18.How many U.S. Senators are there?
18.美国参议院有多少成员？
Answer:
答案：
One hundred (100)
一百人
Explanation:
解释：
The government of the United States was founded (or created) on the idea that the people who live in a country should be able to participate in the government. However, more than three hundred million people live in the United States. It would be virtually (or almost) impossible to get all of those people to meet together and make decisions as such a large group. That is why the U.S. government is based on a system of representation, with a few people voting and making decisions for larger groups of people. This representation is in two parts: the Senate and the House of Representatives.
美国政府成立之初的理念是美国人都能参与政府。但是美国有超过3亿人口，不可能让所有人都参与决策。因此美国政府实行了代表制，让少数人代表参大众与投票决策。代表分为两部分：参议院和众议院。
The Senate has only 100 representatives and they are called senators. These senators represent the three hundred million people who live in the United States. This is a big job! Two senators are elected (or chosen) from each state, no matter how many people live in each state. This gives all fifty states equal representation. When people want to participate in their government, they should contact (or speak with or write to) their senators and other representatives.
参议院有100名代表被称为参议员。这些参议员代表着美国3亿民众。这是一项大工作，每个州不管人数多少都只能选取两名参议员，这样每个州都有相同的代表。若人们想参与政府，就要联系他们的参议员和其他代表。
Each of the senators has only one vote, so one senator is not more powerful than another senator. However, there are some special roles (or positions) in the Senate. For example, the vice president of the United States is the president of the Senate, but can vote only to break a tie, which is when an equal number of senators vote for and against something. The senators also elect a president pro tem who acts as the president of the Senate when the vice president of the United States cannot participate.
每个参议员只有一个投票，因此所有参议员的权力都是一样的。但参议员也有一些特殊角色，比如，美国副总统是参议院院长，当参议员同意的反对的票数相同时，副总统可以投票破解对等。参议员也会选出一名临时院长，当美国副总统不能参会时履行参议院院长的职责。
A political party is a group of people who have the same political beliefs and belong to the same political organization. In the U.S., there are currently two major political parties: the Democrats and the Republicans. In the Senate, each political party elects a leader. The leader of the party with the most number of senators is known as the majority leader and the leader for the party with fewer senators is called the minority leader. These people are sometimes called the floor leaders. They are the spokespeople, or the people who represent the political party in public.
政党是一组有相同政治信仰的人在相同的政治机构工作。美国现在有两个主要党派：民主党和共和党。参议院中，每个党派选一名领袖，有多数参议员的党派领袖是多数党领袖，有少数参议员的为少数党领袖。这些领袖有时也被称为政党领袖，他们是政党在公共场合的代言人。
Glossary
词汇
18.How many U.S. Senators are there?
18.美国参议院有多少成员？
virtually - almost; nearly; practically
Virtually—几乎；接近；事实上
*It was virtually impossible to get everyone to agree on which restaurant we would go to for dinner last night.
*昨天晚上让每个人都同意去同一家餐厅吃饭几乎是不可能的。
representation - having someone officially make decisions and vote for another person or for a group of people
Representation—某人代表他人官方做决定或投票
*In a country with representation, it is very important for people to vote and decide who will represent them in making decisions.
*在有代表的国家里，人们选谁做代表是非常重要的。
to contact (someone) - to speak with someone or write to someone
To contact (someone)—给某人说话或写信
*Please contact us if you have any questions or comments about our products.
*如您对我们的产品有任何问题或建议请联系我们。
a role - a position; a job; a function
A role—职位；工作；功能
*The project manager's role is to make sure that the engineers finish their work on time, without spending too much money.
*项目经理的工作职责是在确保费用不超的情况下工程师们按时完成工作。
to break a tie - to vote only when an equal number of people vote for or against something, so that one's vote decides the result
To break a tie—当支持或反对的票数想当时决定最终投票结果的一票
*Normally the four children vote to decide what to play, but when they cannot agree, their mother breaks the tie.
*通常四个孩子会投票决定玩什么，但当他们无法达成一致时，便交由妈妈判决。
president pro tem - the member of the U.S. Senate who acts as the president of the Senate when the vice president of the United States cannot participate
President Pro tem—当美国副总统不能参会时履行参议院院长的职责时临时委任的院长
*It is an honor to be named the president pro tem.
*被任命为临时院长是一种荣幸。
political party - a group of people who have the same political beliefs and belong to the same political organization
Political party—有共同政治信仰的一组人在相同的政治机构
*Which political party do you belong to?
*你属于哪个政党？
spokesperson - a person who officially represents and communicates to the public for a business, organization, or group
Spokesperson—商业，机构或团体中与群众沟通的官方代表
*When the company was having a lot of problems, only the spokesperson was allowed to speak to the reporters and journalists.
*当公司出现诸多问题时，只有发言人有权与记者们沟通。