EN: In news headlines, the simple present tense (e.g., 'Sue') is frequently used to describe recent past events or ongoing legal actions, creating a sense of immediacy.
中文: 新聞標題常使用「現在簡單式」(如 Sue)來敘述最近發生或正在進行的事件,以營造即時感與生動度。
Government announces new policies to support small businesses.
政府宣布新政策以支持小型企業。
EN: The infinitive phrase 'to Stop Law' functions as an adverbial of purpose (infinitive of purpose), explaining the intention or reason behind the main action 'sue'.
中文: 不定詞片語「to Stop Law」在此充當「目的狀語」,用來修飾主要動詞 sue,說明起訴的具體目的。
He called a meeting to discuss the budget cuts.
他召集了一次會議來討論預算削減。
EN: In the United States, individual states like California often pass pioneering regulations on tech companies and child safety. When tech companies believe state laws infringe upon federal protections—such as First Amendment free speech rights—they frequently file lawsuits directly against state officials or state governments to halt enforcement.
中文: 在美國,像加州這樣的州經常率先推行針對科技公司與兒童安全的前瞻性法規。當科技巨頭認為州法律侵害了聯邦憲法保障(如第一修正案的言論自由)時,往往會主動對州政府或州官員提起訴訟,以暫緩或阻止法規生效。
EN: The Present Perfect tense ('have + past participle') is used here to report recent news or actions that have a direct impact or relevance to the present moment.
中文: 現在完成式(have + 過去分詞)在此用於報導近期發生的新聞事件,強調該行動對當前現狀所產生的影響與關聯性。
Several environmental groups have filed a lawsuit against the factory.
數個環保團體已對該工廠提起訴訟。
EN: The infinitive of purpose ('to + verb', here 'to stop') explains the reason or objective behind the main clause action ('have taken legal action').
中文: 不定詞表示目的(to + 原形動詞,此處為 'to stop'),用來說明主要子句動作('have taken legal action')的目的或原因。
They hired an attorney to protect their copyright.
他們聘請了一位律師來保護他們的版權。
EN: In the United States, states like California often pass pioneering regulations on tech companies and consumer safety before the federal government does. When corporations disagree with state legislation, their primary recourse is taking legal action in federal courts, frequently citing constitutional protections like the First Amendment.
中文: 在美國,像加州這樣的州政府常在聯邦政府之前率先通過針對科技公司或消費者安全的前瞻性法規。當企業對州立法持反對意見時,主要途徑是向聯邦法院提起訴訟,並經常引用憲法第一修正案等言論自由條款進行抗辯。
EN: The passive structure 'be designed to + infinitive' means that something was created or intended for a specific purpose.
中文: 「be designed to + 原形動詞」為被動結構,表示「旨在……」或「被設計用來達到某種目的」。
The program was designed to help beginners learn coding quickly.
該計畫旨在幫助初學者快速學習寫程式。
EN: The relative clause 'who are under sixteen years old' uses the relative pronoun 'who' to provide essential defining information about 'children'.
中文: 關係子句「who are under sixteen years old」使用關係代名詞「who」來引導,用以修飾並明確限定先行詞「children(兒童)」。
Students who are interested in science can join the club.
對科學感興趣的學生可以加入該社團。
EN: In US state and federal legislation, age thresholds like 'under sixteen' or 'under thirteen' (such as in COPPA) are standard benchmarks used to define minors for distinct digital privacy and consumer safety protections.
中文: 在美國各州及聯邦法規中,像「未滿十六歲」或「未滿十三歲」(如《兒童線上隱私保護法》COPPA)是常見的法律年齡門檻,專門用來針對未成年人制定數位隱私與使用安全的保護措施。
EN: A non-defining relative clause is introduced by commas and 'which', providing extra, non-essential information about a noun. If removed, the main sentence still makes complete sense.
中文: 非限定關係子句:由逗號和「which」引導,提供關於先行詞的補充說明。即使省略此子句,主要句子的文意依然完整且清晰。
The proposal, which was introduced last month, aims to improve public health.
這項於上個月提出的提案,旨在改善公共衛生。
EN: The phrasal verb 'lead to' followed by a noun or gerund means 'to result in' or 'to cause something to happen'.
中文: 片語動詞「lead to」後接名詞或動名詞,表示「導致」、「引起」某種結果。
Poor sleep habits can lead to serious health problems.
不良的睡眠習慣可能會導致嚴重的健康問題。
EN: In the United States legislative process, state-level proposed legislation is often named by the chamber where it originated. In California, 'Assembly Bill' (often abbreviated AB) signifies a bill introduced in the California State Assembly, the lower house of the state legislature.
中文: 在美國立法體系中,州層級的提案通常依提出該案的議院命名。在加州,「Assembly Bill」(常簡寫為 AB)指由加州州眾議院(下議院)所提出的法案。
EN: The verb 'offer' is a ditransitive verb that can take two objects: an indirect object (the receiver, e.g., 'minors') followed by a direct object (the thing given, e.g., 'personal recommendations'). The pattern is: offer + [indirect object] + [direct object].
中文: 動詞「offer」(提供)為雙賓動詞(ditransitive verb),接續兩個受詞:間接受詞(接受者,如 minors)及直接受詞(提供的事物,如 personal recommendations)。常見句型結構為:offer + 間接受詞 + 直接受詞。
The company offers employees free language courses.
這間公司向員工提供免費的語言課程。
EN: The coordinating conjunction 'or' connects two parallel verb phrases sharing the modal auxiliary 'cannot': (1) 'offer minors personal recommendations' and (2) 'play videos automatically through autoplay'.
中文: 對等連接詞「or」在此連接兩個平行對稱的動詞短語,兩者共享情態助動詞「cannot」:(1)「offer minors personal recommendations」與 (2)「play videos automatically through autoplay」。
Visitors cannot take photographs or touch the exhibits.
參觀者不能拍照,也不能觸碰展品。
EN: Features such as algorithmic recommendations and autoplay are often referred to by tech ethicists as 'dark patterns' or addictive design loops. In legal and tech discussions in the US, 'autoplay' specifically denotes the mechanism where a new video or clip begins without the user clicking or giving explicit consent, a major target in child protection legislation.
中文: 演算法個人化推薦與自動播放(autoplay)常被科技倫理學家視為易致成癮的設計機制(addictive design loop)。在美國科技法律與政策討論中,「autoplay」特指用戶未點擊或未給予明確許可前、系統便自行連續播放下一支影片的功能,這正是各州針對未成年人保護立法時的首要監管標的。
EN: The verb 'require' commonly follows the pattern 'require + object + to-infinitive', meaning to demand that someone do something by rule or law.
中文: 動詞「require」常用結構為「require + 受詞 + 不定詞(to V)」,意思是依規定或法律要求某人執行某項動作。
The school requires all students to wear uniforms.
學校要求所有學生穿著制服。
EN: The clause 'that include such features' is a restrictive relative clause modifying the noun 'accounts'. The relative pronoun 'that' serves as the subject within the relative clause.
中文: 子句「that include such features」為限定關係子句,修飾先行詞名詞「accounts」。關係代名詞「that」在關係子句中擔任主詞。
He deleted the apps that took up too much storage.
他刪除了那些佔用過多儲存空間的應用程式。
EN: In the United States, digital privacy and safety regulations for children (such as COPPA at the federal level and California's Age-Appropriate Design Code Act) often place heavy compliance duties directly on tech platforms, including mandatory data deletion and disabling algorithmic recommendations for minors.
中文: 在美國,針對兒童的數位隱私與安全法規(例如聯邦層級的《兒童線上隱私保護法》COPPA 以及加州的法案)通常會將合規責任直接加諸於科技平台身上,包括強制刪除特定資料以及對未成年人停用演算法推薦等功能。
EN: The conjunction 'because' introduces an adverbial clause of reason, explaining why Governor Newsom signed the law.
中文: 從屬連接詞「because」引導原因副詞子句,用來解釋加文·紐森州長簽署該法案的原因。
She stayed late at work because she had to finish the urgent report.
她加班到很晚,因為她必須完成那份緊急報告。
EN: The idiom 'come first' means to be more important than anything else. Notice that the noun clause after 'believes' omits 'that'.
中文: 片語「come first」意思是「最重要、放在首位」。此外,動詞「believes」後面省略了引導名詞子句的連接詞「that」。
In our family, honesty always comes first.
在我們家,誠實永遠是第一位的。
EN: In the United States, state governors have the executive power to sign bills passed by state legislatures into law, or veto them. Gavin Newsom is the 40th Governor of California.
中文: 在美國,各州州長擁有行政權力將州議會通過的法案簽署成法律(或行使否決權)。加文·紐森為現任第40任加州州長。
EN: The verb phrase 'replace A with B' means to put something or someone new in the place of another. Here, 'the judgment of parents' (A) is being superseded by 'the state's own choices' (B).
中文: 動詞片語「replace A with B」意為「以 B 取代 A」。在本句中,A 為「父母的判斷(the judgment of parents)」,被 B「州政府自己的選擇(the state's own choices)」所取代。
The school replaced old textbooks with digital tablets.
學校用平板電腦取代了舊教科書。
EN: In indirect speech, the conjunction 'that' is frequently omitted after reporting verbs like 'said'. The clause 'the law replaces...' functions as the direct object of 'said'.
中文: 在間接引語中,轉述動詞(如 said、think 等)後引導名詞子句的連接詞「that」常被省略。本句中「the law replaces...」即為省略 that 的名詞子句,作為 said 的受詞。
He said the meeting was canceled.
他說會議取消了。
EN: In American legal and political discourse, debates over parental rights versus government regulation are common. Companies often frame their arguments around 'parental authority' and constitutional speech rights to gain public sympathy and build a stronger legal defense against state-level intervention.
中文: 在美國法律與政治論述中,「父母監護權與自主權」常被用來對抗「政府過度監管」。科技公司在此訴訟中特別強調法律剝奪了「父母的判斷」,是一種訴諸家庭自主與言論自由的常見法律抗辯策略。
EN: The reporting verb 'argue' is followed by a 'that'-clause functioning as the direct object, explaining the claim or reason being put forward.
中文: 轉述動詞(Reporting Verb)「argue」後面接由「that」引導的名詞子句作為受詞,用來說明所提出的論點或理由。
Lawyers argued that the new policy was unconstitutional.
律師們主張這項新政策違憲。
EN: In formal or legal contexts, 'break' is used to mean 'to violate' or 'to infringe upon' rights, rules, or protections.
中文: 在正式或法律語境中,「break」常用來表示「違反」或「侵犯」權利、法規或保障條款(相當於 violate 或 infringe upon)。
The company breaks copyright protections by sharing the music without permission.
該公司未經許可分享該音樂,違反了版權保護。
EN: The phrase 'free speech protections in the United States Constitution' refers directly to the First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech and expression. Tech companies frequently cite the First Amendment when challenging state-level digital regulations, arguing that automated algorithms and content moderation policies are protected forms of editorial speech.
中文: 「美國憲法中的言論自由保障」主要指憲法第一修正案(First Amendment)。在美國法律實踐中,科技巨頭經常以第一修正案為依據挑戰各州的數位監管法律,主張平台推薦演算法與內容呈現方式屬於受憲法保護的言論或編輯自由。
EN: In indirect speech (reported speech), the conjunction 'that' introducing a noun clause acting as the object of reporting verbs like 'said' is frequently omitted, especially in journalistic English.
中文: 在間接引語(轉述語)中,接在 said 等轉述動詞後面的名詞子句連接詞「that」常被省略,這在新聞英語中尤為普遍。
The spokesperson said they were preparing an official response.
發言人表示他們正在準備官方回應。
EN: Apposition occurs when two noun phrases are placed side-by-side to describe the same entity. Here, 'Rob Bonta' is set off by commas as an appositive identifying 'California's attorney general'.
中文: 同位語是指將兩個名詞短語並列以補充說明同一對象。在本句中,「Rob Bonta」前後以逗號隔開,作為「California's attorney general」的同位語,明確指出其身分姓名。
Our team leader, David Smith, organized the entire project.
我們的團隊負責人戴維·史密斯組織了整個專案。
EN: In the United States, each state has an 'attorney general' who serves as the top legal advisor and law enforcement officer of that state government. Their office represents the state in significant legal challenges and lawsuits.
中文: 在美國各州,「attorney general」(通常譯為州檢察總長或州司法部長)是該州最高的法律顧問兼首席執法官員,其辦公室負責代表州政府參與重大訴訟與法律案件的抗辯。
EN: The phrase 'be committed to' is followed by a gerund (verb-ing) or a noun phrase, meaning to be dedicated or obligated to doing something. Here, 'to' acts as a preposition, not an infinitive marker, so it requires 'defending' instead of 'defend'.
中文: 片語「be committed to」後面必須接動名詞(V-ing)或名詞片語,意思是「致力於、承諾要做某事」。在此結構中,「to」為介系詞而非不定詞標記,因此後面要接動名詞「defending」而非原形動詞「defend」。
Our team is committed to improving customer satisfaction.
我們的團隊致力於提升客戶滿意度。
EN: The infinitive of purpose ('to protect kids online') is used to express the intention or objective behind an action. Here, it explains the purpose of the laws or the act of defending them.
中文: 不定詞表示目的(to protect kids online)用來說明某個行動背後的意圖或目的。在此處用來說明這些法律或是捍衛行動是為了達到「保護兒童線上安全」的目標。
The school introduced new rules to reduce bullying.
學校實施了新規定以減少霸凌現象。
EN: In American political and legal rhetoric, the term 'commonsense laws' is strategically used to frame controversial or challenged regulations as practical, non-ideological, and widely supported by ordinary citizens.
中文: 在美國政治與法律論述中,「常識性法律」(commonsense laws)是一個常見的修辭手法,旨在將具爭議或面臨法律挑戰的法規塑造成符合常理、務實且普受民眾認同的基本規範。
重要單字附有 IPA 發音、定義、例句和互動式測驗。
在本文中: 對……提起訴訟、控告
在本文中: 成癮、沉溺
在本文中: 規章、法規
在本文中: 難以克制的、強迫性的
在本文中: 未成年人
在本文中: 判斷力、決策
在本文中: 訴訟案件
在本文中: 憲法
在本文中: 堅定致力於……的
在本文中: 合乎常理的、明智的
片語包含類型標示、雙語定義、用法說明和例句。
to start a lawsuit or legal process against someone
採取法律行動、提起訴訟
to be considered more important than anything else
擺在第一位、最重要
the right to express any opinions without censorship or restraint
言論自由
to be dedicated to a particular cause, action, or belief
致力於、堅定支持