23.Name your U.S. Representative.
23.说出你们州一个众议员的名字。
Answer:
答案：
Answers will vary. [Residents of territories with nonvoting Delegates or resident Commissioners may provide the name of that Delegate or Commissioner. Also acceptable is any statement that the territory has no (voting) Representatives in Congress.]
答案是多样的（边境居民只有委派代表或特派员的可能会提供其委派热你的名字，同样的，边境地区在国会也没有代表。）
Explanation:
解释：
It’s important for Americans to know not only who their U.S. Representative is, but also how he or she is representing them. Americans need to know how their representatives are voting and whether or not those votes accurately (or correctly) represent their interests. If the representative isn’t voting the way that his or her constituents (or the people represented by a representative) want, then those constituents should vote for someone else in the next elections.
对美国人来说知道谁是他们的参议员和如何代表是很重要的。美国人要知道参议院是怎么投票的，投票是否体现了他们的意愿。如果参议员没有按选民的意愿投票，下一轮选举的时候选民可以选举其他人。
However, it could be difficult and time-consuming (or taking a lot of time) to find out how a representative is voting. That is because the U.S. Congress spends a lot of time talking about important issues and voting on many different bills (or ideas for new laws). A normal American wouldn’t have time to read all of those bills and find out how his or her representative is voting. That would be a full-time job!
但是，发现参议员如何投票是很困难也很费时间的，因为美国国会花很长时间讨论重要事件并对很多提案进行投票。一般美国人没有那么多时间阅读所有的提案并发现自己州的参议员投的票，这是一项费时费力的事。
Fortunately, many organizations try to gather (or collect) this information, summarize it (or say the most important ideas in fewer words), and share that information with voters, so that they can make informed decisions. Some groups provide biographical information (or information about a person’s life) about representatives, as well as their voting records (or a list of how a person has voted on all decisions during a certain period of time). People can quickly read this information to determine how well their representative is representing them.
幸运的是，许多组织会收集总结这些信息并与选民分享，这样就知道选举信息了。有些组织提供参议员的个人信息还有他们的投票记录。人们可以很快阅读信息找到自己的参议员如何代表他们的意愿。
The website for the U.S. House of Representatives provides the roll call votes, or lists of how representatives have voted over time. However, the other organizations make this information easier to understand, because they also explain what the votes mean for each bill and show changes in a representative’s votes over time. Many people study the voting records published by these organizations before they decide who they want to vote for.
美国众议院的网站上有投票表决名单，不过其他组织整理的信息使这一名单更简单易懂，因为他们解释了每一条提案投票的意思并显示参议员的一直以来的投票记录。很所民众在投票选举参议员前都会事先研究一下这些组织发布的投票记录。
23.Name your U.S. Representative.
23.说出你们州一个众议员的名字。
constituents - the people represented by an elected official; the people who live in an area that an elected official represents
Constituents—由选举官员代表的民众；居住在由选举议员代表的居民
*How many constituents do you represent?
*你代表了多少选民？
time-consuming - taking a lot of time; needing or requiring a lot of time
Time-consuming—花费很多时间；需要很多时间
*Her work isn't difficult, but it is very time-consuming.
*她的工作不难但很费时。
bill - a proposal or an idea for a new law
Bill—给法律的建议或理念
*The state wants to introduce a new bill that would make everyone wear a seatbelt while driving.
*该州打算将每人开车是需系安全带提成议案。
to gather - to collect; to find many things and put them together
To gather—收集；将很多东西放到一起
*The university is trying to gather information about where its former students are working.
*该大学正在收集已毕业学生的工作信息。
to summarize - to say the most important ideas in fewer words
To summarize—用几句话描述重点内容
*Please read this magazine article and summarize it in just three sentences.
*请阅读这份杂志并用三句话做总结。
biographical information - information about a person’s life; information about who a person is and what he or she has done
Biographical information—关于某人生活的信息；关于某人是谁和做什么的信息
*This website has biographical information on many famous people.
*这家网站有很多名人的传记。
voting record - a list of how a person has voted on all decisions during a certain period of time
Voting record—在一段时间内某人投票决定的名单
*Will you read the Senator's voting record before you decide whether you will vote for him again?
*你能先看看参议员选票记录再决定是否要选他妈？
roll call votes - a list of how each representative voted on a particular bill
Roll call votes—每个众议员对一项提案的投票名单
*According to the roll call votes, 272 representatives voted for the law, 142 voted against it and 18 didn't vote on it.
*根据投票表决名单显示，272名众议员支持新发，142票反对，18票弃权。