原文
The U.S. presidential election is a key feature of American democracy, taking place every four years. This process allows U.S. citizens to vote for their head of state, the President. The election system is complex, with specific rules and steps to follow. This article provides a basic overview of how the U.S. presidential election works, including the role of the Electoral College and what happens during the inauguration of a new president.
1. Election Process
The process of electing a U.S. president includes several stages:
Primaries and Caucuses: In the early stages, political parties hold primaries and caucuses in each state. These are events where party members vote for their preferred candidate. Each state has its own rules for these events.
National Conventions: After the primaries and caucuses, each party holds a national convention. Here, party representatives officially nominate their candidate for president.
General Election: The general election takes place on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. In this election, all registered U.S. voters can vote for their preferred candidate.
2. The Electoral College
The Electoral College is a unique feature of the U.S. election system. Instead of a direct popular vote, each state has a set number of “electors” based on its population size. When citizens vote in the general election, they are technically voting for these electors. The candidate who wins the majority of electoral votes becomes the president.
3. Inauguration
After winning the election, the president-elect takes office on January 20th of the following year in a ceremony known as the inauguration. During this event, the president-elect takes an oath of office, promising to fulfill the responsibilities of the presidency. The inauguration is a symbolic start to the president’s term in office.
词汇
- Election /ɪˈlɛkʃən/ 选举
- Democracy /dɪˈmɑːkrəsi/ 民主
- Candidate /ˈkændɪˌdeɪt/ 候选人
- Primary /ˈpraɪˌmɛri/ 初选
- Caucus /ˈkɔːkəs/ 党团会议
- Convention /kənˈvɛnʃən/ 大会
- Electoral College /ɪˈlɛktərəl ˈkɑlɪdʒ/ 选举人团
- Inauguration /ɪˌnɔːɡjʊˈreɪʃən/ 就职典礼
- Oath /oʊθ/ 宣誓
- Term /tɜrm/ 任期
翻译
美国总统选举是美国民主制度的重要组成部分，每四年举行一次。这个过程允许美国公民投票选举他们的国家元首——总统。美国的选举系统复杂，有着特定的规则和步骤。这篇文章将简单介绍美国总统选举的工作方式，包括选举人团的作用和新总统的就职仪式。
1. 选举流程
选举美国总统的过程包括几个阶段：
初选和党团会议：在早期阶段，各州的政党会举行初选和党团会议。这是党内成员为他们偏好的候选人投票的活动。每个州对这些活动都有自己的规则。
全国大会：在初选和党团会议之后，每个党派都会举行全国大会。在大会上，党派代表正式提名他们的总统候选人。
大选：大选在十一月的第一个星期一之后的第一个星期二举行。在这次选举中，所有注册的美国选民都可以为自己偏好的候选人投票。
2. 选举人团
选举人团是美国选举系统的一个独特之处。选民不是直接选总统，而是为各州的“选举人”投票。每个州的选举人数目基于其人口。当公民在大选中投票时，实际上是在为这些选举人投票。赢得大多数选举人票的候选人将成为总统。
3. 就职
赢得选举后，当选总统会在来年1月20日举行的仪式上宣誓就职，这一仪式被称为就职典礼。在仪式上，当选总统会进行宣誓，承诺履行总统职责。就职典礼象征着总统任期的正式开始。
语法分析
a. 动词时态
这篇文章大部分使用的是 一般现在时，因为它描述的是一个事实或系统的运作方式。例如：
“The U.S. presidential election is a key feature of American democracy...”
“The election process includes several stages.”
这些句子都采用一般现在时，符合说明性文章的写作规范。
b. 复合句和连接词
文章中使用了不少复合句和连接词来连接句子和段落，提高了语句的复杂性和流畅性。例如：
“When citizens vote in the general election, they are technically voting for these electors.”
使用了“when”引导从句，是高考中的常见考点，尤其是状语从句的用法。
“After winning the election, the president-elect takes office on January 20th...”
“After”作为连词，引导时间状语从句，这种用法也很常见。
c. 主谓一致
文章中涉及一些主谓一致的内容，例如 “each state has its own rules”。这里 “each state” 虽然提到了多个州，但主语是“each”而非“states”，因此动词要使用单数形式。这是高考语法中的常见考点，考查学生对主谓一致的理解。
词汇搭配
文章中包含了一些固定的词汇搭配，理解这些搭配有助于学生准确表达和理解句意。
“take office”：意思是“就职、上任”，是美国总统就职场景的常用搭配。
“oath of office”：意思是“就职誓言”。“oath”一词表示“誓言”，在正式场合中常用。
“the general election”：意思是“总统大选”。“general election”是美国大选的特定称呼，理解这些专有名词有助于理解文章内容。
常用短语
章中的一些短语在高考中也会出现，尤其是描述程序和步骤的短语，例如：
“allows... to...”：“allow” 表示“允许”，经常与 “to + 动词原形”连用。这在各种说明性文章中都十分常见。
“based on”：表示“基于，根据”，后面常接原因或依据。理解这种短语可以帮助学生提高段落理解力。
