7月20日午間英語新聞：美媒：美國最高法院大法官存在諸多不端行為

Report questions ethics of US Supreme Court justices

美媒：美國最高法院大法官存在諸多不端行為

The Supreme Court of the United States is a judicial body in the system of separation of powers in the US, and has always played an extremely important role in the balance of power.

美國最高法院是美國三權分立制度中的司法機構(gòu)，一直在權力智衡中發(fā)揮著極其重要的作用。

But they have long engaged in a variety of questionable conduct, including using their positions to engage in partisan activities and selling their books through college visits, AP reported Tuesday. 

美聯(lián)社周二（7月11日）報道稱，美國最高法院的大法官們長期存在多種不端行為，包括利用職位便利進行黨派活動，通過外出講學機會售賣自己的書籍。

A lengthy investigation by AP found that public schools generally view the justices’ visits as fundraising opportunities for their schools, with many regularly inviting the justices to lecture and the justices taking advantage.

美聯(lián)社通過長期調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn)，公立學校普遍將大法官們的造訪視為學校的籌款良機，，許多學校定期邀請大法官來講學，大法官趁機獲利。

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, for example, has earned at least $3.7 million from publishing and selling books since she took the bench in 2009. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito have been receiving gifts, free plane trips and luxury fishing trips from a Republican billionaire.

例如，大法官索尼婭·索托馬約爾自2009年就任大法官以來，通過出書和賣書至少獲利370萬美元。大法官克拉倫斯·托馬斯和塞繆爾·阿利托常年接受一位共和黨億萬富翁提供的禮物、免費飛機旅行和豪華釣魚之旅。

The integrity of the Supreme Court has been called into question several times in recent years, and the findings are particularly worrying.

美聯(lián)社稱，近年來最高法院的誠信度曾多次受到質(zhì)疑，此次的調(diào)查結(jié)果更是令大眾感到擔憂。

The Supreme Court is the final arbiter of law in the US. It is the highest body that deals with controversial cases in the US Constitution and legal process. For a long time, the justices have disagreed over a number of socially sensitive issues such as abortion, gun ownership and homosexuality.

美國最高法院是美國法律的最終仲裁者。它是處理美國憲法及法律程序中爭議案例的最高機構(gòu)。長期以來，大法官們圍繞墮胎、擁槍、同性戀等多項社會敏感議題進行激烈博弈。

The Supreme Court has six conservative and three liberal justices, and its decisions are often polarized. Within the Supreme Court, the landscape of the two groups of justices is also seen as an important battleground between the Republican and Democratic parties.

最高法院現(xiàn)有6位保守派大法官、3名自由派大法官，其裁決時常呈兩極分化狀態(tài)。在最高法院內(nèi)，兩派大法官的“布局”也被視為共和、民主兩黨斗爭的重要戰(zhàn)場。

重點詞匯：

1.polarized

英[?p??l?ra?zd]

美[?po?l?ra?zd]

v.使(光波等)偏振; 使(物體)極化; (使)兩極化，截然對立;

adj.偏振的；極化的;

2.partisan

英[?pɑ?t??z?n]

美[?pɑ?rt?zn]

adj.盲目擁護的; 偏護的; (對某個人、團體或思想)過分支持的;

n.游擊隊員; 鐵桿擁護者; 堅定的支持者;

Are sports drinks good or bad for you?

天氣炎熱出汗多，可以多喝運動飲料嗎?

Sports drinks are electrolyte-enhanced beverages. Their main purpose is to restore water and electrolytes that are lost during heavy exercise and sweating. They will contain electrolytes like sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. Many are carbohydrate-based, with added sugars like fructose, glucose and sucrose. Sometimes they contain caffeine.

運動飲料是電解質(zhì)補充飲料。主要目的是補充在劇烈運動和出汗過程中流失的水分和電解質(zhì)。運動飲料含有鈉、鉀、鈣和鎂等電解質(zhì)，碳水化合物含量通常很高，添加了果糖、葡萄糖和蔗糖等糖。有時含有咖啡因。

There are also energy drinks that are often, and unfortunately, confused with sports drinks. Energy drinks typically contain large amounts of caffeine. Many contain other legal stimulants like taurine, guarana and L-carnitine. These energy drinks could reduce fatigue and enhance performance in the short term. However, they are not sports drinks and should not be used when the purpose is to replenish electrolytes and fluids.

人們常常把運動飲料和能量飲料混淆。能量飲料通常含有大量的咖啡因。許多含有其他合法興奮劑，如?；撬?、瓜拉納和左旋肉堿。這些能量飲料可以在短期內(nèi)緩解疲勞，有提神效果。然而，能量飲料不是運動飲料，如果僅僅為了補充電解質(zhì)和水分時，不應飲用能量飲料。

Energy drinks can be dangerous when consumed in large quantities. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1,499 adolescents ages 12 to 17 went to the emergency room for an energy-drink-related emergency in 2011. High amounts of caffeine can induce irregular and rapid heartbeats. Individuals may become anxious and develop sleeping problems. Those consuming energy drinks instead of sports drinks or water may become dehydrated. Also, although many ingredients in these energy drinks are marketed as being “natural,” they may be present in much larger quantities than people normally consume.

大量飲用能量飲料可能產(chǎn)生危險。美國疾病控制和預防中心數(shù)據(jù)顯示，2011年，1499名12至17歲的青少年因能量飲料相關緊急情況前往急診室。大量的咖啡因會導致心律不齊和心跳加快?？赡軙е陆箲]并出現(xiàn)睡眠問題。用能量飲料代替運動飲料或水飲用，可能導致脫水。此外，盡管能量飲料中的許多成分被宣稱是“天然”的，但它們的含量可能比人們平常的攝入量大得多。

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children and adolescents do not use energy drinks.

美國兒科學會建議兒童和青少年不要飲用能量飲料。

Parents should keep in mind that there are other beverages that contain caffeine, including coffee and many sodas, and that many sports drinks contain very high levels of caffeine that would far exceed the daily recommended amount. Given that sports drinks really are intended to replace electrolytes and not to be used as a stimulant, it’s best for children to avoid sports drinks with added caffeine.

家長們應該記住，還有其他飲料含有咖啡因，包括咖啡和許多蘇打水，許多運動飲料含有非常高水平的咖啡因，遠遠超過每日推薦量?？紤]到運動飲料主要功能是補充電解質(zhì)，而不是用作興奮劑，兒童最好避免飲用添加咖啡因的運動飲料。

重點詞匯：

1.electrolyte

英[??lektr?la?t]

美[??lektr?la?t]

n.電解質(zhì); 電解液;

2.adolescent

英[??d??lesnt]

美[??d??lesnt]

n.青少年;

adj.青少年的; 青春期的; 未成熟的;

3.fatigue

英[f??ti?ɡ]

美[f??ti?ɡ]

n.(金屬或木材的)疲勞; 勞累; 厭倦; （士兵穿的）工作服; 士兵雜役;

v.使疲乏; 使勞累; 使（肌肉，器官）衰竭;

adj.令人身心交瘁的；勞心勞力的;