Unit 1 The Power of Culture
Text A What is Culture?
Text B Adapting to a New Culture
Supplementary Exercises
Unit 2 Education Policies
Text A Beyond Unions: Five New Rules for Teachers
Text B Classroom Secrets
Supplementary Exercises
Unit 3 Cutting-edge Technology
Text A Designing a Car for Blind Drivers
Text B Mobile Devices Saving Lives in Emergencies
Supplementary Exercises
Unit 4 Personal Consumption
Text A Rent or Buy, a Matter of Lifestyle
Text B Credit Card Rewards Could Be Hard to Collect
Supplementary Exercises
Unit 5 Healthy Life
Text A A Study of Food Allergies Among Kids
Text B Pain Care
Supplementary Exercises
Unit 6 Political Institution
Text A American Political Institutions
Text B Why the Monarchy Must
Supplementary Exercises
Unit 7 Laws and Rules
Text A Developments in Same-Sex Marriage Law
Text B Student Codes of Conduct
Supplementary Exercises
Unit 8 Biological Garden
Text A How Sharks Have Paid the Price
Text B Biological Evolution
Supplementary Exercises
Key
Reference
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4 California was the second state to allow same-sex marriages,
but voters in the state rescinded that right through a ballot
initiative on November 4, 2008 (see below).
5 In November 2008, Connecticut became the third state in the
union to legalize the marriage of gay and lesbian couples. In
Connecticut, same sex couples enjoy the same rights and
responsibilities as opposite-sex married couples.
6 In early April, 2009, Iowa''s Supreme Court held that the
state''s law defining marriage as solely between a man and a woman
violated the state''s constitution. The first same sex marriages
were performed in Iowa later that month.
7 In September 2009, Vermont became the fourth state in the
nation to legalize same sex marriages and was the first state to do
so through legislation rather than judicial opinion. Even though
the state''s governor vetoed the bill the state legislature rallied
enough votes to override the veto and the bill became law.
8 New Hampshire recently passed legislation that will make
same sex marriages legal starting on January 1, 2010. This makes
New Hampshire the fifth state in the States to recognize same sex
marriage.
9 Lastly, the District of Columbia Council overwhelmingly
passed legislation, by an 11-2 vote, in the early part of December
2009 that recognized same sex marriages as a legal union. This law
has come under heavy criticism, both from the people within the
District, as well as the state of Maryland, which is currently
attempting to pass a law that would ban same sex marriage. However,
the law in the District of Columbia has already withstood one legal
challenge, with a judge ruling that the District can ban any vote
to ban same sex marriage because it would be a violation of human
rights.
Same Sex Ma mage in California
10 California has been the site of some of the most severe
fighting in the same sex marriage debate. In June of 2008,
California made national headlines when the California Supreme
Court ruled that the state''s ban on same sex marriage violated the
state''s constitutional provisions regarding equal protection. This
ruling effectively made California the largest hot spot for gay and
lesbian marriages in the nation for a short time.
11 However, it wasn''t long after this decision came down that
a ballot measure, known as Proposition 8, made it onto the ballot
for the November 2008 election. Prop 8 was written to amend the
state constitution to clearly define a marriage as a legally
binding union between a man and a woman. Prop8 passed on November
4, 2008 by a slim margin, effectively banning same sex marriages in
California.
12 A vigorous legal battle ensued with much finger pointing
and posturing on both sides. Eventually, a lawsuit was filed by
Prop8 opponents that challenged the validity of the proposition on
procedural grounds. Eventually, the California Supreme Court
announced that Prop 8 was valid and the state''s constitution was
amended, meaning that no new same sex marriages would be performed
in California. However, the question remained what would happen to
the thousands of same sex couples that were married between the
June 2008 court decision and the November 2008 proposition. The
California Supreme Court ruled that these marriages were legal when
performed, meaning that they still carried legal weight and are
valid.
……