Week 1 · Day 1 of 14
Soft power and smart power
Reading + 3 phrases + MC + oral + 英譯中 rep (real 108 source)
~65 min total · 3 sittings if you split
口試預熱 · Before you read
先想 30 秒：如果口試被問這幾題，你現在會怎麼答？不用寫下來 — 心裡起個頭就好。 讀完今天的文章，回來再答一次。兩次之間的差距，就是今天要學的東西。
- 1What is soft power — does Taiwan have it, and where does it come from?
- 2Is attraction alone enough to keep a country like Taiwan safe? Why or why not?
- 3How can Taiwan use its soft power to expand its international space?
Reading passage
Exam-style reading passage · ~330 words
Listen to passage
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Words light up as you listen — scrub or replay anytime.
The idea of "soft power," introduced by the political scientist Joseph Nye, refers to the ability of a country to obtain the outcomes it wants through attraction rather than coercion or payment. A state that commands admiration for its culture, its political values, and the perceived legitimacy of its foreign policy can shape the preferences of others without firing a shot or signing a cheque. Hard power, by contrast, rests on military force and economic inducement — the classic tools of threat and reward. Nye's central argument is not that soft power replaces hard power, but that the wisest states learn to combine the two into what he calls "smart power."
For a country such as Taiwan, whose formal diplomatic space is deliberately constrained by external pressure, soft power is not a luxury but a necessity. Taiwan cannot match the military budgets of great powers, nor can it out-spend its rivals in chequebook diplomacy. What it can do is project an image that others find genuinely attractive: a vibrant democracy, a free press, a society that resolved the tension between Chinese cultural heritage and liberal political values, and a health-care system admired across the region. When Taiwanese medical teams assist in the Pacific, or when the island's response to a pandemic is studied abroad, that is soft power at work.
Yet soft power has limits. Attraction is slow, diffuse, and difficult to convert into concrete outcomes at a decisive moment. Admiration for a country's democracy will not, by itself, deter an invasion or secure a seat in an international organization. This is precisely why Nye insists on the combination. Soft power builds the reservoir of goodwill; hard power, including the resilience to defend oneself, ensures that goodwill is not simply overrun. A smart strategy asks, for each objective, which instrument or blend of instruments will actually move the needle — and never confuses being liked with being secure.
3 phrases to keep
Say each one aloud, and note why it's reusable in your own essays.
1. "obtain the outcomes it wants through attraction rather than coercion or payment"
this is the textbook definition of soft power. Memorize the three-way contrast (attraction / coercion / payment); it's a ready-made opening line for any soft-power essay.
2. "not a luxury but a necessity"
a clean rhetorical frame ("not X but Y") for arguing that something is essential. Reusable in almost any essay to raise the stakes.
3. "builds the reservoir of goodwill"
a vivid, high-register metaphor. "Reservoir of goodwill" sounds diplomatic and precise; drop it in when discussing reputation or alliances.
Exam-style questions
Six per day — vocab, comprehension, then passage drills (main idea, evidence, author's view). Listen to each question, commit an answer, then read the mirror.
1. (Vocab-in-context)In the passage, "inducement" most nearly means:
2. (Comprehension)According to Nye, "smart power" is best described as:
3. (Vocab-in-context)"Diffuse" in "attraction is slow, diffuse, and difficult to convert" most nearly means:
4. (Main idea)Taken as a whole, the passage is primarily concerned with:
5. (Evidence)Which detail from the passage best supports the idea that Taiwan must rely on attraction rather than force?
6. (Author's view)The author would most likely agree that:
Oral prompt (two-pass)
How can Taiwan use its soft power to expand its international space?
追問 — try in Pass 2: Where does soft power reach its limit, and what has to back it up?
Give a 2-minute answer.
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部署 — 今天的 phrases 怎麼答開頭那幾題
讀完之後再回去答一次口試預熱的問題 — 這是今天的 phrases 部署進答案的樣子（先自己講，再對照）：
What is soft power — does Taiwan have it, and where does it come from?
Soft power is the ability to obtain the outcomes you want through attraction rather than coercion or payment. Taiwan clearly has it — a vibrant democracy, a free press, and a health system admired across the region. That is soft power at work.
Is attraction alone enough to keep a country like Taiwan safe?
Attraction alone is not enough — it is slow, diffuse, and difficult to convert at a decisive moment. For Taiwan, combining soft power with the resilience to defend itself is not a luxury but a necessity.
How can Taiwan use its soft power to expand its international space?
Every medical mission, exchange, and act of assistance builds the reservoir of goodwill Taiwan can draw on precisely where formal diplomatic doors are closed.
Translation rep
英譯中 — real 108 past-exam source (verbatim)
Translate into Chinese:
"Diplomacy has been utilized for centuries and continues to be the main way for states to conduct their international affairs. Towards preventing violent conflict, states can use diplomacy to undertake mediation, facilitation, fact-finding, consultations, and monitoring, thereby increasing the space for preventive diplomacy."Your translation — writing it out beats translating in your head.
內容有錯？練起來卡卡的？寫信回報— 每一封都會看，修正直接進課程。