【美国精神】第54期

Explanation: Americans have many rites of passage (or important things that one does to move from one phase of ones life to another phase) when becoming adults. One rite of passage is getting a drivers license when they turn 16. Another rite of passa

【美国精神】第53期

Explanation: Changing ones citizenship (or the country that one belongs to) is a very serious life decision. Sometimes people think they want to become U.S. citizens because they want to have the benefits (or the good things) that all Americans have,

【美国精神】第52期

Explanation: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Probably almost all Americans can recite (or say without readi

【美国精神】第51期

Explanation: The United States is full of many different kinds of people with many different experiences, education, and beliefs. But no matter how different they are, they all have certain rights (or things that people can do) in common, meaning tha

【美国精神】第50期

Explanation: The United States is a land of opportunity, which means that there are a lot of things that people can achieve (or do) if they want to. But some opportunities are reserved (or set aside) only for U.S. citizens. What can citizens do that

【美国精神】第49期

Explanation: People who come to live in the United States as resident aliens (or people who can live and work in the United States but are not citizens) can do almost everything that American citizens can do, but there are two important differences.

【美国精神】第47期

Explanation: There are 435 members in the House of Representatives. Can you imagine trying to make laws or to get any work done without a clear leader who can guide (or lead) all those people? The person who does this is called the Speaker of the Hou

【美国精神】第46期

Explanation: Senators, representatives, and the president of the United States almost all have political affiliations (or membership in a political party), but not necessarily the same ones. Sometimes most of the members of Congress have the same pol

【美国精神】第45期

Explanation: More than 300 million people live in the United States and they have many different opinions about how the government should be. If each of them voted independently (or alone, not paying attention to what other people are doing), then it

【美国精神】第44期

Explanation: Each of the fifty states has a capital (or a city where government buildings are and important decisions are made) for its state government. But what about the federal (or national) government? Where is its capital? Our Founding Fathers

【美国精神】第43期

Explanation: States are vested with (or are given) many powers and responsibilities, so they need to have strong leadership (or direction and management from one person or a small group of people). The leader of each state is called a governor. Each

【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

【美国精神】第41期

Explanation: When the 13 original states united (or came together) to make a new country, each of the states wanted to keep its powers and independence (or ability to make its own decisions). But the new federal (or national) government would also ne

【美国精神】第48期

Explanation: Voting is one of the important rights (or freedoms) that Americans have, but not everyone can vote. The Constitution, which is the most important legal document in the United States, has 27 amendments (or changes or additions to the Cons

【美国精神】第32期

Explanation: About 1.5 million Americans are on active duty (or working) in the military, which is the organizations and people who fight to protect a country. Who is the leader of all these organizations and people? It is the president of the United

【美国精神】第31期

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

【美国精神】第30期

Explanation: The President has been shot! This phrase, or something similar, has been said many times in U.S. history. Being president is a risky job (or a job with many dangers). Many presidents are assassinated (or killed) or simply die while they

【美国精神】第29期

Explanation: While the president of the United States has an exciting and important job running the country, the vice president does not have as big a role (or job) in the U.S.government. According to the U.S. Constitution, the vice president does on

【美国精神】第28期

Explanation: The American Dream is the idea that Americans can do and become anything they want to through hard work. Children are brought up (or raised) to believe that if they work hard enough, they can even become the president of the United State

【美国精神】第27期

Explanation: In the United States, the president has to be re-elected every four years. The elections take place (or are held) every four years in November. Every U.S. citizen who is at least 18 years old can vote for president (or say who he or she