VOA慢速英语2010年-IN THE NEWS - President Obama Nominate

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

President Obama nominated Elena Kagan to the United States Supreme¹ Court this week. She would replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens on the nine-member Court.

BARACK OBAMA:“I have selected a nominee² who I think embodies³ that same excellence⁴, independence, integrity and passion for the law.”

If confirmed by the Senate, the fifty-year-old Kagan would be the youngest justice on the current Supreme Court. She would be the fourth woman to ever serve on the Court.

She would follow current Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor as well as retired⁵ Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

President Obama described Elena Kagan as “a trailblazer for women.”

She is the first woman to serve as solicitor⁶ general of the United States and earlier, as head of Harvard Law School.

President Obama announces Elena Kagan as his choice for Supreme Court Justice at the White House

Elena Kagan grew up in New York City, the daughter of a lawyer and a teacher. She attended Princeton University and Harvard Law School. Miz Kagan has extensive experience in the law and government. She worked as a lawyer in the Clinton and Obama administrations. As solicitor general, she argues cases for the United States government before the Supreme Court.

ELENA KAGAN:“I have felt blessed to represent the United States before the Supreme Court, to walk into the highest court in this country when it is deciding its most important cases, cases that have an impact on so many people’s lives.”

But unlike the other current Supreme Court justices, she has no experience as a judge. She was nominated for an appeals court judgeship in nineteen ninety-nine. But the Senate never voted on her nomination⁷.

Republicans in the Senate say they will ask about her lack of judicial⁸ experience during confirmation⁹ hearings. Several Supreme Court justices throughout history have had no earlier experience as a judge. Yet Miz Kagan would be the first in almost forty years.

She may also face opposition¹⁰ for an action she took while dean of Harvard Law School. She briefly¹¹ barred military recruiters from using law school facilities. She said the policy of barring homosexuals from openly serving in the military violated the university’s policy against sexual discrimination.

Elena Kagan is Jewish. If confirmed, she would join two other Jewish justices and six Roman Catholics. There would be no Protestant justices for the first time in the Supreme Court’s history. Protestants are the country’s largest religious group.

Legal experts consider Elena Kagan a moderate nominee. They say this should help her in the confirmation process. Democrats¹² control fifty-nine of the one hundred votes in the Senate.

No date has been set for confirmation hearings by the Senate Judiciary Committee. However, President Obama and Democrats in the Senate hope to have Elena Kagan confirmed in the next few months. Then she could take her seat on the Supreme Court when it meets in October.

And that’s IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English, written by Brianna Blake. Transcripts¹³, MP3s and podcasts of our programs are at voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Steve Ember.

 

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 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

3 embodies   

v.表现( embody的第三人称单数 )；象征；包括；包含

参考例句：

• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This document embodies the concern of the government for the deformity. 这个文件体现了政府对残疾人的关怀。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 excellence   

n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德

参考例句：

• His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。
• My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。

5 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

6 solicitor   

n.初级律师，事务律师

参考例句：

• The solicitor's advice gave me food for thought.律师的指点值得我深思。
• The solicitor moved for an adjournment of the case.律师请求将这个案件的诉讼延期。

7 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

8 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

9 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

10 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

11 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

12 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句