A new book about America’s political dysfunction comes out on Tuesday, just days after an unruly mob stormed the Capitol to try to stop a democratic election being confirmed. “Kill Switch”, by Adam Jentleson, traces the role of the Senate in the decay of America’s body politic. He focuses predominantly on the filibuster, a procedural mechanism that lets senators block legislation. Mr Jentleson, who worked as a Senate aide, explains how—contrary to a common misconception—the tool was not a part of the original Constitution but instead became popular in the 19th century, and how white supremacist senators weaponised it to block civil-rights legislation and maintain Jim Crow laws in the South. Its use has only grown since then. The bitterness and frustration that currently engulf the upper chamber make it seem a far cry from George Washington’s alleged original vision of the Senate as a “cooling saucer” to the more fiery and reactive House.
1 重点词汇表达
1. dysfunction, noun, the situation when the relationships within a society, family, etc. are not working normally （社会、家庭等内部的）关系失衡
eg. It's a tale of loneliness and family dysfunction.
2. unruly, adj, difficult to control or manage 难以控制（或管理）的，难以驾驭的
eg. It's not good enough just to blame the unruly children.
3. misconception, noun, A misconception is an idea that is not correct. 错误观念，错误看法，误解
eg. There is a popular misconception that too much exercise is bad for you.
common misconception，普遍误解
It's a misconception that，误以为
misconception about，误解
lead to/ address/ correct/ misconception，造成/ 消除误解
4. alleged, adj, An alleged fact has been stated but has not been proved to be true. 声称的，被断言的，涉嫌的
eg. It was alleged that the policeman had accepted bribes.
alleged offence/ crime/ incident，被指控的罪行/ 犯罪行为/ 事件
allegedly, adv, 据称
allege，vt，声称
5. predominantly, adv, mostly or mainly 绝大多数，主要地
eg. The workforce is predominantly male.
predominant，adj，主要的，明显的
predominance，noun，优势
6. engulf，vt, ~ sb/sth to affect sb/sth very strongly 严重影响
eg. Fear engulfed her.
7. fiery, adj, showing or encouraging anger or excitement 怒气冲冲的，充满激情的
eg. He delivered a fiery speech in a university in 2019.
8. reactive, adj, reacting to events or situations rather than starting or doing new things yourself 反应的，回应的
eg. A nation follows a reactive foreign policy.
9. weaponise, vt, to make sth suitable for use as a weapon 使适合用作武器，使武器化
eg. They may have weaponized quantities of tools
weapon，noun，武器
nuclear weapon，核武器
10. storm, vt, If a place that is being defended is stormed, a group of people attack it, usually in order to get inside it.
eg. World leaders and allies have expressed shock over the Capitol stormed by people in support of Donald Trump.
2 固定搭配
1. come out，出版，发行，发表
eg. A book will come out next week.
come up with，想出
come from，来自
come back，回来
2. focus on，集中，专注
eg. Medical experts focus on how to get the vulneable vaccinated and how to distribute vaccines properly.
center/ centre on，专注
3. be a far cry from sth，与某物大不相同
eg. The company lost $3 million, which is a far cry from last year’s $60 million profit.
4. body politic, 全体人民，国家（被视为政治集体
eg. The king was the head of the body politic.
5. contrary to，与......相反
eg. If you act contrary to the doctor's advice, you won't get well again
3 术语表达
1. Senate, 参议院（Senate）又称为上议院，是两院制国家（另一院为众议院）的国会议院之一。在联邦制的国家（例如：美国、德国、加拿大、澳大利亚等），参议院的议席会按联邦的组成部分（如州、邦等）分配，不论人口多寡，在这些国家参议院也被称为“诸州院”（The States' House）。 在较古老的君主制下的议会（例如：英国），参议院的议员由政府终身任命或由世袭贵族推选。
2. Jim Crow laws，吉姆·克劳法，1876年至1965年间美国南部各州以及边境各州对有色人种（主要针对非洲裔美国人，但同时也包含其他族群）实行种族隔离制度的法律。这些法律上的种族隔离强制公共设施必须依照种族的不同而隔离使用，且在隔离但平等的原则下，种族隔离被解释为不违反宪法保障的同等保护权，因此得以持续存在。但事实上黑人所能享有的部份与白人相较往往是较差的，而这样的差别待遇也造成了黑人长久以来处于经济、教育及社会上较为弱势的地位。
3. the Capitol, 美国国会大厦，是美国国会所在地，位于美国首都华盛顿—哥伦比亚特区，于1800年正式投入使用。其被视作民有、民治、民享政权的最高象征。美国国会大厦是一座三层的平顶建筑，内部装设严肃雄伟。它的东面大草坪则是历届总统举行就职典礼的地方。
4 语法点津
1. The bitterness and frustration that currently engulf the upper chamber make it seem a far cry from George Washington’s alleged original vision of the Senate as a “cooling saucer” to the more fiery and reactive House.
句子结构：主语bitterness and frustration + 定语从句 + 谓语make + 宾语it + 宾补seem...cry
定语从句：主语关系词that + 谓语engulf + 宾语chamber
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