VOA常速英语2020--美国女性选举权

Next, an editorial reflecting American ideals and institutions.On August 26, Americans celebrate the 100th anniversary of passage into law of the 19th Amendment¹ to the U.S. Constitution, which states that “the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged² by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”On that day, 26 million American women gained the right to help decide how their country is to function in the future.The women’s suffrage³ movement was officially launched during the first women’s rights convention in 1848. Over the following 70 years, suffragists—both women and men-tried every way possible to legalize women’s right to vote.They launched a drive to pass a constitutional amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote, a long and tedious process. In the meantime, some women tried to vote illegally and filed lawsuits⁴ when their attempts were rejected, hoping the judges would side with them.When that failed, they worked on the state level, where they were much more successful: by the time the 19th Amendment became the law of the land, over half of all states, most of them in the West, had already granted voting rights to women.

接下来，是一篇反映美国理念和制度的社论。8月26日，美国人庆祝美国宪法第十九条修正案通过100周年，此条法案写道：“美国或任何国家不得因性别而拒绝或剥夺美国公民的投票权”。8月26日当天，2600万美国女性获得了帮助决定美国未来如何运作的权利。在1848年第一次妇女权利大会期间，美国正式发起女性选举权运动。在接下来的70年里，不论是男性还是女性的妇女选举权论者都想方设法使妇女投票权合法化。他们发起了一项旨在通过宪法修正案以保障妇女投票权的运动，这是一个漫长的过程。在此期间，一些女性试图非法投票，并在投票企图被拒绝时提起诉讼，希望获得法官的支持。这样的举措失败了，她们就努力获得州级的支持并且大获成功：在第十九条修正案成为国家法律时，超过半数的州，其中大部分是在西部，已经批准了妇女投票权。

After making its slow way through the Congress, in June 1919, the 19th amendment finally received the votes necessary to be sent to the states for ratification⁵ by the required 3/4ths of the-then-48 states. Tennessee became the last state needed to ratify⁶ the 19th Amendment on August 18, 1920.In a famous speech from 1873, one of the main leaders of the Women’s Suffrage movement, Susan B. Anthony, looked to the opening words of the U.S. Constitution as a justification⁷ for the enfranchisement⁸ of women: "We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense⁹, promote the general welfare and secure the blessings¹⁰ of liberty to ourselves and our posterity¹¹, do ordain¹² and established this constitution for the United States of America."“It was we, the people, not we, the white male citizens, nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed this Union,” she said.“And we formed it, not to give the blessings of liberty, but to secure them; not to the half of ourselves and the half of our posterity, but to the whole people-women as well as men.”That was an editorial reflecting American ideals and institutions.

在1919年6月，第19条宪法修正案缓慢获得国会批准之后，这项法案最终获得了必要的票数，即送交给当时的48个州，并有四分之三以上的州批准通过。1920年8月18日，田纳西州成为最后一个需要批准第十九条修正案的州。在1873年的一次著名演讲中，妇女选举权运动的主要领导人之一苏珊·布朗奈尔·安东尼，引用《美国宪法》的序言作为赋予妇女选举权的理由：“我们合众国人民，为建立更完善的联盟，树立正义，保障国内安宁，筹设共同防务，增进公共福利，确保我们自己及子孙后代永享自由幸福，特为美利坚合众国制定本宪法。”“组成这个联邦的，是我们人民，不是男性白人公民，也不是男性公民，而是我们全体人民。”她说。“我们组成这个联邦，不仅是为了赐予自由幸福，而且是为了确保自由幸福;不只是为了确保我们自己的一半人及子孙后代中的一半人的自由幸福，而且是为了确保全体人民——包括女人和男人在内的自由幸福。”这是一篇反映美国理念和制度的社论。

1 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

2 abridged   

削减的，删节的

参考例句：

• The rights of citizens must not be abridged without proper cause. 没有正当理由，不能擅自剥夺公民的权利。
• The play was abridged for TV. 剧本经过节略，以拍摄电视片。

3 suffrage   

n.投票，选举权，参政权

参考例句：

• The question of woman suffrage sets them at variance.妇女参政的问题使他们发生争执。
• The voters gave their suffrage to him.投票人都投票选他。

4 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

5 ratification   

n.批准，认可

参考例句：

• The treaty is awaiting ratification.条约正等待批准。
• The treaty is subject to ratification.此条约经批准后才能生效。

6 ratify   

v.批准，认可，追认

参考例句：

• The heads of two governments met to ratify the peace treaty.两国政府首脑会晤批准和平条约。
• The agreement have to be ratify by the board.该协议必须由董事会批准。

7 justification   

n.正当的理由；辩解的理由

参考例句：

• There's no justification for dividing the company into smaller units. 没有理由把公司划分成小单位。
• In the young there is a justification for this feeling. 在年轻人中有这种感觉是有理由的。

8 enfranchisement   

选举权

参考例句：

• It is not true that the enfranchisement of all will result in racial domination. 给予全体人民以公民权将导致种族统治，这种观点是不正确的。 来自互联网

9 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。

10 blessings   

n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福

参考例句：

• Afflictions are sometimes blessings in disguise. 塞翁失马，焉知非福。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We don't rely on blessings from Heaven. 我们不靠老天保佑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 posterity   

n.后裔，子孙，后代

参考例句：

• Few of his works will go down to posterity.他的作品没有几件会流传到后世。
• The names of those who died are recorded for posterity on a tablet at the back of the church.死者姓名都刻在教堂后面的一块石匾上以便后人铭记。

12 ordain   

vi.颁发命令；vt.命令，授以圣职，注定，任命

参考例句：

• The church's ruling body voted to ordain women as priests.该教会的管理机构投票通过接纳女性为牧师。
• The essence of management refers to its internal inevitable ordain quality,and is also called ultimate attribute.管理的本质是指管理自身内在的必然的规定性，即根本属性。