NPR美国国家公共电台 2013-06-27

　　From NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh.

 

　　A divided Supreme¹ Court has struck down the Defense² of Marriage Act, saying it was unconstitutional because it denied equal protection to legally married same-sex couples. The court also cleared the way for the resumption of same-sex marriage in California after ruling that groups have put Proposition 8 on the ballot³ didn't have the authority to defend it after state officials declined to do so. Reaction is coming in from members of Congress to the ruling on DOMA, and divisions certainly run deep. Here’s NPR's Tamara Keith.

 

　　House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi celebrated⁴ the court's decision, saying it’d been the arc of history once again toward justice.

 

　　“Justice was done for thousands of LGBT families nationwide. Just think of what it means to them.”

 

　　She criticized House Republican leaders for spending more than two million in taxpayer⁵ dollars to defend the provision of the law now deemed unconstitutional. Republican leaders say they had to because the Obama administration refused to defend the law passed by Congress and signed by President Clinton. Majority Leader Eric Cantor said in a statement he is disappointed in the decision, and that the debate will now continue in the states. Tamara Keith, NPR News, the Capitol.

 

　　Activists⁶ on both sides of the debate are now preparing for legal ballots⁷ on the state level. Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force:

 

　　“We now have 37 states across the country where we will continue to work in a variety of ways to advance marriage equality so that any couple doesn't have to travel to another state simply to marry the person they love.”

 

　　Kim Daniels with the US Conference of Catholic Bishops⁸ says today's rulings raise new concerns about the rights of voters, like those who favored probate a few years ago.

 

　　“While the court didn’t itself strike down probate, its fate remains⁹ in question, and in this way it missed an opportunity to pull the voices of millions of Californians, who voted to protect marriage as a unique meaning.”

 

　　In other news, celebrity¹⁰ cook Paula Deen made a tearful appearance on national television today. NPR's Debbie Elliott reports it’s her first public interview since she was dropped from the food network after an admission she used a racial slur¹¹ in past.

 

　　The Savannah, Georgia-based southern cook had backed out of a Friday appearance on NBC's Today Show, but today told Matt Lauer she is not a racist¹².

 

　　“I can truthfully say in my life I have never with any intention hurt anybody on purpose, and I never would.”

 

　　She also said if there’s anyone who has never said something they regreted, that they should pick up a rock and roll it at her head to kill her. Deen has been embroiled¹³ in controversy¹⁴ after admitting to using a racial slur during a deposition¹⁵ in an empolyee lawsuit¹⁶. Debbie Elliott, NPR News. Dow Jones Industrial Average up 175 points, more than 1%, at 14,935. From Washington, this is NPR News.The government says the US economy grew much more slowly than previously¹⁷ estimated during the first three months of the year. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports that consumer spending was lower than first thought.

 

　　The Commerce Department released its final estimate of growth in the first quarter of the year. The economy grew 1.8%, down substantially from the last estimate of 2.4%. The number fell largely because consumer spending was lower than first thought. The decline suggests that increases in taxes at the federal level are taking a bite out of people's disposable income. The lower growth estimated something of a surprise. There have been numerous indications that the economy is strengthening after a long period of sluggish¹⁸ growth. Federal Reserve policymakers have said they may scale back their stimulus¹⁹ efforts. But the latest numbers suggest that growth isn't as strong as first thought. Jim Zarroli, NPR News, New York.

 

　　Authorities have charged Patriots²⁰ tight end Aaron Hernandez with murder and weapons counts in connection with the death of a semi-pro football player whose body was found at an industrial park about a mile from Hernandez's home. Earlier Hernandez was kicked out of the New England Patriots. The team issued a statement saying they were compelled to release him hours after he was arrested at his home in connection with the homicide.

 

　　Firefighters are getting a much needed break in their operation against a wildfire in Colorado southwestern mountains. The winds have died down a bit, but the town of South Fork is still threatened by that blaze that has scorched²¹ about 124 square miles.

 

　　I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

4 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

5 taxpayer   

n.纳税人

参考例句：

• The new scheme will run off with a lot of the taxpayer's money.这项新计划将用去纳税人许多钱。
• The taxpayer are unfavourably disposed towards the recent tax increase.纳税者对最近的增加税收十分反感。

6 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 bishops   

（基督教某些教派管辖大教区的）主教( bishop的名词复数 )； （国际象棋的）象

参考例句：

• Each player has two bishops at the start of the game. 棋赛开始时，每名棋手有两只象。
• "Only sheriffs and bishops and rich people and kings, and such like. “他劫富济贫，抢的都是郡长、主教、国王之类的富人。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

11 slur   

v.含糊地说；诋毁；连唱；n.诋毁；含糊的发音

参考例句：

• He took the remarks as a slur on his reputation.他把这些话当作是对他的名誉的中伤。
• The drug made her speak with a slur.药物使她口齿不清。

12 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

13 embroiled   

adj.卷入的；纠缠不清的

参考例句：

• He became embroiled in a dispute with his neighbours. 他与邻居们发生了争执。
• John and Peter were quarrelling, but Mary refused to get embroiled. 约翰和彼得在争吵，但玛丽不愿卷入。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

15 deposition   

n.免职，罢官；作证；沉淀；沉淀物

参考例句：

• It was this issue which led to the deposition of the king.正是这件事导致了国王被废黜。
• This leads to calcium deposition in the blood-vessels.这导致钙在血管中沉积。

16 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

17 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

18 sluggish   

adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的

参考例句：

• This humid heat makes you feel rather sluggish.这种湿热的天气使人感到懒洋洋的。
• Circulation is much more sluggish in the feet than in the hands.脚部的循环比手部的循环缓慢得多。

19 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

20 patriots   

爱国者，爱国主义者( patriot的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Abraham Lincoln was a fine type of the American patriots. 亚伯拉罕·林肯是美国爱国者的优秀典型。
• These patriots would fight to death before they surrendered. 这些爱国者宁愿战斗到死，也不愿投降。

21 scorched   

烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦

参考例句：

• I scorched my dress when I was ironing it. 我把自己的连衣裙熨焦了。
• The hot iron scorched the tablecloth. 热熨斗把桌布烫焦了。