pdfsittus_learning_guide_1_100

1、English as a Second Language PodcastPresents:The complete CourseQuestions 1 - 100Contributors:Jessica Brown, Lucy Tse, and Jeff McQuillanCopyright 2008 Center for Educational DevelopmentEnglish as a Second Language PIntroduction to the United StatesThe Complete Course: Questions

2、1 100A: Principles of American Democracy1. What is the supreme law of the land?Answer:The ConstitutionExplanation:Back in 1787, more than 200 years ago, the United States of America didnt exist the way it does today. There were just 13 states, and after they gained independence from Great Britain, t

3、hey had a very weak government. They struggled to survive (or continue to exist) for several years with this weak government, but they had many problems. So the 13 states decided to work together and write a new document (or written record) to make the country stronger and more unified (or as one gr

4、oup), so they could work better together as one nation. They called this new document the Constitution.The word “Constitution” comes from the verb to constitute, meaning to put thingstogether. The Constitution joined (or put together) the 13 states into a new country. Since that time, the Constituti

5、on has been the supreme (or highest) law in the United States. Everyone who lives in the United States must obey (or follow) the Constitution. If there is a disagreement over whether something is legal (agrees with the law) or illegal (against the law), we use the Constitution to help us to resolve

6、(or decide) the issue. Thats why it is the highest and most important legal document in the country.The Constitution was written during the summer of 1787 at a meeting called theConstitutional Convention in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was a long, hot summer that year when the 55 deleg

7、ates (or representatives) met to write this new set of laws. Everyone had a different opinion (or thought or belief) about how the new government should be organized. This is not surprising, since the delegates had many different experiences and backgrounds. They were lawyers, teachers, doctors, and

8、 military men, and more. The delegates also had some things in common: they were all white men (no women or non-whites were allowed to participate in the Constitutional Convention), and they were all wealthy (or had a lot of money) and owned land. The president (or leader) of the Convention was the

9、famous military general, George Washington, who later became the first president of the United States.The delegates discussed and argued for many weeks, but they finally agreed on aset of laws that would form (or create) their new government. The document they produced (or made) is what we call the

10、Constitution.1These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2008). Posting of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited. Contributors to this is course are Jessica Brown, Lucy Tse, and Jeff McQuillan.English as a Second Language Pod

11、Introduction to the United StatesThe Complete Course: Questions 1 100Glossary1. What is the supreme law of the land?document a written record; a report, policy, law, essay, or anything else that iswritten down to share information* We had to sign a lot of documents when we bought o

12、ur home.unified as one group; together* Environmental groups would be stronger if they were unified, but in reality, they fight with each other too much.Constitution the most important legal document in the United States, describingthe national government and how it should work* The first three word

13、s of the U.S. Constitution are We the People.supreme highest; most powerful; most important; best; the biggest possible* The supreme challenge for the future is finding a good source of energy other than oil.to obey to follow; to listen to; to do what one is told to do* When you were a teenager, did

14、 you obey your parents?to resolve to find a solution to a problem; to decide something; to bring an end toa problem or situation* After fighting for two weeks, they resolved their disagreement and became friends again.delegate representative; a person who is sent to a meeting or other event by andfo

15、r another person* I couldnt go to the meeting of nations last week, but I sent my assistant as a delegate.wealthy rich; with a lot of money* She believes that wealthy people should give some of their money to poor people.to form to create; to make; to establish* That organization was formed by a gro

16、up of scientists in 1932.2These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2008). Posting of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited. Contributors to this is course are Jessica Brown, Lucy Tse, and Jeff McQuillan.English as a Second

17、Language PIntroduction to the United StatesThe Complete Course: Questions 1 1002. What does the Constitution do?Answer: It sets up the governmentIt defines the governmentIt protects the basic rights of AmericansExplanation:The United States would be a very different country if it

18、 did not have the U.S. Constitution, because it does three very important things. First, it sets up (or organizes) the government, just like you would organize any organization or business. The U.S. Constitution divides the government into three branches (or parts): the legislative branch, the execu

19、tive branch, and the judicial branch. The legislative branch creates (or makes) the new laws. The executive branch enforces (or makes sure people follow) the laws. The judicial branch is the court system, which interprets (or decides what something means in) the laws and determines (or decides) who

20、is guilty of breaking (or going against) the laws.All three branches are important. The Constitution makes the branches share powerequally, which means that no one branch is stronger than the others. One branch cannot take all the power for itself. We call this sharing “checks and balances.” To chec

21、k here means to control, and to balance means to make things equal. These checks and balances help control the three branches and keep them equal to each other. If one branch tries to take too much power, one of the other branches can put a stop to it.The second important thing that the Constitution

22、 does is to guarantee (or promiseand protect) the rights of all Americans. The representatives at the Constitutional Convention didnt want the government interfering too much in the lives of the people. So they wrote a list of rights a list of things that everyone could do and made them part of the

23、Constitution. These are rights that the federal government guarantees. The federal government is the national government, which makes laws for all of the states. There are also state governments that make laws for each individual state.The third thing the Constitution does is to define (or explain)

24、what powers the stateshave and what powers the federal government has. The states have to make laws that agree with the U.S. Constitution, since the Constitution is the supreme (or highest) law in the country.3These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2008). Posting

25、of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited. Contributors to this is course are Jessica Brown, Lucy Tse, and Jeff McQuillan.English as a Second Language PIntroduction to the United StatesThe Complete Course: Questions 1 100Glossary2. What d

26、oes the Constitution do?branch a part of something, usually of the government or an organization; one ofmany parts* Which branch of the military are you in: the Army, Navy, or Air Force?legislative related to making laws; related to the part of the government thatmakes laws* The U.S. president doesn

27、t have any legislative power and cannot make laws.executive related to enforcing laws or making sure that people follow laws; relatedto the U.S. president* One of the presidents executive powers is to declare war against other countries.judicial related to interpreting the laws (deciding what laws m

28、ean) and decidingwho has broken a law* When did the court make its judicial decision?to interpret to determine or decide what something means* When I saw the no smoking sign, I interpreted it as meaning that I couldnt smoke indoors, but that it would be okay to smoke outdoors.to check to control; to

29、 monitor or observe something to make sure that it is donecorrectly* The vice-president of finance checks the companys spending.to balance to make or keep things equal, so that no part is stronger, bigger, ormore powerful than another part* It is difficult for him to balance his time between his wor

30、k and his family.to guarantee to promise and protect something; to make sure that somethinghappens* Freedom of religion guarantees that Americans can be part of any religion they want to.federal national; related to the entire country* Federal highways are built by the national government; state hig

31、hways are built by the states.to define to explain; to say what something is or what something means* In this business, a good year is defined as a year with more than $1 million in sales.4These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2008). Posting of these materials on

32、 another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited. Contributors to this is course are Jessica Brown, Lucy Tse, and Jeff McQuillan.English as a Second Language PIntroduction to the United StatesThe Complete Course: Questions 1 1003. The idea of self-government is in t

33、he first three words of the Constitution.What are these words?Answer:We the PeopleExplanation:The idea behind the words “We the people” is one of the most important ones in a democracy. A democracy is a government where the citizens (the people who are part of a country) vote for and elect (or choos

34、e) the people who will govern (or lead and make decisions for) them. The United States has a representative democracy, which means that citizens vote for people who then represent them in the government, making laws and decisions that reflect (or are the same as) what the citizens want.These first t

35、hree words of the Constitution, “We the people,” also tell us about themain difference between the United States and the European countries that most of the United States first citizens came from. Back in the 1700s, countries like England and France, where many of the first Americans came from, were

36、 ruled by a monarch (or a king). These monarchs usually inherited their power (or received it because one of their relatives had been a ruler or a king and then died) and often made decisions that their citizens did not like. One of the reasons that the American colonists (or the people who moved to

37、 the new country) fought the Revolutionary War to get their independence from Great Britain was because the colonists felt that the English king, George III, was treating them badly. Americans said that they were fighting the Revolutionary War for the right to self-government, or to have the ability

38、 to create their own government and elect their own officials or leaders.The authors (or writers) of the Constitution were not writing it for just themselves.The writers of the Constitution wrote it on behalf of (or in the name of) all Americans. This is because they believed that for a government t

39、o be fair, it would have to be made by the people (that is, elected by citizens) and for the people, meaning doing things for the good of all citizens, not just a few.5These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2008). Posting of these materials on another website or d

40、istributing them in any way is prohibited. Contributors to this is course are Jessica Brown, Lucy Tse, and Jeff McQuillan.English as a Second Language PIntroduction to the United StatesThe Complete Course: Questions 1 100Glossary3. The idea of self-government is in the first thre

41、e words of the Constitution.citizen a person who is part of a country; a person who belongs to a country* If you want to work in the U.S. government, you must be a U.S. citizen.to elect to select or choose a person to work in a government job* The mayor was elected with 62% of the votes.to govern to

42、 lead and make decisions for a group of people* Russia used to be governed by a tsar and now it is governed by a president.representative democracy a type of government in which citizens vote for peoplewho represent them in the government, usually making laws and decisions that the citizens want* In

43、 a representative democracy, citizens can call their representatives to tell them how they would like them to vote.monarch a king or queen* How long was King Henry I the monarch of England?to inherit to receive something when a relative dies* Isabelle inherited $35,000 when her grandfather died.colo

44、nist a person who lives in an area of land that belongs to a country that is faraway* The first colonists who came to North America from Europe had to work very hard to build farms, towns, and cities.self-government the ability of a group of people to create their own governmentand decide who will r

45、epresent them in that government* Native Americans had to fight for self-government for many years.on behalf of (someone) in the name of someone; doing something for someoneelse or because someone else has asked one to* Id like to accept this award on behalf of Dr. Holmes who couldnt come to the cer

46、emony tonight.6These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2008). Posting of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited. Contributors to this is course are Jessica Brown, Lucy Tse, and Jeff McQuillan.English as a Second Language Po

47、Introduction to the United StatesThe Complete Course: Questions 1 1004. What is an amendment?Answer: A change (to the Constitution)An addition (to the Constitution)Explanation:The men who wrote the U.S. Constitution knew that their document was not perfect. That is why they includ

48、ed ways to change or add laws to the Constitution in the future. The fifth article (or section) of the Constitution says that Americans can change the Constitution in two ways. The first way is to have another Constitutional Convention, a big meeting where representatives from all of the states woul

49、d gather and decide on the changes, just like they did when the Constitution was written in Philadelphia in 1787. This way, however, has never been used. There has never been a second Constitutional Convention.The second and more common way to change the Constitution has two steps. First,Congress (t

50、he group of elected national representatives) passes (or approves) a special law to change or add something to the Constitution. This change or addition is called an amendment. Two-thirds (or 67%) of the members of Congress has to vote in favor of (or say “yes” to approve) this amendment. Then the a

51、mendment must be approved by three-fourths (or 75%) of the states. Getting two-thirds of Congress and three-quarters of the states to agree is not an easy thing to do, and that is why there are not very many amendments to the Constitution. The President cannot create amendments and does not have the

52、 right (or power or ability) to veto, or say no to, amendments. After three-fourths of the states approve the amendment that has already been approved by Congress, the amendment officially becomes part of the Constitution.Many of the rights that Americans believe are extremely important in the Unite

53、dStates are actually not in the original Constitution of 1787. Instead they are in amendments to the Constitution. Freedom of religion, the right to vote regardless of someones skin color or sex (being a man or woman), and who can be a citizen are all described in different amendments to the Constit

54、ution.Amendments can be repealed (or taken back) by passing other amendments. Onlyone amendment has been repealed in the history of the United States. The Eighteenth Amendment made it illegal (or against the law) to make or sell alcohol, such as beer and wine. This amendment was called the Prohibiti

55、on amendment, because to prohibit means not to allow something, or to make something illegal.The Eighteenth Amendment was approved in 1919. However, the Twenty-First Amendment, passed in 1933, repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, so today Americans can make and sell alcohol again.7These materials are

56、copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2008). Posting of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited. Contributors to this is course are Jessica Brown, Lucy Tse, and Jeff McQuillan.English as a Second Language PIntroduction to

57、the United StatesThe Complete Course: Questions 1 100Glossary4. What is an amendment?article a section or part, especially of a legal document* This law has 39 articles.Congress the legislative (lawmaking) part of the U.S. government; the group ofelected national representatives* Have you ever visit

58、ed the building where Congress meets in Washington, DC?amendment a change or addition, especially to the U.S. Constitution* The 19th Amendment made it legal for women vote in the United States.to vote in favor of (something) to vote for something; to vote yes on something;to vote to approve something* Why did you vote in fa