万花筒 Kaleidoscope 2007-07-09&07-11, 美国最高院裁决:不得以种族作招生标准
时间：2018-12-11 作者：英语课 分类：万花筒2007年
英语课
A Supreme 1 Court ruling issued Thursday threatens one of the High Court's most significant decisions in the past century. So says Justice Stephen Breyer, who wrote the dissent 2 to the five-four vote to severely 3 limit how school districts use race to achieve diversity within their halls. The court rejected two integration 4 plans Thursday, saying they relied too much on race and the ruling may force other districts to review how they place students in different schools.
"Opinion today means that hundreds of school districts across the nation are no longer going to be able to use race in assigning public school students to different schools."
The matter reached the High Court only after parents in Louisville Kentucky and Seattle Washington sued their school districts. They were complaining that their kids were either not allowed to go to the schools they wanted to or being forced to attend other schools because of their skin color. However, some civil rights groups say this ruling threatens the heart of a landmark 5 case: Brown versus 6 the Board of Education which desegregated the nation's public schools.
"At a time when school segregation 7 is increasing in the last half century since Brown, a plurality of the current court has condemned 8 minority children to a back seat in the race for life's chances."
The ruling though doesn't completely prohibit schools from using race as a factor. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote a concurring 9 opinion, saying race can be a component 10 to achieve diversity. One of the school districts affected 11 says that opinion will go a long way.
"Eliminating racial isolation 12 in our public schools, we were further gratified to learn that from reading Justice Kennedy's opinion that there're viable 13 strategies that we are currently using, that we can continue to build upon. "
School officials there say the ruling won't force them to change where students will go this upcoming school year, but may make them alter their plans for the future.
Ross Simpson, the Associated Press.
"Opinion today means that hundreds of school districts across the nation are no longer going to be able to use race in assigning public school students to different schools."
The matter reached the High Court only after parents in Louisville Kentucky and Seattle Washington sued their school districts. They were complaining that their kids were either not allowed to go to the schools they wanted to or being forced to attend other schools because of their skin color. However, some civil rights groups say this ruling threatens the heart of a landmark 5 case: Brown versus 6 the Board of Education which desegregated the nation's public schools.
"At a time when school segregation 7 is increasing in the last half century since Brown, a plurality of the current court has condemned 8 minority children to a back seat in the race for life's chances."
The ruling though doesn't completely prohibit schools from using race as a factor. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote a concurring 9 opinion, saying race can be a component 10 to achieve diversity. One of the school districts affected 11 says that opinion will go a long way.
"Eliminating racial isolation 12 in our public schools, we were further gratified to learn that from reading Justice Kennedy's opinion that there're viable 13 strategies that we are currently using, that we can continue to build upon. "
School officials there say the ruling won't force them to change where students will go this upcoming school year, but may make them alter their plans for the future.
Ross Simpson, the Associated Press.
1 supreme
adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的
- 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。
2 dissent
n./v.不同意，持异议
- It is too late now to make any dissent.现在提出异议太晚了。
- He felt her shoulders gave a wriggle of dissent.他感到她的肩膀因为不同意而动了一下。
3 severely
adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地
- He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
- He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。
4 integration
n.一体化，联合，结合
- We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
- This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。
5 landmark
n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标
- The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
- The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。
6 versus
prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下
- The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
- The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。
7 segregation
n.隔离，种族隔离
- Many school boards found segregation a hot potato in the early 1960s.在60年代初，许多学校部门都觉得按水平分班是一个棘手的问题。
- They were tired to death of segregation and of being kicked around.他们十分厌恶种族隔离和总是被人踢来踢去。
8 condemned
同时发生的，并发的
- Concurring with expectations, the degree of polymorphism was highest in the central. 正如所料，多型性程度在中部种群中最高。
- The more an affect arises from a number of causes concurring together, the greater it is. 同时凑合起来以激起一个情感的原因愈多，则这个情感将必愈大。
9 component
n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的
- Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
- Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。
10 affected
adj.不自然的，假装的
- She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
- His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。