新奇事件簿 苏格兰公投

Scotland has voted to stay in the United Kingdom after rejecting independence in a historic vote on Thursday. Scottish people cast their ballots¹ on whether or not to be an independent country for the first time since 1707, when it joined the United Kingdom. Several polls in the weeks before the vote showed a small lead for the pro-independence campaigners. However, on the day, there was a clear victory for those wishing to stay part of the UK, with 55% voting 'No' and 45% voting 'Yes'. The referendum was the culmination² of two years of intense campaigning by the 'Yes' and 'No' teams. Scotland's Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the BBC the result was "a deep personal and political disappointment".

苏格兰放弃从英国独立苏格兰公投决定留在英国，在周四的历史性公投中放弃了独立。苏格兰人投票决定是否在1707年之后首次独立出来。在1707年苏格兰加入了英联邦。在公投开始之前几周的民意调查表明，倾向独立的投票者有较小的领导力。然而，在公投当天，想要留在英联邦的人取得了显著的胜利，55%的人不同意独立，45%的人同意独立。公投的热情在近两年达到了高峰，通过“是”或“否”决定。苏格兰的首席副部长尼克拉.斯特金告诉BBC记者，结果是个人和政治上的严重失望。

The referendum was one of the most historic votes ever to take place in the U.K. The United Kingdom consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It would have been a dramatic moment had Scotland broken away. Pro-independence campaigners claimed Scottish people would have been better off as an independent nation. The "Better Together" campaigners, including the U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, said Scottish independence would have been detrimental³ to Scottish interests. Despite the 'no' vote, Scotland will get more powers from the British government. Ms Sturgeon said she would work with "anyone in any way" to secure more powers for Scotland.

此次公投是英国历史上最具历史意义的一次投票。英联邦包括英格兰。苏格兰。威尔士，和北爱尔兰。如果苏格兰获得独立，那将是很引人注目的一刻。倾向独立的投票者告诉苏格兰人民，作为一个独立国家，苏格兰会更加富裕。倾向同意的投票着，包括英国首相戴维.卡梅伦，称，苏格兰的独立将会损害苏格兰的利益。尽管有人反对这种看法，但是苏格兰能够从英国政府获得更多的权势。斯特金女士称，她将与所有人共同努力为苏格兰争取更多的权势。

1 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 culmination   

n.顶点；最高潮

参考例句：

• The space race reached its culmination in the first moon walk.太空竞争以第一次在月球行走而达到顶峰。
• It may truly be regarded as the culmination of classical Greek geometry.这确实可以看成是古典希腊几何的登峰造级之作。

3 detrimental   

adj.损害的，造成伤害的

参考例句：

• We know that heat treatment is detrimental to milk.我们知道加热对牛奶是不利的。
• He wouldn't accept that smoking was detrimental to health.他不相信吸烟有害健康。