美国政体

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民主党和共和党是美国两个主要 政党。民主党于1791年建党，当 时由部分种植园主、农民和某些 与南方奴隶主有联系的资本家组 成。 民主党和共和党两党党员人数不 固定，选举时投哪一党的票就算 该党党员，也无固定的政治纲领， 只有4年一次的竞选纲领。其它 党派有共产党、社会党、社会劳 工党、社会主义工人党等，但都 影响较小。
PART B
Within the national government, power is divided among three branches:_______, _______, and _______ branches. I. The legislative branch consists of Congress, which has two parts:___________ and __________.Congress’ main function is to __________. II. __________ is the head of the executive branch and the country. The function of executive branch is to ____________. In addition to ______, ______, and _______, the executive branch consists of _________. III. The function of the judicial branch is to ________ and make sure that ______________________________.There are several levels of federal courts. The _______ is the most important. It has _____ members, who are appointed ______.
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PART A
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. What does “indirect democracy” mean? Why does the US Constitution seem to work as well today as when it was written in 1787? What is the system of checks and balances in the three branches of government meant to do? Does the president have to be from the party that has a majority in the Congress? Why or why not? What are the differences between the Republicans and the Democrats in general? Why do some experts think television may have contributed to the problem of fewer voters in recent years?
The Key
A
1. 2. It means that the people rule through representatives they elect. One reason is that the Constitution can be amended, or changed. Another reason is that the Constitution is flexible: its basic principles can be applied and interpreted differently at different times. It is meant to prevent any branch from having too much power. Each branch has certain controls over the other branches. No, he doesn't, because a voter can choose candidates from different parties. For example, they can vote for a Republican President and a Democrat senator. The Republicans tend to be more conservative and to have more support among the upper classes, while the Democrats tend to be more liberal and to have more support among the working classes and the poor. Because candidates today often campaign mainly through brief TV appearances and commercials. Instead of explaining their views in detail, they try to make their opponents look bad. Understandably, in the end many voters do not feel enthusiastic about any candidate.
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B
the legislative，executive，judicial I. the House of Representatives，the Senate，make laws II. The President，administer the laws，the President， the Vice-President，their staffs，departments and agencies III. interpret the laws，new laws are in keeping with the Constitution，Supreme Court，nine，for life
Task 2
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美国政府体制始于一七七六年，最初只是一个基于 自由和民主理念的试验。但是，历史证明，它是一种相 当富有活力和适应性的体制。 美国常被称作是一个民主政体，但更确切地说，美 国实行的是宪政联邦共和制（constitutional federal republic）。“宪政”（“constitutional”）是指美国 政府是建立在宪法基础上，这部《宪法》是国家的最高 法律──不仅确定联邦和州政府的结构，而且确立了政 府的权限。“联邦”（“federal”）体现在美国的体制 是由一个全国政府和五十个州政府组成。“共和制” （“republic”）则是指一个由人民掌权、但由人民选出 的代表执政的政体。 宪法的作用《美利坚合众国宪法》（The U.S. Constitution）诞生于一七八七年，是美国政体的蓝图。 它规定政府由三个分支组成（立法、行政、司法），并 且确定了它们的权力和任职方式。 《宪法》的最重要特征之一，是创立了三权分立的 制衡体制，使政府的任一分支都对其他两个分支具有某 种约束力。例如，司法分支的最高法院大法官要由行政 分支的总统任命，随后还必须得到立法分支的参议院批 准。同样，最高法院大法官能够推翻由国会制定和总统 签署的法律。这种制衡关系使政府的任何一个部门都无 法独揽大权。
THE END
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