16.Who makes federal laws?
16.联邦法律是由谁制定的？
Answer:
答案：
Congress
●国会
Senate and House (of Representatives)
●参议院和众议院
(U.S. or national) legislature
●（美国或国家）立法部
Explanation:
解释：
Making a federal (or national) law in the United States is a complex (or complicated and not simple) process that takes a lot of time. This is good, because it means that the laws can’t be easily changed. New laws can be made only when a lot of people agree that they are a good idea.
美国制定一条法律是一个既耗时又复杂的过程，不过这样的好处是法律不容易变更。只有许多人认为可行时新的法律才会出台。
Federal (or national) laws can be made only by the national legislature (or the part of the government that makes laws), which is known as Congress. Congress is a bicameral legislature, meaning that it has two chambers (or parts). The two parts are the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate and the House are equal partners, meaning that they have the same amount of power. A law cannot be enacted (or created) without the consent (or agreement) of both chambers.
只有国家立法部（或政府立法部门）即国会才能制定联邦（或国家）法律。国会是两院制立法，分为两个成员组（或部分）。两部分分别是参议员和众议院，两院是平等的，权力相同。一项法律的执行必须经过两院的同意。
When people want to create a new law, they speak with their senator or representative, who will then write a bill, which is a proposal or an idea for a new law. That bill is given a special number to identify it and then copies are made for all the people in that chamber. Then the bill is sent to a committee (or a small group of people working together for a specific purpose) that specializes in that topic. The committee discusses (or talks about) the bill and the committee can make changes to the bill if it wants to. Then it tells the full chamber what it thinks about whether the bill should become a law.
若有人想新建法律，就要和他们的参议员或代表沟通，由代表们同意书写新法提议或理念的议案。为便于区分，会对法案进行编号，然后给议院成员们人手复印一份。议案随后被提交到专门负责该论题的委员会（为一特定目的在一起工作的小组人）。委员会对法案进行讨论并有权力更改法案。最后委员会通知议院该法案是否通过。
Next, the full chamber debates (or talks about the reasons for or against the bill) and votes on the bill. If the bill passes (or is approved) in one chamber, then it is sent to the other chamber. For example, if it passes in the Senate, then it is sent to the House of Representatives. Just like in the other chamber, a committee discusses the bill and might make changes before it is debated and voted on by the full chamber. If the second chamber also approves the bill, then committees from both chambers meet to work out the differences (or to find a way to agree) on the two different versions of the bill.
之后整个议院所有成员争论（讨论支持或反对法案的理由）并投票。若法案在一个议院通过就会被呈往另一议院，例如，法案由参议院通过后会被呈送到众议院。跟前议院一样，委员会讨论法案并可能在议院争论投票前做一些修改。如果第二议院也同意该法案，则两院委员会会就彼此法案版本内容进行协商沟通（达到一致）。
Once the final version of the bill is passed in both chambers, both the House and the Senate, it is sent to the president. If the president signs it, then the bill becomes a law.
等两院通过最终版本法案后，法案提交给总统。如果总统签字了，那么法案就正式成为法律了。
Glossary
词汇
16.Who makes federal laws?
16.谁制定联邦法律？
complex - complicated; not simple; with many different parts that are not easy to understand
Complex—复杂；不简单；有许多难以理解的部分
*Many math teachers believe that algebra isn't as complex as calculus is.
*很多数学老师认为微积分学比代数学复杂。
Congress - the legislative (lawmaking) part of the U.S. government; the group of elected national representatives
Congress—美国政府的立法部；选取的国家代表
*How many representatives does your state have in Congress?
*你们州在国会有多少代表？
bicameral - with two chambers or parts; an organization with two major parts
Bicameral—有两院或部分；有两个主要部分的组织
*Does your country's government have just one part where laws are made, or is it bicameral like the U.S. Congress?
*你们国家政府的立法部是由一个部分组成，还是像美国那样有两个部分？
to enact - to create; to make
To enact—创建；进行
*When did the United States enact a law to allow women to vote?
*美国什么时候颁布的允许女性投票的法律？
consent - agreement; permission to do something or to allow something to happen
Consent—同意；允许做某事；允许某事发生
*When Jimmie asked whether he could use the car, his father nodded in consent.
*吉米询问他父亲能否用车时他父亲同意了。
bill - a proposal or an idea for a new law
Bill—新法律的提案或理念
*Some people want Congress to discuss a bill that would make it legal to use some illegal drugs for medical treatment.
*有些人希望国会能够讨论将医学治疗使用非法药品的法案合法化。
committee - a small group of people working together for a specific purpose
Committee—为一特定目的在一起工作的小组人
*Darcy is working on the party committee, helping to organize the high school's year-end dance.
达西在活动委员会工作，帮助组织高校的年终舞蹈。
to debate - to talk about the reasons for or against doing or supporting something
To debate—讨论支持或反对法案的理由
*They spent months debating whether they should buy a home or continue to rent an apartment.
他们几个月一直争论是买新房子还是继续租公寓。
to work out the differences - to find a way to agree on something
To work out the diffrence—找到达成一致的方式
*Even though they love each other very much, they need to find a way to work out their differences before they get married.
*即便他们非常相爱，在结婚之前仍要解决彼此的分歧。