英语新闻一起读39

很多考研人认为全美同性恋结婚合法是美国民主的象征，但你有支持的自由自然别人也有反对的自由。那边刚说在全美同性恋结婚合法，这边一些州就想出对策加以反对。

Gay marriage ruling: Some officials stop holding weddings

Officials in the US south are resisting last week's Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage by refusing to issue licences to any couples - gay or straight.

抗议的方式很简单，不管你是“直是弯gay or straight”我都不给你发证。（至于直男为什么叫直男其实很简单，因为在美国 straight就有异性恋的意思，所以我们直接翻译过来也就变成“直”了）

Last Friday the court said marriage for all is a constitutional right.But reports suggest some county offices in Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Texas and Louisiana are trying to find ways around the contentious decision.

★around：作介词时既可以表示“围绕，以…为中心; 根据”，也可以表示“绕过，避开”而且不一定跟实际的地点。Their whole society was built around their religious beliefs.他们的整个社会都建立在他们的宗教信仰基础之上；

an economy focused around farming and light industry.以农业和轻工业为主的经济； a way around an obstacle 绕过障碍的路; got around the difficulty somehow.设法避开困难。

★county :郡，县

关于美国的行政区划制度做简单介绍：美国分 50 个 States (州)，这就是一级行政区，和我们的省（自治区，直辖区，特区）相同。但是再往下，美国的二级行政区叫 County(郡, 或者县)。但是在我国县是三级行政区，因为我们还有一个美国没有的二级行政区就叫市或者地级市。在中国，市比县大，可是在美国县比市大。在美国，三级行政区是由州政府设定的制度，不同的州有不同的制度。以加州作例，其三级行政区叫 incorporated municipality (简称 municipality 这个单词应该比较眼熟吧，在考研真题中出现过)。加州的482 个 municipalities,又分City（城市）和 Town（镇），而这两种并没有明显的区分。

Many opponents of gay marriage are preparing for legal challenges over religious objections to the unions.

In Alabama, one judge is refusing to issue marriage licences to anyone, saying that state law merely says marriage licenses "may" be issued by officials, not that they must issue them.

★may：除了表示“可能”还可以表示“（法规）允许”。看一下柯林斯的英文释义You use may to indicate that someone is allowed to do something, usually because of a rule or law.

Wes Allen, a probate judge in Pike County in southern Alabama, told the AP news agency that he is "not in violation of any Supreme Court order"."We're just going to hold the course and not issue any marriage licenses," he said, adding that he believes marriage "is one man, one woman".

★hold the course：说的直白一点就是“别跑偏”，可以翻译成“遵循正确的道路前进”或者“尽自己的指责”。

In Kentucky, Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis is another official ignoring the ruling and turning gay couples away from her office.

"It's a deep-rooted conviction（信念）; my conscience（良知） won't allow me" to grant gay-marriage licenses, she told AP. "It goes against everything I hold dear, everything sacred in my life."（这个人看来是直男癌晚期）

Many officials are pointing to religious rights and freedom of speech in a bid to justify their refusal to recognise gay marriage, but some experts doubt such arguments will stand up in the long run.（宗教信仰和自由是多数官员反对同相恋结婚的，但是这一理由不一定能一直站得住脚。）

On Wednesday, a federal judge in Alabama told county offices they must abide by court decisions allowing gay marriage. However, the order does not affect counties that have stopped issuing all marriage licences.（看来，在米国这么一个民主的国家，有些政策也是很难实施的。）