VOA标准英语2012--Maryland Is Eighth US State to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage

Maryland Is Eighth US State to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage

 "The way forward is always found through greater respect for the equal rights of all," said Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley as he signed the bill into law.

Maryland joins seven other states and Washington D.C., with laws allowing gay couples to wed¹. It's been a hotly-debated issue that cuts across political, racial, social and religious backgrounds. Under the new law, gay couples in Maryland would not be able to marry until next year. David Foertschbeck and Dan Wilkey say they're already planning. 

"We'll get married next year probably, at some point, but we'll wait until it gets over the hurdle². The last hurdle," said Wilkey.

Opponents of the same-sex law have vowed³ to bring the measure to a referendum and let the voters decide in November.

"I have in my hands a pencil and it has an eraser on the end. They might as well have signed that bill in lead," said Maryland lawmaker Emmett Burns.

Some African-American churches and clergy⁴ members are also pushing for a referendum. They oppose the law, saying it violates their tradition which defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

Same-sex marriage legislation and laws face obstacles in other states as well. In New Jersey⁵, the legislature passed a bill to allow gays to marry, but the measure was vetoed by the governor. 

In California, gay marriage remains⁶ on hold since voters there narrowly approved a referendum called "Proposition 8" to ban it in 2008. A federal appeals court has struck down the ban as unconstitutional, but the case is still in litigation. It may ultimately be decided⁷ by the U.S. Supreme⁸ Court as early as next year. However, legal experts say any ruling would only apply to California. 

"We believe marriage is between a man and a woman. And whether people like that or not that's what the people want," said George Reilly, a "Proposition 8" supporter.

President Barack Obama says he supports letting states decide, but personally favors so-called "civil unions." 

"I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman, but I also think that same-sex partners should be able to visit each other in hospitals. They should be able to transfer property," said Obama.

Obama has come under fire from some in the gay community for not supporting national efforts to legalize same-sex marriage. Several states like Illinois, Nevada, and Oregon allow civil unions, but have constitutional amendments⁹ or statutes¹⁰ that prohibit same-sex marriage. Analysts¹¹ say the debate will continue to intensify¹² during this election year as public opinion polls suggest a majority of Americans support same sex marriage but only by a slim margin¹³. 

1 wed   

v.娶，嫁，与…结婚

参考例句：

• The couple eventually wed after three year engagement.这对夫妇在订婚三年后终于结婚了。
• The prince was very determined to wed one of the king's daughters.王子下定决心要娶国王的其中一位女儿。

2 hurdle   

n.跳栏，栏架；障碍，困难；vi.进行跨栏赛

参考例句：

• The weather will be the biggest hurdle so I have to be ready.天气将会是最大的障碍，所以我必须要作好准备。
• She clocked 11.6 seconds for the 80 metre hurdle.八十米跳栏赛跑她跑了十一秒六。

3 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

4 clergy   

n.[总称]牧师，神职人员

参考例句：

• I could heartily wish that more of our country clergy would follow this example.我衷心希望，我国有更多的牧师效法这个榜样。
• All the local clergy attended the ceremony.当地所有的牧师出席了仪式。

5 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

6 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。

7 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。

8 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。

9 amendments   

（法律、文件的）改动( amendment的名词复数 )； 修正案； 修改； （美国宪法的）修正案

参考例句：

• The committee does not adequately consult others when drafting amendments. 委员会在起草修正案时没有充分征求他人的意见。
• Please propose amendments and addenda to the first draft of the document. 请对这个文件的初稿提出修改和补充意见。

10 statutes   

成文法( statute的名词复数 )； 法令； 法规； 章程

参考例句：

• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Each agency is also restricted by the particular statutes governing its activities. 各个机构的行为也受具体法令限制。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

11 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

12 intensify   

vt.加强；变强；加剧

参考例句：

• We must intensify our educational work among our own troops.我们必须加强自己部队的教育工作。
• They were ordered to intensify their patrols to protect our air space.他们奉命加强巡逻，保卫我国的领空。

13 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。