英语国家社会与文化(下)名词解释(中英)

The Resource Management Act 资源管理法案

The Resource Management Act reflects New Zealander’s environmental awareness. Under the Act, laws governing land,air and water resources are combined together to ensure the sustainable management of natural resources. It focuses on the effects of human activities on the whole environment as well. The Act came into force in 1991. With it , New Zealand leads the world in environmental legislation.

资源管理法案反映了新西兰人的环保意识。根据该法案，法律将土地，空气和水资源结合在一起管理，以确保自然资源的可持续管理。它侧重于人类活动对整个环境的影响。该法案于1991生效。有了它，新西兰在环境立法方面领先世界。

Maoritanga 毛利文化

Maoritanga is the Maori word for “ Maori culture. It refers to all the elements of the rich cultural heritage of the indigenous people in New Zealand, including their languages, customs and traditions.

毛利文化是毛利语中的“毛利文化。它是指在新西兰土著居民丰富的文化遗产中的所有元素，包括他们的语言，习俗和传统。

MMPR 混合成员比例代表制

MMPR stands for Mixed Member Proportional Representation. Under this new election system, each voter has two votes, the first one for a candidate in their electorate, the second for a political party. The second vote, when counted nation-wide, decides the number of seats each party will take in Parliament.

MMPR代表混合成员比例代表制。在这种新的选举制度下，每一个选民都有两张选票，第一张是投给选民的候选人，第二个是投给政党的候选人。当第二次投票在全国范围内举行时，将决定各个党派在议会中所占的席数。

The Ombudsman申述专员

The Ombudsman is appointed by Parliament. His responsibilities are to investigate people’s complaints against government departments and local authorities and to make sure that appropriate official information is freely available in accordance to the Official Information Act. There are Chief Ombudsman and specialist ombudsman in various fields.

申诉专员是由议会任命的。他的职责是调查人们对政府部门和地方当局的投诉，并确保根据官方信息法适当的提供免费的官方信息。在各个领域都有首席监察官和专家申诉专员。

Puritanism清教主义

Puritans were those who followed the doctrine of John Calvin and wanted to purify the Church of England. They believe that human beings were predestined by God before they were born. Some were God’s chosen people while others were damned to hell. No church nor good works could save people. The sign of being God’s elect was the success in his work or the prosperity in his calling. They also argued that everyone must read the Bible in order to find God’s will and establish a direct contact with God. These beliefs had great impact on American culture.

清教徒是那些遵循加尔文的学说，想净化英国教会的人。他们认为，人类的命运在出生前就被上帝决定了。有些是被上帝所选择的人，而其他人是注定要去地狱的。没有教堂也没有好的办法可以拯救人们。（一个人）被上帝选中的标志是他在工作上的成功，或是他事业的繁荣。他们还认为，每个人都必须阅读圣经，以了解上帝的意愿，并建立一个与上帝的直接联系。这些信仰对美国文化产生了巨大的影响。

The Declaration of Independence 独立宣言

The Declaration of Independence was mainly drafted by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the Congress on July 4,1776, when the people of 13 English colonies in North America were fighting for their freedom and independence from the British colonial rule. The document declared that all men were equal and that they were entitled to have some unalienable rights such as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It also explained the philosophy of government: the power of governments came from consent of the governed and the purpose of governments were to secure the rights mentioned above. The theory of politics and the guiding principles of the American Revolution mainly came from John Locke.

独立宣言主要由杰佛逊托马斯起草，并于1776年7月4日在国会通过。北美13个英国殖民地的人民为了他们的自由和独立于英国的殖民统治而奋起反抗。该文件宣称所有人都是平等的，他们都有不可剥夺的权利，如生命、自由和对幸福的追求。它也解释了政府的生活信条：政府的权力由被统治者授予，政府的目的是确保上述所提到的权利。政治理论和美国独立战争的指导原理主要来自约翰洛克。

The Articles of Confederation 联邦条例

After the War of Independence was won, the new nation of the United States was organized under the agreement of the Articles of Confederation with a weak national government called the Congress. Each state had its own government, made its own laws and handled its internal affairs. The states did not cooperate with the Congress and with each other. The Congress had no power to force any state to contribute money to the national government and the Congress could not tax any citizen either. As a result, the Articles of Confederation failed.

当独立战争胜利后，新的美国是在联邦条例下由一个不中用的国民政府--国会所组织的。每个州都有它自己的政府，有它自己的法律以及自行处理各自的内部事务。各州都不和国会以及其他州合作。国会没有权利去要求任何一个州为国民政府捐款，也没有向公民征税的权利。所以，联邦条例最后失败了。