46.What is the political party of the President now?
46.现任总统是哪个党派的？
Answer: Republican (Party)
答案：共和党
Explanation:
解释：
Senators, representatives, and the president of the United States almost all have political affiliations (or membership in a political party), but not necessarily the same ones. Sometimes most of the members of Congress have the same political affiliation that the president does. When that happens, making laws is usually easy, because Congress and the president have the same beliefs about what the government should do. Congress makes laws and the president approves them.
参议员，众议员和美国总统几乎都有政党，但不一定是同一个政党。有时候国会的大部分成员和总统的政党一样，如果是这样的话，法律的制定就很容易了，因为国会和总统对于国家应该怎么运转有相同的信仰，国会制定法律，总统通过。
At other times, things don’t work as smoothly (or easily). Congress has one political affiliation, but the president has another political affiliation. When that happens, it is more difficult to make laws, because Congress and the president do not agree on what the government should do. Congress might pass a law, but when it goes to the president for approval, he or she may not sign it (or put his or her name on it to show that it is okay to make it a law).
在其他情况下，事情就没那么顺利了。国会是一个党派，但总统是另一个党派，这时制定法律就困难了，因为国会和总统对于国家运行没有不能达成统一意见。国会能通过一项法律，但当提交到总统那儿时，他/她可能不会签字。
Whether or not Congress and the President have the same political affiliation can change during an administration (or the period of time when one person is serving or working as president). That’s because the president is elected every four years, but Congress is elected more often. Members of the House of Representatives are elected every two years. Members of the Senate are elected for six years, but one-third (or 33%) of them are elected every two years, so the political affiliation of the majority (or the bigger part, more than 50% of the members) can change every two years.
不管国会和总统是否是同一党派，在总统任期内都会发生变化，因为总统4年一选，而国会选举年限更短，众议员成员2年一选，参议员成员6年一选，但是有三分之一的成员是2年一选的，所以多数政治党派每2年会有改变。
This means that a president might begin his or her administration or term with a Congress that has a majority (or over 50%) of its members from the same party, but at the end of the administration, the situation might have reversed itself (or become the opposite). Presidents try to take advantage of (or use the opportunity to get the most or best results) the time when the majority of Congress members have the same political affiliation, because this is when the president can most easily pursue (or try to get) his or her agenda (or the plan of what a person wants to get done while working in a public job).
这就意味着总统在刚开始任职时和他同一党派的国会成员占大多数，但在任职后期，国会成员党派比例可能正好相反。总统会利用大部分国会成员和自己是同一党派的时期，因为这时总统能更容易的最追求自己的目标。
Glossary
词汇
46.What is the political party of the President now?
46.现任总统是哪个党派的？
political affiliation - membership in a political party
Political affiliation—政党的成员
*Have you ever dated someone with a different political affiliation than your own?
*你有和不同于你政党的人约过会吗？
to sign (something) - to write one's name on something, usually to show approval or agreement
To sign (something)—将名字写在某物上，通常表示通用过或同义同意
*If you agree with everything in the contract, please sign your name here.
*如果你同意合同的所有条款，请在这里签字。
administration - the period of time when one person is serving or working as president
Administration—总统服务或工作的时期
*What was the most important accomplishment of President Monroe’s administration?
*门罗总统任期内最重要的成就是什么？
majority - the bigger part of something; more than 50% of something
Majority—某物更大的部分；某物多余50%的部分
*The majority of American adults in this part of the country own a car.
*美国这个区域的大部分成年人都有车。
to reverse - to become the opposite of what something was
To reserve—变成某事的反面
*The government has reversed its policy on pollution and now is helping companies be more environmentally-friendly.
*政府推翻了污染政策转而帮助公司友好对待环境。
to take advantage of (something) - to use an opportunity to get the most or best of something
To take advantage of (something)—利用机会得到最好的事物
*Dinah took advantage of a national scholarship program to pay for graduate school.
*戴娜用国家奖学金项目读完了大学。
to pursue (something) - to work hard to get something, especially if it is difficult or requires a lot of time
To pursue (something)—努力工作得到某物，尤其是困难耗时的事情
*Why did you decide to pursue a degree in civil engineering?
*你为什么想拿到土木工程的学位呢？
agenda - a plan for what will be discussed at a meeting; a person's plan for what he or she wants to get done while working in a public job
Agenda—会议上开会内容的计划；一个人在公众职位工作想做的事情的计划
*He has a detailed agenda for what he wants to do as the city's mayor.
*他对当上市长后该做的事有一个详细的计划