Arizona Sold to Canada:

 

It’s All Things Considered. I’m Renee Montaine and I’m Robert Siegal. ²⁾NPR has learned of the largest foreign investment in the United States ³⁾to date. The government of Canada has purchased the entire state of Arizona for a half trillion dollars to be ⁴⁾paid out over several years to the US Treasury¹. The money will go to cutting the Federal ⁵⁾deficit².

       At the United Nations today Canadian Ambassador Steven Lewis said the purchase is legal under international law. And he anticipates no problems from ⁶⁾the UN Security Council. “We have bought Arizona with an excellent down payment, it will serve the American economy well. I don”t think the Security Council will give it a moment’s thought.”

       Though Canadian policy makers³ confirmed the purchase of Arizona, many US officials were surprised by the news.

       Canadian officials apparently⁴ saw the ⁷⁾disarray⁵ in the Evan Meekan-Rose Malford ⁸⁾governorship as an opportunity for ⁹⁾negotiations. A joint⁷ US-Canada Depatriation Commission will be announced tomorrow. Other foreign policy ¹⁰⁾implications are unclear, but in New York today Canadian Ambassador Lewis did say that the purchase should affect the free trade ¹¹⁾treaty that’s now before Congress. “Arizona now becomes our ultimate ¹²⁾ace⁸ in the hole. If Congress doesn”t approve that deal, then your states will start dropping like flies.”

       And Ambassador Lewis did confirm rumors⁹ that Canada has sought a warm-water port for centuries and Arizona was the best they could get.

       Arizona is expected to acquire the status of a Canadian province before the end of the year, and for now in ¹³⁾Phoenix¹⁰, Executive Authority for the new Canadian territory has been ¹⁴⁾vested in former Arizona governor and ex-presidential ¹⁵⁾candidate, Bruce Babbit. Governor Babbit spoke¹¹ to us earlier today.

Babbit: Robert, there’s a bit of shock out here, but frankly¹² the state has become ¹⁶⁾unmanageable. We had reached an ¹⁷⁾impasse¹³ we don”t know who our governor is. The ¹⁸⁾legislature is unable to act, and I think it’s now pretty widely understood that this is better than the ¹⁹⁾status quo, it was just intolerable.”

Journalist: But this is abandoning a rather lengthy¹⁴ history of association with the United States of America.

Babbit: Well frankly, we’ve been ²⁰⁾ignored far too often. Washington is 2000 miles away. Many Arizonans are ²¹⁾skeptical¹⁵ of the federal government, ²²⁾resentful of its ²³⁾overarching power. It had from time to time been considering should it be Mexico, independence, or Canada. And I think that given the history of our association with Canada, the Canadians in Arizona, they seem to be the least unattractive of the alternatives and we’re going to make the best of it.

Journalist: So Governor Babbit or is it Governor General Babbit, you’re actually placing this act in some context, you see it as part of a continuity of foreign relations?

Babbit: I think it may be the beginning of more, perhaps a North American Union. I think the day may come when North America will be one country. And that the capital will be not in Ottawa but in Arizona.

Journalist: Well, thank you very much, or ²⁴⁾merci bien as you may say now.

Babbit: I look forward to the rest of you joining us.

Bruce Babbit acting¹⁶ Governor General of Canadian Arizona. CE

 

 

04、美国亚利桑那州被加拿大收购

—愚人节的一则电台消息

 

现在播放《要闻》节目。我是雷尼·茂泰，我是罗伯特·西格。美国公共电台获知了迄今为止在美国最大的一笔外国投资∶加拿大政府出资五千亿美元买下整个亚利桑那州，该款项将在未来几年内向美国财政部付清，并用以削减联邦赤字。

加拿大大使史蒂夫·刘易斯今天在联合国称该笔交易是符合国际法的。他预计完全可以通过联合国安理会。 “我们预付一笔很可观的定金购买下了亚利桑那州，那对美国经济有良性作用。我不认为将难过安理会一关。”

尽管加拿大决策者已经证实了购买亚利桑那州，但还是有许多美国官员为此消息感到惊讶。

加拿大官员显然视伊文·梅根罗斯·马尔福的治理混乱为谈判契机。美加拆并委员会将在明天宣布成立。其他有关的外交政策目前还不明朗，但今日加拿大大使刘易斯确实说过，该购买将会对国会现今的自由贸易条例产生影响。“现在亚利桑那是我们最后一张秘密王牌。如果国会不批准这项交易，你们国家的经济就会飞速下滑。”

刘易斯大使还证实了加拿大数百年来一直在寻找温水港的传闻，亚利桑那是他们的最佳之选。

预计亚利桑那州在年底前会成为加拿大一省，作为加拿大新领土，凤凰城的行政权现已被授予亚利桑那州前州长兼总统候选人布鲁斯·巴比特。巴比特省长在今日早些时候做了讲话。

巴比特∶罗伯特，这多少让人感到震惊，不过坦白说，全州的局面变得难以操控。现在的僵局是，我们不知道谁是我们的管理者。立法机构也不能运作，但我认为大家已经就现状达成更好的共识，因为过去的情形更难以忍受。

记者∶但亚利桑那已经放弃了长期来与美国政府的共同努力。

巴比特∶坦白而言，我们太被忽视了。华盛顿远在两千英里外。很多亚利桑那人对联邦政府持怀疑态度，痛恨政府一切权力一把抓。曾经多次考虑过，它是该独立还是该归属墨西哥或加拿大。我觉得鉴于加拿大和亚利桑那过去的良好关系，以及亚利桑那的众多加拿大人，让亚利桑那归属加拿大是诸多选择中最吸引人的，我们一定会把握好机会。

记者∶巴比特省长，或者说巴比特总督，那么说您实际上将此职责看为是外交关系的一部分延续了？

巴比特∶我认为这或许是今后北美联盟等等的一个开端。整个北美成为一个国家指日可待。首都不会是渥太华而会是在亚利桑那。

记者∶好吧，非常感谢，或者您现在会说“merci bien”。

巴比特∶我盼望你们今后会加入我们。

布鲁斯·巴比特现在是加拿大亚利桑那省的总督。CE

 

1) Arizona [Ari5zEunE] n. 亚利桑那州，美国西南部一州

2) NPR National Public Radio，美国公共电台           

3) to date 到此为止

4) pay out 付清（款项）

5) deficit [5defisit] n. 赤字，不足额

6) the UN Security Council 联合国安全理事会，是联合国六大主要机关之一。安理会有权调查任何国际争端或可能引起国际摩擦的任何局势，敦请争端当事国采取和平方法解决争端。

7) disarray [disE5rei] n. 混乱

8) governorship [5gQvEnE 7Fip] n. 统治者或地方长官的任期或职位

9) negotiation⁶ [nigEuFi5eiFEn] n. 商议，谈判

10) implication [impli5keiFEn] n. 牵连，暗示，含义

11) treaty [5tri:ti] n. 条约，谈判

12) ace in the hole 秘藏法宝，备而未用的王牌

13) Phoenix [5fi:niks] n. 凤凰城，亚利桑那州首府

14) vest [vest] v. 授予，授权

15) candidate [5kAndideit] n. 侯选人

16) unmanageable [Qn5mAnidVEbEl] a. 难处理的，难操纵的

17) impasse [5impAs] n. 僵局

18) legislature [5ledVisleitFEr] n. 立法机关，立法机构

19) status quo [steitEs5kwEu] 现状

20) ignore [ig5nC:r] v. 忽略，忽视

21) skeptical [5skeptikEl] a. 怀疑的           

22) resentful [ri5zentful] a. 愤慨的，怨恨的

23) overarching [5EuvEr5a:tFiN] a. 支配一切的   

24) merci bien （法语）非常感谢

 

 

 

1 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

2 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

3 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

5 disarray   

n.混乱，紊乱，凌乱

参考例句：

• His personal life fell into disarray when his wife left him.妻子离去后，他的个人生活一片混乱。
• Our plans were thrown into disarray by the rail strike.铁路罢工打乱了我们的计划。

6 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

7 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

8 ace   

n.A牌；发球得分；佼佼者；adj.杰出的

参考例句：

• A good negotiator always has more than one ace in the hole.谈判高手总有数张王牌在手。
• He is an ace mechanic.He can repair any cars.他是一流的机械师,什么车都会修。

9 rumors   

n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。

11 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

12 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

13 impasse   

n.僵局；死路

参考例句：

• The government had reached an impasse.政府陷入绝境。
• Negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse.谈判似乎已经陷入僵局。

14 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

15 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

16 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。