2006年VOA标准英语-Blair Dismisses Deadline to Resign

By Michael Drudge¹
London
08 May 2006

British Prime Minister Tony Blair has rejected suggestions he set a date to resign, following his party's dismal² showing in elections last week, and a string of embarrassing scandals.

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Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair addresses journalists at his monthly news conference in Downing Street, London Monday May 8, 2006   
  

Mr. Blair has announced at his monthly news conference he has no intention of stepping down any time soon, despite calls from inside his party to fix a date for his departure.

"To state a timetable now would simply paralyze the proper working of government, put at risk the necessary changes we are making for Britain, and, therefore, damage the country," said Mr. Blair. "It would not end this distraction³, but take it to a new level."

The prime minister says he remains⁴ committed to handing over power eventually to his Treasury⁵ chief, Gordon Brown, and in time to prepare for the next general election, which is due by the middle of 2010.

"I have said I will ensure a stable and orderly transition," said Mr. Blair. "I will do it with the time necessary for my successor to establish themselves. But in the meantime, if we want to win a fourth term, we should concentrate on governing, because I think most people out there are fed up with the endless speculation⁶."

Mr. Blair has been the most successful Labor⁷ leader in the 100-year history of the party. He has led Labor to three consecutive⁸ general-election victories.

But the party suffered badly in local elections in England last week, which came after revelations that more than one-thousand foreign-national convicts had been released from British jails without being deported⁹. It was also learned that Mr. Blair's deputy had carried on an affair with his secretary.

The prime minister responded last Friday by overhauling¹⁰ his Cabinet, including the demotion of Jack¹¹ Straw from foreign secretary to leader of the House of Commons.

At his news conference, Mr. Blair rejected speculation that Straw was dumped because he had called talk of a U.S. attack on Iran "inconceivable."

"Any notion that it is linked to a decision about invading Iran - which, incidentally, we are not going to do - any notion that it is linked to such a decision is utterly¹² absurd," he said.

It is not clear what Mr. Blair meant when he mentioned an invasion of Iran. Recent media reports on the subject have focused on possible air and missile strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, not an invasion by ground forces. U.S. officials emphasize that diplomacy¹³ has not been exhausted¹⁴ in dealing¹⁵ with Iran's nuclear program.

1 drudge   

n.劳碌的人；v.做苦工，操劳

参考例句：

• I feel like a real drudge--I've done nothing but clean all day!我觉得自己像个做苦工的--整天都在做清洁工作！
• I'm a poor,miserable,forlorn drudge;I shall only drag you down with me.我是一个贫穷，倒运，走投无路的苦力，只会拖累你。

2 dismal   

adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的

参考例句：

• That is a rather dismal melody.那是一支相当忧郁的歌曲。
• My prospects of returning to a suitable job are dismal.我重新找到一个合适的工作岗位的希望很渺茫。

3 distraction   

n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐

参考例句：

• Total concentration is required with no distractions.要全神贯注，不能有丝毫分神。
• Their national distraction is going to the disco.他们的全民消遣就是去蹦迪。

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 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。

6 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

7 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

8 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。

9 deported   

v.将…驱逐出境( deport的过去式和过去分词 )；举止

参考例句：

• They stripped me of my citizenship and deported me. 他们剥夺我的公民资格，将我驱逐出境。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The convicts were deported to a deserted island. 罪犯们被流放到一个荒岛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 overhauling   

n.大修；拆修；卸修；翻修v.彻底检查( overhaul的现在分词 )；大修；赶上；超越

参考例句：

• I had no chance of overhauling him. 我没有赶上他的可能。 来自辞典例句
• Some sites need little alterations but some need total overhauling. 有些网站需要做出细微修改，而有些网站就需要整体改版。 来自互联网

11 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

12 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

13 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

14 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

15 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。