01 The Articles of Confederation 邦联条例
During the Revolutionary War， the Continental Congress wrote the Articles of Confederation. These were meant to give the colonies some sense of a unified government. However， once the thirteen colonies became thirteen states， each one began to act alone in its own best interest. In order for these new states to act together， a new governing document was needed. In September 1786， delegates from Maryland， New York， New Jersey， Virginia， Pennsylvania and Delaware met in Annapolis， Maryland. At the Annapolis Convention， these delegates discussed states’ rights. Recognizing the need for a stronger central government， they recommended that a convention be held with the purpose of changing the Articles of Confederation.
The Constitutional Convention of May 1787 was held in Philadelphia， Pennsylvania. Delegates from 12 of the 13 states were present. The state of Rhode Island refused to send a delegate because it was afraid of losing its states’ rights. For 4 months， the delegates worked behind the closed doors of the statehouse to draft a new document， which would be known later as the Constitution.
Vocabulary 词汇
continental ["k？nti"nent？l] adj. 大陆的、大陆性的、欧洲大陆的
colony ["k？l？ni] n. 殖民地、聚居地、聚居的同类人、（动植物的）群体、集群
document ["d？kjum？nt] n. 公文、文件、文献；
vt. 证明、记录、记载
convention [k？n"ven？？n] n. （某一职业、政党等的人士召开的）大会、习俗、协议
Practice
Circle the letter of the correct answer for each question.
1．When did the Continental Congress write the Articles of Confederation？
a．before the Declaration of Independence b．after the Revolutionary War
c．during the Revolutionary War d．after the Constitution
2．Which state refused to send a delegate to the Constitutional Convention？
a．New York b．Rhode Island
c．Maryland d．Georgia
3．City in which the Constitutional Convention was held？
a．Rhode Island b．Philadelphia
c．Annapolis d．Maryland
4．Which was NOT a concern of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention？
a．to discuss states’ rights
b．to create a stronger central government
c．to create a weaker central government
d．to save the Articles of Confederation
译文
在美国革命战争期间，大陆会议起草了《邦联条例》。这些条例使殖民地的民众对统一政府有了一定的概念。尽管如此，一旦13个殖民地成为13个州，各个州都只顾自己州的利益。为了使这些州团结一致，就需要一个崭新的政府。在1786年9月，来自马里兰、纽约、新泽西州、维吉尼亚州、宾夕法尼亚州和特拉华州的代表聚集在马里兰的安纳波利斯。在安纳波利斯会议上，代表们就各个州的权利进行了讨论。在建立一个强有力的中央政府的问题上达成一致，他们还建议在此次会议上对《邦联条例》进行修改。
1787年5月，在宾夕法尼亚州费城举行的制宪会议上，有13个州的12位代表出席，罗得岛州因害怕失去州的权利而拒绝参加。在四个月内，代表们在州议会的议场，秘密起草了一份新的文件，这份文件就是后来为大家所熟知的宪法。
练习
在正确的答案前面打勾。
1．大陆会议什么时候起草了邦联条例？
a．在独立宣言之前 b．在革命战争之后
c．在革命战争期间 d．在宪法制定之后
2．哪个州拒绝参加制宪会议？
a．纽约 b．罗得岛 c．马里兰 d．乔治亚州
3．制宪会议在哪个州举办？
a．罗得岛 b．费城 c．安纳波利斯 d．马里兰
4．以下哪项是代表们在制宪会议上不关心的？
a．讨论各个州的权利 b．建立一个强有力的中央政府
c．建立一个无能的中央政府 d．保留邦联条例
1．c 2．b 3．b 4．c
02 The Three Branches of Government 政府的三个部门
Delegates to the Constitutional Convention first designated which powers would be given to the federal government. They needed to decide how these powers would be divided， since they did not want them to all be controlled by one man or group alone. The delegates feared that if any small group was given too much power， the United States would once again be under the rule of another tyrant.
To avoid the threat of tyranny， the group divided the new government into three parts， or branches： the executive branch， the legislative branch and the judicial branch.
Legislative Branch： Headed by Congress， which consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The main task of these two bodies is to make the laws by which our government operates. Its powers include passing laws， originating spending bills （House）， impeaching officials （Senate） and approving treaties （Senate）.
Executive Branch： Headed by the president. The president carries out federal laws and recommends new ones， directs national defense and foreign policy， and performs ceremonial duties. Powers include administering government， commanding the Armed Forces， dealing with international powers， acting as chief law enforcement office and vetoing laws.
Judicial Branch： Headed by the Supreme Court. Its powers Include interpreting the Constitution， reviewing laws and deciding cases involving states’ rights.
Vocabulary 词汇
delegate ["deliɡit] n. 代表、代表团成员；
["deliɡeit] vt. 任命或委派……为代表、托付
tyrant ["tai？r？nt] n. 专制统治者、暴君
executive [iɡ"zekjutiv] n. 主管、高级行政人员、行政部门；
adj. 执行的、行政的
legislative ["led？isl？tiv] adj. 立法的
judicial [d？u： "di？？l] adj. 司法的、法庭的、明断的、公正的
originate [？"rid？ineit] vi. 起源于、产生；
vt. 创造、开创、发明
impeach [im"pi：t？] vt. 控告（某人）犯罪、弹劾、提出异议
treaty ["tri：ti] n. 条约、协议、协商
ceremonial ["seri"m？unj？l] adj. 礼仪的、仪式的
enforcement [in"f？：sm？nt] n. 强制、实施、执行
veto ["vi：t？u] n. 否决权、否认权、行使否决权；
vt. 否决、不同意
interpret [in"t？：prit] vt. 解释、说明；
vt. & vi. 口译、翻译
Practice
Match the power with the branch that is responsible for it.
1．Interprets the law
2．Performs ceremonial duties
3．Makes the laws
4．Settles states’ disputes
5．Directs foreign policy
A．Executive Branch
B．Legislative Branch
C．Judicial Branch
译文
参加第一次制宪会议的代表指定了联邦政府的职能，他们需要将政府职能分开，因为他们不想政府仅由一个人或一组人控制。代表们害怕如果任何一个团队的权力过大，美国就将再一次陷入另外一个暴君的统治。
为了避免存在暴君的威胁，代表们把新政府分成三部分或分支：行政，立法和司法。
立法：以国会为首，由众议院和参议院组成。这两个议院的主要任务是制定政府运作的规章制度。权力包括制定法律、审批开支要求（众议院），弹劾官员（参议院）和批准条款（参议院）。
行政：以总统为首。总统执行联邦法律，提出新的法律意见，管理国防部，处理外交事务，代表国家出席公开场合。权力包括管理政府、指挥陆海空三军、指导外交政策、监督法律的实施和对法律有否决权。
司法：以最高法院为首。权力包括诠释宪法、评论法律条款、判决涉及各州权力的案件。
练习
将各部门的职能与以下权力相匹配。
1．诠释法律条款
2．出席公开场合 A．行政
3．制定法律` B．立法
4．处理各州间的争端 C．司法
5．指导外交政策
1．C 2．A 3．B 4．C 5．A
03 President 历史上伟大的总统