Week3-美同性婚姻合法

Same-Sex Marriage Rights Advance in the US 

 This week the Supreme Court acted in one of America’s most debated issues by doing almost nothing. The justices decided not to examine lower court rulings that permit same-sex marriage in the states of Virginia, Indiana, Wisconsin, Oklahoma and Utah.

Reaction in Virginia

In the U.S. state of Virginia, Attorney General Mark Herring commented shortly after the Supreme Court announced its decision Monday. Mr. Herring tweeted that marriage equality is in effect in the state. The announcement led those who had been waiting for the chance to take action. Some went immediately to their courthouse to request marriage licenses.

The 4th Circuit says their mandate will issue at 1 PM & marriages can then begin. What a momentous & joyous day for thousands of Virginians.

Matthew Tosiello is a 38-year-old teacher at an elementary school in Arlington, Virginia. He proposed marriage to his same-sex partner on Monday night. His partner accepted. Later, Mr. Tosiello posted a photo of the proposal, written on paper, to his friends on Facebook.

He has had over 200 likes and nothing but happy reactions from his friends and family.

"Personally I'm just happy to be able to have the right to do it, and I look forward to doing so. [Two years ago] I had emergency surgery for an appendix that was about to burst. We spent a lot of money to do medical powers of attorney and things like that. We're not going to have to have that conversation [in the future]. It's definitely going to have a big impact on our lives, but it's those, you know, very important yet mundane details. Happy as I am, I -- in some ways I really wish the Supreme Court would have made a very definitive statement by settling this issue once and for all."

Possible future Supreme Court ruling

A White House spokesman on Monday said most Americans believe same sex couples deserve fair treatment under the law. The spokesman made the comment after the Supreme Court ruled, but he did not note the decision. The spokesman said U.S. President Barack Obama believes it should be legal for same sex couples to marry.

Indeed, many legal experts expect the Supreme Court to rule one day on whether gay people should have the right to marry in all U.S. states. However, officials in some states say the Constitution does not give the federal government the power to decide how states define marriage. The officials say no legal tradition supports a right to gay marriage.

http://learningenglish.voanews.com/content/gay-marriage-supreme-court/2477430.html

Structure of the Lead：

   Who-homosexual

   When- Monday

   What-same-sex marriage rights

   Why- not given

   Where-in the U.S. state of Virginia

   How-not given

Keywords:

1. examine 審查  

2. Supreme Court 最高法院     

3. courthouse 法院     

4. mandate 任務     

5. appendix 盲腸        

6. attorney 律師     

7. mundane 平凡       

8.federal 聯邦的       

      

Week2-尼泊爾地震

Nepal rocked by 7.3-magnitude earthquake near Mount Everest

Nepal has been hit by another strong earthquake, causing widespread panic and casualties just over two weeks after a devastating one killed more than 8,000 people, injured 18,000 and destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes.

The US Geological Survey said the quake had a magnitude of 7.3 and struck 42 miles (68km) west of the town of Namche Bazaar, close to Mount Everest. It was followed closely by at least six strong aftershocks. Shockwaves were felt as far away as the Indian capital, Delhi, and Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.

The full extent of casualties is unknown, with reports of collapsed buildings and some deaths coming in from remote areas close to the epicenter.

At least four people were killed in the town of Chautara in Sindhupalchok district, north of Kathmandu, after several buildings collapsed and more than a dozen were injured in landslides. Sindhupalchok suffered the heaviest death toll in last month’s quake.

Two deaths have been reported in Bhimeswhar, in Dolakha district. There are also concerns over a large glacial lake called Tso Rolpa in Dolakha that is held back by a fragile natural dam. The Nepalese home ministry described a disaster in both Dolakha and Sindhupalchok. At least one four-storey building in Kathmandu has collapsed.

As of 11 am GMT, the home ministry said that across the country at least 19 people had been killed and 981 injured.

Five people were killed in Indian states bordering Nepal – one in Uttar Pradesh and four in Bihar, officials said. Chinese media reported one person died in Tibet after rocks fell on a car.

At least half a million Nepalese are already without homes and living in makeshift camps or among the ruins of their houses.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/12/nepal-hit-by-second-huge-earthquake

Structure of the Lead：

   Who-Nepalese 

   When-not given

   What-7.3-magnitude earthquake

   Why-not given

   Where-Nepal
   How-many people were killed and the buildings were destroyed

Keywords:

1.        casualty: 傷亡

2.       devastating: 破壞性的

3.       magnitude: 大小

4.       aftershock: 餘震

5.        shockwave: 衝擊波

6.       epicenter: 震央

7.        toll: 費用

8.       fragile: 脆弱

9.       makeshift: 湊合的