下载掌阅APP，畅读海量书库
立即打开
Except from The Declaration ofIndependence When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people todissolvethe political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws Nature and Nature's God entitle them, adecentrespect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certainunalienablerights, that they are among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among them, deriving their just power from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomesdestructiveof these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or toabolishit, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath
shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses andusurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. Such has been the patientsufferanceof these Colonies; and such is now the necessity, which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is usurpations, all having in direct objecttyrannyover these States.
《独立宣言》节选
在人类发展历程中，当一个民族必须解除和另一个民族的政治联系，并按照自然法规和上帝赋予他们的权力，以独立平等的身份立于世界列国之林，出于对人类言论的尊重，他们必须将独立的原因公布于众。我们认为真相是不言而喻的，人生而平等，他们被造物主赋予不可剥夺的权利，这些权利是：生存、自由和追求幸福的权利。为了保障这些权利不被剥夺，人们建立政府，政府的权利是经被统治者同意的。无论何时，任何政府损害了这些权利，人民都有权利改变或推翻它，在同样的基础上，建立一个新政府，以相同的方式组织其权力方式，确保这个政府最能保护他们的安全，守卫他们的幸福。谨慎地说，成立多年的政府不应被偶然的事件轻易改变，相应的所有的经验都表明只要还能忍受，人类还是更愿忍受的，也不愿为了自己的权利废除已经习惯的政府。然而，当始终追求同一目标的一系列滥用职权和强取豪夺的行为表明政府企图把人民压于暴政之下，人民就有权利也有义务推翻这样的政府，并为其未来的安全提供新的保障。这就是这些殖民地过去忍受苦难的经过，也是他们现在不得不改变政府制度的原因。大不列颠王国的历史，就是屡屡伤害和掠夺这些殖民地的历史，其直接目标就是要在各州之上建立一个独裁暴政。
词汇 Vocabulary
1 independence [,indiˈpendəns] n. 独立；自立；自主
2 dissolve [diˈzɔlv] v. 分解；使融化；使溶解；使液化；融化
3 decent [ˈdi:snt] a. 有分寸的，大方的，得体的
4 unalienable [,ʌnˈeiljənəbl] a. 不可剥夺的
5 destructive [disˈtrʌktiv] a. 破坏的；消极的，无帮助的；毁灭性的
6 abolish [əˈbɔliʃ] v. 废止；废除
7 usurpation [,ju:zə:ˈpeiʃən] n. 篡夺；侵占；夺取
8 sufferance [ˈsʌfərəns] n. 忍受，忍耐；痛苦；忍耐力；苦难
9 tyranny [ˈtirəni] n. 压治统治，暴政
人物介绍 profile
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743—July 4, 1826) was the third President of the United States (1801-1809) and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776). As influential Founding Father, Jefferson envisioned America as a great "Empire of Liberty" that would promote republicanism.
托马斯·杰弗逊（1743年4月13日－1826年7月4日），是美国第三任总统（1801~1809年），是1776年《独立宣言》的主要起草委员。作为影响深远的建国之父，杰弗逊见证了美国作为一个自由帝国促进民主的过程。
Tips
《美国独立宣言》（United States Declaration of Independence），为北美洲十三个英属殖民地宣告大不列颠王国独立，并宣明此举正当性之文告。1776年7月4日，本宣言由第二次大陆会议于费城批准，当日兹后成为美国独立纪念日。宣言之原件由大陆会议出席代表共同签署，并永久展示于美国华盛顿特区之国家档案与文件署（National Archives and Records Administration）。此宣言为美国最重要的立国文书之一。
The Legislative Branch Established by Article I of the Constitution, the Legislative Branch consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate, which together form the United States Congress. The Constitution grants Congress the sole authority to enact legislation and declare war, the right to confirm or reject many Presidential appointments, and substantial investigative powers. The House of Representatives is made up of 435 elected members, divided among the 50 states in proportion to their total population. In addition, there are 6 non-voting members, representing the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and five territories of the United States. The presiding officer of the chamber is the Speaker of the House, elected by the Representatives. The Senate is composed of 100 Senators, 2 for each state. Until the ratification of the 17th Amendment in 193, Senators were chosen by state legislatures, not by popular vote. Since then, they have been elected to six-year terms by the people of each state. The Executive Branch The power of the Executive Branch is vested in the President of the United States, who also acts as head of state and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The President is responsible for implementing and enforcing the laws written by Congress and, to that end, appoints the heads of the federal agencies, including the Cabinet. The Vice President is also part of the Executive Branch, ready to assume the Presidency when it is needed. The Judicial Branch Where the Executive and Legislative branches are elected by the people, members of the Judicial Branch are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Article III of the Constitution, which establishes the Judicial Branch, leaves Congress significant discretion to determine the shape and structure of the federal judiciary. Even the number of Supreme Court Justices is left to Congress — at times there have been as few as six, while the current number (nine, with one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices) has only been in place since 1869. The Constitution also grants Congress the power to establish courts inferior to the Supreme Court, and to that end Congress has established the United States district courts, which try most federal cases, and 13 United States courts of appeals, which review appealed district court cases.
立法、行政、司法三权分立
立法机关
由宪法第一条规定：立法机关包括众议院和参议院，同时二者组成美国国会。宪法赋予国会单独的职权制定法律并宣布作战，国会也拥有确定或拒绝总统访问的权利，以及关键的调查权。众议院是由435名被选入的代表组成，这些代表来自50个州，每个州的代表人数根据州人口总数按比例分配。另外，有6名非投票代表，代表哥伦比亚特区、波多黎各共和国和美国的5块领土。审裁官是由众议院选举出的美国众议院议长。参议院由100名参议员组成，每个州2名。直到193年第17次修正案通过，参议员都是由州立法机关选出的，而不是由民众选出的。但从那时开始，参议员的选举就改为通过每个三权分立州的民众每6年选举一次。
行政机关
行政机关的职能是为美国总统服务，同时是三军统帅。总统负责贯彻执行国会通过的法律，任命联邦机关的领导，包括任命内阁。副总统也是行政分支的一部分，如果有需要会代替总统执行权力。
司法机关
行政机关和立法机关都是人民选出的，司法机关则是由总统指认并经参议院通过的。宪法第三条，建立了司法分支，使国会拥有很大的裁量权来决定联邦司法机关的规模和结构。甚至连高级法院法官人数也可以由国会决定——以前的人数是6名，现在的人数（9名，1名大法官和8名助理大法官）是1869年决定的。宪法也赋予国会建立级别比高级法院低的法庭，这样国会就可以建立美国特区法院，一般都处理联邦案件。上诉法院有13个，可以重申特区法院上诉的案例。
词汇 Vocabulary
1 legislative [ˈledʒis,leitiv] n. 立法机构，立法权 a. 立法的，有立法权的
2 executive [iɡˈzekjutiv] n. 执行者；经理主管人员 a. 有执行权的
3 representative [,repriˈzentətiv] n. 代表，典型 a. 描写的，表现的
4 substantial [səbˈstænʃəl] a. 实质上的，有内容的，物质的
5 commander [kəˈmɑ:ndə] n. 司令官；指挥官
6 implement [ˈimplimənt] n. 工具；器具 v. 实现，执行，使生效
7 federal [ˈfedərəl] a. 联邦的，同盟的，联合的
8 judicial [dʒu(:)ˈdiʃəl] a. 法庭的，审判上的，公正的
9 constitution [,kɔnstiˈtju:ʃən] n. 宪法；体质，构造
10 supreme [sju:ˈpri:m] a. 至高的，极端的，终极的
相关介绍 profile
三权分立是一个政治学说，主张政府的立法、行政与司法职权范围要分明，以免滥用权力。三权分立原则的起源可追溯至亚里士多德时代。继洛克之后，法国启蒙思想家孟德斯鸠更进一步发展了分权理论，提出著名的“三权分立”理论。他在《论法的精神》中，将国家权力分为三种：立法权、行政权和司法权。所谓三权分立，就是通过法律规定，将三种权力分别交给三个不同的国家机关执掌，既保持各自的权限，又要相互制约保持平衡。孟德斯鸠这一思想对美国的宪法制定者影响很大，美国宪法规定，国会可以弹劾总统，但是美国建国200多年来只有几个总统遭受弹劾提案。1974年，尼克松总统就因水门事件而主动宣布辞职，没有受到弹劾。1999年美国参议院也否决了对克林顿总统弹劾案。
Tips
三权分立制度就是国家的立法、行政、司法三权分别由三个机关独立行使，并相互制衡的制度。美国是实行三权分立制度的典型国家。美国宪法规定：立法权属于由参、众两院组成的合众国国会；行政权属于美国总统；司法权属于最高法院及国会随时制定与设立的下级法院。
本文是12岁的少女伊阿娜·怀克斯勒在美国民主党全国代表大会上发表的演说。
My name is Ilana Wexler. I'm 12 years old, and I am the founder of "Kids for Kerry". "Kids for Kerry" is a grassroots organization of kids that support John Kerry, want to help their futures, and get active in politics.
When my parents went to see Teresa Heinz Kerry speak, they told me that she was amazing!—And that they thought John Kerry would make a great President. I decided to find out more about John Kerry. I talk about what I learned by using my ABCs. "A" is America. John Kerry is a hero to America, and he will help our futures. He is a great and positive role model. "B" is Better education. John Kerry wants to make class sizes smaller, so that children...so that children get the best part out of learning. He wants to help teachers because being a teacher is educating children, and letting them out into the world to do good things. "C" is Compassion towards children. John Kerry wants to make sure that health care is not a privilege, but it is something that we can all afford. This summer, I was supposed to go to my favorite camp. But instead, I decided to go to the John Kerry office every day. Kids can really help! On KidsforKerry.org, we have an interactive presidential quiz. There are 270 questions for the electoral votes, John Kerry will win. Plus, 25 questions to make up for Florida from the last election.
Our next goal is to have a petition for "National No Name-Calling Day," a day that the candidates don't say anything negative about one another. When our Vice President had a disagreement with a Democratic senator, he used a REALLY BAD word. If I said that... if I said that word, I would be put in a "time-out." I think he should be put in a time-out.
The last time I saw John Kerry, he grabbed my arm and said, "See you at the convention." And here I am! What will be even more amazing will be the inauguration in January, when we have a new President, knowing that kids have made a difference in this election. To summarize, Teresa Heinz Kerry: Inspirational, amazing!
Kids need...kids need positive ...kids need positive role models in politics. And our Vice President deserves a long time-out.
Kids—kids, this is about our futures. Make sure all adults you know get out and vote. We can have a voice today! Thank you!
我叫伊阿娜·怀克斯勒，今年12岁，我是“支持克里儿童组织”的创办人。“支持克里儿童组织”是一个由孩子们组成的基层组织，我们支持约翰克里，以求改善我们的未来，并积极参与到政治活动中。
当我父母听完特里萨·海因茨·克里演讲后，他们告诉我，她非常的棒。他们还认为约翰·克里可以做一个伟大的总统。我决定寻找更多关于约翰·克里的资料。我想用字母ABC来谈谈我对克里的了解。A代表美国。约翰·克里是美国的英雄，他将为我们开创美好的未来。他是一个伟大、正面的榜样。B代表更好的教育环境。约翰·克里希望缩小课堂规模，从而使孩子们得到最佳的学习效果。他希望帮助老师，因为教师的职责是教书育人，引导孩子们走进社会做善事。C代表对孩子的怜恤。约翰·克里希望做到：享受医疗保健不再只是某些人的特权，而是我们所有人都能负担得起的。这个夏天，我本来应该去参加我最喜欢的夏令营。但是相反，我决定每天到约翰·克里的办公室去。孩子们是可以帮上忙的！在KidsforKerry.org网站上，我们设置了一个关于总统竞选的互动测验。270个问题，代表着克里将赢得的270张电子选票。另外还有25个问题，是为了弥补上届大选佛罗里达州失去的25张选票。
我们下一个目标是为“全国无谩骂日”请愿，不再让候选人互相指责对方的不是。当我们的副总编与一个民主党参议员意见不合的时候，他用了一个很脏的字眼。如果我说了那个词，我会被罚出场外。我觉得他也应该被罚出场外。
上次我见到约翰·克里的时候，他拉住我的胳膊说：“大会上见！”所以我来了！更让人惊喜的是明年一月份，在就职典礼上，我们会有一位新总统，而孩子们也为这次选举贡献了一份力。总结一下，特里萨·海因茨·克里，鼓舞人心，太棒了！
孩子需要政治中的正面榜样。而我们的副总统应该被长时间罚出局。
小孩们——小孩们这关系着我们的未来。让你们认识的所有大人们都来投票吧。我们今天可以发表自己的观点了。谢谢！
词汇 Vocabulary
1 grassroots [ˈɡrɑ:sru:ts] a. 基层的，一般民众的；乡村的
2 compassion [kəmˈpæʃən] n. 同情；怜悯
3 privilege [ˈprivilidʒ] n. 特权，基本人权，特别恩典
4 interactive [,intərˈæktiv] a. 交互式的，相互的行动
5 presidential [,preziˈdenʃəl] a. 总统的，总统选举的，首长的
6 electoral [iˈlektər(ə)l] a. 选举人的，选举的
7 candidate [ˈkændidit] a. 候选人；应试者，攻读学位者；候补者
8 convention [kənˈvenʃən] n. 大会；习俗；协定
9 inauguration [i,nɔ:ɡjuˈreiʃən] n. 就职典礼；开幕式
10 inspirational [,inspəˈreiʃənəl] a. 带有灵感的；鼓舞人心的
相关介绍 profile
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's social liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous operation in the United States, and is one of the oldest political parties in the world.
美国民主党是美国目前的两大政党之一，另一大政党是共和党。从美国的政治立场上看，民主党在社会自由和改革的立场上普遍被认为是左倾。该党有美国历史上连续执政时间最长的记录，也是世界上最古老政党之一。
Tips
12岁的少女伊阿娜·怀克斯勒在美国民主党全国代表大会上发表演说，抨击副总统切尼，赢得满堂彩。伊阿娜是奥克兰的一名七年级学生，她建立了一个“支持克里儿童组织”，全身心地投入了为克里助选中去。在当天现场，全体民主党代表对伊阿娜的演讲不断地报以欢呼，伊阿娜的父母为此流出了自豪的泪水。
本文是施瓦辛格在共和党全国代表大会的演讲。
Let me tell you about the sacrifice and commitment I've seen firsthand. In one of the military hospitals I visited, I met a young guy who was in bad shape. He'd lost a leg, had a hole in his stomach ... his shoulder had been shot through.
I could tell there was no way he could ever return to combat. But when I asked him, "When do you think you'll get out of the hospital?" He said, "Sir, in three weeks." And do you know what he said to me then? He said he was going to get a new leg ... and get some therapy ... and then he was going back to Iraq to serve alongside his buddies! He grinned at me and said, "Arnold ... I'll be back!"
Ladies and gentlemen, America is back! Back from the attack on our homeland — back from the attack on our economy, back from the attack on our way of life.
We're back because of the perseverance, character and leadership of the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush.
My fellow Americans ...I want you to know that I believe with all my heart that America remains "the great idea" that inspires the world. It's a privilege to be born here. It's an honor to become a citizen here. It's a gift to raise your family here to vote here and to live here.
Our president, George W. Bush, has worked hard to protect and preserve the American dream for all of us. That's why I say ... send him back to Washington for four more years!
Thank you, America — and God bless you all!
让我来给你们讲一个我亲眼见到的关于牺牲和承诺的故事。有一次我参观一家军队医院，我遇见了一个小伙子，他情况很糟糕。他失去了一条腿，肚子上还有个洞，他的肩膀也被打穿。
我跟你们说，他根本没法回到战场。但是当我问他：“你觉得你什么时候可以出院？”他说：“长官，三周就可以。”你们知道他接下来跟我说什么吗？他说他要装一条假腿，治疗一段时间，然后回到伊拉克去与他的队友们并肩作战！他看着我笑笑，说：“阿诺德，我会回去的！”
女士们和先生们，美国又重生了！从我们遭受袭击之后，又重生了！从我们遭受经济危机之后，又重生了！从我们的生活方式遭到损害后，又重生了！我们得以重生是因为我们拥有美国第43任总统乔治·布什的坚持、品性和领导。
我的美国同胞们，我想让你们知道我真心认为美国有很棒的想法激励着全世界。生在这里是一种特权。成为这里的公民是一种骄傲。在这里养育你的家庭并安居乐业是一种才能。
我们的总统，乔治·布什，努力保护和实现我们的美国梦。这就是为什么我想说让他继续在华盛顿为我们服务四年！
谢谢你，美国——愿上帝保佑你们！
词汇 Vocabulary
1 sacrifice [ˈsækrifais] n. 祭牲，祭品；牺牲 v. 赔本出售；献出
2 commitment [kəˈmitmənt] n. 托付，交托；下狱；委任；收监
3 combat [ˈkɔmbət] n. 争斗，战斗 v. 与……战斗，反对；战斗
4 therapy [ˈθerəpi] n. 治疗，疗法
5 grin [ɡrin] n. 露齿笑；裂口笑 v. 露齿而笑；龇牙咧嘴
6 perseverance [,pə:siˈviərəns] n. 毅力，不屈不挠，忍耐
7 privilege [ˈprivilidʒ] v. 给与……特权，特免
人物介绍 profile
Michael Stephen Steele (October 19, 1958) is an American politician who served as the first African-American chairman of the Republican National Committee from January 2009 until January 2011. From 2003 to 2007, he was the seventh Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, the first African American elected to statewide office in Maryland.
迈克尔·斯蒂芬·斯蒂尔（1958年10月19日），美国政治家，2009年1月到2011年1月期间，任美国共和党全国委员会主席，他是首位非洲裔美国共和党主席。2003~2007年，他当选马里兰州第七任副州长，是马里兰州首位非洲裔美籍执政党。
Tips
美国政党共和党（Republican Party），又常被简称为GOP（Grand Old Party，大老党），是美国当代的两大主要政党之一，另一个是民主党。1856年创党以来，共和党在39届总统选战中赢得了23届，包括了最近10届中的6届；自从那时开始29位美国总统有18位都是共和党人。共和党创立于1854年，结合了当时反对奴隶制度扩张的政治势力。在现代政治中，共和党则被视为是社会保守主义和经济古典自由主义的政党。前任美国总统乔治·沃克·布什是共和党籍。