英语新闻视频：解读美国大选

 Americans vote for their next president on November 6. But the real presidential election takes place on December 17, and only 538 people are involved. This small group is called the Electoral College.When the U.S. Constitution was forged in 1787, no European nation had its citizens directly elect their Head of State. Therefore, the Constitution’s writers devised a two-step system by which people would cast ballots², but their votes would be conveyed to a small group, the Electoral College, which meeting state-by-state about a month after the popular vote, actually selects the president.

   "Those Electors are, in number, the Congressional delegation³ in each state -- two for the Senate, and however many Representatives," says American University Professor Curtis Gans. "And, they are elected by a winner-take-all in the states."

   The only exception is for two states, Nebraska and Maine, which assign Electors proportionately according to the popular vote in each Congressional district. There are also three additional Electors representing non-state entities⁴ such as the District of Columbia, for a total of 538.

   A simple majority of 270 produces a president. However, if no presidential candidate comes up with that, the Constitution provides for the House of Representatives to select the next president, though that has not happened in more than 200 years.

    And, while most presidential elections have one candidate winning both a majority of the popular vote and the Electoral College, an exception took place in 2000.

   Democrat⁵ Al Gore⁶ won the national popular vote by over 500,000 ballots, and had clear control of 266 Electoral College votes. But his challenger, Republican George W. Bush, led by a tiny fraction in the State of Florida.

   Gore launched a state ballot¹ recount, which Bush then challenged all the way to the Supreme⁷ Court. More than a month after the election, the Court sided with Bush, effectively awarding him Florida’s 25 electoral votes and the White House.

   Both parties are so entrenched⁸ in gaming the current Electoral College system that George Mason University Professor Dennis Johnson says he does not expect a change.

   "The parties are kind of looking over the strategy, and looking over the map, and saying, 'You know, for us, no, let's keep it the way it is, winner take all,’" said Johnson.、

 

1 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

2 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

4 entities   

实体对像； 实体，独立存在体，实际存在物( entity的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our newspaper and our printing business form separate corporate entities. 我们的报纸和印刷业形成相对独立的企业实体。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities. 北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

5 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

6 gore   

n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶

参考例句：

• The fox lay dying in a pool of gore.狐狸倒在血泊中奄奄一息。
• Carruthers had been gored by a rhinoceros.卡拉瑟斯被犀牛顶伤了。

7 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

8 entrenched   

adj.确立的，不容易改的(风俗习惯)

参考例句：

• Television seems to be firmly entrenched as the number one medium for national advertising.电视看来要在全国广告媒介中牢固地占据头等位置。
• If the enemy dares to attack us in these entrenched positions,we will make short work of them.如果敌人胆敢进攻我们固守的阵地，我们就消灭他们。