【美国精神】第31期(在线收听

Explanation:   
  “What would happen if the president died?” Many people enjoy thinking about these what-if scenarios, where they try to think about what might happen if certain other things happen. If the president dies, the vice president becomes the new president. But what if the vice president dies? Then the Speaker of the House of Representatives becomes president. But what if his or her replacement dies? And his or her replacement? You get the idea.  
 
  The U.S. government needs leadership, so it is important to have a plan for succession (or a plan for who will become the next president if something is wrong with the current president). The Presidential Succession Act (or law) lists 15 people who will become president if the current president and his or her successors (or the people who come after that person) are not able to serve (or work in a public position) as president. 
 
  But then the question becomes: What happens if all 15 people die and are unable to serve as president? Actually, there is no answer to that question. U.S. law lists only these 15 positions. If they all die at the same time, then there wouldn’t be a clear president of the country. But instead of extending the list (or making it longer), our government tries to avoid (or not let happen) the possibility of all 15 people dying at once. 
 
  How does the government do this?  The government never lets the president and all of his or her successors be in the same place at the same time. For example, once a year the president makes a State of the Union Address, which is a long speech about how well the country is doing that year. Almost all of the important members of the government go to hear the State of the Union, but one of the people who is on the succession list is always kept away from the rest of the people that day. He or she has to go to another hidden (or secret) place while the president is speaking. That way, if the building is attacked during the State of the Union, there will still be one person alive who is on the succession list, and he or she can become president. 
 
问题:
If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?  Answer:   
The Speaker of the House 
  原文地址:http://www.tingroom.com/lesson/mgjsy/397970.html