VOA常速英语2016--脱欧或导致英国领跑地位不保 多国伺机取代英国

脱欧或导致英国领跑地位不保 多国伺机取代英国

The prospect¹ of leaving the European Union, and with it access to the prized single market of500 million people, has sent shivers through the city of London. This is about the negotiation².The mayor of London has made clear, as has the prime minister, that we want to negotiatecontinued access to the single market. But other EU leaders insist Britain cannot have access tothe single market, and at the same time, restricts on European immigration -- the core issuethat drove the "Leave" campaign to victory in June. So with Britain seemingly on its way out ofthe single market, other cities are eyeing London's position as Europe's leading city. Along withFrankfurt in Germany, Paris is among those best placed to steal a share. The Frenchgovernment recently spoke³ of "rolling out the red carpet" to firms fleeing Brexit, promising⁴ tomake its tax regime for expatriates the most favorable in Europe. We have very internationalcompanies. If you compare the situation to 10 years ago, the situation has completely changed.The French corporations operate a major part of their activities in the global world. London isalso Europe’s leading hub for tech industries, with more than 3,000 start-ups based in the city.Many are around the so-called "Silicon⁵ Roundabout". Berlin spies an opportunity: It is alreadyEurope’s second-biggest tech city and the real estate is far cheaper than London. With Brexit,London has more or less taken itself out of the race. And we do believe that over time theadvantage of Berlin will grow and more tech start-ups will come to Berlin. In a recent article,The New York Times rated Amsterdam as best placed to steal London’s crown, thanks to itsglobal connections, English-speaking population and attractiveness to expatriates. ButLondon’s proponents⁶ insist the city will remain number one. Because the people that do thebusiness and have the expertise⁷ want to remain here, and the government and the Mayor ofLondon will do everything they can to keep them. London contributes nearly a quarter ofBritain’s national income. The Brexit vote has plunged⁸ the country into uncertainty⁹, and rivalsin Europe are watching with interest.

一旦英国脱离欧盟，其是否还能被许可准入有5亿人的单一市场，这一担忧让整个伦敦不寒而栗。这些都是脱欧之前的谈判内容。伦敦市市长及现任英国首相都明确表示英国想继续获得欧盟单一市场的准入权。然而，其他欧盟领导人坚持认为，英国不能再继续准入单一市场。同时，欧盟会限制欧洲移民数量——这也是脱欧公投结果的驱动力。所以，目前随着英国脱欧日渐提上日程，很多其他城市也开始垂涎伦敦此前作为欧洲领跑城市的地位。

德国的法兰克福市以及法国的巴黎市都在分一杯羹的行列中名列前茅。近日，法国政府更是提出要“热烈欢迎”准备避开脱欧隐患的公司，并承诺为他们提供全欧洲最好的税制。我们有很多非常国际化的公司。与10年前相比，现在的情况全然不同。法国有很多公司在全球占有重要地位。伦敦也是欧洲科技产业的领头羊，有3000多家创业公司在伦敦落脚。很多公司堪称英国的“小硅谷”。同时，柏林也准备伺机而动：因其目前已经是欧洲第二大科技产业城市，并且其房地产行业价格远远优惠于伦敦的行情。不管怎么说，脱欧之举让英国多少失去了一些优势。并且我们坚信，假以时日，柏林的优势会愈发明显，并且会有更多的科技创业公司落脚柏林。此外，最近，《纽约时报》上的一则文章看好阿姆斯特丹，认为其有望取代英国此前的领跑地位，因为阿姆斯特丹是个全球化的城市，有广泛的英语基础，对众多躲避脱欧隐患的公司具有很强的吸引力。但哈伦方坚持认为，伦敦不会失去领跑地位。因为商人和专家想留在伦敦，并且英国政府和伦敦市长都会竭尽全力留住他们。伦敦对整个英国的居民收入贡献比例为25%。脱欧之举让整个英国陷入未知境地，而欧洲的其他佼佼者都在观望，伺机而动。

1 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

2 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

5 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

6 proponents   

n.（某事业、理论等的）支持者，拥护者( proponent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Reviewing courts were among the most active proponents of hybrid rulemaking procedures. 复审法院是最积极的混合型规则制定程序的建议者。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Proponents of such opinions were arrested as 'traitors. ' 提倡这种主张的人马上作为“卖国贼”逮捕起来。 来自辞典例句

7 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

8 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

9 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。