【美国精神】第14期

 Explanation:   

   The people who created the U.S. government wanted a way to make sure that no one branch (or part) of the government becomes too powerful. They built a system of checks and balances, also known as a separation of powers, into the Constitution.  

 

   We can find one example of checks and balances in the United States’ process for making laws. Congress, or the legislative¹ branch, is responsible for making and passing (or approving) laws. But what if Congress writes and passes a law that is unconstitutional (or that doesn’t follow the Constitution), such as a law that says that Americans no longer have freedom of speech? If a law like this were passed, the President as part of the executive branch could veto (or cancel) the law. Another way to stop this law would be for the Supreme² Court, part of the judicial³ branch, to say that it is against the Constitution, using its power of judicial review (or the power to overturn or undo⁴ laws passed by Congress). In this example, you can see that when one branch tries to do something that does not follow the Constitution, one or both of the other branches can stop that from happening. 

 

   Another good example of the separation of powers is the process by which a person becomes a Supreme Court justice (or a judge on the Supreme Court, the most powerful court in the U.S.). A prospective⁵ (or potential or possible) Justice is first appointed (or chosen) by the president. Congress must then approve of this appointment by getting a majority vote, which means that more than 50% of Congress must vote “yes” for the prospective judge. After receiving approval from Congress, the justice serves a life term (or for the rest of his or her life) on the Supreme Court.  As a Supreme Court judge, he or she can make decisions based on what the Constitution says, without worrying about what Congress or the President think. This way, the Justice can help overturn a law passed by Congress or decide that one of the president’s actions does not follow the law, without worrying about losing his or her job!

 

问题：

What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful? 

Answer:   

•  Checks and balances 

•  Separation of powers 

1 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

2 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

3 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

4 undo   

vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销

参考例句：

• His pride will undo him some day.他的傲慢总有一天会毁了他。
• I managed secretly to undo a corner of the parcel.我悄悄地设法解开了包裹的一角。

5 prospective   

adj.预期的，未来的，前瞻性的

参考例句：

• The story should act as a warning to other prospective buyers.这篇报道应该对其他潜在的购买者起到警示作用。
• They have all these great activities for prospective freshmen.这会举办各种各样的活动来招待未来的新人。