A: Principles of American Democracy
A：美国民主原则
1.What is the supreme law of the land?
1.美国的最高法是什么？
Answer:The Constitution
答案：宪法
Explanation:
解释：
Back in 1787, more than 200 years ago, the United States of America didn’t exist the way it does today. There were just 13 states, and after they gained independence from Great Britain, they 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 group), so they could work better together as one nation. They called this new document the Constitution.
追溯到1787年，也就是200多年前的美国并没有今天这样大的版图。当时的美国只有13个州，这些州摆脱英国统治获得自由，但其政府实力很弱。这些政府虽努力存在了好几年但也存在很多问题，因此13个州最后决定共同颁布一份文件能使国家更强大，更团结，更有凝聚力，这部新颁布的文件即是宪法。
The word “Constitution” comes from the verb to constitute, meaning to put things together. The Constitution joined (or put together) the 13 states into a new country. Since that time, the Constitution 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 (or decide) the issue. That’s why it is the highest and most important legal document in the country.
“宪法”一词由其动词组成衍生而来，表示将事情组织到一起。宪法将13州合为一个国家，从那时起，宪法就成为美国的最高法律。每个生活在美国的公民必须遵守宪法。若有任何对一件事是合法或非法的异议最终都由宪法做出解决，这就是宪法作为最高法的原因。
The Constitution was written during the summer of 1787 at a meeting called the Constitutional Convention in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was a long, hot summer that year when the 55 delegates (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 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 famous military general, George Washington, who later became the first president of the United States.
1787年夏天在宾夕法尼亚州费城召开的制宪会议中撰写了宪法。在那个炎热漫长的夏季，55位代表共同商议撰写内容。每个人对新政府的职能组织都有不同见解，这并不奇怪，因为每位代表的经历和背景都不同。在这些代表中，有律师，有老师，有医生，有军人等，不过他们也有共同点：都是白人男士（白人女性，非白色人种不能参加制宪会议），很富有并拥有自己的土地。会议领导是当时著名的军事领袖乔治.华盛顿，他后来成为美国历史上第一位总统。
The delegates discussed and argued for many weeks, but they finally agreed on a set of laws that would form (or create) their new government. The document they produced (or made) is what we call the Constitution.
代表们为宪法内容争论商议了数周后最终出台了一系列法律条款，也就是我们所说的宪法。
Glossary
词汇
1.What is the supreme law of the land?
1.美国的最高法是什么？
document - a written record; a report, policy, law, essay, or anything else that is written down to share information
Document—书写记录；报告，政策，法律，随笔，或其他记录下来分享信息的资料
*We had to sign a lot of documents when we bought our home.
*买房子时我们需要签订很多文件。
unified - as one group; together
Unified—作为一个团体；一起
*Environmental groups would be stronger if they were unified, but in reality, they fight with each other too much.
*如果环境组能团结在一起他们会更强大，但现实中他们总是争锋相对。
Constitution - the most important legal document in the United States, describing the national government and how it should work
Constitution—美国最重要的法律文件，描述国家政府和其运作方式
*The first three words of the U.S. Constitution are "We the People."
*美国宪法的前三个字母是“我们人民”。
supreme - highest; most powerful; most important; best; the biggest possible
Supreme—最高；最权威；最重要；最好；最大可能
*The supreme challenge for the future is finding a good source of energy other than oil.
*未来最大的挑战是找到除石油之外的能源。
to obey - to follow; to listen to; to do what one is told to do
To obey—跟随；听从；听命于某人
*When you were a teenager, did you obey your parents?
*当你小的时候，你会听从你的父母吗？
to resolve - to find a solution to a problem; to decide something; to bring an end to a problem or situation
To resolve—找到解决问题的方法；决定某事；结束问题或情况
*After fighting for two weeks, they resolved their disagreement and became friends again.
*斗了两周后，他们解决了分歧又成为朋友了。
delegate - representative; a person who is sent to a meeting or other event by and for another person
Delegate—代表；一个人代替其他人参加会议或其他事宜
*I couldn't go to the meeting of nations last week, but I sent my assistant as a delegate.
*上周我没能参加国家会议，但派了助理代表去了。
wealthy - rich; with a lot of money
Wealthy—富裕；很有钱
*She believes that wealthy people should give some of their money to poor people.
*她觉得富人应捐献一些钱给穷人。
to form - to create; to make; to establish
To form—创造；做；创立
*That organization was formed by a group of scientists in 1932.
*那个组织是1932年由一些科学家组建的。