Electing the President 总统选举 Only a person over 35 who was born in the US can run for President. These are the only restrictions but, in practice, presidents have always come from a narrower group of people. 在美国出生、年龄在35岁以上的人才可以竞选美国总统。虽然明文限制只有这两条，但是实际上，总统总是从一个较小的群体中产生。 Candidates are usually well-known political figures, such as the governors of large states or members of Congress. 候选人常是知名的政界人物，如大州的州长或国会议员。 Presidential elections are held every four years. Early in election year, the political parties choose their candidates through a series of primary elections held in every state. Voters register to vote in either the Republican or the Democratic primary. States hold both primaries on the same day but voters are given different ballots depending on the party they choose. As these races take place it gradually becomes clear which candidates are the strongest.总统选举每四年一次。选举年一开始，各政党就通过各州举办的一系列初选推举他们的候选人。选民经登记后参加共和党或者民主党的初选。每个州在同一天里举行两党的初选，根据选民选择的党派发給他们不同的选票。在这些竞争中局势便逐渐明朗，可以看出哪个候选人更胜一筹。In the summer each party holds a convention to make the final choice of candidates for President and Vice-president. Each state sends delegates to the conventions but they do not have to vote for the candidates who won the state's primary. The platform of ideas that candidates will emphasize during the campaign is decided at the conventions.在夏天两党都召开全国大会以最后决定总统和副总统人选。各州派代表出席大会，但他们并非必须投票给本州初选获胜的候选人。在这次大会上还确定候选人在竞选中要强调的思想纲领。Presidential candidates spend tens of millions of dollars on campaigning. In order to prevent rich candidates from always winning, the federal governmentoffers an equal sum of money to the candidates of both parties. Those who receive federal funding cannot accept money from other sources. Candidates travel round the US giving speeches and meeting voters. A popular candidate may help others from the same party running for lower offices. This is called the coat-tail effect.总统候选人进行竞选要耗资数千万美元。为了防止富有的候选人总是获胜，联邦政府向两党候选人提供同等数额的钱。接受联邦资助的人就不能再从其他渠道筹款。候选人周游美国发表演说并会见选民。受欢迎的候选人还可能有助本党其他人竞选低级官员，这被称为联票效应。In November the people go to vote. Although the President is said to be directly elected, the official vote is made by an electoral college. Each state has a certain number of electors in the college, based on the state's population. All the electors from a state must vote for the candidate who got the most votes in the state, and the candidate with at least 270 votes out of a total of 538 becomes President. This system makes states with a large population, such as California, very important.11月开始投票。虽然总统号称是直接选出，但正式投票是由选举团进行的。每个州有一定数量的选举人参加选举团，数额由该州人口决定。每州所有选举人必须将票投给在该州得票最多的总统候选人，候选人如果在总额538张选票中得票不低于270张就成为总统。这种制度使人口众多的州，如加利福尼亚州，变得十分重要。After the election, the new President goes to Washington for the inauguration on 20 January, and takes the oath of office. Between the election and the inauguration, the old President has little power and is called informally a lame duck.选举之后新总统到华盛顿参加于次年1月20曰举行的总统就职仪式，并进行就职宣誓。在选举后，就职仪式之前，原总统权力很小，被戏称“跛鸭”。Voting procedures 选举程序 US elections are held on the Tuesday following the first Monday of November. This date was selected long ago when most Americans lived in the country, because in early November there was little work on the farms and the weather was good enough to allow people to travel into the city to vote.美国总统选举在11月第一个星期一之后的那个星期二举行。这个日期是很久以前选定的，那时大多数美国人还住在乡下。11月初农场里活计不多，天气也好，便于人们进城去投票。 Americans over the age of 18 have the right to vote, but only about half of them take part in presidential elections, even fewer in other elections. One explanation for low voter turnout is the need to register to vote. People who move to another state have to register again after they move. In some places registrations forms are now available in fast-food restaurants. 18岁以上的美国人享有投票权，但是他们中只有约一半的人参加总统选举。参与其他选举的人更少。投票率低下的一种解释是投票需要预先登记, 人们若是迁移到另一个州，还需要重新登记。现在，有些地方在快餐店里就能领到登记表。A few weeks before election day registered voters receive a card telling them the address of the polling station where they should go to vote, usually a school or church hall. People who will be away on election day, or who are ill, may use an absentee ballot and post it to election officials.选举日前几周，登记过的选民会收到通知，告诉他们应该去的投票站的地址，投票站一般设在学校或教堂的大厅里。订于选举日外出或正在生病的人可使用缺席选举人选票并邮寄给选举官员。Polling stations are open from early morning until night. Voters first have to sign their name in a book that lists all the voters in the precinct (=area) and then cast a vote. Some states use computerized systems, but the most common method is to use a voting booth. This has three sides and a curtain that closes the fourth side. In the booth are lists of candidates for each office. Voters pull down a metal lever beside the name of the person they want to vote for. The levers operate mechanical counters which record the total number of votes for each candidate. It is possible to select all the candidates from one party, and this is called voting a straight ticket. But many voters choose candidates from both parties and vote a split ticket.投票站清晨开门，直到深夜。选民首先必须在本选区选举人花名册上签名，然后投票。有的州使用计算机系统，但是最普通的方法是使用投票室。投票室的三面是隔墙，第四面是帘布，里面列着候选各种职位的人的名单。选民拉下他选中的人名字旁边的金属拉杆。与拉杆连接的机械计数器把每个候选人的得票总数统计出来。可以只选举某一个政党的候选人，这叫做投“清一色票”；但是很多选民从两党候选人中分别挑选，投的是“混合票”。 Journalists and pollsters are allowed to ask people how they voted and these exit polls help predict election results. However, the results of exit polls may not be announced until polling stations everywhere have closed, in case they influence or change the result.新闻记者和民意调查员可以询问人们他们投了谁的票，这些民意调查有助于预测选举结果。然而，在各地投票站全都关闭之前调查结果是不能宣布的，以防它影响或改变最终结果。 以上内容摘自《牛津英美文化词典》，有删节，图片来自网络。 《牛津英美文化词典》（英汉双解）《牛津高阶英汉双解词典》的姊妹篇，涵盖英美两国生活及其历史遗产诸方面的百科全书。 10000余条百科词目，250个长词条详解英美历史、文学、艺术等各个方面英文解释浅显易懂，插图照片丰富生动 从高雅文化到通俗艺术，包罗万象 我国接触过英文的人虽多，真正熟悉英美文化的人却非常稀少。这本英汉双解的《文化词典》为我们提供了补课的好机会。它既照顾了传统意义上的文化组成部分，如音乐艺术、建筑、教育和文学，又全面反映了大众影视文化和当代英美社会生活的各个方面。——中国社会科学院教授陆建德