47.What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?
47.现任众议员发言人是谁？
Answer:
答案：
(Nancy) Pelosi
南希.佩洛西
Explanation:
解释：
There are 435 members in the House of Representatives. Can you imagine trying to make laws or to get any work done without a clear leader who can guide (or lead) all those people? The person who does this is called the Speaker of the House of Representatives, which is a very important position in U.S. government. The Speaker of the House not only leads the House of Representatives, but also is in the presidential line of succession (or the plan for who will become president if something happens to the president). If the president can no longer be president, then his or her replacement would be the vice president, but if he or she cannot be president either, then the Speaker of the House becomes president.
众议院有435名成员,你能想象出这些人在没人领导的情况下制定法律吗?领导这些成员的人被称为众议院发言人，是美国政府非常重要的一个职位。众议院发言人不仅仅是众议院的领导，更是总统候选人之一。如果现任总统不再任职，那么下一位继承者就是副总统，但如果副总统也不再任职，众议院发言人就是总统了。
The Speaker of the House is a member of the House of Representatives. The 435 members of the House vote to decide who will be the Speaker. Usually the Speaker is a member of the majority party (or the political party that most representatives are a member of), but not always. The Speaker is elected (or chosen) on the first day of a new Congressional session (or the period of time when the Congress is meeting) for a two-year term, which is the amount of time that someone works in a public position. During those two years, the Speaker has all the same duties (or responsibilities) as a regular representative, discussing and voting on issues. But he or she also has some special duties.
众议院发言人是众议院的成员。众议院的435名成员会投票选举发言人。通常发言人是主党派成员，但有时候不是。发言人在每两年一次的国会会议第一天中选举，两年的时间也是某人在公众职位的就任时间。在这两年中，发言人和其他代表的职责一样，对有关事情进行讨论投票，不过发言人还有其他的责任。
The Speaker of the House has control of the calendar that shows when bills (or ideas for laws) will be discussed and voted on. The Speaker can use this power to make sure that his or her favorite bills are discussed and passed before other bills can be discussed and passed.
众议院发言人有权安排什么时候讨论和投票提案，这一权利使得发言人能在其他提案讨论通过之前先安排自己喜欢的。
The Speaker of the House also serves (or works in a public job) as the presiding officer when the House of Representatives meets. The Speaker of the House calls on other members of the House, giving them permission to speak when bills are being discussed. Nobody can speak unless the Speaker has given permission (or said that it is okay to speak).
众议院发言人在众议院会议期间充当监选人。发言人会号召其他众议院成员，允许他们在讨论提案时发言，在未经发言人的同意下没人能够发言。
Glossary
词汇
47.What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?
47.现任众议员发言人是谁？
to guide (someone) - to lead someone; to show someone what to do or how to do something
To guide （someone）—领导某人；指示某人做什么事或如何做
*Without your help to guide us out of the forest, we would still be lost.
*如果没有您的指引，我们可能还迷失在森林中呢。
line of succession - the plan for who will become the next person to work in a particular job when the current person can no longer do the job
Line of succession—计划特定岗位上如果现任人员不能继续工作谁将是下一位继承者
*Our company has a clear line of succession for when our president leaves.
*我们公司对董事长离任后的继承者定位很明确。
majority party - the political party that most members of the House of Representatives and the Senate belong to
Majority party—众议院和众议院的大部分成员所属的党派
*When was the last time we had a different majority party than the one in power now?
*我们上一次的主要执政党和现在执政党不同的是什么时候？
session - period of time when Congress meets; a period of time when a committee meets
Session—国会开会期间；委员会会议时期
*How many bills does Congress discuss in a typical session?
*国会在典型会议期间能讨论多少提案？
term - the length of time that a person has a job
Term—一个人工作的年限
*He was just elected to be the secretary in the student government for a one-year term.
*他刚当选为期一年的学生会秘书长职位。
duty - responsibility; something that someone must do
Duty—责任；某人必须做的事情
*As police officers, we have a duty to make this city safer for everyone.
*作为警察我们的职责是保护城市里每个人的安全。
bill - a proposal or an idea for a new law
Bill—新法律的建议或想法
*Has Maryland considered a bill that would make it illegal for people to drive while speaking on a cell phone?
*马里兰有没有考虑出台将开车时接打电话视为非法的提案？
presiding officer - the person who is responsible for or in charge of a meeting
Presiding officer—负责会议的人
*Every week, they choose a different presiding officer for their staff meeting.
*他们每周都会选一名会议主席主持开会。
to call on (someone) - to give someone permission to speak during a meeting; to say that it is okay for someone to speak
To call on （someone）—允许某人在会议上发言；答应某人说话
*The teacher calls on each student at least once per day.
*老师每天都会把每个学生点一遍发言。