The Senate and the House of Representatives together are called Congress, and when Congress is holding a meeting a flag is flying over the capital. 参议院和众议院一起被称为国会，国会召开会议的时候，国会大厦上会有一面旗子在飘动。

Look in the front of this book or any other book and you will see printed there Copyright. 看看这本书或者其他书的前面，你会看到上面印有版权一词。

Just across a park from the capital is a large building with a golden dome on top. 从国会大厦穿过一个公园有一座很大的建筑，上面有金色的圆屋顶，

This building is the Library of Congress.Every one in the United States who prints a book sends two copies of it to this library,  这就是国会图书馆。在美国，任何人要出版一本书都要先送两册到这个图书馆，

and the library sends him a copyright, which means that no one else has the right to copy it or print it without his permission. 然后图书馆会授予他版权，就是说其他人没有他的同意就无权复印或印刷那本书。

In the Library of Congress there are more books than in any other building in the country. 国会图书馆的藏书比美国任何别的建筑物里的书都要多。

Look on your camera or phonograph, or any other machine in your home, and see if you can find the word Patented. 看看你的照相机或留声机，或者家里其他任何机器，看看能不能找到专利这个词。

Anyone in the country who invents anything new and useful—whether it is a fountain pen, an airplane, or a mouse-trap—sends one—a model,  美国任何人发明了新的有用的东西—不管是自来水钢笔、飞机还是老鼠夹—都要送一个—一般称为模型

it is called—to another building in Washington called the Patent Office and asks for a patent. 到华盛顿的另一栋叫做专利局的大楼里，去申请专利。

If the thing is really new and no one has ever made anything of the kind before,  如果这个东西确实是新发明，从来没做过同样的东西，

the Patent Office gives him the sole right to make and sell it, and no one else is allowed to make or sell it. 专利局就会授予他制造和销售这种东西的独享的权利，其他任何人都不允许生产和销售同样的东西。

That is called a patent. 这就叫做专利。

Some of the models are very curious. 有些模型非常稀奇古怪。

One model that some one had invented was a steam-engine that walked with iron legs. 有个人发明的模型是个能用铁腿走路的蒸汽机。

When I was a boy I invented a snapback handkerchief.I would blow my nose, then let go the handkerchief, and a rubber pulled it back into my pocket. 我小时候发明过一种快速返回手帕。擤完鼻涕，我一松开手帕，一根橡皮筋就把它拉回到我的口袋里。

But I didn't get a patent. 但是我没有获得专利。

Parades! Soldiers! Bands of music! Flying flags!  游行！士兵！乐队！飘扬的旗帜！

Some of the greatest parades have passed down a very wide street in Washington called Pennsylvania Avenue, or usually just The Avenue.  有一些大规模的游行都经过华盛顿一条非常宽大的街道，叫宾夕法尼亚大街，人们通常就直接称它大街。

It might be called Parade Avenue.  这条街满可以叫做游行大街。

It stretches from the capital to another building about a mile away that looks like a big bank. 它从国会大厦一直延伸到约1英里外的另一栋建筑物，那栋建筑物看起 来像是座大银行。