2021届巴蜀中学新高考英语美国文化外刊[01]美国宪法（含注解与翻译）

2021届巴蜀中学新高考英语 美国文化外刊[01] （含翻译与重点词汇短语注解） 美国宪法 1.What is the supreme law of the land? 1.美国的最高法律是哪个？ the supreme law 最高法律 Answer: The Constitution 答案：宪法 Explanation:  Back in 1787, more than 200 years ago, the United States of America didn't exist the way it does today. 解释：追溯到1787年，也就是200多年前，美国并没有今天这样大的版图。 There were just 13 states, and after they gained independence from Great Britain, they had a very weak government. 那时的美国仅有13个州，这些州从英国获得独立后，他们的政府权力很弱。 They struggled to survive (or continue to exist) for several years with this weak government, but they had many problems. 在这个积弱的政府管理下它们挣扎着存在了好几年，但是它们面临着很多问题。 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 group), 因此，这13个州决定齐心协力撰写一份新文件来使这个国家更强大、更统一， so they could work better together as one nation. 这样作为一个国家它们就能更好地协同工作。 unified /ˈjunəfaɪd/ ADJ created from more than one part, group etc 统一的 They called this new document the Constitution. 它们称这个新文件为宪法。 The word "Constitution" comes from the verb to constitute, meaning to put things together. “宪法”一词源自动词“构成”，意思将事物组合在一起。 constitute  /ˈkɒnstɪtjuːt/  verb if several people or things constitute something, they are the parts that form it 组成，构成： We must redefine what constitutes a family.  我们必须对家庭的构成重新定义 为…的成分; 构成： lone parents constitute a great proportion of the poor. 单身的父母们占穷人中的一大部分 The Constitution joined (or put together) the 13 states into a new country. 该宪法将这13个州组合成一个新的国家。 join  sth into... 将...组合成... Since that time, the Constitution has been the supreme (or highest) law in the United States. 从那时起，该宪法就一直是美国的最高法律。 Everyone who lives in the United States must obey (or follow) the Constitution. 每个生活在美国的公民都必须遵守该宪法。 If there is a disagreement over whether something is legal (agrees with the law) or illegal (against the law), 如果对某事是否合法产生分歧， we use the Constitution to help us to resolve (or decide) the issue. 我们就用宪法来帮我们解决该问题。 That's why it is the highest and most important legal docum