特丽萨可能会成为下一届英国首相

AS IT IS 2016-07-12 Theresa May to Be Britain's Second Woman Prime Minister 特丽萨可能会成为下一届英国首相

Britain’s Theresa May is set to become the second woman to hold the position of Prime Minister since Margaret Thatcher¹.

British Prime Minister David Cameron announced on Monday that he will resign Wednesday and Andrea Leadsom, May’s rival for the position, abruptly² withdrew.

Cameron told reporters he would officially offer his resignation to Britain’s Queen Elizabeth on Wednesday.

The prime minister announced his intention to resign last month after Britons voted in a referendum to leave the European Union. Cameron had campaigned for Britain remaining in the EU.

Theresa May, 59, has served as Home Secretary in Cameron’s cabinet since 2010. May had been campaigning in a race to lead the Conservative Party against Energy Minister Andrea Leadsom.

But Leadsom withdrew after she made comments highly criticized by the media and her party. In the comments, Leadsom suggested she was better qualified³ to be Prime Minister because she is a mother. May has no children.

Speaking outside his residence at 10 Downing Street, Cameron said he was “delighted we are not going to have a prolonged leadership contest.” He praised May for being “strong, competent and more than capable of taking on the role of prime minister.”

During last month’s referendum, also referred to as “Brexit,” May campaigned for Britain to stay in the EU. Since the vote, she has pledged to help pull the country out of the bloc⁴.

Speaking outside parliament, May said she was "honored and humbled⁵" to be chosen the party's new leader.

She said she is prepared to provide “strong, proven leadership to steer⁶ us through what will be difficult and uncertain economic and political times.” She added that Britain needs “to forge a new role for ourselves in the world.”

May will be in charge of overseeing the country’s complex transition out of the EU. She said her goal is to “negotiate the best deal for Britain in leaving the EU.”

“Brexit means Brexit, and we’re going to make a success of it,” she said.

Words in This Story

referendum – n. a vote of a single political question

abruptly – adj. sudden and unexpected

competent – adj. having the necessary ability or skills to do something well

humbled – adj. not proud, modest

forge – v. to create or form

1 thatcher   

n.茅屋匠

参考例句：

• Tom Sawyer was in the skiff that bore Judge Thatcher. 汤姆 - 索亚和撒切尔法官同乘一条小艇。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
• Mrs. Thatcher was almost crazed; and Aunt Polly, also. 撒切尔夫人几乎神经失常，还有波莉姨妈也是。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

2 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

3 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

4 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

5 humbled   

adj. 卑下的，谦逊的，粗陋的 vt. 使 ... 卑下，贬低

参考例句：

• The examination results humbled him. 考试成绩挫了他的傲气。
• I am sure millions of viewers were humbled by this story. 我相信数百万观众看了这个故事后都会感到自己的渺小。

6 steer   

vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶

参考例句：

• If you push the car, I'll steer it.如果你来推车，我就来驾车。
• It's no use trying to steer the boy into a course of action that suits you.想说服这孩子按你的方式行事是徒劳的。