Read the text carefully and be prepared to answer the question:
Equal Opportunities for All

　　Americans are strong believers in the idea of equal1 opportunities for all. This idea is only meaningful because the United States actually affords people great economic opportunities. Indeed, America's promise2 as the "Land of the Free" has less to do with democratic3 freedom and more to do with the opportunities to realize the American dream. If people have no real chance of realizing their dreams, then the fact that they have equal opportunities to pursue4 their dreams would be pointless5. It's like saying a poor person is as free as a rich person to buy the education or house or car he can afford.

　　When the United States was born, it had immense6 resources and few people competing for them, so there were real opportunities for hard work and a little luck to pay off7.

　　例句：A good teacher must not favor excellent students, but be equal to everyone.

　　一位好老师应该平等对待每个学生，而不应偏袒优秀的学生。

　　2.promise: n. a sign of future excellence or achievement

　　(前途有)希望，(有)指望

　　例句：I used to show great promise as a writer but I ended up being a businessman.

　　我本来很有希望成为一名作家，但是后来我却成了生意人。

　　3、democratic: adj. of or relating to government by the people民主的

　　例句：Most of the countries in the world have established democratic systems, with only several of them still under the domination of kings or queens.

　　世界上大多数国家已经建立了民主制度，只有少数国家还由君主统治。

　　4.pursue: vt. to try to achieve追求实现

　　例句：My younger sister is ruthless in pursuing her goals.

　　我妹妹为了实现她的目标不遗余力。

　　5.pointless: adj. meaningless无意义的

　　例句：It is pointless to buy a car if you haven't got a driver's license.

　　如果你还没有驾照，买车真是毫无意义。

　　6.immense: adj. so large as to be impossible to measure巨大的，无边无际的

　　例句：We spent an immense amount of time getting the project done.

　　我们花了大量的时间才把这个项目做完。

　　7.pay off: to result in success带来好结果，成功

　　例句：His hard work finally paid off. He got a full mark in the final exam.

　　他的勤奋终于得到了回报。他期末考试得了满分。

　　Exercise: Why is the concept of "equal opportunities for all" not applicable throughout the world?

　　Clues to the answer: resources, population