Amir: So honey, who do you think you're going to vote for in the election? I really like both the Republican and Democratic candidates, but I can't decide who to vote for.

Sharon: You like both of them? I think they're both terrible. For me the question isn't who I like the most, but who I dislike the least!

Amir: Well, I guess that's an interesting way to look at it. To be honest I don't care if Virginia is a blue state or a red state. I just want a moderate candidate who will do a good job.

Sharon: Yeah, you're right. The only thing I care about is that whoever wins isn't too partisan.

看來Amir和Sharon都是moderate voters--溫和的選民。不過我不明白，Amir說，他不在乎Virginia州變成blue state or red state，這是什么意思呢？

Professor: In America, the color red represents the Republican Party, and the color blue represents the Democratic Party.

哦，紅色代表共和黨，藍色代表民主黨。所以，Amir 意思是，他不在乎州長是由共和黨人來做，還是民主黨人來做，最好是個溫和派、干實事兒的人。

Professor: Right! And Sharon says she doesn't want a candidate who is too partisan. Someone is partisan if he refuses to compromise with the other side.

哦，partisan就是“黨派性的”。

Amir: Well what do you think the results are going to be? Virginia used to always be a landslide for the Republicans, but these days it's a tossup.

Sharon: You're right, it's pretty hard to say. But since the incumbent is a Republican, I'd have to give him a slight advantage.

Amir: Yeah, incumbents always have an easier time with fundraising, and everybody already knows them because they've been in office for a while.

Sharon: Yeah, but judging by what a bad job he's done, I don't think that name recognition is going to help him!

看來這次選舉競爭很激烈。現(xiàn)在選舉結(jié)果是tossup - 就像扔硬幣一樣，勝選機會是一半一半，哪個候選人都不會有l(wèi)andslide--壓倒性勝利。

Professor: Exactly. But one candidate has an advantage, right?

對，那就是the incumbent--在職者。Amir說，他在fundraising--籌款，和name recognition--知名度方面，都有優(yōu)勢。

Professor: That's true, but name recognition isn't always a good thing, right?

對，知名度不一定都是好事，因為不知道是好名還是罵名!

Amir: A lot of analysts are saying that the election is going to be decided by turnout. The more people vote, the more it's likely to benefit the Democrat.

Sharon: (Sigh) .... Amir, can we stop talking about politics? I just want to eat my breakfast in peace.

Amir: But Sharon, this is my first time voting in an American election. Can't you understand how excited I am?

Sharon: Look, if you're really into the election, why don't you listen to the pundits talk about it?

Amir: Come on Sharon, how can you think about eating breakfast at a time like this? This election is going to decide the future of our country!

Sharon: Amir, if you don't stop talking about politics, it's going to decide the future of your marriage!

professor, 什么叫“turnout”？

Professor: Turnout is the number of people who actually go out and vote on election day. In the US, turnout is usually about 50 percent across the country.

哦，turnout就是投票人數(shù)。那么，什么叫pundits呢？

Professor: Pundits are professional commentators. They are famous people who spend all their time talking about their views on current events.

哦，就是那些專門在電視廣播里對時事發(fā)表看法的評論家! 這么說，我同意Sharon的觀點。現(xiàn)在，只要一開電視，到處都是pundits，已經(jīng)夠煩人了，誰還想自己家里的老公也每天大談?wù)�治呢�?/SPAN>

A: 原來，Amir和Sharon都是moderate voters, 溫和選民，他們更注重的不是partisan黨派，而是誰的政策更合理。兩人覺得，這次的選舉會是個tossup, 兩黨機會旗鼓相當，哪個候選人都不會有l(wèi)andslide, 壓倒性勝利。

B: Yeah, I guess that's the situation today. The new poll shows that Obama and Romney's support rate are incredibly close.

A: So who are you going to vote for?

B: Hmm....楊琳, let me give you some sensitivity training. In America, we don't ask people this kind of question. Anything involving the politics are extremely sensitive.

A: 哦對了，政治問題不能隨便問! 不過……咱倆都這么鐵了，你就告訴我嘛!

B: Haha, I'm a moderate voter, I will vote for whoever with the best policy for my country. But...remember don't ask other people such questions, you might offend them without even realizing it!

A: 嗯，謝謝你的忠告！