VOA标准英语2009年-Czech Government Collapses After Losing No

The Czech government has collapsed¹ after losing a non-confidence vote in parliament late Tuesday. The vote came after the center right government of Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek was criticized for the way it handled the economic crisis and for supporting a controversial American anti-missile defense² system.
　
Czech Republic's Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, 24 Mar³ 2009

The lower house of the Czech Parliament voted 101 to 96 to declare no confidence in the coalition⁴ government of Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, after four lawmakers broke rank with their parties and voted with the opposition⁵. Three legislators were absent from the vote.

It is the first time a government is ousted⁶ since the country came to existence, after the breakup of the former Czechoslovakia in 1993.

The vote was seen as a major setback⁷ for Mr. Topolanek as it came just days before a planned visit by United States President Barack Obama and midway through the rotation⁸ of the Czech Republic's European Union presidency⁹.

Prime Minister Topolanek told reporters that he could resign Thursday, after talks with European Union officials.

He says he flies to Strasbourg on Wednesday, and after the trip he will hand in his resignation to President Vaclav Klaus according to the constitution. He admits that the new situation, in his words, "can complicate¹⁰ the Czech government's negotiating strength in the EU." Yet, he says, he is convinced that the Czech Republic can cope with these difficulties.

Prime Minister Topolanek said he believes the president might ask him again to form a government, as his party won most votes in the 2006 elections.

However he made clear he prefers holding elections early, rather than in June 2010 as scheduled.

In a first reaction the EU's executive branch, the European Commission, said it was confident the Czech Republic could continue to "effectively preside over the European Union" despite the government losing a no-confidence vote in Prague

Tuesday's vote of no confidence came after the opposition said the government came to late with a stimulus¹¹ package of over three billion dollars to boost the ailing¹² economy of this Eastern European nation.

The Czech Republic is among several former communist countries in Europe that suffer under the weight of the global financial crisis.

In addition the prime minister has been criticized for supporting a controversial anti-missile defense system that the United States considers building in the Czech Republic and Poland.

Washington says the system is aimed at undermining missile strikes from countries such as Iran and North Korea. Yet, the Czech opposition fears it will further destabilize Europe.

1 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

4 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

5 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。

6 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

7 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

8 rotation   

n.旋转；循环，轮流

参考例句：

• Crop rotation helps prevent soil erosion.农作物轮作有助于防止水土流失。
• The workers in this workshop do day and night shifts in weekly rotation.这个车间的工人上白班和上夜班每周轮换一次。

9 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

10 complicate   

vt.使复杂化，使混乱，使难懂

参考例句：

• There is no need to complicate matters.没有必要使问题复杂化。
• These events will greatly complicate the situation.这些事件将使局势变得极其复杂。

11 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

12 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。