英语听力材料Affirmative-Action

英语听力材料AffirmativeActionLegalexpertscallitAmerica”smostimportantdebateonaffirmativeactionintwenty-fiveyears.Collegesanduniversitiessaytheyhavearighttoconsiderracewhentheychoosestudents.TheSupremeCourtwilldecide.I”mSteveEmber.

VOICETWO:

AndI”mPhoebeZimmermann,withtheVOASpecialEnglishprogramTHISISAMERICA.

MonaHallofDetroit,Michigan,wasamongthedemonstratorsoutsidetheSupremeCourtonApril1.(CROWDNOISE)

OnAprilfirst,thousandsofdemonstratorsmarchedoutsidetheSupremeCourtbuildinginWashington,D.C.TheycamefromasfarawayasCalifornia.Mostcametosupportaffirmativeaction.Blackstudentsandothersshoutedandwavedsigns.Theycalledonthenation”shighestcourttokeepaffirmativeactionprogramsinplace.

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Insidethecourt,theninejusticesheardargumentsintwocasesbroughtbywhitestudentsagainsttheUniversityofMichigan.

VOICEONE:

“Affirmativeaction“isthenameforprogramstohelpmembersofminoritygroupsandwomenineducationandemployment.Opponentssayitputsraceandethnicityaheadofability.Theycallthatunfair.Ifthatistrue,supportersanswer,thensoisspecialtreatmentgiventochildrenofthewealthyandpoliticallyconnected.

Collegesanduniversitiesthroughoutthecountryhaveprogramstohelpblack,HispanicandNativeAmericanstudentsgetadmitted.Butpressurehasgrowntoendsuchprogramsespeciallyatschoolsthatreceivepublicmoney.

Whiteswhoopposeaffirmativeactionsayitunfairlyreducestheirchancestoattendthenation”smostcompetitiveschools.Theysayadmissionspoliciesshouldberace-neutral.

Minoritiesandotherssayaffirmativeactionhelpsbalanceastudentpopulation.Thisdiversity1,theysay,createsabetterlearningenvironmentforallstudents.Theysaystudieshaveshownthatifsuchprogramsarebanned,collegeswouldacceptfewerminorities.

Critics2saydiversityhasnotbeenshowntoprovideaneducationalbenefittostudents.Inanycase,theysaydiversityisnotaninterestrequiredofgovernment.

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VOICETWO:

ThecasesbeforetheSupremeCourtstartedinnineteen-ninety-seven.ThreewhitestudentsbroughttwoseparateactionsagainsttheUniversityofMichigan.JenniferGratzandPatrickHamacherhadbeendeniedadmissiontotheundergraduateprogramtwoyearsearlier.BarbaraGrutterwasrejectedbytheMichiganlawschool.Theyinvestigated,andfoundthatAfricanAmericansandotherminoritieswereadmittedwithlowerscoresthanwhites.

TheyarguedthatthisviolatedtheFourteenthAmendmenttotheConstitutionandtheCivilRightsActofnineteen-sixty-four.TheFourteenthAmendmentguaranteesequaltreatmentunderthelaw.TheCivilRightsActsaysorganizationsthatgetfederalmoneycannotmakedecisionsbasedonaperson”srace.Boththeselawshadbeenwrittenmainlytohelpblackpeopleseekfairtreatment.

VOICEONE:

TheUniversityofMichigandoesnotdenythatitusesraceamongotherconsiderationswhenitchoosesstudents.Thepolicyattheuniversityanditslawschoolgivesextracredittominoritystudents.Itgivestwentypointsoutoftheuniversity”sone-hundred-fiftypointsystemtoAfrican-Americans,HispanicsorNativeAmericans.Pointsarealsoawardedtoallstudentsbasedonwheretheylive,aswellastheirathleticability,testscoresandgrades.

Theuniversitysaysacademicperformancegetsthemostpoints.Butcriticssayraceisthemostdecisivemeasureofall.

FortwohoursonAprilfirst,thenineSupremeCourtjusticesheardlegalargumentsinthesetwocases.Theyaggressivelyquestionedthelawyersfortheuniversityandforthewhitestudentsdeniedadmission.TheyalsoheardfromthetoplawyerfortheBushadministration.TheadministrationhasintervenedtoopposetheMichiganprogram.

PresidentBushcallsitaquotasystem3basedonrace.Thepresidentsaystherearebettermethodstogaindiversityinhighereducation.Californiansvotedinnineteen-ninety-sixtoendaffirmativeactioninstategovernment,includingeducation.PublicsystemsinCalifornia,TexasandFloridacurrentlyadmitstudentswhoareinthetoppercentages4oftheirhighschoolclasses.Buteventhismethodhasitscritics.

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VOICETWO:

AffirmativeactionintheUnitedStatesgrewoutofthecivilrightsmovementofthenineteen-sixties.Suchprogramsaredesignedtoguaranteethatminoritygroupsandwomencancompeteequallywithwhitesandmen.Civilrightsleaderssayaffirmativeactionhashelpedminoritiesandwomenentercollegesandgetgoodjobstheywouldlikelyhavebeendeniedinthepast.

Someprogramsseektoremovebarrierssothatallpeoplemaycompeteequally.Othershavebeendesignedtoguarantee5thatanestablishednumberofwomenandminoritiesarechosenforjobsoraplaceinschool.Designersofsuchprogramshavetobecareful,though.Innineteen-seventy-eight,theSupremeCourtbannedestablishingquotasinaffirmativeactionprograms.ThecourtruledinwhatwasknownastheBakkecase.

VOICEONE:

AllanBakke,awhiteman,wantedtoattendmedicalschoolattheUniversityofCaliforniaatDavis.Hewasrejectedtwice.Buttheschoolhadacceptedminoritystudentswithlowerscores.Aquotasystemsavedsixteenspacesforminoritiesoutofatotalofone-hundredstudentsadmitted.

AllanBakkesaidjudginghimbasedonhisraceviolatedtheConstitution.TheSupremeCourtagreed.Itruledthatcollegescouldconsiderraceinadmissions.Butitsaidracecouldnotbetheonlyconsideration.

VOICETWO:

TheBakkecase,however,splittheSupremeCourtfive-to-four.Sincethen,thejusticeshavebeendividedintheiropinionsinotheraffirmativeactioncases.ButsinceBakkethecourthasnotrevisitedtheissueofschooladmissions.

MichigansaysitsprogramsdonotviolateBakkebecausetheydonotusequotas.

ThelimitsestablishedintheBakkecaseweremeanttoguaranteethatprovidinggreaterchancesforminoritiesdidtheleastpossibleharmtoothers.Butthecasedidlittletosettletheissueofaffirmativeaction.Thedebatehasonlyintensified6overthepasttwenty-fiveyears.

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VOICEONE:

ObserversoftheSupremeCourthavebeentryingtoguesshowthejusticeswillruleintheMichigancases.Fourmembersareconsideredmostlikelytovoteagainsttheuniversity.Thatisbasedonpastconservative7decisions.ThefourareChiefJusticeWilliamRehnquistandJusticesAntoninScalia,AnthonyKennedyandClarenceThomas.

Fourjusticeswithrecordsofmoreliberal8opinionsareconsideredmostlikelytosupporttheuniversity.ThesefourareJohnPaulStevens,DavidSouter,RuthBaderGinsburgandStephenBreyer.

Ifthisguessworkiscorrect,thenJusticeSandraDayO”Connorwouldhavethefifthanddecidingvote.Hervotehasdecidedpastrace-relatedcases.JusticeO”Connorhastakenpositionsinthepoliticalcenter.Shegenerallyhasrejectedpoliciesthattreatracesdifferently.Butshealsohasnotbeenwillingtoendthemcompletely.

VOICETWO:

BeforetheargumentsonAprilfirst,thecourtreceivedhundredsofdocumentsfrombusinesses,politiciansandmilitaryofficials.Thesegroupsurgedthecourtnottoendaffirmativeaction.

Duringthehearing,amajorityoftheninejusticesdidexpressconcernsaboutendingaffirmativeaction.Theytalkedaboutwhatcouldhappeniffewerminoritiesreceivehighereducation.Itcouldevenaffectthenation”sdefense,ifthemilitaryhasfewercollege-educatedminoritiestobecomeofficers.

JusticeO”Connornotedthatmostaffirmativeactionprogramsapprovedbythecourtinthepastwereforsetperiodsoftime.Severalotherjusticessuggestedthatthe