2006年VOA标准英语-US Senate Begins Debate on Supreme Court N

By Deborah Tate
Capitol Hill
25 January 2006

The U.S. Senate has opened debate on the Supreme¹ Court nomination² of Judge Samuel Alito, with a confirmation³ vote expected as early as the end of the week.   

Judge Samuel Alito leaves Sen. Patty Murray's, D-Wash., office on Capitol Hill Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2006 after a private meeting  
  
Senate Democrats⁶ took to the Senate floor to express their concerns that if Judge Samuel Alito is confirmed to the Supreme Court, he would defer⁷ to presidential power and erode⁸ civil liberties and women's rights.

"In case after case, Judge Alito's decisions demonstrate a systematic⁹ tilt¹⁰ toward powerful institutions and against individuals attempting to vindicate¹¹ their rights," said Senator Ted⁴ Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat⁵..

But Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee chastised¹² such critics, and underscored his own support for Alito.

"Those who oppose him are smearing¹³ a decent and honorable man, and imposing¹⁴ an unfair political standard on all judicial¹⁵ nominees," he said.  "I support Judge Alito because he is exceptionally qualified¹⁶ to be a Supreme Court Justice.  I support Judge Alito because he is a man of integrity and modest judicial temperament¹⁷."

If he is confirmed, Alito would succeed Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who is considered a moderate and who often cast the deciding vote in controversial cases on the divided court.

Democrats are concerned Alito would shift the ideological¹⁸ balance of the court to the right.   They note that Supreme Court justices serve for life, and that Alito could have an impact on the lives of generations of Americans.

Still, there is not enough support among Democrats to block the nomination from coming to a floor vote through the use of a filibuster¹⁹, or extended debate.

Instead, Democrats are using the debate to try to score political points.  They are taking aim at President Bush's decision to order, without court warrants, eavesdropping²⁰ on Americans suspected of having terrorist ties - a move the president defends as legal under his authority.

"The liberties and rights that define us as Americans, and the system of checks and balances that serve to preserve them, should not be sacrificed to threats of terrorism or to the expanding power of the government," said Senator Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat.

Despite the opposition²¹ by many Democrats, the Senate - which is controlled by Republicans - is likely to confirm Alito.  The vote, which could come as early as Friday, is expected to be along party lines.

On Tuesday, the 18-member Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee approved Alito's nomination, with all 10 Democrats in opposition.

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 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。

3 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。

4 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

5 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

6 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》

7 defer   

vt.推迟，拖延；vi.(to)遵从，听从，服从

参考例句：

• We wish to defer our decision until next week.我们希望推迟到下星期再作出决定。
• We will defer to whatever the committee decides.我们遵从委员会作出的任何决定。

8 erode   

v.侵蚀，腐蚀，使...减少、减弱或消失

参考例句：

• Once exposed,soil is quickly eroded by wind and rain.一旦暴露在外，土壤很快就会被风雨侵蚀。
• Competition in the financial marketplace has eroded profits.金融市场的竞争降低了利润。

9 systematic   

adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的

参考例句：

• The way he works isn't very systematic.他的工作不是很有条理。
• The teacher made a systematic work of teaching.这个教师进行系统的教学工作。

10 tilt   

v.(使)倾侧；(使)倾斜；n.倾侧；倾斜

参考例句：

• She wore her hat at a tilt over her left eye.她歪戴着帽子遮住左眼。
• The table is at a slight tilt.这张桌子没放平，有点儿歪.

11 vindicate   

v.为…辩护或辩解，辩明；证明…正确

参考例句：

• He tried hard to vindicate his honor.他拼命维护自己的名誉。
• How can you vindicate your behavior to the teacher?你怎样才能向老师证明你的行为是对的呢？

12 chastised   

v.严惩（某人）（尤指责打）( chastise的过去式 )

参考例句：

• He chastised the team for their lack of commitment. 他指责队伍未竭尽全力。
• The Securities Commission chastised the firm but imposed no fine. 证券委员会严厉批评了那家公司，不过没有处以罚款。 来自辞典例句

13 smearing   

污点，拖尾效应

参考例句：

• The small boy spoilt the picture by smearing it with ink. 那孩子往画上抹墨水把画给毁了。
• Remove the screen carefully so as to avoid smearing the paste print. 小心的移开丝网，以避免它弄脏膏印。

14 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。

15 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。

16 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

17 temperament   

n.气质，性格，性情

参考例句：

• The analysis of what kind of temperament you possess is vital.分析一下你有什么样的气质是十分重要的。
• Success often depends on temperament.成功常常取决于一个人的性格。

18 ideological   

a.意识形态的

参考例句：

• He always tries to link his study with his ideological problems. 他总是把学习和自己的思想问题联系起来。
• He helped me enormously with advice on how to do ideological work. 他告诉我怎样做思想工作，对我有很大帮助。

19 filibuster   

n.妨碍议事，阻挠；v.阻挠

参考例句：

• A senator dragged the subject in as a filibuster.一个参议员硬把这个题目拉扯进来，作为一种阻碍议事的手法。
• The democrats organized a filibuster in the senate.民主党党员在参议院上组织了阻挠议事。

20 eavesdropping   

n. 偷听

参考例句：

• We caught him eavesdropping outside the window. 我们撞见他正在窗外偷听。
• Suddenly the kids,who had been eavesdropping,flew into the room. 突然间，一直在偷听的孩子们飞进屋来。

21 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。