Professor: Amir just became an American citizen, and this year he is voting in his first American election. Today he is having breakfast with his wife, Sharon, and they're talking about the upcoming election.

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。現在選舉結果是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landslide--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。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表看法的評論家! 這么說，我同意Sharon的觀點。現在，只要一開電視，到處都是pundits，已經夠煩人了，誰還想自己家里的老公也每天大談政治呢？

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landslide, 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！