法律英語-何家弘

1、Lesson One: Legal System 法律制度Background 背景自從哥倫布(Christopher Columbus)于 1492 年航行至美洲之后，大批歐洲人便開始擁向這片“新大陸“。不過，人們通常把第一批英國定居者(the first English settlers)于 1607 年到達(dá)弗吉尼亞(Virginia)的詹姆斯頓(Jamestown)視為美國法律制度歷史的起點(diǎn)。美國法制史可以大體上分為兩個(gè)時(shí)期，即英

2、屬殖民地時(shí)期(the Period of the English Colonies)和美利堅(jiān)合眾國時(shí)期(the Period of the United States)。雖然美國的法律制度是在英國法律傳統(tǒng)的基礎(chǔ)上形成和發(fā)展起來的，但是在近四百年的歷史進(jìn)程中，美國的法律制度也形成了一些不同于英國法律制度的特點(diǎn)，如公訴制度(public prosecution)等。美國屬于普通法系(Common Law Legal System)國家，其法

3、律制度有兩個(gè)基本特點(diǎn)：其一是以分散制(decentralization)為原則；其二是以判例法(case law)為主體。美國除聯(lián)邦政府外，還有州政府、縣政府、市政府、鎮(zhèn)政府等等，而且這些政府都是相互獨(dú)立colony. It has the oldest written constitution, the oldest continuous federal system, and the oldest practice of self

4、government of any nation.One of the most interesting features of Americas youth is that the whole of its history belongs in the period since the invention of the printing press. The whole of its history is, therefore, r

5、ecorded: indeed, it is safe to say that no other major nation has so comprehensive a record of its history as has the United States, for events such as those that are lost in the legendary past of Italy or France or Engl

6、and are part of the printed record of the United States. And the American record is not only comprehensive; it is immense. It embraces not only the record of the colonial era and of the Nation since 1776, but of the pres

7、ent fifty States as well, and the intricate network of relationships between States and Nation. Thus, to take a very elementary example, the reports of the United States Supreme Court fill some 350 volumes, and the repor