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The U.S. Congress Composition of the U.S. CongressThe U.S. Congress is the legislative bra

The U.S. Congress

Composition of the U.S. Congress

The U.S. Congress is the legislative branch of the Federal Government. It is a bicameral (两院制的 ) law-making body of more than 500 members. Its two chambers are respectively called the House of Representatives and the Senate. The American two-house legislature, a product of the compromise between big states and small ones, embodies the American principle of balances and checks. All bills must carry both houses before becoming law.

The Membership and Election of Both Chambers

The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Congress. The membership of the House is distributed among the states according to their different populations. Since 1910, the House has had a permanent membership of 435, with each representative representing about half a million Americans. Under the principle that each state is guaranteed at least one representative, Nevada, a state with a small population, sends only one representative to the House. California has more than 40 Representatives in the House because of its large population.

The election of Representatives is organized by the state legislature which divides the state into a number of districts known as Congressional districts. Each district, with a population of nearly half a million, elects one Representative to the House. A Representative's term of office is set at two years, but there is no limit to the number of his terms. A new Representative can hardly feel easy about his position. Hardly has he begun his work in the Congress when he finds it's time for him to seek re-election.

The Senate is the upper house of the US Congress. Representation in the Senate is based on the principle of state equality. The Senate is comprised of 100 Senators, two from each of the fifty states. Senators have been directly elected by voters of their respective states since 1913. Their term of office is six years. A Senator must be at least thirty years of age and a citizen for nine years.

Senators with Greater Prestige

Generally speaking, Senators are accorded greater prestige than their colleagues in the lower house. Many Representatives aspire to win the election to the Senate. Senators derive their prestige from the following facts. They are less numerous, for there are fewer than one-fourth as many Senators as Representatives, or Congressmen. Elected by the whole state instead of a single congressional district, most Senators represent more constituents than do House members. They are less worried by the problem of seeking re-electives. What's more, the Senate is vested with special powers which it does not share with the House. It has the power to ratify or deny proposed treaties, nominations proposed by the President. In line with the tradition of "senatorial courtesy," the Senate always rejects a nominee who is objected to by a Senator of the state from which he comes.

It won't do to neglect the importance of the Senate in foreign affairs. Without its cooperation and support, the President can hardly take any significant action in foreign relations. A Secretary of State on good terms with the Senators is always important for the President. Foreign countries must try to establish good relations with the US Senate if they intend to make a bargain with the United States.

The Work of the Two Chambers

The presiding officer of the Senate is the Vice President who functions as a kind of chairman when the Senate is in session. The chief spokesman of the House is known as the speaker who is the leader of the majority party in the House. The Speaker is the most influential figure in the House because he directs his party's forces in legislative battles.

Leaders of Both Parties

Both parties have their leaders in the Congress, who are known as floor leaders.

Floor leaders are elected by their res

A．Y

B．N

C．NG

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更多“The U.S. Congress Composition …”相关的问题
第1题
Two chambers of the U.S. Congress are the House of Representatives and the Senate.A．YB．NC．

Two chambers of the U.S. Congress are the House of Representatives and the Senate.

A．Y

B．N

C．NG

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第2题
The 13 red and white stripes and 13 white stars representA．13 independent statesB．the colo

The 13 red and white stripes and 13 white stars represent

A．13 independent states

B．the colonies that declared independence in 1776

C．the U.S. Congress

D．13 famous figures in the American colonies

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第3题
While, almost every department of the federal government is concerned about and involved w
ith some aspects of education, and【C1】______.federal government influence is an important【C2】______in education, the regulation of education at all【C3】______remains a responsibility of the states. Policies of education institutions,【C4】______public 'and private are largely determined by【C5】______groups of citizens, and administration of education is in tike【C6】______of officials of state, local, and private agencies.

There has been an U.S. Office of Education【C7】______1867 and it was the Education Division of the federal Department of Health, Education, and Welfare since 1953. In 1979 it became the Department of Education to【C8】______policies and administer and coordinate (协调) more than 150 federal aid-to-education【C9】______,such as student loan programs, education programs【C10】______migrant workers.

【C11】______of the principal functions of the Department of Education today is the【C12】______to the States of tile large sums of money given by Congress for【C13】______purposes. The money must be used for the【C14】______ specified by Congress, but the states【C15】______have the responsibility for distributing it and for【C16】______use in educational pursuits within their borders.【C17】______recent years some funds from federal agencies have been【C18】______for direct aid to schools, colleges, and universities for research, construction of facilities, and development of curriculums and library resources regarded as important in the national【C19】______. The institutions must submit applications for the money to get approval【C20】______the federal agencies dealing with the funds.

【C1】

A．when

B．while

C．since

D．as

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第4题
In the United States, when you get your paycheck at the end of the first pay period at a n
ew job, it's always interesting to see your net pay. Most of us expect more than we get. By the time you get your check, it has been cut up like a pizza, with several entities taking a piece of the pie. The entities that take money differ from person to person, company to company and state to state. However, almost every income earner has to pay federal income tax.

Taxes in Early America

Taxes have always left a sour taste in the mouth of American citizens. This national hatred for taxes dates back to the tax burden placed on the American colonies by Great Britain. Colonists were taxed for every consumer goods, from tea and tobacco to legal documents. This "taxation without representation" led to many revolts, such as the Boston Tea Party, in which colonists dumped tea into the Boston Harbor rather than pay the tax on it.

Although the American colonists fought for independence from British rule and British taxes, once the United States government formed, its main source of revenue was derived from placing customs and excise taxes on the same items that were taxed by Great Britain. In 1812, in an effort to support an expensive war effort, the U.S. government imposed the first sales tax, which was placed on gold, silverware, jewelry and watches. In 1817, internal taxes were terminated and the government relied on tariffs to support itself. It wasn't until 1862 that the United States imposed the first national income tax.

To support the Union Army, Congress passed tax laws in both 1861 and 1862. The office of Commissioner of Internal Revenue was established by the Tax Act of 1862, which stated that the commissioner would have the power to levy and collect taxes. The office was also given the authority to seize property and income in order to enforce the tax laws. These powers remain pretty much the same today, although the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) will tell you that enforcement tactics have been toned down a bit.

In 1863, the federal government collected the first income tax. This graduated tax was similar to the income tax we pay today. Those who earned $ 600 to $ 10,000 per year paid at a rate of 3 percent. A higher rate was paid by those who earned in excess of $ 10,000. A fiat-rate tax was imposed in 1867. Five years later, in 1872, the national income tax was abolished altogether.

Inspired by the Populist Party's 1892 campaign, Congress passed the Income Tax Act of 1894. This act taxed 2 percent of personal income that was more than $ 4,000, which only affected the wealthiest citizens. The income tax was short-lived, .as the U.S. Supreme Court struck it down only a year after it was passed. The justices wrote that, in their opinion, the income tax was unconstitutional because it failed to abide by a Constitutional guideline. This guideline required that any tax levied directly on individuals must be levied in proportion to a state's population.

In 1913, the income tax became a permanent part of the U. S. government. Congress avoided the constitutional roadblock mentioned above by passing a constitutional amendment. The 16th Amendment reads, "The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several states, and without regard to any census or enumeration."

Alternative: Flat Tax Or National Sales Tax

Since the 16th amendment was passed in 1913, there has been no shortage of people proposing new tax systems since then. If you follow presidential campaigns, there are usually talks from some of the candidates on revising the tax system. Here's a quick look at two of these alternative tax p

A．Y

B．N

C．NG

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第5题
听力原文：Ensuring the safety of passengers and aircraft is a major concern at airports. Se

听力原文： Ensuring the safety of passengers and aircraft is a major concern at airports. Security personnel operate metal detectors and X-ray machines that screen baggage for possible weapons or illegal substances. Security personnel also require that each passenger show photo identification before entering an aircraft. Many areas of an airport, especially those areas that contain critical equipment, are protected by security personnel and are off-limits to the public.

In the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, airport security became the responsibility of the federal government. The United States Congress enacted the Aviation and Transportation Security Act in response to the attacks, which bad exposed a number of weaknesses in airport and airline security. The new law expanded the number of baggage screeners, imposed standards for their training, and made them federal employees for a period of time. Beginning in January 2002, it required that all passenger luggage, including checked luggage, be screened. By the end of 2002, all checked luggage was to he put through special explosives-detecting devices. The law increased the number of armed federal air officials flying on domestic flights and required international airlines to turn over advance copies of their passenger lists to U.S. Customs officials for background checks to screen out suspected terrorists.

(26)

A．Operate metal detectors.

B．Require each passenger to show photo identification.

C．Make a body search by hand.

D．Operate X-ray machines to screen baggage.

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第6题
"The issue of online privacy in the Interact age found new urgency following the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks, sparking debate over striking the correct balance between protecting civil liberties and attempting to prevent another tragic terrorist act. While preventing terrorism certainly is of paramount importance, privacy rights should not be deemed irrelevant.

In response to the attacks, Congress quickly passed legislation that included provisions expanding fights of investigators to intercept wire, oral and electronic communications of alleged hackers and terrorists. Civil liberties groups expressed concerns over the provisions and urged caution in ensuring that efforts to protect our nation do not result in broad government authority to erode privacy rights of U. S. citizens. Nevertheless, causing further concern to civil liberties groups, the Department of Justice proposed exceptions to the attorney-client privilege. On Oct. 30, Attorney General John Ashcroft approved an interim agency rule that would permit federal prison authorities to monitor wire and electronic communications between lawyers and their clients in federal custody, including those who have been detained but not charged with any crime, whenever surveillance is deemed necessary to prevent violence or terrorism.

In light of this broadening effort to reach into communications that were previously believed to be "off-limits", the issue of online privacy is now an even more pressing concern. Congress has taken some legislative steps toward ensuring online privacy, including the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, and provided privacy protections for certain sectors through legislation such as the Financial Services Modernization Act. The legislation passed to date does not, however, provide a statutory scheme for protecting general online consumer privacy. Lacking definitive federal law, some states passed their own measures. But much of this legislation is incomplete or not enforced. Moreover, it becomes unworkable when states create different privacy standards; the Internet does not know geographic boundaries, and companies and individuals cannot be expected to comply with differing, and at times conflicting, privacy roles.

An analysis earlier this year of 751 U.S. and international Web sites conducted by Consumers International found that most sites collect personal information but fall to tell consumers how that data will be used, how security is maintained and what rights consumers have over their own information.

At a minimum, Congress should pass legislation requiring Web sites to display privacy policies prominently, inform. consumers of the methods employed to collect client data, allow customers to opt out of such data collection, and provide customer access to their own data that has already been collected. Although various Internet privacy bills were introduced in the 107th Congress, the focus shifted to expanding government surveillance in the wake of the terrorist attacks. Plainly, government efforts to prevent terrorism are appropriate. Exactly how these exigent circumstances change the nature of the online privacy debate is still to be seen.

Concerning the protection of privacy and increased surveillance of communication, the author seems to insist on ______.

A．the priority of the former action

B．the execution of the latter at the expense of the former

C．tightening both policies at the same time

D．a balance between the two actions

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第7题
Believe it or not, airlines really are trying to do better. They promised to improve custo
mer service last year 【21】______ pressure from a Congress which was 【22】______ stories of nightmare flights.

So why is it that flying is getting 【23】______ for so many passengers, 【24】______ airlines are spending billions of dollars to improve service, 【25】______ in new equipment such as mobile check-in stations and portable phone banks so travelers can quickly 【26】______ a flight when it is delayed or canceled？ The fact is that air travel has 【27】______ been such an annoyance, and customer complaints to the Transportation Department doubled in 1999 【28】______ 1998.

It seems Mother Nature would 【29】______ people by bus this year. An unusual run of bad weather, 【30】______ long walls of thunderstorms, has crippled airports lately and led to widespread delays and cancellations. After similar problems last summer, the FAA promised to work more closely with airlines 【31】______ weather slowdowns--for example, FAA and airline representatives now gather at a single location in Herndon, Va. , to 【32】______ the best way to allocate the available airspace. But even the FAA 【33】______ the new initiative has fallen 【34】______ of expectations, and many passengers complain that the delays seem 【35】______ .

Part of the problem is overcrowded planes. 【36】______ the strong economy, U.S. airlines are expected to carry a record 665 million passengers this year, up 5 percent from last year. On 【37】______ , planes are about 76 percent full these days, also a 【38】______ . That's good news for the Transport Department, which are profitably loading more passengers 【39】______ each flight, and bad news for passengers, 【40】______ irritations build rapidly in fight quarters.

【21】

A．under

B．below

C．beneath

D．beyond

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第8题
HighwaysEarly in the 20th century, most of the street and roads in the U.S. were made of d

Highways

Early in the 20th century, most of the street and roads in the U.S. were made of dirt, brick, and cedar wood blocks. Built for the horse, carriage and foot traffic, they were usually poorly cared for and too narrow to accommodate automobiles.

With the increase in auto production, private turnpike (收费公路) companies under local authorities began to spring up, and by 1921 there were 387,000 miles of paved roads. Many were built using certifications of 19th century Scottish engineers Thomas Telford and John MacAdam (for whom the macadam surface is named), whose specifications stressed the importance of adequate drainage. Beyond that, there were no national standards for size, weight restrictions, or commercial signs. During World War I, roads thorough the country nearly destroyed by the weight of trucks. When General Eisenhower returned from Germany in 1919, after serving in the U.S. Army's first transcontinental motor convey, he noted "the old convoy had started me thinking about good, twoline highway, but Germany's autobahn motorways had made me see the wisdom of broader ribbons across the land."

It would take another war before the federal government would act on a national highway system. During World War II, a tremendous increase in truck and new roads required. The war demonstrated how critical highways were to the defense effort. Thirteen percent of defense plants received all their supplies by truck, and almost all other plants shipped more than half of their products by vehicle. The war also revealed that local control highways had led to a confusing variety of design standards. Even federal and state highways did not follow basic standards. Some states allowed trucks up to 36.000 pounds, while other restricted anything over 7000 pounds. A government study recommended a national highway system of 33,920 miles, and congress passed FederalAid Highway Act of 1944, which called for strict, centrally controlled design criteria.

The interstate highway system was finally launched in 1956 and has been hailed as one of the greatest public works projects of century. To build its 44000mile web of highways, bridges and tunnel, hundreds of unique engineering designs and solutions had to be work out. Consider the many geographic features of the country: mountains, steep grades, wetlands, rivers, deserts and plants. Variables included the slope of the land, the ability of the pavement to support the load, the intensity of the road use, and the nature of the underlying soil. Urban areas were another problem. Innovative designs of roadways, bridges, overpasses and interchanges that could run through and bypass urban areas soon began to weave their way across the country, forever altering the face of America.

Longspan, segmentconcrete, cabstayed bridges such as Hale boggs in Louisian and the Sunshine Skyway in Florida, and remarkable tunnels like fort McHenry in Maryland and Mr. Baker in Washington, met many of the nation's challenges. Traffic control systems and methods of construction developed under the interstate program soon influenced highway construction around the world, and were invaluable in improving the condition of urban and streets and traffic patterns.

Today, the interstate system links every major city in the U.S., with Canada and Mexico. Build with the safety in mind, the highways have wide lines and shoulders dividing and median or barrier, long entry and exit lanes, curves engineered for safe turns, and limited success. The death rate on highways is half of all other U.S. road (0.86 deaths per 100 million passengers miles compare to 1.99 death per 100 million on all other roads).

By opening the North American continent, highways have enable consumer goods services to reach people in remote and rural area of the country, spurred the suburbs, and provided people with greater options in terra of jobs, access to c

A．Y

B．N

C．NG

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第9题
World leaders met recently at United Nations headquarters in New York City to discuss the
environmental issues raised at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992．The heads of state were supposed to decide what further steps should be taken to halt the decline of Earth's life-support systems．In fact，this meeting had much the flavour of the original Earth Summit．To wit：empty promises，hollow rhetoric，bickering between rich and poor，and irrelevant initiatives．Think U.S. Congress in slow motion．

Almost obscured by this torpor is the fact that there has been some remarkable progress over the past five years—real changes in the attitude of ordinary people in the Third World toward family size and a dawning realisation that environmental degradation and their own well-being are intimately，and inversely，linked．Almost none of this，however, has anything to do with what the bureaucrats accomplished in Rio．

Or it didn't accomplish．One item on the agenda at Rio，for example，was a renewed effort to save tropical forests．(A previous UN-sponsored initiative had fallen apart when it became clear that it actually hastened deforestation．)After Rio，a UN working group came up with more than 100 recommendations that have so far gone nowhere．One proposed forestry pact would do little more than immunizing wood-exporting nations against trade sanctions．

An effort to draft an agreement on what to do about the climate changes caused by CO2 and other greenhouse gases has fared even worse．Blocked by the Bush Administration from setting mandatory limits，the UN in 1992 called on nations to voluntarily reduce emissions to 1990 levels．Several years later，it's as if Rio had never happened．A new climate treaty is scheduled to be signed this December in Kyoto，Japan，but governments still cannot agree on these limits．Meanwhile，the U.S. produces 7% more CO2 than it did in 1990，and emissions in the developing world have risen even more sharply．No one would confuse the“Rio process”with progress．

While governments have dithered at a pace that could make drifting continents impatient，people have acted．Birth-rates are dropping faster than expected，not because of Rio but because poor people are deciding on their own to reduce family size．Another positive development has been a growing environmental consciousness among the poor．From slum dwellers in Karachi，Pakistan，to colonists in Rondonia，Brazil，urban poor and rural peasants alike seem to realize that they pay the biggest price for pollution and deforestation．There is cause for hope as well in the growing recognition among business people that it is not in their long-term interest to fight environmental reforms．John Browne，chief executive of British Petroleum，boldly asserted in a major speech in May that the threat of climate change could no longer be ignored．

The writer's general attitude towards the world leaders meeting at the UN is______．

A．supportive

B．impartial

C．critical

D．comedic

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第10题
congress（）

A.国会

B.进步

C.大会

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