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  3. Debates among candidates are rare in most countries. But they have become a staple of American politics. Americans like debates

Debates among candidates are rare in most countries. But they have become a staple of American politics. Americans like debates

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问题     Debates among candidates are rare in most countries. But they have become a staple of American politics. Americans like debates because the candidates can be compared in an unscripted, live performance. History indicates that a bad performance, particularly a telling gaffe, can badly damage a candidate in the polls. The debates are a "key test" of the strength and abilities of the candidates.
    The unforgettable debate quip that can deflate a candidacy is the worst nightmare of any presidential hopeful. "There you go again", Ronald Reagan’s memorable retort to President Jimmy Carter, was a line that stuck with both viewers and commentators in the 1980 presidential campaign. Carter went on to lose the election, polls showed mostly because of the economy. But Carter’s debate performance didn’t help.
    The potential of debates to damage a vulnerable presidential hopeful is one reason why some candidates, particularly frontrunners, are reluctant to risk their chances in such an uncontrolled environment, But broadcast presidential debates, both in the primaries and in the general election, are now routine and expected by the American people.
    It was not always so. Face-to-face presidential debates began their broadcast history in 1948 when Republicans Thomas Dewey and Harold Stassen faced each other in a radio debate during the Oregon Republican presidential primary. The first broadcast television debates between the two major party nominees were in 1960 when Senator John F. Kennedy faced Vice President Richard Nixon. The debates were considered crucial to Kennedy’s narrow victory. Interestingly, Americans who heard the debate on radio thought Nixon had won. But the far larger television audience applauded Kennedy’s performance, testimony to the importance—in the television age—of image as well as substance. The point is Americans are concerned not just with a leader’s policies and ideology, but also with his character and temperament. In the contentious atmosphere of a debate, such personal attributes are easier for voters to judge than in pre-packaged campaign commercials or formal speeches.
    Since 1987, the presidential debates have been organized by the bipartisan organization, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD). Its purpose is to sponsor and produce debates for the presidential and vice presidential candidates of the two major parties. In Election 2000, the commission set a threshold for the participation of third party candidates in the debates. They must show they have the support—as evidenced in a number of opinion polls—of at least 15 percent of the population.
    Whatever the quality of the debates in Election 2000, they are unlikely to equal the most famous political debates in American history which occurred long before the invention of radio and television. In 1858, Stephen Douglas debated Abraham Lincoln for a U.S. Senate seat. Douglas, a pro-slavery Democrat, was the incumbent. Lincoln was anti-slavery. "Honest Abe," as he was endearingly called, lost the Senate race, but two years later was elected the first Republican president of the United States. The Lincoln-Douglas debates are still heralded for the quality of the discourse at a crucial time in the nation’s history.
The most famous political debates in American history most probably focused on discussing
选项 A、economic development.
B、slavery.
C、honesty.
D、bi-party system.
答案B
解析 细节题。本题首先要明确美国历史上最著名的辩论是道格拉斯与林肯的辩论，定位在末段后，从辩论双方的政治立场可以推断当时他们论战的焦点在于是否应该废除奴隶制度，因此选项B为正确答案。
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