VOA慢速英语2017 英国首相大选失利后谋求组建少数政府

 

British Prime Minister Theresa May says she will stay in office although her party lost its parliamentary majority in elections. The voting was held Thursday.

英国首相特蕾莎·梅（Theresa May）表示，尽管她所在的党派在选举中失去了议会多数派优势，她仍将会在职。这次投票于周四进行。

May said Friday she will attempt to form a minority government with Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party, or DUP. DUP leader Arlene Foster confirmed plans to hold talks with the Conservatives to discuss a way "to bring stability to our nation at this time of great challenge."

梅在周五表示，她将试图同北爱尔兰民主联盟党组成少数派政府。北爱尔兰民主联盟党领导人阿伦·福斯特（Arlene Foster）确认计划与保守党进行会谈，讨论“在此巨大挑战时刻维护国家稳定”的方式。

May's Conservative Party won the most seats overall in the House of Commons, but fell well short of a majority.

梅的保守党在下议院赢得的席位最多，但是远低于半数席位。

May called for the election last April, saying she hoped to expand her parliamentary majority. She said it would help her in negotiating Britain's exit from the European Union.

梅在今年四月呼吁举行选举，称她希望扩大自己在议会中的多数优势。她说，这将会有助于她在英国退出欧盟中的谈判。

At the time, she was considered a strong favorite against Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. But Corbyn's party won many new seats Thursday.

当时，人们认为她远远比工党领袖杰里米·柯宾（Jeremy Corbyn）受欢迎。但是柯宾所在的党派周四赢得了很多新的席位。

A major campaign issue centered on Britain's plan to leave the EU, also called Brexit. British citizens approved the plan in a vote last year.

英国的退欧计划是选举中的一项重要议题。英国公民去年投票批准了这一计划。

May has said she favors a "hard" Brexit. This would mean Britain's immediate¹ and total withdrawal² from the single market. The country would also gain full control over its borders. And, it would permit Britain to make its own trade deals and control the making of laws and enforcement in its territory.

梅表示，她希望“硬退欧”。这意味着英国立即全面退出欧盟这一单一市场。该国也将获得对边境的全面控制。同时这将会允许英国制定自己的贸易协定，并控制境内的法律制定和执法。

Corbyn's Labour Party officially backs Brexit. However, many top party officials have called for a "softer" process. A "soft" Brexit would remove Britain as a member of the EU, but permit it to remain in the single market. 

柯宾的工党正式支持退欧。然而，党内许多高层官员呼吁“软退欧”。“软退欧”将会让英国不再作为欧盟成员国，但是允许该国留在该单一市场。

After the voting, Corbyn called on May to resign. He said voters had rejected her Brexit plan. "We are ready to do everything we can to put our program into operation," he said.

柯宾在投票之后呼吁梅辞职。他说，选民已经否决了她的退欧方案。柯宾说：“我们已经做好准备全力推行我们的计划。”

Political observers say the election results raise questions about the government's future Brexit policy.

政治观察家表示，该选举结果引发了人们对英国政府未来退欧政策的质疑。

Jack³ Straw, a former Labour foreign minister, said the result means there will now be a lot of pressure in parliament for a soft Brexit. "The math and chemistry in the Commons will be pushing away from a hard Brexit," he said.

前工党外交大臣杰克·斯特劳（Jack Straw）表示，这一结果意味着现在议会中目前将出现很大“软退欧”的压力。他说：“下议院将会远离‘硬退欧’。”

Leading Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage said the result had put the whole future of Brexit at risk. "If the Brexit Secretary is considering putting the single market back on the table then the whole process is now seriously damaged," he tweeted.

退欧运动主要领导者奈杰尔·法拉奇（Nigel Farage）表示，该结果使得整个退欧前景面临风险。他发推表示：“如果负责退欧事务的大臣考虑将单一市场重新摆上谈判桌，那么整个过程就会遭到严重破坏。”

On Friday, European officials and lawmakers commented on the apparent political uncertainty⁴ in Britain. They said it could harm the Brexit talks, which are to begin in 10 days.

周五，欧盟官员和议员对英国明显的政治不确定性作了评论。他们表示，这可能会伤害到将于10天内开始进行的退欧谈判。

After a meeting with Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, May promised to keep pushing forward to “fulfill⁵ the promise of Brexit.”

梅在拜见英国伊丽莎白女王之后承诺继续推进“履行退欧承诺”。

National security was also a major issue of the election campaign following recent and deadly terror attacks in the country. Other issues included the future of the government-run National Health Service, immigration and the economy.

在英国最近发生一些致命恐怖袭击之后，国家安全也成为了竞选运动的一项重大议题。其它议题还包括政府运行的国民医疗服务体系以及移民和经济的未来。

The Scottish National Party, or SNP, also suffered major election losses. The party has called for a second vote on whether Scotland should separate from the United Kingdom. Political observers said the latest losses mean a vote about independence is unlikely in the near future. 

苏格兰民族党也在选举中遭受重创。该党派呼吁对苏格兰是否脱离英国进行第二次公投。政治观察家表示，最近的失败意味着近期不可能对独立进行投票。

Words in This Story

exit – n. the act of going out or away from something

uncertainty – adj. in doubt, not known

fulfill – v. complete what is expected or required to do

1 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

2 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

3 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。

4 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

5 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。