评论
打印
From VOA Learning English, this is the Education Report.
这里是美国之音慢速英语教育报道。
The United States Supreme Court said last week it will re-hear arguments on a controversial college admissions policy. The case involves affirmative action, the custom of helping groups that have been treated unfairly in the past.
美国最高法院上周表示将对一项有争议的高校招生政策进行再次审理。该案件涉及平权措施，即帮助那些在过去受到不公平待遇群体的习俗。
The Supreme Court plans to hear the case of Abigail Fisher for the second time. Ms. Fisher, a white female, was denied admission to the University of Texas at Austin in 2008. She says the university's affirmative action policy discriminated against her and other white applicants.
美国最高法院计划对阿比盖尔·费舍尔（Abigail Fisher）案件进行第二次审理。费舍尔女士是一位白人女性，2008年她被德克萨斯大学奥斯丁分校拒绝录取。她说，该大学的平权措施政策歧视了她和其他白人申请者。
Ms. Fisher took legal action against the University of Texas. Her case went to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013. The court sent the case back to a lower court, which supported the university.
费舍尔女士对德克萨斯大学采取了法律行动。2013年她的案件进入美国最高法院。法院将案件发回下级法院审理，下级法院判决支持了德克萨斯大学。
In 2003, the Supreme Court ruled that schools can consider an applicant's race as part of their admissions decisions. The court's majority said that schools have a "compelling interest" in having a racially-mixed student population.
2003年，美国最高法院裁定，各个学校可以在做出录取决定时考虑申请人的种族。最高法院的多数派表示，学校在拥有种族混合的学生人口方面具备令人信服的利益。
Michael Yaki is a member of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. He says affirmative action is a good thing. He says race should not prevent someone from getting into a university. But he thinks it should be a consideration when university officials want to create balance in a class.
美国民权委员会委员叶克本（Michael Yaki）表示，平权措施是好的。他说，族裔不应该成为一个人上大学的障碍。但他认为，族裔应该成为各个大学创造校园族裔平衡时的一个考虑因素。
In his words, "Our nation is stronger when people from diverse cultures and diverse backgrounds can work, live and study together." He adds that affirmative action will "benefit the society and benefit our future." Supporters say affirmative action is needed to increase economic and other opportunities for some minority groups.
用他的话来说，“当来自不同文化和背景的人们可以共同工作、生活、学习时，我们的国家才会更加强大。”他补充说，平权措施将会造福社会和我们的未来。支持者表示，必须有平权措施为一些少数族裔创造经济和其它机会。
Tom Fitton is president of Judicial Watch, a policy group in Washington D.C. He says colleges should make decisions based only on a student's ability or merit. He says race-based admissions programs are a violation of the U.S. Constitution.
汤姆·费腾(Tom Fitton)是总部设在华盛顿的一家名为司法观察的政策组织的总裁。他说，大学应该只根据学生的能力或成绩做出录取决定。他说，基于族裔的招生计划违反了美国宪法。
"People are harmed by these decisions," he says, "because for every person who gets in because they are a minority, there is someone who may be left out because they are not."
他说，“很多人因此而受到伤害。因为如果有人因为是少数族裔而被录取，那么就有其他人因为不是少数族裔而失去了机会。”
Mr. Fitton says affirmative action hurts Asian-American students. The 2010 Census found that Asian Americans make up about six percent of the U.S. population. But they make up about 40 percent of the undergraduate students at the University of California at Berkeley. At Harvard University, 20 percent of the first-year students are Asian. Some people say the percentage of Asian students at top U.S. universities would be even higher without affirmative action.
费腾先生表示，平权措施伤害了亚裔美国学生。2010年人口普查发现，亚裔美国人占到了美国人口的6%。但是他们占到了加州大学伯克利分校本科生的40%左右。在哈佛大学，20%的大一学生是亚裔。有人表示，如果没有平权措施，美国顶尖大学中的亚裔学生比例会更高。
"The Asian American community gets harmed by this, because their educational achievements make them excellent candidates, if it was just based on merit," Mr. Fitton says.
费腾先生说，”亚裔美国人社区因此受到了伤害。因为如果只考虑成绩，他们的教育成就使得他们比其它考生更出色。”
A group of Asian organizations complained to the Justice and Education Departments. They said Harvard University discriminates against Asian Americans in its admission process. Commissioner Yaki does not think Harvard "systematically" discriminates against them. He says the university does not set firm target numbers for the number of Asians it will accept.
一家亚裔组织向司法和教育部门提出申诉。他们表示，哈佛大学在录取过程中歧视亚裔学生。叶克本委员不认为哈佛“系统地”歧视他们。他说，哈佛大学并没有设定录取多少亚裔学生的硬性指标。
In 1978, the Supreme Court ruled that racial quotas are illegal in employment and college admissions.
1978年，最高法院裁定种族配额在就业和高校招生中是非法的。
Abigail Fisher now works at a finance company after completing studies at Louisiana State University. The Supreme Court will hear her case against the University of Texas in October. The Court's decision could have a major effect on the diversity of U.S. college classrooms in the future.
费舍尔从路易斯安那州立大学毕业后，现在在一家金融公司上班。美国最高法院将于10月份对她状告德克萨斯大学的案件进行审理。法院的判决可能会对未来美国大学校园的种族多样性产生重大影响。
I'm Anne Ball.
我是安妮·波尔（Anne Ball）。
本栏目视频字幕与文本并不完全对应，且视频播放缓冲时间较长，敬请谅解！
