12.What is the “rule of law”？
12.什么是“法治”？
Answer:
答案：
Everyone must follow the law
●每个人都得遵守法律
Leaders must obey the law
●领导必须遵守法律
Government must obey the law
●政府必须遵守法律
No one is above the law
●没有人能凌驾于法律之上
Explanation:
解释：
More than 800 years ago, in a city in England, a group of men got together to create a new kind of government. At the time, England was ruled by a king, but the king did not follow the same laws as the rest of the people. So these men wrote a document called the Magna Carta, which said that the king must obey (or follow) the same laws as everyone else. This idea we now call "the rule of law."
800多年前，在英国的一个城市，一些人聚在一起商讨建立新型政府，当时英国由国王统治，但国王没有像平民一样遵守法律，因此，这些人写了一份文件大宪章，提出国王应与平民一样是遵守法律。这就是我们现在所谓的：法治。
Many years later, in 1787, the people who drafted (or planned in writing) the Constitution used the Magna Carta as part of its system of government for the new United States. These people believed in a government for the people and by the people (or a government created and run by American citizens), so the rule of law was put in place (or established) to protect against totalitarianism (or a type of government in which almost everything is controlled by the government) or against mob rule (control of the government by a large group of people, usually using violence to get power). Early Americans felt that the rule of law was central (or very important) to the concept of democracy. They felt that equality, which is the idea that everyone should be treated in the same way under the law, was the only way to be fair to all Americans in all aspects (or parts) of life.
多年以后，在1787年攥写美国宪法的成员引用大宪章作为新政府系统的系统的一部分。他们认为政府应是为了人民，应依靠人民（政府是由美国公民建立的），因此法治的出台是为了防止集权主义（所有权力集中于政府）或暴民统治（通过暴力获得权力的一组人控制政府）。早期美国人认为法治是民主理念的核心，他们认为法律之下的平等对待是对所有美国人才是公平的。
In the United States today, police officers, the president, normal citizens, and everyone else must follow the same laws. No matter how much money or power a person has, he or she cannot be exempt from following (or not have to follow) the law. The “rule of law” also means that all Americans have the right to the same protections under the law. This idea of equal protection under the law is known as due process.
现如今的美国，警察，总统，平民和其余人等都必须遵守法律。不论一个人多有钱，多有权力，都不能不遵守法律。法治也意味着所有美国人在法律范围内受到同等保护，这种同等保护理念就是法定诉讼程序。
Due process is one of the rights guaranteed to all Americans in the Bill of Rights. Rights such as freedom of speech and freedom of religion are better known, but due process is one of the most commonly used rights in the United States. In fact, these are some common phrases that Americans use to express the ideas of due process and the rule of law: “Everyone is equal in the eyes of the law” and “Justice (or the legal system) is blind.”
法定诉讼程序是人权法案中提出的美国人应有的权利。言论自由和宗教自由为人熟知，但法定诉讼程序也使美国最常用的权利之一。事实上，”法律眼中人人平等”，”正义（或法律制度）是盲目的”等就是美国人用来表达法定诉讼程序常用的短语。
12.What is the “rule of law”？
词汇
Magna Carta - a document written in England in 1215 that made the King follow laws of the country
12.什么是“法治”？
*We can see a copy of the Magna Carta at the National Archives in Washington, DC.
Magna Carta—英国1215年编写的让过往遵循国家法律的文件
to draft - to plan something in writing; to begin to write a document
*我们在哥伦比亚区华盛顿国家档案馆可以看到大宪章的抄件。
*How long did it take to draft the company report?
To draft—计划拟写某事；着手写文件
to put in place - to establish something; to implement something
*起草一份公司报告需要多久？
*When Jacquie began working as the manager, she put in place many new rules.
To put in place—建立；执行
totalitarianism - a type of government in which almost everything is controlled by the government
*杰奎当经理后定了很多新规矩。
*Our history teacher said that Nazi Germany is an example of totalitarianism.
Totalitarianism—政府几乎控制所有事情
mob rule - control of the government by a large group of people, usually using violence to get power
*历史老师告诉我们纳粹分子是集权主义的典范。
*Some people worry that if a government is very weak, it encourages mob rule.
Mob rule—由一大群人通过暴力集权控制政府
central - very important; main part; critical
*有些人担心柔弱的政府会导致暴民统治。
*Getting people to vote is central for a democracy to work well.
Central—非常重要；主要部分；关键的
equality - the idea that everyone should be treated in the same way under the law
*民众投票选举是民主做好工作的关键。
*In the past, women were not allowed to vote, so they had to fight for equality with men.
Equality—法律之下人人平等对待
aspect - a part of something; one way of looking at something
*过去女性没有选举权，她们必须抗争获得和男性同样的对待。
*For me, the worst aspect of being a manager is having to tell people that they aren't doing their work well enough.
Aspect—某物的一部分；看某事的一方面
to be exempt from (something) - to not have to follow something; to not have something be applicable to oneself
*对我来说，做经理最坏的一方面是告诉员工她们的工作做的不好。
*In the United States, most churches are exempt from paying property taxes.
To be exempt from (something)—不遵循某事；使某事不适用于自己
due process - the idea of equal protection under the law, and that the government must respect all of a person's rights and follow rules
*美国许多教堂是免付财产税的。
*All Americans can expect the government to follow due process if they have to go to court.
Due process—法律之下平等的保护，政府需尊重民众的所有权利并遵守规则
*所有美国人都希望政府在法庭上能遵守法定诉讼程序。