More Americans are in favor of gay marriage, and more place the importance of gun owner rights above gun control, according to a new Pew Research Center poll.

　　The poll’s findings indicate landmark shifts in opinion for both issues, marking the culmination of trends that have built up over the past several years.

　　Currently, 49% of Americans believe it’s more important to protect the rights of gun owners, and 47% are in favor of legalizing gay marriage. Though neither are a majority, those in favor of both policies outnumber those against, with 45% placing gun control above gun ownership and 43% in opposition to gay marriage.

　　Including data since 2003, opposition to gay marriage reached its peak in 2004, as the topic reached the forefront of the year’s campaigns, with state amendments and the possibility of constitutional prohibition building steam. But public opinion has shifted significantly, most particularly in regard to those strongly in favor and against gay marriage.

　　Strong opposition, ever since its peak of 38% in December 2004, had fluctuated around 30% until 2010, when it began its slow descent to its current 22%. Strong support, which was as low as 8% in 2004, has risen to equal the opposition at 22%.

　　The percentage drop in the opposition of gay marriage was conveniently equal in both those under the age of 30 and those at or above the age of 65, at 18%, though 56% of the older generation still are against it, compared to just 30% of their younger counterparts.

　　Stretching back to 1993, Pew has found a consistently sizeable plurality, if not majority, of Americans placed more importance on gun ownership, peaking at 66% in 2000. Since then, that number has seen a steady decline, hitting 49% both in 2012 and 2011.

　　That said, what does this shift mean for the upcoming elections? Obviously the sentiments of Americans are changing, but the implications of those changes look to be incremental in influencing the electoral results.

　　An earlier Pew poll found that 28% place gay marriage as “very important” to their vote, and 47% gave gun control the same weight. As has been said before, and will be said again before the polls close, it’s economy that trumps all matters, regardless of the changing tides toward gun-owning gay couples.

　　Pew’s survey was conducted via telephone interviews among 3,0008 adults nationwide between April 4-15, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9-3.0%.

　　(Read by Nelly Min. Nelly Min is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)皮尤调查中心的投票结果显示，越来越多的美国人支持同性恋婚姻，同时，越来越多的美国人认为持枪权利比枪械管制重要。

　　此次投票结果表明，在这两个问题上民众意见有了重大转变，这标志着近年来形成的两种潮流达到了顶峰。

　　目前，49%的美国人认为保护民众持枪权利更为重要，同时47%的美国人支持同性婚姻合法化。虽然两项投票结果都没有占多数，但是支持这两项政策的人数超过了反对的人数。其中仅45%的美国人认为枪械管制更重要，43%的人反对同性婚姻。

　　该调查收集了自2003年以来的数据，调查发现人们对同性恋婚姻的反对在2004年达到了高潮。这个话题与各州修正案以及宪法可能禁止修建蒸汽设备的话题，一起成为当年各类游行的主题。但是，公众的意见已发生重大转变，尤其是那些强烈支持和反对同性婚姻的人。

　　在2004年12月，同性婚姻的反对率达到38%的顶峰后，一直徘徊在30%左右，直到2010年，反对率开始下降至目前的22%。在2004年，坚决支持同性婚姻的比例只有8%，而目前则升至22%，与反对者人数相当。

　　在年龄小于30和大于65的年龄层中，同性婚姻反对率均降低了18%，尽管56%的年长一代仍然持反对态度。相较之下，年轻人群的反对率仅为30%。

　　追溯至1993年，皮尤调查发现，即便不是大多数，也有相当数量的美国人一直支持持枪权利，这个数字在2000年达到了顶峰，为66%。自此，这项数字一直持续降低，在2012和2011年的时候降到了49%。

　　那么，这种转变对即将到来的总统大选意味着什么呢?显然，美国人的观点在转变，而这些转变中隐含的意义将越来越多地对选举结果产生影响。

　　皮尤早前的一次投票显示28%的人认为同性恋婚姻的问题会很大程度影响他们的投票，47%的人则认为枪械管制是同样重要的影响因素。但正如之前所说，而且在调查末尾还将再次提到的，经济因素盖过一切，无论人们对持枪权利或同性恋婚姻的态度发生了怎样的变化。

　　皮尤这次的调查是在4月4日至15日，通过电话采访了30008名美国各地的成人，误差范围为正负2.9-3.0%。

　　以上就是今天的材料，大家可以积累其中的高分词汇及句型，并且练习提升阅读速度，迅速找到托福阅读的主题句和出题点。