casey.
He was speaking in public political meetings and emphatically persuading people to vote for him.
At last, the very day of the major election came.
Even in the election day, Herb continued his electioneering and did that with his best.
He posted even more notices, phoned many voters, and came to even more voters.
At last, Herb arrived at the ballot box he found out it closed because the vote time elapsed.
As the saying goes all in good time.
He was late to give his own vote for himself.
The next morning he was very disappointed when he read the newspaper and realised that he lost the election without that extra vote.
Herb Casey wanted to become a mayor of his town though when the election was called he stood for it.
He was doing his best to persuade people to vote for him while the electoral campaign was continuing.
He was posting up notices of voting for himself.
He was coming to the voters and canvassing them for his candidature.
He was sending a lot of letters to the pollers suggested voting for Herb Casey.
He was speaking in public political meetings and emphatically persuading people to vote for him.
At last, the very day of the major election came.
Even in the election day, Herb continued his electioneering and did that with his best.
He posted even more notices, phoned many voters, and came to even more voters.
At last, Herb arrived at the ballot box he found out it closed because the vote time elapsed.
As the saying goes all in good time.
He was late to give his own vote for himself.
The next morning he was very disappointed when he read the newspaper and realised that he lost the election without that extra vote.
2.
Herb Casey wanted to become a mayor of his town and when the election was called he stood for it.
He was doing his best to persuade people to vote for him during the electoral campaign.
He was posting up notices of voting for himself.
He was coming to the voters and canvassing them for his candidature.
He was sending a lot of letters to the pollers suggesting voting for Herb Casey.
He was speaking in public political meetings emphatically persuading people to vote for him.
At last, the very day of the mayor election came.
Even on the election day, Herb continued his electioneering and was doing that with his best.
He posted even more notices, phoned even more voters and came to them.
At last, when Herb arrived at the ballot box he found out it closed because the vote time was up.
As the saying goes all in good time.
He was late to give his own vote for himself.
The next morning he was very disappointed when he read the newspaper and realized that he lost the election because he missed one vote.
Herb Casey wanted to become a mayor of his town and when the election was called he stood for it.
He was doing his best to persuade people to vote for him during the electoral campaign.
He was posting up notices of voting for himself.
He was coming to the voters and canvassing them for his candidature.
He was sending a lot of letters to the pollers suggesting voting for Herb Casey.
He was speaking in public political meetings emphatically persuading people to vote for him.
At last, the very day of the mayor election came.
Even on the election day, Herb continued his electioneering and was doing that with his best.
He posted even more notices, phoned even more voters and came to them.
At last, when Herb arrived at the ballot box he found out it closed because the vote time was up.
As the saying goes all in good time.
He was late to give his own vote for himself.
The next morning he was very disappointed when he read the newspaper and realised that he lost the election because he missed one vote.
Questions
1. Why didn't Herb Casey vote?
He was just late.
It is known that the election takes place in the ballot boxes during the certain time period.
After the election time is over, the election committee counts the votes and announces the winner.
It's a standart procedure.
So Herb was just late. Why was he?
I think that he was going to vote but his beliefs about the efficiency of agitation's methods play a mean trick on him.
He believed that he could win with quantity of his notices and social interaction but quantity doesn't proceed to quality everytime.
Thus he didn't have a conclusive advantage over his competitor.
In that situation, every vote could be decisive one.
-.
He was just late.
It is known that the election takes place in the ballot boxes for certain time.
After the election time is over, the election committee counts the votes and announces the winner.
It's a standart procedure.
So Herb was just late. Why was he?
I think that he was going to vote but his beliefs about the efficiency of agitation's methods play a mean trick on him.
He believed that he could win with quantity of his notices and social interactions but quantity does not proceed to quality everytime.
Thus he didn't have a conclusive advantage over his competitor.
In that situation, every vote could be decisive one.
2. Why did Herb Casey work extra hard on Election Day?
He thought that it was his last chance to suggest voting for himself to the people.
He thought that if he had done hard to promote himself, even in the last agitation day, he would inevitably have become the mayor.
He believed that enormous quantity of agitation would proceeded to quality which means that all of the pollers would vote for him.
-.
He thought that it was his last chance to suggest voting for himself to the people.
He thought that if he did hard to promote himself, even in the last agitation day, he would inevitably become the mayor.
He believed that enormous quantity of agitation would proceed to quality which means that all of the pollers would vote for him.
3. Why couldn't the pollers make an exception in Herb Casey's case?
I think that it was so because the situation took place in a real democratic country where the pollers never make any exception for anyone.
As a second version I would prefer a conspiratorial one which supposes that the political system of the country was not actually democratic.
The pollers could somehow count the votes for each candidate so they knew about the importance of Herb's vote for the final votes calculation.
When Herb came to the ballot box they prevented him from the election even more so he was late.
-.
I think that it was so because the situation took place in a real democratic country where the pollers never make any exception for anyone.
As a second version I would prefer a conspiratorial one which supposes that the political system of the country was not actually democratic.
The pollers could somehow count the votes for each candidate so they knew about the importance of Herb's vote for the final votes calculation.
When Herb came to the ballot box they prevented him from the election even, more over, he was late.
4. Which do you think it is: good or bad that all voters unexceptionally enjoy the same rights?
I think that it's a very complicated question.
On one hand, from the business point of view, only the taxpayers are the people to have the voting right.
The others shouldn't have the voting right because they don't give money to the state institutions.
Hence, they are not shareholders and they can't decide about the state policy.
On the other hand, from the humanisticpoint of view, all of the people are equal and they all are to have the voting right.
That is called political correctness and it has spreaded broadly across the world.
Whatever it is, every nation has an elite who always manipulates the voters so that the state policy is controlled by the elite.
-.
I think that it's a very complicated question.
On the one hand, from the business perspective, only the taxpayers are the people to have the voting right.
The others shouldn't have the voting right because they don't give money to the state institutions.
Hence, they are not shareholders and they can't decide about the state policy.
On the other hand, from the humanistic perspective, all of the people are equal and they all are to have the voting right.
That is called political correctness and it has spread broadly all over the world.
Whatever it is, every nation has an elite that always manipulates the voters so that the state policy is controlled by the elite.
Orig.
HERB Casey wants to be mayor of his city. So he works hard. He puts up signs. "VOTE FOR HERB CASEY" the signs say. He knocks on doors and talks to people. "Please vote for me," he says. He mails letters to thousands of people. "Please vote for me," he writes. He gives speeches. "Vote for me!" he says in his speeches.
Finally, it is Election Day. It is time for people to vote. Herb works extra hard on Election Day. He puts up more signs and
knocks on more doors. He calls people on the phone, too. "Today is Election Day," he says. "Please vote for me."
At eight o'clock in the evening, Herb stops making phone calls and goes to vote. It is ten minutes after eight when Herb arrives to vote. He is too late. Voting stops at eight o'clock. Herb cannot vote.
The next day, people count the votes. Is Herb Casey the new mayor? Does he win the election? No, he doesn't. He loses the election by one vote.