【美国精神】第12期

Explanation:  

    More than 800 years ago, in a city in England, a group of men got together to create a new kind of government.  At the time, England was ruled by a king, but the king did not follow the same laws as the rest of the people.  So these men wrote a document called the Magna Carta, which said that the king must obey (or follow) the same laws as everyone else.  This idea we now call "the rule of law." 

 

    Many years later, in 1787, the people who drafted¹ (or planned in writing) the Constitution used the Magna Carta as part of its system of government for the new United States. These people believed in a government for the people and by the people (or a government created and run by American citizens), so the rule of law was put in place (or established) to protect against totalitarianism (or a type of government in which almost everything is controlled by the government) or against mob² rule (control of the government by a large group of people, usually using violence to get power). Early Americans felt that the rule of law was central (or very important) to the concept³ of democracy⁴. They felt that equality, which is the idea that everyone should be treated in the same way under the law, was the only way to be fair to all Americans in all aspects (or parts) of life. 

 

    In the United States today, police officers, the president, normal citizens, and everyone else must follow the same laws. No matter how much money or power a person has, he or she cannot be exempt⁵ from following (or not have to follow) the law. The “rule of law” also means that all Americans have the right to the same protections under the law. This idea of equal protection under the law is known as due process.  

    Due process is one of the rights guaranteed to all Americans in the Bill of Rights. Rights such as freedom of speech and freedom of religion are better known, but due process is one of the most commonly used rights in the United States. In fact, these are some common phrases that Americans use to express the ideas of due process and the rule of law: “Everyone is equal in the eyes of the law” and “Justice (or the legal system) is blind.”   

 

问题：

What is the “rule of law”? 

Answer:  

•  Everyone must follow the law 

•  Leaders must obey the law 

•  Government must obey the law 

•  No one is above the law 

1 drafted   

v.起草( draft的过去式和过去分词 )；制定；征募；拟稿

参考例句：

• The government has drafted out its plan for future laws. 政府已草拟了未来法律的规划。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was drafted last autumn by the Detroit Lions. 他去年秋天被底特律雄狮队选作队员了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 mob   

n.暴民，民众，暴徒；v.大举包围，乱挤，围攻

参考例句：

• The king was burned in effigy by the angry mob.国王的模拟像被愤怒的民众烧掉以泄心中的愤恨。
• An angry mob is attacking the palace.愤怒的暴徒在攻击王宫。

3 concept   

n.概念，观念，思想

参考例句：

• A small baby has no concept of right and wrong.婴儿没有是非概念。
• He was asked to define his concept of cool.他被要求说明自己关于“酷”的定义。

4 democracy   

n.民主政治，民主制度；民主精神，民主作风

参考例句：

• Democracy is based on good will and mutual understanding.民主建立在善意和相互理解的基础上。
• Did democracy have its beginnings in Athens? 民主制度是创始于雅典吗？

5 exempt   

adj.免除的；v.使免除；n.免税者，被免除义务者

参考例句：

• These goods are exempt from customs duties.这些货物免征关税。
• He is exempt from punishment about this thing.关于此事对他已免于处分。