Ic 2018 1
Ic 2018 1
Ic 2018 1
(Comprensión)
PARA EL GRADO DE BACHILLERATO
PRUEBA DE IDIOMA
La Primera Prueba tendrá una duración máxima de dos horas. El examen consistirá en
una comprensión de lectura de un texto de aproximadamente setecientas palabras, en cuya
lectura el estudiante podrá emplear diccionario. Luego deberá contestar por escrito diez
preguntas sobre comprensión de lectura, escritas en inglés, las que el estudiante podrá
contestar en español o en inglés. La Primera Prueba únicamente tendrá voto de aprobado
o reprobado, y no se promediará su resultado para el cálculo de la mención de graduación.
Es requisito haber superado la primera Prueba para presentar las siguientes en cualquiera
de las modalidades. El estudiante que no la apruebe deberá repetirla hasta su aprobación
o su retiro de la Universidad. En la respuesta al examen, el estudiante debe contestar
estrictamente según el texto.
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ELECTIONS IN COSTA RICA 2018
It seems that that spirit is at least partly a thing of the past: the people of Costa
Rica are more critical, have more complex demands, upset about parties’
perceived failure to attend to their needs, and disillusioned by corruption cases
such as the so-called “cementazo,” the case related to Chinese cement imports
that implicated members of all three branches of government in 2017.
However, no matter how we feel about it, the country will choose its next
president and national legislators in February, and one of the continent’s most
stable democracies will put its institutions to the test. Here are ten keys to
understanding the political campaign and its potential results.
A. What’s at stake
On Sunday, Feb. 4, Costa Rica will elect its president, two vice presidents and 57
new members of the Legislative Assembly. (At the time of this writing in
December 2017, it appears highly likely that the country will go, for a third time,
to a second round of voting, which takes place if no candidate surpasses 40
percent of the vote in the first round.) These are the political authorities who will
preside over the country from 2018-2022, a period during which we will celebrate
200 years of independence.
During their term, we will also face huge challenges in modernizing our state and
its institutions, avoiding further increases in crime, improving the state of our
economy, sustaining public health and creating jobs. The biggest task of all:
putting the brakes on increasing inequality so that our population’s general well-
being can live up to our international reputation.
B. A neutral president
In contrast to democracies such as the United States, the Costa Rican system
forbids the President of the Republic from intervening in any way in the electoral
process, including expressing his voting preference. Costa Rican law requires that
a president, once elected, renounce the party that brought him or her to power.
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Legislators do have total freedom to participate in the campaign, as long as they
do not use public resources to do so.
Campaigns may not pay for advertising during the last four days before the
election, nor may the media publish poll results during that time. In theory, this
allows voters to reflect on their decision without new information coming in
(although no one can guarantee that this works).
In Costa Rica, voting is mandatory by law for all those inscribed in the Electoral
Rolls (3.2 million), which takes place automatically for all those over 18. However,
those who do not vote face no direct consequences. Absenteeism was
consistently around 20 percent until the 1990s, when it jumped to nearly 30
percent. At the time of this writing, authorities from the Supreme Elections
Tribunal have expressed concern that it could increase more in 2018.
This Legislative Assembly election will have the greatest gender equality in Costa
Rican history. This is because all parties were required to alternate men and
women on their legislative candidate rosters in all seven provinces, and no more
provincial lists could be headed by a single gender – that is, a party could have
four top-ranked men and three top-ranked women, or vice versa. (In Costa Rican
legislative elections, voters choose a party, not a specific legislative candidate.
The percentage of the vote each party receives in a given provinces determines
how many of the candidates on that party’s legislative roster get a seat. The top-
ranked candidate has the best chance of earning a spot in the Assembly.)
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ELECTIONS IN COSTA RICA 2018
2. What does Costa Rica system forbid the President of the Republic to do in any
electoral process?
4. What is not allowed four days before the election and why?
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8. Who will be elected on Sunday February the fourth? Mention all of them?
10. Which huge challenges will Costa Rica face in the coming four years?
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