VOA慢速英语2020 美国最高法院得民心吗？

At a time when other branches of government are relatively¹ unpopular in the United States, public approval of the Supreme² Court has risen.

在美国其它政府部门相对不受欢迎的时候，最高法院的公众认可度有所提升。

A new public opinion study shows that public approval of the high court is at its highest level in more than 10 years.

一项新的民意调查表明，高等法院的公众认可度达到了10年来的最高水平。

The Gallup research company released the findings on Wednesday. It found that 58 percent of Americans approve of the way the Supreme Court is doing its job. The court's approval rating has been around 50 percent for many years.

盖洛普调查公司周三发布了这项调查结果。调查发现，58%的美国人认可最高法院的工作方式。多年来，最高法院的认可度一直在50%左右。

The current approval rating is much higher than the other two branches of the federal government: the president and Congress. The most recent Gallup surveys found that about 41 percent of Americans approve of the job done by the president while 18 percent approve of the way Congress is doing its job.

当前认可度远高于联邦政府的其它两个部门：总统和国会。盖洛普最近的调查发现，大约41%的美国人认可总统的工作，而只有18%的美国人支持国会的工作方式。

The Supreme Court has nine members. The court is currently split between five conservative justices and four liberals.

美国法院有9名成员。该法院目前分为5名保守派法官和4名自由派法官。

Its five to four rulings on politically charged issues receive the most attention. But many of the court's decisions are reached unanimously or with six or more justices ruling in agreement.

该法院就政治诉讼做出的5：4的裁决最受关注。但是该法院的很多裁决达成了一致，或者是由6名或6名以上法官共同裁决。

Gallup researchers completed questioning for the latest survey between July 1 and 23. It followed one of the most consequential³ Supreme Court terms in recent years. During that time, the justices ruled in a series of important cases.

盖洛普研究人员在7月1日到23日之间完成了这项最新调查。该调查还追踪了最高法院近年来最重要的一项裁决。在此期间，大法官在一系列重要案件中做出了裁决。

The court dismissed an attempt by the administration of President Donald Trump⁴ to end the Deferred⁵ Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration program. It also ruled against a Louisiana anti-abortion law, and expanded anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ workers.

最高法院驳回了川普政府废除童年抵美者暂缓遣返项目的企图。它还否决了路易斯安那州的反堕胎法，并扩大了对性少数群体的反歧视保护。

In addition, the court ruled that states cannot bar religious schools from receiving financial aid meant for private schools. It decided⁶ that Catholic school teachers cannot launch legal action against their employers for discrimination. And, it ruled that employers are not required to provide birth control in their employees' health plans.

此外，最高法院裁决各州不能禁止宗教学校接受用于私立学校的经济援助。它裁决天主教学校的老师不能以歧视对他们的雇主提起法律诉讼。并且它还裁定雇主无需在员工健康计划中提供节育措施。

July 9 was the final day of the Supreme Court's term. The justices ruled on subpoenas⁷ for President Trump's financial records. The court ruled that Trump is not immune from a New York state investigation⁸ into his finances. But the justices blocked efforts by Congress to get the business records of the president and his family.

7月9日是最高法院期限的最后一天。法官们就川普总统财务记录的传票做出了裁决。最高法院裁决川普不能免于纽约州对其财务状况的调查。但是，大法官们阻止了国会为获得总统及其家人商业记录所做出的努力。

Gabe Roth is executive director of the not-for-profit group Fix the Court. He said Americans often base their ideas of the court on only a few well-known cases. He added that Americans often ignore many other actions that receive little or no attention.

盖比·劳斯是非盈利组织Fix the Court的执行董事。他说，美国人通常仅根据少数几个著名的案件来得出他们对最高法院的看法。他还说，美国人经常忽略其它不怎么受关注或得不到关注的诉讼。

I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.

我是小马里奥·里特。

1 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

2 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。

3 consequential   

adj.作为结果的，间接的；重要的

参考例句：

• She was injured and suffered a consequential loss of earnings.她受了伤因而收入受损。
• This new transformation is at least as consequential as that one was.这一新的转变至少和那次一样重要。

4 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

5 deferred   

adj.延期的，缓召的v.拖延，延缓，推迟( defer的过去式和过去分词 )；服从某人的意愿，遵从

参考例句：

• The department deferred the decision for six months. 这个部门推迟了六个月才作决定。
• a tax-deferred savings plan 延税储蓄计划

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 subpoenas   

n.（传唤出庭的）传票( subpoena的名词复数 )v.（用传票）传唤（某人）( subpoena的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• My company has complied with committee subpoenas by supplying documents confirming all that I have said. 本公司按照委员会的要求，提供了能够证实我刚才发言的文件。 来自辞典例句
• Congressional Investigations: Subpoenas and Contempt Power. Report for Congress April 2, 2003. 金灿荣：《美国国会的监督功能》，载《教学与研究》2003年第2期。 来自互联网

8 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。