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  3. Alexis de Tocqueville, the French political scientist, historian, philosopher and politician, is most famous for a four-volume b

Alexis de Tocqueville, the French political scientist, historian, philosopher and politician, is most famous for a four-volume b

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问题     Alexis de Tocqueville, the French political scientist, historian, philosopher and politician, is most famous for a four-volume book he wrote called Democracy in America. He came to America in 1831 to study the American form of democracy and what it might mean to the rest of the world. After a visit of only nine months, he wrote a remarkable book which is regarded as a classic. De Tocqueville had unusual powers of observation. He described not only the democratic system of government and how it operated, but also its effect on how Americans think, feel, and act. Many scholars believe he had a deeper understanding of traditional American beliefs and values than anyone else who has written about the United States. What is so remarkable is that many of these traits which he observed nearly 200 years ago, are still visible and meaningful today. His observations are also important because the timing of his visit, the 1830s, was before America was industrialized. This was the era of the small farmer, the small businessman, and the settling of the western frontier. It was the period of history when the traditional values of the new country were newly established. In just a generation, some 40 years since the adoption of the U. S. Constitution, the new form of government had already produced a society of people with unique values. He was, however, a neutral observer and saw both the good and bad sides of these qualities.
    The first part of Democracy in America was written in 1831—1832 and published in 1835. A highly positive and optimistic account of American government and society, the book was very well received. He attempted to get a glimpse of the essence of American society, all the while promoting his own philosophy: the equaling of the classes and the inevitable depth of aristocratic privilege. The rest of the book he labored on for four years, and in 1840 the second part was published. This was substantially more pessimistic than the first, warning of the dangers of despotism and governmental centralization, and applying his ideas and criticisms more directly to France. As a result, it was not received as well as the first part, except in England where it was acclaimed highly.
    The primary focus of Democracy in America is an analysis of why republican representative democracy has succeeded in the United States while failing in so many other places. Tocqueville observes that the strong role religion played in the United States was due to its separation from the government, a separation all parties found agreeable. He contrasts this to France where there was what he perceived to be an unhealthy antagonism between democrats and the religions, which he relates to the connection between church and state. Tocqueville also outlines the possible excesses of passion for equality among men, foreshadowing the totalitarian states of the twentieth century. Tocqueville observed that social mechanisms have paradoxes, like in what later became known as the Tocqueville effect: "social frustration increases as social conditions improve". He wrote that this growing hatred of social privilege, as social conditions improve, leads to the state concentrating more power to itself.
What in the passage is mentioned as being truly remarkable?
选项 A、Many of his observations are still visible and meaningful today.
B、The book was so detailed and thorough after only such a comparatively short visit.
C、The second volume should be so pessimistic in comparison with the first.
D、De Tocqueville’s powers of observation.
答案A
解析 事实细节题。根据remarkable可定位到第一段第七句。该句指出，令人惊叹的是，托克维尔在近200年前所观察到的美国的许多特点，放到今天依然是显而易见且意义重大的。A项表述与原文相符，故为答案。第一段第三句讲到，经过在美国短短九个月的访问，他写了一本被视为经典的名著；接着第五句提到了书中的内容，不仅描述了民主政府制度及其运作方式，还描述了它对美国人思维、感受和行为的影响。第二段倒数第二句提到，这比第一卷要悲观得多。由此可知，B项和C项本身表述与原文一致，但它们都只是文章中陈述的事实，故排除。第一段第四句提到，托克维尔的观察力与众不同(unusual)。这也是事实，故排除D项。
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