无法投票选总统的美国人：英语精读讲义

The United States is shockingly a bunch of states that are united.

令人震惊的是，美国其实就是一堆联合起来的州。

It was just 13 to start with,

一开始只有13个，

but as time marched on, the border marched west, 習語

但随着时间的推移，边界不断向西扩展，

bringing us to today and the 48 contiguous states plus Alaska and Hawaii,

造就了今天的局面：48个相邻的州加上阿拉斯加和夏威夷，

usually drawn in these little boxes not to scale 短語搭配

它们通常被画在这些不按比例缩小的方框里，

because Hawaii is in the middle of a vast ocean of deadly nothingness

因为夏威夷处于一片致命虚无的汪洋大海之中，

and Alaska is monstrous.

而阿拉斯加的面积又极其庞大。

Unlike other unions where members can leave if they so choose, 語法

与其他成员可以选择离开的联盟不同，

statehood is eternal, even for you, Texas.

美国的州地位是永恒的，即使对你德克萨斯也是如此。

Now, how the federal government works is a story for another time, 短語搭配

至于联邦政府是如何运作的，那是后话了，

but at the moment all you need know is that Congress, 語法

但目前你需要知道的是，国会，

where national laws are written, is made of representatives sent from the states.

即国家法律起草的地方，是由各州派出的代表组成的。

Now, there are some non-state gaps not visible on this map.

这个地图上还有一些看不见的非州缺口。

The first is Washington DC, the nation's capital,

第一个是美国的首都华盛顿特区，

which is a stateless limbo land between Maryland and Virginia. 習語

它是一个介于马里兰州和弗吉尼亚州之间、没有州地位的中间地带。

As DC is a city without a state, it puts her under the control of Congress, 短語搭配

由于华盛顿特区是一个没有州的城市，它受国会控制，

meaning that all the other states get the final say on how DC is run, 短語搭配

这意味着其他所有州对华盛顿特区的管理方式拥有最终决定权，

while she doesn't get a vote in anything.

而她自己在任何事务上都没有投票权。

It didn't matter when this District of Columbia was basically uninhabited,

过去哥伦比亚特区基本无人居住时，这无关紧要，

but since more people live in DC now than do in a couple of states, 語法

但现在由于华盛顿特区的常住人口比好几个州的人口都多，

it's an uncomfortable arrangement.

这样的安排就显得有些尴尬了。

The other gaps on this map are the American Indian reservations,

地图上的其他缺口是印第安人保留地，

which are numerous.

数量有很多。

The United States kind of administers them while sort of treating them as foreign nations, 語氣意圖

美国在某种程度上管理它们，同时也把它们当做外国来对待，

which means you could draw the state boundaries to look like this

这意味着你可以把州边界画成这样，

because the reservations are kind of apart from those states.

因为这些保留地跟那些州是有些分离的。

But the American Indian reservations are such a full of asterisks oh so sensitive situation, 習語

但是印第安人保留地充满了各种附加条件，情况极其敏感，

it's also better as a story for another time.

这也最好以后再讲。

Gaps aside, 表達脈絡

撇开这些缺口不谈，

the continent and Hawaii is mostly straightforward,

北美大陆和夏威夷的情况比较明朗，

but there's more than just these United States.

但美国的版图远不止这些州。

When the US ran out of lands to manifest destiny, 講解

当美国耗尽了可以践行“昭昭天命”的土地时，

she learned from the best and territorialized a whole bunch of islands.

她学着最强者的做法，把一大堆岛屿变成了领地。

First up,

首先，

Puerto Rico,

波多黎各，

an organized unincorporated territory of the US. 文化背景

一个美国的建制非合并领地。

This means she's self-governing to some extent 短語搭配

这意味着她在某种程度上拥有自治权，

and that all of the US Constitution doesn't automatically apply on the island.

并且美国宪法并不全部自动适用于该岛。

Now, 3.7 million people live in Puerto Rico,

目前有370万人居住在波多黎各，

which is 91% of the people living on US territorial islands

占居住在美国岛屿领地总人口的91%，

and more people than live in 21 of the states.

甚至比21个州的人口还要多。

And the US treats Puerto Rico as a state in almost all but name, 習語

美国几乎在所有实质意义上都把波多黎各当作一个州来对待，

which possibly soon she will be anyway,

也许很快她真的会成为一个州，

bringing the number of stars to a nice even 51.

让国旗上的星星数量变成凑整的51颗。

But Puerto Rico isn't the only organized unincorporated territory.

但波多黎各并不是唯一的建制非合并领地。

There's also Guam,

还有关岛，

which was acquired in the Spanish-American War along with Puerto Rico.

它和波多黎各一起是在美西战争中获得的。

There's the Northern Mariana Islands taken from Japan during World War II

还有二战期间从日本手中夺取的北马里亚纳群岛，

and the US Virgin Islands taken from nobody.

以及没有从任何人手里夺取的美属维尔京群岛。

Denmark sold her.

那是丹麦卖给她的。

The people in these territories are American citizens.

这些领地的人民都是美国公民。

In most ways, the territories are just like DC.

在大多数方面，这些领地就像华盛顿特区一样。

Congress can override their local governments and they don't have representation because no state-tation. 習語

国会可以否决他们的地方政府，他们没有代表权因为他们不是州。

But otherwise, it's America.

但除此之外，那里就是美国。

Actually, the territories and DC do get to elect congressional representatives 語法

事实上，这些领地和华盛顿特区确实可以选举国会代表，

who attend all of the meetings, but just can't vote in any of them,

这些代表出席所有的会议，只是不能在会议上投票，

which is either the worst job in the world or the best job in the world, 語法

这要么是世界上最糟糕的工作，要么是世界上最好的工作，

depending on the kind of person who gets it.

这取决于担任此职的是什么样的人。

Also,

此外，

since votes for president are based on state population,

由于总统选举是按州人口计算选票的，

citizens in the territories can't vote,

领地的公民不能投票，

which,

这就，

as mentioned in a previous video,

就像之前的视频中提到过的，

leads to the weird situation

导致了一个诡异的情况：

that Americans who live in foreign countries can vote for president in the state where they last lived,

住在国外的美国人可以在他们最后居住的州给总统投票，

while Americans who live in America, just in a territory, cannot.

而住在美国（只是在领地）的美国人却不能。

Along with these unincorporated organized territories, 文化背景

除了这些建制非合并领地，

there are also unincorporated unorganized territories,

还有非建制非合并领地，

actually quite a few.

实际上还挺多的。

They are Howland Island, Navassa Island, Wake Island, Jarvis

它们是豪兰岛、纳瓦萨岛、威克岛、贾维斯

Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Reef,

岛、约翰斯顿环礁、金曼礁、中途礁、

Serranilla Bank, and Bajo Nuevo Bank.

塞拉尼拉浅滩和巴霍努埃沃浅滩。

Most of these were acquired under the delightfully named Guano Islands Act 文化背景

这些岛屿大多是通过名称喜人的《鸟粪岛法案》获得的，

when the US decided she wanted a bunch of islands filled with bird poop.

当时美国觉得她需要一堆满是鸟屎的岛屿。

No, really, the US just straight up wrote a law to declare that those islands were now hers. 講解

不，说真的，美国直接制定了一项法律，宣布那些岛屿现在是她的了。

Unorganized in this system means there's no local government on these islands

在这个体系中，“非建制”意味着这些岛屿没有地方政府，

because no one lives in these places.

因为这些地方没有人居住。

Some of them are barely above the waterline.

其中一些岛屿勉强露出水面。

Now, the weird category is unorganized incorporated territories,

真正奇怪的类别是非建制合并领地，

of which there is one, the Palmyra Atoll,

只有一个，那就是巴尔米拉环礁，

claimed by the US after the totally peaceful annexation of Hawaii. 語氣意圖

是美国在“绝对和平”吞并夏威夷之后声称拥有的。

They're currently an uninhabited nature reserve,

它们目前是无人居住的自然保护区，

but incorporated means the US Constitution applies here.

但“合并”意味着美国宪法适用于此。

To who?

适用于谁？

The Palmyra Atoll is like that question about a tree falling in the forest. 文化背景

巴尔米拉环礁就像那个“森林里树木倒下”的问题。

If there are no people for the Constitution to apply to,

如果没有宪法适用的对象，

does the Constitution still apply?

宪法还适用吗？

Yes.

是的。

This means if a foreigner gives birth on this uninhabited strip

这意味着如果一个外国人在这个无人居住的地带生下孩子，

and doesn't die from the nature,

并且没有死于自然环境，

their child would be an American citizen.

他们的孩子就将成为美国公民。

Now, this category is empty.

不过现在，这个类别是空的。

It's where territories go before they become states,

它是领地在成为州之前的过渡状态，

when basically the Constitution fully applies

基本上宪法完全适用，

and it was last occupied by Hawaii.

上一个处于这种状态的是夏威夷。

We've gone full circle, but there is one territory we've left out, 講解

我们兜了一圈，但我们遗漏了一个领地，

American Samoa, home to 55,000 people.

美属萨摩亚，那里有55000名居民。

Uniquely, American Samoans don't get to be citizens, but instead are American nationals. 文化背景

独特的是，美属萨摩亚人不能成为美国公民，而是美国国民。

They can live in the states, but can't vote in presidential elections

他们可以住在各个州，但不能在总统选举中投票，

unless they go through the immigration process like any foreigner,

除非他们像外国人一样通过移民程序，

even though in all other ways they're indistinguishable from citizens.

尽管在所有其他方面他们与公民完全没有区别。

This is unique to American Samoa

这是美属萨摩亚独有的情况，

and there seems to be no reason for it other than that Congress hasn't gotten around to updating the system. 短語動詞

除了国会还没来得及更新系统外，似乎没有其他解释。

American Samoa is in the no government category,

美属萨摩亚原本属于“无政府状态”的类别，

like it's Lord of the Flies over there, 文化背景

仿佛那里上演着《蝇王》，

which it obviously isn't.

但显然并非如此。

So, American Samoa with its organized government needs to go over here

因此，拥有建制政府的美属萨摩亚需要移到这个类别，

and Puerto Rico, essentially a state, needs to go over here

本质上算作州的波多黎各需要移到这里，

and the empty Palmyra Atoll needs to go over here.

而空无一人的巴尔米拉环礁需要移到这里。

But don't hold your breath for the paperwork to make its way through Congress anytime soon. 講解

但别指望这些文书工作能很快在国会通过。

So, that's all the territory of the United States,

以上就是美国所有的领地，

but there is one final thing to talk about,

但最后还有一件事要谈，

three tiny nations,

三个微型国家，

Palau, the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia.

帕劳、马绍尔群岛和密克罗尼西亚联邦。

These are separate countries with UN seats and everything,

它们是有联合国席位等一切的独立国家，

but they have a quote Compact of Free Association with the United States. 文化背景

但它们与美国签订了一份所谓的《自由联合协定》。

The deal is that the US provides economic support and military defense to the Compact Nations

协议内容是美国向这些协定国提供经济支持和军事防御，

in return for being allowed to build military bases there. 短語搭配

作为允许美国在那里建立军事基地的回报。

Also, Compact citizens can live and work in the United States and vice versa. 短語搭配

此外，协定国的公民可以在美国生活和工作，反之亦然。

The Americans wanting to live abroad, you have three easy options.

想在国外生活的美国人，你们有三个轻松的选择。

So, that's America, 表達脈絡

那么，这就是美国，

50 states, many reservations,

50个州，许多保留地，

one district, lots of island territories,

一个特区，许多岛屿领地，

some even with people, and three tiny associated countries.

甚至有些还有人居住，以及三个微小的联系国。