Michael Chugani 褚簡寧 - make or break｜又中又英
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
2022-10-18 00:00
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The US will have mid-term elections, which are held every two years, on November 8. They are called mid-term elections because general elections are held every four years, when the president is also elected. The US Congress comprises the Senate and House of Representatives. The Senate has 100 members, two from each of the 50 states. The House of Representatives has 435 members. The number of members from each state is determined by the state’s population. States with larger populations can elect more members to Congress. Both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party consider this year’s elections as a make or break battle.
The expression “make or break” means to make something a success or a failure. The current Senate is equally divided into 50 Republicans, 48 Democrats, and two Independents who support the Democrats. If there is a 50-50 vote on an issue, the vice-president can cast a vote. The vice-president now is Kamala Harris, a Democrat. This gives Democrats in Congress a tiny advantage. The House of Representatives now has 220 Democrats and 212 Republicans, with three vacancies. This gives the Democrats a small advantage. It’s a make or break election this year because both parties are fighting tooth and nail to have larger majorities in Congress.
To fight tooth and nail means to fight fiercely with all your strength. The House of Representatives members are elected for two years, which means all 435 must face election or re-election every two years. Senators are elected for six years. About a third will have served six years after every two years and must face elections. Americans are now more divided than ever. Democrat and Republican candidates are fighting tooth and nail to take control of Congress because they have very different positions on issues like gun control and abortion.
＊ ＊ ＊
美國將會於十一月八日有中期（mid-term）選舉，這個選舉每兩年舉行一次。這些選舉會叫 mid-term elections，是因為美國大選是每四年舉行一次，在大選中也會選出總統。美國國會由參議院和眾議院組成。參議院有一百名議員，每個州各有兩名議員。眾議院則有四百三十五名議員，每州的眾議院議員數目取決於州份的人口，有較多人口的州份就可選出較多議員到國會。民主黨和共和黨都視今年的選舉為一場 make or break之戰。
習語“make or break”是指某事要麼成功，要麼失敗，不成功便成仁。現時參議院由兩黨平分，有五十名共和黨人，四十八名民主黨人，以及兩名支持民主黨的獨立無黨派議員。如果在某一議題上的投票結果各佔五十五十，副總統便可以投票。現時的副總統為賀錦麗，是民主黨人。這令民主黨在國會中稍微佔優。眾議院現時有二百二十名民主黨人和二百一十二名共和黨人，以及三個空缺。這也給了民主黨一點優勢。今年的選舉變成了生死存亡（make or break）之戰，是因為兩黨都在 fighting tooth and nail，務求在國會中取得大多數的議席。
To fight tooth and nail是指全力以赴、竭盡全力、拚死一戰。眾議院的議員任期為兩年，意味着全部四百三十五個議員需要每兩年重新選出或競選連任。參議院議員任期為六年，每兩年會有三分一的參議院議員滿了六年的任期而要再選。美國民眾現時比以往更為分化。民主黨和共和黨候選人都在竭盡全力拼搏（fighting tooth and nail），要取得國會控制權，因為他們在槍械管制及墮胎等議題上抱持非常不同的立場。
中譯：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
The expression “make or break” means to make something a success or a failure. The current Senate is equally divided into 50 Republicans, 48 Democrats, and two Independents who support the Democrats. If there is a 50-50 vote on an issue, the vice-president can cast a vote. The vice-president now is Kamala Harris, a Democrat. This gives Democrats in Congress a tiny advantage. The House of Representatives now has 220 Democrats and 212 Republicans, with three vacancies. This gives the Democrats a small advantage. It’s a make or break election this year because both parties are fighting tooth and nail to have larger majorities in Congress.
To fight tooth and nail means to fight fiercely with all your strength. The House of Representatives members are elected for two years, which means all 435 must face election or re-election every two years. Senators are elected for six years. About a third will have served six years after every two years and must face elections. Americans are now more divided than ever. Democrat and Republican candidates are fighting tooth and nail to take control of Congress because they have very different positions on issues like gun control and abortion.
＊ ＊ ＊
美國將會於十一月八日有中期（mid-term）選舉，這個選舉每兩年舉行一次。這些選舉會叫 mid-term elections，是因為美國大選是每四年舉行一次，在大選中也會選出總統。美國國會由參議院和眾議院組成。參議院有一百名議員，每個州各有兩名議員。眾議院則有四百三十五名議員，每州的眾議院議員數目取決於州份的人口，有較多人口的州份就可選出較多議員到國會。民主黨和共和黨都視今年的選舉為一場 make or break之戰。
習語“make or break”是指某事要麼成功，要麼失敗，不成功便成仁。現時參議院由兩黨平分，有五十名共和黨人，四十八名民主黨人，以及兩名支持民主黨的獨立無黨派議員。如果在某一議題上的投票結果各佔五十五十，副總統便可以投票。現時的副總統為賀錦麗，是民主黨人。這令民主黨在國會中稍微佔優。眾議院現時有二百二十名民主黨人和二百一十二名共和黨人，以及三個空缺。這也給了民主黨一點優勢。今年的選舉變成了生死存亡（make or break）之戰，是因為兩黨都在 fighting tooth and nail，務求在國會中取得大多數的議席。
To fight tooth and nail是指全力以赴、竭盡全力、拚死一戰。眾議院的議員任期為兩年，意味着全部四百三十五個議員需要每兩年重新選出或競選連任。參議院議員任期為六年，每兩年會有三分一的參議院議員滿了六年的任期而要再選。美國民眾現時比以往更為分化。民主黨和共和黨候選人都在竭盡全力拼搏（fighting tooth and nail），要取得國會控制權，因為他們在槍械管制及墮胎等議題上抱持非常不同的立場。
中譯：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
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