VOA常速英语2017--美国宪法规定三权分立（在线收听）

One of the fundamental principles of the United States Constitution, the law of the land, is the balance and separation of power among the three branches of the Government: the Legislative, or law-making branch that is the U.S. Congress, the Executive branch which is headed by the President, and the Judiciary, which interprets the law at every level and settles legal disputes regarding the meaning and the application of the law.

美国宪法这个根本大法最基本的原则之一就是其三大权力部门之间的分权与制衡：立法分支——美国国会、行政分支——由美国总统领导、司法分支——诠释法律并解决由法律含义和实施所引起的法律纠纷。

The distribution of power among the three branches is meant to ensure that no one branch of the government is able to gain a disproportionate amount of power over the other two.

在三大分支间分权是为了确保没有任何一个政府分支可以掌握超过另外两个分支的过大权力。

Each branch has separate and unique powers the others cannot impinge upon, but which are nonetheless subject to acceptance or rejection by the other two branches. This is how the balance of power is kept in check.

每个分支的权力分离，不同于彼此，因此也就不受其他权力分支的干涉，但却要受制于其他两个分支同意和否决的决定。这就会权力制衡的原理。

Thus, the Congress writes and enacts laws. It sets budgets and taxes and authorizes borrowing. It is the only body that can declare war. The Congress may override a presidential veto with a 60 percent vote.

综上所述，国会制定并颁发法律。国会设定预算、税收，并为借贷授权。国会也是唯一一个可以宣战的分支。而且，在达到了60%赞成票的情况下，国会可以无视总统的否决而通过决议。

Both the House of Representatives and the Senate initiate bills, or potential laws. The Senate also ratifies treaties, and confirms presidential appointments to federal posts.

众议院和参议院议员都可以发起议案（未正式通过的法律）。此外，参议院还可以批准各种条约，以及确认总统指定的联邦政府职位人选。

The House of Representatives creates federal judgeships and courts except for the Supreme Court, and has the ability to start impeachment proceedings against federal officials, including the President.

众议院有权为联邦政府任命法官和法院（除最高法院外）。众议院还可以对联邦政府的官员发起弹劾机制，总统也不能幸免于此。

Once proposed legislation passes through both Houses of the Congress, it goes to the President, who either signs the bill into law or vetoes it. In addition, the President is the Commander in Chief of all armed forces, has the power to make treaties and appointments to federal posts, and ensures that federal laws are executed throughout the country.

一旦提起的立法方案通过了两院的批准，就轮到总统做批准实施或否决的决定。此外，总统掌握所有武装部队的军权，因此总统有权为联邦政府的各个职位确定条约以及任命人选，总统还要确保联邦法律在美国全境内得到实施。

The Judicial branch of the Government, which includes the Supreme Court and all lower Federal courts, decides the meaning of laws, how to apply them to real situations, and whether a law breaks the rules of the Constitution.

美国政府的司法分支包括最高法院和各级地方法院，对法律有着最终解释权，还决定着法律在不同情况下的实施方式，以及某项法律是否与宪法相冲突。

The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands... may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny, wrote James Madison, the Father of the Constitution.

一旦所有权力，即立法权、司法权、行政权掌握于同一方之手，就可以称之为暴政，这是宪法之父詹姆斯 麦迪逊(James Madison)的原话。

The defect must be supplied by so contriving the interior structure of the government, as that its several constituent parts may, by their mutual relations, be the means of keeping each other in their proper places.

这种可能的缺陷必须要通过设定政府内部架构的方式来弥补，让政府的几个组成分支通过相互之间的关系来恰如其分地制约彼此，各行其是。