Answer the following essay question in English within 80~100 words. Write you answers on the Answer Sheet.
Ideal of A Great Leader
(1)Of all figures from America's past, Abraham Lincoln is dearest to the hearts of the American people. In fact, the admiration they have had for him borders on worship. Writers note the fact that the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. is not unlike the temples that ancient Greeks built in honor of their gods, and that the annual ceremony of celebrating Lincoln's birthday in schools and other public places has sometimes had characteristics of a religious service. Whether this last observation is true or not,certainly Lincoln is America s ideal of a great leader. He had many qualities of leadership that have appealed to Americans.
(2)First of all, Lincoln s career fits a popular American belief that every child can dream of becoming president. In other words,no matter how humble a person's beginning, there is no class system that prevents him or her from becoming a leader in industry, government. or any of the professions if he or she has ambition,brains, and a willingness to work. Americans admire the self-made person —— the one who， with neither money nor family influence, fights his or her way to the top. Lincoln was born of poor parents. His mother died when he was young. The shack in which he and his father lived one winter had only three walls and the fourth side was open to the weather. He had little opportunity for schooling. Most of his early study was done by himself at night by the light of a fireplace. He did hard manual labor through the day-splitting rails for fences, taking care of livestock, working on a riverboat or in a store. But as he grew older he studied law in his spare time and set up a practice. Fie was a good speaker and student of political philosophy. His ability finally made a name for him，and eventually he became president of the United States.
(3)Lincoln is also admired because of his leadership) during the difficult period of the Civil War. He dared to do what he thought was right al a time when his beliefs were unpopular with many people. He, in a sense, represents the spirit of union among the states. Before the Civil War, the economy of the South depended upon the plantation system, which made sure of slave labor. Reformers in the northern states put so much pressure upon Congress not to extend slavery to territories destined for statehood that some of the southern states wanted to secede from the United States. They argued that the question of slavery was a matter for the individual stales to decide rather than the federal government. and they did not want to submit to its decision. The national government in Washington said that no state had the right to secede and the Civil War was the result. If the South had won the war. what is now the United States might well have been divided into several countries with regional interests and problems. Lincoln dedicated himself to preserving the Union, and the northern states with him at their head were victorious. Americans from both the North and South now generally feel that keeping the states together as one country has produced long-range benefits. and Lincoln has received much of the credit for holding the Union together.
(4)Furthermore. Lincoln had many personal qualities that made him dear to the hearts of his countrymen. He had infinite patience and tolerance for those who disagreed with him. As president. he appointed the men to his cabinet whom he considered most capable for the job, even though some of them openly scorned him and humiliated him. He bore their discourtesy toward him with admirable restraint. He was generous to his opponents. There are many stories about his courteous treatment of the Southern leaders. When the war was over, he bore the South no malice. Since generosity toward a defeated opponent is admired by Americans, Lincoln fitted the national ideal of what is right.
(5)Shortly after the Civil War was over. Lincoln was shot one night while attending a play in Washington Theater. He died within a few hours. The reaction of the nation to his death was almost unbelievable. Newspapers were edged with black. His funeral procession in Washington was miles long. Lincoln's body was taken by train back to his former home in Springfield,Illinois, but in all the major cities through which the train passed. the casket was paraded through streets lined with mourning thousands. In the small towns through which the train passed, bells rang in honor of the dead president. Citizens lit torches along the railroad track to show their last respect. It took the train twelve days to reach Springfield.
(6)Thus the circumstances of his death made him a martyr for a cause about which people were already highly emotional. Had Lincoln lived, it might well be that his postwar policies would have brought criticism upon him that would have tarnished his popularity. Instead, an assassin's bullet erased in the minds of Americans any faults he had and emphasized his virtues.
secede vi.退出，脱离 humiliate vt.羞辱 malice n.恶意 martyr n.烈士 tarnish vt.使失去光辉
Why do the American people love Lincoln?