美国英语听力80篇1 Lesson09
Text (9)Senate
The Senate is one of the two lawmaking bodies of the United States Congress.
The other is the House of Representatives.
Both have about the same amount of power.
Both the Senate and the House of Representatives must approve a bill before it can become law.
The Senate can propose all kinds of legislation except tax laws.
Only the Senate can approve treaties and the President's nominations to some government offices.
The Constitutional Convention established the nation's form of government in 1787.
But the delegates could not agree about congressional representation.
Delegates from states with fewer people wanted equal representation for each state.
Delegates from states with many People called for representation based on the number of people in the state.
A compromise provided for equal representation in the Senate,two senators from each state.
Representation in the House of Representatives was to be based on population.
The first Senate had twenty-two members when it met in 1789.
The Senate now has 100 members.
The United States Constitution says a senator must be at least thirty years old
and have been an American citizen for at least nine years.
It also says senators must legally live in the state they represent when they are elected.
Senators serve in Congress for six years.
About one-third of all senators are elected in the same year.
There is no limit on the number of times a senator can be re-elected.
Today, voters elect all members Of the House of Representatives and Senate.
However, the Constitution provided that the people elect only the members of the House of Representatives.
It said that members of state legislatures were to choose the senators.
But state legislators had too many other duties.
