EnglishasaSecondLanguagePodcastPresents:ThecompleteCourseQuestions1-100Contributors:JessicaBrown,LucyTse,andJeffMcQuillanCopyright2008CenterforEducationalDevelopmentEnglishasaSecondLanguagePodcastwww.eslpod.comIntroductiontotheUnitedStatesTheCompleteCourse:Questions1–100_____________________________________________________________________________________________________ThesematerialsarecopyrightedbytheCenterforEducationalDevelopment(2008).Postingofthesematerialsonanotherwebsiteordistributingtheminanywayisprohibited.ContributorstothisiscourseareJessicaBrown,LucyTse,andJeffMcQuillan.1A:PrinciplesofAmericanDemocracy1.Whatisthesupremelawoftheland?Answer:TheConstitutionExplanation:Backin1787,morethan200yearsago,theUnitedStatesofAmericadidn’texistthewayitdoestoday.Therewerejust13states,andaftertheygainedindependencefromGreatBritain,theyhadaveryweakgovernment.Theystruggledtosurvive(orcontinuetoexist)forseveralyearswiththisweakgovernment,buttheyhadmanyproblems.Sothe13statesdecidedtoworktogetherandwriteanewdocument(orwrittenrecord)tomakethecountrystrongerandmoreunified(orasonegroup),sotheycouldworkbettertogetherasonenation.TheycalledthisnewdocumenttheConstitution.Theword“Constitution”comesfromtheverbtoconstitute,meaningtoputthingstogether.TheConstitutionjoined(orputtogether)the13statesintoanewcountry.Sincethattime,theConstitutionhasbeenthesupreme(orhighest)lawintheUnitedStates.EveryonewholivesintheUnitedStatesmustobey(orfollow)theConstitution.Ifthereisadisagreementoverwhethersomethingislegal(agreeswiththelaw)orillegal(againstthelaw),weusetheConstitutiontohelpustoresolve(ordecide)theissue.That’swhyitisthehighestandmostimportantlegaldocumentinthecountry.TheConstitutionwaswrittenduringthesummerof1787atameetingcalledtheConstitutionalConventioninthecityofPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania.Itwasalong,hotsummerthatyearwhenthe55delegates(orrepresentatives)mettowritethisnewsetoflaws.Everyonehadadifferentopinion(orthoughtorbelief)abouthowthenewgovernmentshouldbeorganized.Thisisnotsurpr...
