NPR边听边练116:奥巴马支持同性恋婚姻

　　主餐一道：泛听练习
以下段落是摘自新闻里的一些重要信息,并不是一个段落的听写。空内信息可在本新闻中全部找到,大家可以根据这些信息复述新闻。
一、泛听建议：
1、完整听一遍，掌握大意。
2、继续听，特别注意关键信息。遇到相似的词，写下来。
3、复述新闻。
From NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh.
这里是华盛顿NPR新闻，我是拉克什米·辛格。
The US Senate is taking procedural votes on competing bills aimed at avoiding the across-the-board spending cuts known as the sequester¹, which are set to _1_ tomorrow. The GOP measure has failed to get enough votes to advance. A vote is underway on a democratic bill. NPR's Craig Windham reports Senate majority leader Harry² Reid is accusing Republicans of being completely inflexible³ for refusing to consider _2_ tax loopholes and _3_ subsidies⁴ as a part of the plan.
美国参议院正在进行程序性竞争议案投票，以避免将于明天生效的全面自动减支计划。共和党的议案未能获得足够的支持票数。现在正在对民主党的议案进行投票。据NPR新闻的克雷格·温德姆报道，参议院多数党领导人哈里·里德指责称，共和党人拒绝考虑修补税务漏洞、减少补贴的行为完全不予变通。
Reid says polls show the vast majority of Americans, and even the majority of Republicans, favor reducing the federal deficit⁵ with the combination of spending cuts and revenue increases.But GOP Senator John Cronyn says president Obama already got all the revenue he's going to get in the deal that _4_ the fiscal⁶ cliff.'He got a $ 600 billion in additional tax revenue from the American people. So where is the balance to that.'That $ 600 billion in revenue was only half of what the president thought though, and less than House Speaker John Boehner _5_ the failed talks in 2011 aimed at achieving a so-called grand bargain on deficit reduction. Craig Windham NPR News, Washington.'The only republicans in America that don't agree, are those that serving Congress.'
里德表示，投票表明大多数美国人，甚至是大多数共和党人赞成以减支和增加税收的方法减少联邦赤字。“全美唯一不同意这项方案的共和党人，就是那些在国会任职的人。”但共和党参议员约翰·克罗宁则表示，奥巴马总统在财政悬崖议案中已获得了所有的税收。“他从美国民众那里得到了6000亿美元的额外税收。那已达到了平衡。”但是那6000亿美元的税收只是总统计划的一半，而且低于众议院议长约翰·博纳提出的目标，2011年博纳在减少赤字的谈判中想达成所谓的大交易，但最终减赤谈判以失败告终。NPR新闻，克雷格·温德姆华盛顿报道。
Today is the deadline for filing briefs in the proposition eight same-sex marriage case before the US Supreme⁷ Court. NPR's Nina Totenberg has previously⁸ reported the administration will file a brief citing with those contending the California's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.
今天是就反同性婚姻的8号提案向美国最高法院提交诉书的最后限期。NPR新闻的妮娜·托滕伯格此前报道，政府
将递交诉书，政府认为加利福尼亚州禁止同性恋婚姻违反宪法。
What is still unknown is what legal argument the administration makes in the brief to be filed later today. The president has sent mix signals as to whether he'll urge the court to strike down all state laws banning same-sex marriage or a limited number of laws or just California's law. Best bet is a middle ground , urging the court to take one step at a time instead of taking a giant leap. Nina Totenberg NPR News, Washington.
政府在今天稍晚时候递交的诉书中将涉及何种法律论证目前还不清楚。总统将呼吁法院取消禁止同性婚姻的法律
，是涉及所有州，还是个别州，还是只是加州，目前并不明朗。最适当的方法就是采取中间立场，呼吁法院一步
步慢慢来，而不是采取过大的举措。NPR新闻，妮娜·托滕伯格华盛顿报道。
词汇解析：
1. contend
vi.争夺；竞争；奋斗；争斗
vt.声称，主张；争论，争辩；斗争，战斗
eg. The government contends that he is fundamentalist.
政府认定他是原教旨主义者。
eg. American businesses could soon have a new kind of lawsuit⁹ to contend with.
美国公司可能很快就要有一种新型的官司去应付了。
eg. Even the best athletes have to contend with the ineluctable fact that they will grow older and must someday face opponents who are younger, faster, and stronger.
即使是最好的运动员也会变老，他们得与这不可避免的事实相抗争，并且必将有一天要面对更年轻、更快和更强的对手。
2. best bet 最好的办法，最佳措施
eg. Your best bet is to say nothing about it.
你最好的办法就是对此事闭口不谈。
eg. Make them see you are the best bet for the position.
让他们觉得你是竞争这个职位的最佳人选。
eg. New zealand and australian cities continued to show they are probably the best bet for cheap but high quality living, with scores consistently around 50 or below.
新西兰和澳大利亚各城市的表现依旧良好，这表明它们可能是追求高质量低成本生活的人们的最佳选择：它们的得分仍旧在50左右或更低。
3. middle ground 中间立场；中立；妥协；
eg. Negotiations¹⁰ have failed to establish any middle ground.
谈判未能达成任何妥协。
eg. Many desperately¹¹ want to find some rational middle ground.
许多人拼命想找到某种理性的中间立场。
eg. Even though reaching some middle ground is so difficult, we still should try our best.
尽管达成折衷很困难，但是我们还是应该尽全力试试的。
参考答案：
1、take effect 2、closing 3、reducing
4、avoided 5、offered in

1 sequester   

vt.使退隐，使隔绝

参考例句：

• Everything he owned was sequestered.他的所有财产都被扣押了。
• This jury is expected to be sequestered for at least two months.预计这个陪审团将至少被隔离两个月。

2 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

3 inflexible   

adj.不可改变的，不受影响的，不屈服的

参考例句：

• Charles was a man of settled habits and inflexible routine.查尔斯是一个恪守习惯、生活规律不容打乱的人。
• The new plastic is completely inflexible.这种新塑料是完全不可弯曲的。

4 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

6 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

7 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。

8 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

9 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

10 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

11 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。