【美国精神】第42期

Explanation:

  Sometimes people who come to the United States from other countries are surprised by the differences among individual states. Things that are legal (or allowed by law) in one state may not be legal in another! Many of the things that are determined¹ (or decided) at a national level in other countries are determined at the state level in the United States. Let’s take a look at some of the powers that states have.

  First, states have the power to provide schooling² and education. The United States does not have a national educational system. Each state can establish (or create) its own requirements. This means that a student in a school in one state may study different things from a student in another state even though those two students are the same age and in the same grade. That is why high schools in some states require that their students study foreign languages or complete three years of math, while high schools in other states don’t have those requirements.

  States also have the power to provide protection for the people who live there, and they do this by having state police forces (or groups of people and organizations that protect ordinary people). The federal³ (or national) government has an army for fighting internationally, but the states have the police to take care of problems within the state. Individual cities can have police forces, too.

  Each of the fifty states are also responsible for providing safety for the people who live there. They do this by having firefighters who can put out (or end) fires when they get out of control.

  Driver’s licenses⁵ (or permission to drive a car) are under the domain⁶ (or responsibility) of the states. Each state can decide who is allowed to get a driver’s license⁴, and those driver’s licenses look different in each state. There is no national driver’s license in the United States.

  Finally, individual states have the power to approve zoning and land use, or the rules for what kinds of things the land can be used for, such as for housing⁷, business, or parks. The federal government cannot tell the states how to use their own land unless there is federal land within a state.

 

问题：

42. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states?

Answer:

• Provide schooling and education

• Provide protection (police)

• Provide safety (fire departments)

• Give a driver’s license

• Approve zoning and land use

1 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

2 schooling   

n.教育；正规学校教育

参考例句：

• A child's access to schooling varies greatly from area to area.孩子获得学校教育的机会因地区不同而大相径庭。
• Backward children need a special kind of schooling.天赋差的孩子需要特殊的教育。

3 federal   

adj.联盟的；联邦的；(美国)联邦政府的

参考例句：

• Switzerland is a federal republic.瑞士是一个联邦共和国。
• The schools are screaming for federal aid.那些学校强烈要求联邦政府的援助。

4 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

5 licenses   

n.执照( license的名词复数 )v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Drivers have ten days' grace to renew their licenses. 驾驶员更换执照有10天的宽限期。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Jewish firms couldn't get import or export licenses or raw materials. 犹太人的企业得不到进出口许可证或原料。 来自辞典例句

6 domain   

n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围

参考例句：

• This information should be in the public domain.这一消息应该为公众所知。
• This question comes into the domain of philosophy.这一问题属于哲学范畴。

7 housing   

n.房屋，住宅；住房建筑；外壳，外罩

参考例句：

• Do you think our housing sales will turn around during this year?你认为今年我们的住宅销路会好转吗？
• The housing sales have been turning down since the summer.入夏以来，房屋的销售量日趋减少。