2 Chapter Two  Government and Politics

Chapter Two   Government and Politics

Exercises

Ⅰ. Fill in the blanks

1. The essence of the American Dream is      and      .

2. The founding fathers of the United States were proponents of the      ideas.

3. The U. S. system of government is based on three basic principles: (1)_____       (2)       (3)       .

4. English philosopher       believed that all people are born good , independent and equal.

5. Human rights are also known as       in America.

6. The U. S. government is divided into three branches:       ,      and       .

7. The U. S. system of government is known as       under which the states are united into a

      .

8.Powers derived from the “elastic clause” are known as       .

9.The general election is normally divided into three steps :       ,       and       .

10.The U. S. President has his       which is a consultative and advisory body.

11.The president appoints heads of the departments and other high-ranking federal officials with the approval of the       .

12.The National Security Council includes       ,       and a few other important persons appointed by he president.

13.The U. S. Congress is composed of two chambers:       with       representatives and

      with       Senators,       from each of the 50 states.

14.The life of a Congress is       years and Representatives come up for reelection every__       years       and there is       on the number of terms. The term of the Senate is       years, which       of the seats up for election every       years .

15.The judicial branch is responsible for defending the       and other federal laws. It consists

of one       and 8       .

16.The U. S. law considers letters and   talks between husband and wife as       communication.

17.The United States has two types of local governments :       and       .

18.The governing body of the county is normally known as the       that does not have a dominant officer.

19.American politics is based on a       system and the two major parties are       and       .

Ⅱ. Translate the following terms into Chinese

1.indentured servants

2.federalism

3.the Speaker

4.the hearing

5.Legislative procedure

6.Capitol Hill

7.majority dictatorship

8.the Rules Committee

9.the Civil Service System

10.unanimous verdict  

11.National Security Council

12.Electoral College

13.electors

14.party conventions

15.Chief Justice

16.trial jury

Ⅲ.Define the following terms.

1.checks and balances

2.American Constitution

3.the White House

4.the First Lady

5.the “winner-take-all” principle

Ⅳ.Multiple choice.

The political system of the U.S. is based on the following except     .

A. federalism    B. the constitutional monarchy

C. the separation of powers    D. respect for the constitution

The U.S. Federal Government is composed of the following except     .

A. the legislative    B. the standing committee

C. the judicial    D. the executive

The members in the Senate must be at least     years old and those in the Representative     years old.

A. 40, 30    B. 30, 26    C. 30, 25

If the president wants to put a treaty into effect, he has to get the approval by two thirds of the     .

A. Senate    B. Cabinet    C. Congress    D. the Supreme Court

The number of Congressmen from each state varies depending on     .

A. the size of the area    B. the size of the population

C. the tradition    D. the wealth

The Federal Government and the states governments are supposed to     each other.

A. guide    B. control    C. keep independence from    D. help

The origin of the American party system can be traced to     .

the struggle between the Royalists and revolutionaries in the War of Independence

the constitutional debate between the Federalists and the anti-Federalists

the struggle between those who upheld slavery and those who opposed slavery

none of the above

The Constitution of the United States provides that     shall be President of the Senate.

A. the Secretary of State    B. the Chief Justice

C. the President    D. the Vice President

When the president of the U.S. signs an act passed by Congress into law, it still can be cancelled if     .

A.the lower federal court decides that it goes against previous laws

B.the Supreme Court decides that it goes against previous laws

C.the lower federal court decides it is unconstitutional

D.the Supreme Court decides it is unconstitutional

Ⅴ. Translate the following terms into English

1.行政部门

2.立法部门

3.参议院

4.众议院

5.司法部门

6.听政会

7.总统大选

8.新闻自由

9.分权制

10.白宫办公厅

11.缓刑和赦免

12.国民警卫队

13.竞选总统

14.竞选伙伴

15.竞选纲领

16.白宫新闻记者团

17.联邦国情咨文

18.联邦调查局

Ⅵ.Answer the following questions in a few sentences.

What is a federal system?

2.What were the two serious weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?

3.What are the Powers of the US president?

4.What are the functions of the judicial branch?

5.What are the powers of the state government?