VOA常速英语2020--英国脱欧谈判到最后一刻,欧盟面临预算危机

Two-way trade between Britain and the EU is worth eight hundred and eighty five billion dollars a year. Fish make up less than half of one percent of that trade, but disagreements over fishing rights could yet torpedo¹ any trade deal. Britain says it wants to take back control of its waters and restrict access to foreign boats, that could devastate² European fishing fleets. If we can't fish in the English waters, there is no Belgian fishing anymore, because eighty percent of the time, sometimes ninety percent of the time, we fish in English waters, all the Belgian ships. It may appear Britain has the upper hand, but there's a big catch. Most British-caught fish is exported to Europe, and the EU could put tariffs³ on those imports, hitting British fisherman hard. A trade deal is being held up by this fishing dispute, but there are also disagreements on State aid and on the system of governance that will oversee⁴ any trade deal.

英国和欧盟之间的双边贸易每年价值8850亿美元。渔业在双边贸易中所占比例不到0.5%，但在捕鱼权问题上的分歧可能会破坏任何贸易协议。英国表示，它希望收回对其水域的控制权，并限制外国船只进入，这可能会摧毁欧洲渔船队。如果我们不能在英国水域捕鱼，就不再有比利时捕鱼队了，因为我们所有的比利时船只会有80%的时间，有时是90%，在英国水域捕鱼。英国似乎占了上风，但还有一个大问题。大多数英国捕获的鱼都出口到欧洲，欧盟可能会对这些进口产品征收关税，这将对英国渔民造成沉重打击。一项贸易协议因这起捕鱼争端而受阻，但在国家援助和监管贸易协议的治理体系方面也存在分歧。

With the end of the transition period just six weeks away, talks are going to the wire. Although the deadline is the end of the year, the 31st December, when the transition period ends. You need a bit of time for ratification⁵ of any agreement. So both sides see a breakthrough is needed in the coming days. Even if a deal is struck, Britain will still leave the EU's Single Market and Customs Union. There's a lot of change on the 1st of January, deal or no deal. The danger for the government is if the prime minister brings home a deal, and says this is a great deal, then he owns any disruption. Meanwhile, British prime minister Boris Johnson has been hit by domestic political turmoil⁶ as two political aides have departed. Johnson is also having to self-isolate after meeting an MP who later tested positive for the coronavirus. The EU is also disrupted by its own domestic agenda. Hungary and Poland this week vetoed an agreement on the bloc's annual budget, and then eight hundred and eighty eight billion dollar COVID recovery fund. Analysts⁷ say there's a danger that Brexit deal could be sidelined at Thursdays summit, as the EU deals with more pressing concerns. Henry Ridgewell for VOA news London.

距离过渡时期结束只有六周时间，谈判即将进入最后阶段。虽然最后期限是年底，也就是过渡时期于12月31日结束。但批准任何协议都需要一定时间。因此，双方都认为在未来几天内需要取得突破。即使达成协议，英国仍将脱离欧盟的单一市场和关税同盟。交易达不达成，在1月1日都有很多变化。政府面临的危险是，如果首相能达成协议，并且说这是一笔大买卖，那么他将承担任何干扰后果。与此同时，英国首相鲍里斯·约翰逊因两名政治助手离职而受到国内政治动荡的打击。约翰逊在会见了一名后来被检测为冠状病毒呈阳性的议员后，不得不进行自我隔离。欧盟也被自己的内部议程打乱了。匈牙利和波兰本周否决了欧元区年度预算协议和8880亿美元的新冠肺炎恢复基金。分析人士表示，随着欧盟正在处理更紧迫的问题，英国退欧协议有可能在周四的峰会上被搁置。美国之音新闻，亨利·里奇威尔伦敦报道。

1 torpedo   

n.水雷，地雷；v.用鱼雷破坏

参考例句：

• His ship was blown up by a torpedo.他的船被一枚鱼雷炸毁了。
• Torpedo boats played an important role during World War Two.鱼雷艇在第二次世界大战中发挥了重要作用。

2 devastate   

v.使荒芜，破坏，压倒

参考例句：

• A few days before,a fire had devastated large parts of Windsor Castle.几天前，温莎城堡的大部分被一场大火烧毁。
• Earthquakes can also cause tsunamis,which devastate coastal regions.地震还引发海啸，它直接破坏海岸地区。

3 tariffs   

关税制度； 关税( tariff的名词复数 )； 关税表； （旅馆或饭店等的）收费表； 量刑标准

参考例句：

• British industry was sheltered from foreign competition by protective tariffs. 保护性关税使英国工业免受国际竞争影响。
• The new tariffs have put a stranglehold on trade. 新的关税制对开展贸易极为不利。

4 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

5 ratification   

n.批准，认可

参考例句：

• The treaty is awaiting ratification.条约正等待批准。
• The treaty is subject to ratification.此条约经批准后才能生效。

6 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

7 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。