美国有线新闻 CNN 卡梅伦彻底退出英国政坛 回顾欧盟的前世今生

 

We're starting our international events coverage¹ with news from the United Kingdom. David Cameron, who was Britain's leader three months ago, has resigned altogether from the British government. It's another step in a series of dramatic events that the country has seen over the summer.

Cameron became leader of his nation's Conservative Party in 2005, and he became British prime minister, the head of the government in 2010. Before his party's second consecutive² election win last year, Cameron made a promise that he'd allow Britons to vote on whether they like to remain part of the European Union.

MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What is the E.U.?

The European Union is a group of countries that work together to create a single market, to allow goods, capital, services and people to move between the member states, as long as they follow the rules and they pay the entry fee.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves. To start this story, we need to go right back to the end of World War II. After six years of fighting, Europe was decimated. Economies were collapsing³ and mistrust was rife⁴ as old enemies face the prospect⁵ of recreating trade ties.

France and previous occupiers Germany faced the difficult task of creating a unity⁶ for profit. So, they started talking, mainly about steel and coal.

In 1951, a total of six countries, France, Belgium, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands reached their first accord by uniting the steel and coal industries, creating the European Coal and Steel Community, or the ECSC. They later introduce the European Economic Community, the EEC, in 1958. These two organizations are seen as the origin of the modern European Union, that wouldn't adopt its new name until 1993.

More than six decades later, the European Union now represents more than half a billion people across 28 countries and with a common currency, the euro, which generates an estimated 14 trillion euros in GDP per year. The premise⁷: countries who are economically linked are less likely to have conflicts.

AZUZ: But that wasn't always the case. Some E.U. countries didn't agree with all the rules they had to follow to remain part of the union, and Britain became the strongest example. On June 23rd, Britons voted almost 52 percent to 48 percent to leave the European Union. It was known as the Brexit. The British exit from the E.U. and it was characterized as the single most momentous⁸ day in British politics since World War II.

Two major issues included immigration and the British economy. Those who wanted to remain part of the E.U. said most migrants who came to Briton were there to work and that they paid their way in taxes. Those who wanted to leave the E.U. said the union didn't give Britain enough control over the migrants coming in, and that those who moved to Britain were putting pressure on housing, welfare and wages.

On the economy, those who wanted to remain said leaving would be an economic disaster because 45 percent of Britain's exports go to the European Union. Those who wanted to leave said Britain could do better business without European Union rules, and that Britain's trade deals could be renegotiated with the E.U.

When Britain's voted to leave, David Cameron immediately stepped down from this position as prime minister. International stock markets initially⁹ took a dive but they recovered in the weeks that followed. And the conservative party's Theresa May eventually became the new British prime minister.

The country has not officially left the European Union yet. It's currently working on the complicated negotiations¹⁰ that all take.

1 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

2 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。

3 collapsing   

压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The rocks were folded by collapsing into the center of the trough. 岩石由于坍陷进入凹槽的中心而发生褶皱。

4 rife   

adj.(指坏事情)充斥的，流行的，普遍的

参考例句：

• Disease is rife in the area.疾病在这一区很流行。
• Corruption was rife before the election.选举之前腐败盛行。

5 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

6 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

7 premise   

n.前提；v.提论，预述

参考例句：

• Let me premise my argument with a bit of history.让我引述一些史实作为我立论的前提。
• We can deduce a conclusion from the premise.我们可以从这个前提推出结论。

8 momentous   

adj.重要的，重大的

参考例句：

• I am deeply honoured to be invited to this momentous occasion.能应邀出席如此重要的场合，我深感荣幸。
• The momentous news was that war had begun.重大的新闻是战争已经开始。

9 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

10 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。