63.When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
63.独立宣言是什么时候被采用的？
Answer:
答案：
July 4, 1776
1776年7月4日
Explanation:
解释：
Sometimes when an American wants you to sign your name (or write your name in a way that only you can do it, usually to show that you agree with something), he or she will say: “Put your John Hancock here.” That phrase relates to the U.S. Declaration of Independence, which was a letter that Americans wrote to let Britain know that they no longer wanted to be ruled (or controlled) by the British government. The Declaration of Independence was signed by 56 men, but John Hancock’s signature was the first and biggest signature on the document. It was so big and bold (or large and showing that he was not afraid of anyone or anything), that today people say “Put your John Hancock here” when they want you to sign something.
有时候当美国人找你签名时，他/她会说：“把你的约翰.汉考克写在这。”这句话和美国的独立宣言（美国人给英国人写的信申明他们不再受其统治）有关。独立宣言有56个人签字，不过约翰.汉考克是文件上第一个也是最大的一个签名，他的签名大而勇敢，以至于今天的人们会在请你签字的时候会说“把你的约翰.汉考克写在这”。
The Declaration of Independence was adopted (or accepted) by the original 13 states on July 4, 1776. Today we celebrate a holiday called Independence Day every Fourth of July, because that is the day when the United States got its independence (or freedom) from Britain.
独立宣言于1776年7月4日由最初的13个州通过。今天我们每年7月4日庆祝的独立日就是美国从英国独立出来的日子。
But the Declaration of Independence did more than just get independence from Britain. It also said many important things about human rights (or the things that all people should be allowed to do and to have). One of the most well-known phrases in the Declaration is that “all men are created equal.” This was important, because at the time the Declaration was written, not all men were treated equally. That is one of the reasons that Americans wanted their independence from Britain. They thought that they weren’t being treated as well as British people were being treated, so they wanted to create their own government.
但独立宣言的作用不仅仅是从英国处获得的独立，它还说明了很多人权事项。宣言中最为出名的句子之一就是“人人生而平等！”这一点很重要，因为在独立宣言编写的时候并不是人人都被平等对待的，这就是美国想从英国获得独立的原因之一。他们认为自己没有和英国人一样享受同等的待遇，所以想创建自己的政府。
The Declaration of Independence also listed many of the Americans’ complaints (or things that they didn’t like) about the British government, like not letting them make laws where they lived, and making them pay a lot of taxes (or money that was given to the government). The list of complaints became the Americans’ justification (or reason) for creating an independent country.
独立宣言还列出了很多美国对英国政府的抱怨，如不让他们在居住地立法，让他们支付高额税收。抱怨清单成为美国组建独立国家的理由。
Glossary
词汇
63.When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
63.独立宣言是什么时候被采用的？
to sign (something) - to write one's name on something, usually to show approval or agreement
To sign (something)—将某人的名字写在某物上，通常表示同意
*Please sign your name here to show that you've received the package.
*请在这里签字确认您收到了包裹。
Declaration of Independence - the letter that was written to let Great Britain know that its colonies had become the United States, an independent country
Declaration of independence—写给大英帝国的信，让他们知道自己的殖民地已经是美国，一个独立的国家了
*The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in American history.
*独立宣言时美国历史上最重要的文件之一。
to rule - to govern or control; to have official power in an area and/or over a group of people
To rule—统治或控制；在某一区域或一群人中有官方权力
*Who ruled Great Britain in 1925?
*1925年的英国由谁统治？
bold - large and clear; actions showing that one is not afraid of anyone or anything; courageous and brave
Bold—大的，清楚地；证明某人不害怕任何事的行动；有勇气的，勇敢的
*It was very bold of you to ask him to stop shouting when everyone else was scared to do it.
*在其他人都很害怕的时候你却让他不要喊了，这很勇敢。
to adopt - to accept something and begin to do, use, or have it
To adopt—接受某事并开始做，使用或拥有
*In our home, we've adopted the custom of taking off our shoes before we enter the house.
*在我们家里，进门之前先脱鞋已经形成了惯例。
independence - freedom; the ability of a country or area to make its own decisions, especially about its government
Independence—自由；一个国家或地区有权自己做决定的能力，尤其是关于其政府的
*The Revolutionary War was a fight for American independence from Great Britain.
*革命战争是美国向英国获得独立的战争。
human rights - the things that all people should be allowed to do and to have
Human rights—允许所有人做的事
*The freedom to be educated, live where one wants, and marry whom one wants are all examples of human rights.
*接受教育的自由，选择住所的自由，选择婚姻的自由等都是人权的例子。
complaint - something that one says or writes down to let others know that one doesn't like it or thinks it is wrong
Complaint—某人说的或写的让他人知道自己不喜欢某事或认为某事错误的话
*The manager has received a lot of complaints about how the new employees speak to customers.
*经理收到了很多新员工对客户说话态度的抱怨。
justification - a reason for doing something; an explanation for why one has done something
Justification—做某事的理由；某人为何做某事的解释
*There's no justification for treating other people that badly.
*没有理由虐待他人。