Michael Chugani 褚简宁 - make or break｜又中又英

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.
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美国将会于十一月八日有中期（mid-term）选举，这个选举每两年举行一次。这些选举会叫 mid-term elections，是因为美国大选是每四年举行一次，在大选中也会选出总统。美国国会由参议院和众议院组成。参议院有一百名议员，每个州各有两名议员。众议院则有四百三十五名议员，每州的众议院议员数目取决于州份的人口，有较多人口的州份就可选出较多议员到国会。民主党和共和党都视今年的选举为一场 make or break之战。

习语“make or break”是指某事要么成功，要么失败，不成功便成仁。现时参议院由两党平分，有五十名共和党人，四十八名民主党人，以及两名支持民主党的独立无党派议员。如果在某一议题上的投票结果各占五十五十，副总统便可以投票。现时的副总统为贺锦丽，是民主党人。这令民主党在国会中稍微占优。众议院现时有二百二十名民主党人和二百一十二名共和党人，以及三个空缺。这也给了民主党一点优势。今年的选举变成了生死存亡（make or break）之战，是因为两党都在 fighting tooth and nail，务求在国会中取得大多数的议席。

To fight tooth and nail是指全力以赴、竭尽全力、拚死一战。众议院的议员任期为两年，意味着全部四百三十五个议员需要每两年重新选出或竞选连任。参议院议员任期为六年，每两年会有三分一的参议院议员满了六年的任期而要再选。美国民众现时比以往更为分化。民主党和共和党候选人都在竭尽全力拼搏（fighting tooth and nail），要取得国会控制权，因为他们在枪械管制及堕胎等议题上抱持非常不同的立场。

中译：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚简宁