英国政府提出同性恋婚姻合法化计划

　　Britain moves to give gays, lesbians same rights as married couples

　　【参考译文】英国政府准备赋予同性恋伴侣与婚姻配偶相同的权利

　　【讲解】单词gay其用法已被普遍接受，指的是美国的同性恋团体及其成员；在这种用法中，它一般小写。Gay区别于homosexual，前者强调同性恋者的文化和社会方面。许多作家把gay限定于男性同性恋者，但这个单词也可用于指两种性别的同性恋者，当上下文的言外之意不太明确时，词组同性恋男性和同性恋女性可以被使用。就象其他从形容词派生来的社会群体名词一样(如，黑人)，gay如果当作为一个名词使用，指一些特殊的个体时，可能会被认为带有攻击性，如在There were two gays on the panel；在此处应该用词组gay people来代替。

　　lesbian，A gay or homosexual woman.同性恋女子。

　　LONDON (AFP) - Gays and lesbians in England and Wales would enjoy the same legal rights as married couples under proposals to be released by the British government.

　　If adopted by parliament, the reforms will create civil partnerships to give homosexual couples pension and property rights, so long as they sign an official registration document.

　　【参考译文】伦敦(法新社)根据英国政府即将公布的提案，英格兰和威尔斯地区的男女同性恋伴侣将享有与婚姻配偶相同的法定权利。如果此提案获得议会通过，这项改革将创设民事伴侣关系，赋予同性恋伴侣养老金和财产权，前提条件是他们签署一份正式注册文件。

　　【讲解】adopt,To take on or assume,采取采用或接受：adopted an air of importance.采取自以为是的态度；To vote to accept,批准表决通过,adopt a resolution.通过决议。

　　homosexual，A homosexual person,a gay man or a lesbian.同性恋者男同性恋者或女同性恋者。

　　pension,A sum of money paid regularly as a retirement benefit or by way of patronage.退休金，抚恤金,一笔作为退休或受资助而定期领取的钱。Disability pension：残废恤金。

　　It would also give next-of-kin rights in hospitals, allow gays to benefit from a deceased partner's pension, and exempt them from inheritance tax on a partner's home.

　　【参考译文】这项改革还将赋予同性恋伴侣在医院的近亲地位权利，允许同性恋一方成为去世方的养老金受益人，并且在继承伴侣的房产时可以免缴遗产税。

　　【讲解】next-of-kin可以理解为近亲关系。

　　deceased，No longer living; dead.已死的；死去了的。the deceased wife，亡妻；

　　the deceased，死者,已故者。

　　exempt，To free from an obligation, a duty, or a liability to which others are subject:

　　免除，豁免。常与from连用，exempting the disabled from military service.免除残疾人的兵役。

　　inheritance tax，A tax imposed on the privilege of receiving property by inheritance or legal succession and assessed on the value of the property received.

　　遗产税，一种由于接受遗产或合法继承的特权而被征收的税，其数目取决于遗产的价值。

　　"We are delighted that a long overdue step is being taken by the government, said Ben Summerskill, chief executive of the gay rights group. "Hundreds of thousands of gay people are in stable, long-term relationships, but still don't have the same rights as many others," he said. "It's not just social status that matters, like the right to visit each other in hospital, but the right to share a partner's pension, for example."

　　【参考译文】同性恋权益促进团体本萨墨斯基尔表示：“令我们感到欣慰的是政府正采取这项迟来的措施。成千上万同性恋人士维持长期而稳定的关系，但却无法享有与其它众多人相同的权利。”他还说：“最为紧要的不光是拥有在医院彼此探视权之类的社会地位，而且还包括诸如同性恋者可享有对方养老金等权利。”

　　【讲解】overdue过期未付的；迟到的、延误的、误点的。The train is overdue.火车误点了。an overdue check，过期支票。

　　But another gay campaigner, human rights activist Peter Thatchell, criticized that the proposals fail to cover all unmarried couples -- straight as well as homosexual. "Cohabiting heterosexuals also lack legal recognition and protection," Thatchell said. "This is a grave injustice."

　　【参考译文】但是，另一位同性恋权益活跃人士彼得-撒切尔指责英国政府的提案未涵盖所有未结婚伴侣，不论是一般人还是同性恋者。撒切尔表示：“同居的异性恋伴侣也得不到法律承认和保护，这极其不公平。”

　　【讲解】campaigner，运动参加者;推行运动者。有两个相关的习惯用语：feather-bed campaigner，玩忽职守的士兵;生活放荡的人；old campaigner，老军人,宿将;阅历丰富的人。

　　grave，Requiring serious thought; momentous:重大的需要严肃思考的、重大的：a grave decision in a time of crisis.危机时期的重大决定。

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