马尔代夫发表声明宣布脱离英联邦

 　　The government of the Maldives has decided¹ to leave the Commonwealth², the Maldives Foreign Ministry³ announced last Thursday.

　　马尔代夫外交部上周四对外声称，马尔代夫政府已经决定脱离英联邦。

　　The statement by the Foreign Ministry came weeks after the Commonwealth threatened the country with suspension if it failed to show progress in key democratic governance issues by next March.

　　英联邦几周前曾警告马尔代夫，如果明年三月前未能在法治和民主建设方面取得实质性的进展，将暂停该国英联邦成员资格。

　　The Commonwealth seems to be convinced "that the Maldives would be an easy object that can be used, especially in the name of democracy promotion⁴, to increase the organization's own relevance⁵ and leverage⁶ in international politics," the statement said.

　　一份声明指出，英联邦似乎认为马尔代夫是个很容易利用的国家，尤其是以民主的名义，英联邦可以以马尔代夫为垫脚石，来提高自身在国际政局的影响力。

　　马尔代夫发表声明宣布脱离英联邦

　　Government spokesman Ibrahim Hussain Shihab said the Maldives' withdrawal⁷ from the 53-state grouping would take effect immediately.

　　政府发言人易卜拉欣·侯赛因·谢哈布表示，马尔代夫的脱离这一拥有53个国家及地区的联邦所带来的影响将会很快显现出来。

　　Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland expressed sadness and disappointment at the decision, and said she hoped it would be a temporary separation.

　　英联邦秘书长帕特里夏·斯科特兰对马尔代夫这个决定表示悲痛和失望，并声称她希望这将只是暂时的分开。

　　Maldives, known for its luxury tourist resorts, became a multiparty democracy in 2008 after decades of autocratic rule.

　　马尔代夫是一个世界闻名的豪华旅游胜地。经过几十年的独裁统治，马尔代夫于2008年成为多党民主制国家。

　　President Yameen Abdul Gayoom has been accused of erasing⁸ much of the democratic gains since being elected in 2013.

　　而总统阿卜杜拉·亚明被指在2013年当选后一直在破坏民主建设。

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

3 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

4 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

5 relevance   

n.中肯，适当，关联，相关性

参考例句：

• Politicians' private lives have no relevance to their public roles.政治家的私生活与他们的公众角色不相关。
• Her ideas have lost all relevance to the modern world.她的想法与现代社会完全脱节。

6 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

7 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

8 erasing   

v.擦掉( erase的现在分词 )；抹去；清除

参考例句：

• He was like a sponge, erasing the past, soaking up the future. 他象一块海绵，挤出过去，吸进未来。 来自辞典例句
• Suddenly, fear overtook longing, erasing memories. 突然，恐惧淹没了渴望，泯灭了回忆。 来自辞典例句