余志远《英语国家概况》(2015年版)复习笔记和课后习题详解(第15章 美国政治)【圣才出品】

第15章美国政治

15.1复习笔记【知识框架】

Ⅰ.The U.S.Constitution

1.The Federal system

2.Separation of powers:checks and balances

3.Provisions for amendment

4.Bill of Rights

Ⅱ.The Legislative Branch

1.A Two-chamber Congress

2.The House of Representatives

3.Senate

4.Functions of the Congress

Ⅲ.The Executive Branch

Ⅳ.The Judicial Branch

1.The Supreme Court

2.Courts of Appeals and District Courts

Ⅴ.State Government

Ⅵ.Local Government

【重难点归纳】

Ⅰ.The U.S.Constitution

The American Constitution is the oldest written constitution in the world.It was drawn up in1787and went into effect in1789.

Ⅰ.美国宪法

美国宪法是世界上最古老的成文宪法。1787年制定，1789年生效。

1.The Federal system

The Constitution set up a federal system of government which has two layers of rule.There is federal government.There are also state and local governments.

1.联邦系统

宪法规定了具有两层规则的联邦政府系统，包括联邦政府与州和地方政府。

2.Separation of powers:checks and balances

The government is divided into three branches,the legislative,the executive and the judicial.And each branch can check the actions of the other branches.The three branches are thus in balance.This is called“checks and balances”.

2.三权分立，相互制衡

政府分为三个分支机构，即立法，行政和司法。每个分支都可以检查其他分支的行为，三个分支因此平衡，称为“相互制衡”。

3.Provisions for amendment

The Congress,by a two-thirds vote in each house,may initiate an amendment. Amendments must have the approval of three-fourths of the states before they

enter into force.

3.修正案的规定

国会每一院通过三分之二的投票可发起一项修正案。修正案必须有四分之三的州批准才能生效。

4.Bill of Rights

The Bill of Rights is the term used for the first ten amendments to the Constitution.

4.《权利法案》

《权利法案》指的是最初的宪法十条修正案。

Ⅱ.The Legislative Branch

1.A Two-chamber Congress

The legislative,or law-making,branch is the Congress of the United States.It has two sections:the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Ⅱ.立法部门

1.两院国会

立法或立法部门是美国的国会。它有两个部分：众议院和参议院。

2.The House of Representatives

(1)The House of Representatives currently consists of435voting members,each of

whom represents a congressional district.

(2)The number of representatives each state has in the House is based on each

state’s population

2.参议院

(1)众议院目前由435名有投票权的议员组成，每名议员代表一个国会选区。

(2)每个州在众议院的代表人数是根据每个州的人口而定的

3.Senate

The Senate is made up of two senators from each state,regardless of population.

3.众议院

参议院由每个州的两名参议员组成，无论人口多少。

4.Functions of the Congress

The Congress has many functions,but the most central is the passage of laws.One of the most important non-legislative functions of the Congress is the power to investigate.A second important power is to compel testimony from unwilling witnesses and to cite for contempt of Congress witnesses.

4.国会的功能

国会有很多功能，但是最核心的功能是通过法律。最重要的非立法功能是调查的权力。第二个重要权力是迫使不愿作证的人作证并以“藐视国会罪”传召证人。

Ⅲ.The Executive Branch

1.The president of the United States heads the executive branch.

2.If a president acts contrary to the Constitution or against the law,he can be

impeached(indicted)by the House of Representatives and tried and removed from office by the Senate.

Ⅲ.行政部门

1.美国总统统领行政权。

2.如果总统的行为违反宪法或法律，他可以被众议院弹劾（起诉），并由参议院审判和罢免。

Ⅳ.The Judicial Branch

The third branch of the federal government,the judicial,consists of a system of courts headed by the Supreme Court and including subordinate courts throughout the country.

Ⅳ.司法部门

联邦政府的第三个分支是司法部门，由最高法院领导的法院系统组成，包括全国各级下属法院。

1.The Supreme Court

(1)The Supreme Court is the highest court of the United States and is the only

organ which has the power to interpret the Constitution.

(2)The Supreme Court at present consists of a Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices.

1.最高法院

(1)最高法院是美国最高法院，是唯一有权解释宪法的机关。

(2)目前，最高法院有一位首席大法官和八位副大法官。

2.Courts of Appeals and District Courts

(1)The second highest level of the federal judiciary is made up of the courts of appeals.

(2)Below the courts of appeals are the district courts.

2.上诉法院和地方法院

(1)第二级别的联邦司法由上诉法院组成。

(2)上诉法院下面是地区法院。

Ⅴ.State Government

1.State governments have the power to make laws for all citizens that are not granted to the federal government or denied to the states in the US Constitution.

2.Like the federal government,state governments have three branches:executive, legislative,and judicial.

3.The constitutions of the various states differ in some details but generally follow

a pattern similar to that of the federal Constitution.

Ⅴ.各州政府

1.各州政府有权力为所有公民制定法律，而这些法律在美国宪法中没有被联邦政府授予，

也没有被各州拒绝。

2.和联邦政府一样，州政府也实行三权分立体制：行政、立法和司法三权分立。

3.各州的宪法在一些细节上有所不同，但总体上遵循与联邦宪法相似的模式。

Ⅵ.Local Government