VOA慢速英语2019 英国新首相约翰逊承诺搞定脱欧

Britain's New Leader Johnson Promises to Get Brexit Done

Boris Johnson on Wednesday is set to take over Britain’s governing Conservative¹ Party and become the country’s next prime minister.

鲍里斯·约翰逊周三将接管英国执政的保守党，并成为该国下一任总理。

Johnson is a strong supporter of Britain’s exit from the European Union. He replaces Theresa May. She announced her resignation² two months ago following several failed efforts to reach a deal to lead her country out of the EU, a process also known as Brexit.

约翰逊是英国脱欧的有力支持者。他取代了特蕾莎·梅。梅首相在数次未能达成协议带领英国脱离欧盟之后，于两个月前宣布辞职。

Johnson is one of Britain’s most famous and controversial politicians. He was a newspaper reporter and, later, the mayor of London. He also served as Britain’s foreign secretary.

约翰逊是英国最著名和最有争议的政治家之一。他曾是一位报社记者，后来担任了伦敦市长。他还担任过英国外交大臣。

Johnson defeated Jeremy Hunt in the Conservative leadership contest. He won two-thirds of the votes among about 160,000 party members across Britain.

约翰逊在保守党领导人争夺战中击败了杰里米·亨特。他在全英国16万党员中获得了三分之二的选票。

In a short speech to hundreds of party members and lawmakers, Johnson promised to “deliver Brexit, unite the country and defeat Jeremy Corbyn.” Corbyn is the leader of the opposition³ Labour Party.

约翰逊在对数百名党员和议员发表的简单演讲中承诺“实现脱欧，团结英国并击败杰里米·科尔宾。”科尔宾是反对党工党的领导人。

U.S. President Donald Trump⁴ tweeted his congratulations and said he will be “great.” Trump has praised Johnson in the past.

美国总统川普发推对约翰逊表示了祝贺，称他将会很棒。川普过去也夸过约翰逊。

Trump has been critical of May’s inability to reach a Brexit deal. He has said Johnson will do a better job.

川普一直批评梅首相未能达成英国脱欧协议。他说约翰逊会做得更好。

May stepped down after Parliament repeatedly rejected the Brexit agreement she struck with the 28-nation European Union.

梅首相在议会一再否决她同欧盟28国达成的脱欧协议之后下台。

Conservatives⁵ supported Johnson after he promised to succeed where May had failed. He told voters he would lead Britain out of the EU by October 31, even if there is not a deal.

约翰逊承诺实现梅首相未能实现的脱欧计划，保守党因此支持约翰逊。他对选民表示，他将会在10月31日前之前让英国退出欧盟，即使没有达成协议。

“I think we know that we can do it, and that the people of this country are trusting in us to do it and we know that we will do it,” said Johnson.

约翰逊表示：“我认为我们知道我们可以这样做。英国人民信任我们这样做，我们知道我们会这样做。”

Johnson said he can get the EU to renegotiate the deal it made with May, something the EU says it will not do.

约翰逊表示，他能让欧盟重新就它跟梅首相达成的协议进行谈判，欧盟称不会这样做。

Economists⁶ and financial leaders fear that a no-deal Brexit could take Britain into recession⁷. They also fear big problems with international trade. These fears have pushed down the value of British money, the pound.

经济学家和财政官员担心无协议脱欧可能会让英国陷入衰退。他们还担心国际贸易会出大问题。这些担忧推动了英国货币英镑贬值。

Carolyn Fairbairn is the director of the Confederation of British Industry. She said there must be a Brexit deal.

卡罗林·费尔本是英国工业联合会的会长。她说英国必须要达成脱欧协议。

“On Brexit, the new prime minister must not underestimate⁸ the benefits of a good deal,” she said.

她说：“在英国脱欧问题上，新首相一定不能低估达成一项良好协议的好处。”

In 2016, Johnson played an important part in the EU referendum campaign. He popularized the false claim that Britain sends the EU $440 million a week. He argued that money should instead be used for the British health service.

2016年，约翰逊在公投中发挥了重要作用。他传扬开了英国每周向欧盟缴纳4.4亿美元的错误言论。他认为这些资金应该用于英国的医疗服务。

Britain sends about half the amount of money Johnson claimed.

英国向欧盟缴纳的资金大概是约翰逊宣扬的一半。

After May became prime minister, she made Johnson the foreign secretary. He made several mistakes during his two years in the position, such as suggesting Libyan officials should “clear the dead bodies” out of the destroyed city of Sirte to make it a shopping center. He quit the government in 2018.

特蕾莎·梅当上总理之后，任命了约翰逊为外交大臣。他在两年任期上犯下了数次错误，例如暗示利比亚官员应该把尸体从被毁的苏尔特市清理出去，把它建成购物中心。他于2018年从政府辞职。

Many Conservative Party members believe Johnson can deliver on Brexit. Critics say he is a Trump-like leader and someone who uses racist⁹ language to get support.

很多保守党成员认为约翰逊可以让英国成功脱欧。批评人士认为他是一名川普式的领导人，也是一位利用种族主义言论博支持的主。

British lawmakers begin their six-week summer break on Friday. They return to work in September. Johnson will then begin the fight for his plans.

英国议员周五开始为期六周的暑期休会。他们将在9月份重返议会。约翰逊届时将会为他的计划而战。

Johnson will be the leader of a House of Commons whose members are mostly against leaving the EU without a deal. They and others plan to resist any push for a no-deal Brexit.

约翰逊将成为下议院领导人，下议院大多数议员反对无协议脱欧。他们以及其它一些人准备抵制任何推动无协议脱欧的措施。

I’m Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

exit – v. to go out of a place or situation

replace – v. : to put someone or something new in the place or position o

controversial – adj. relating to or causing much discussion, disagreement, or argument

mayor – n. an official who is elected to be the head of the government of a city or town

benefit – n. the good of something

referendum – n. a public vote on a particular issue

1 conservative   

adj.保守的，守旧的；n.保守的人，保守派

参考例句：

• He is a conservative member of the church.他是一个守旧教会教友。
• The young man is very conservative.这个年轻人很守旧。

2 resignation   

n.放弃，辞职，反抗

参考例句：

• He handed in his resignation right after the cabinet meeting.内阁会议一开完，他就提出了辞呈。
• They asked for his resignation with one voice.他们一致要求他辞职。

3 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

4 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

5 conservatives   

保守的人( conservative的名词复数 )； （英国）保守党党员，保守党支持者

参考例句：

• The Conservatives were then the governing party . 那时是保守党当政。
• The Conservatives were once more in power. 保守党再次执政。

6 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 recession   

n.（工商业的）衷退（期），萧条（期）

参考例句：

• Manufacturing fell sharply under the impact of the recession.受到经济萧条的影响，制造业急剧衰退。
• A rise in interest rates plunged Britain deeper into recession.利率的提高导致英国经济更加萧条。

8 underestimate   

vt.对...估价过低，低估

参考例句：

• Don't underestimate the role of theory.不要轻视理论的作用。
• I think a lot of people still underestimate him.我觉得很多人仍然低估了他。

9 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。