Britain to Grant Scotland Independence Vote

 　　Britain has set out conditions under which Scotland can decide whether to sever¹ centuries-old constitutional ties with Britain.

　　The British government said Tuesday it will remove legal hurdles² so Scots can hold a referendum on gaining independence from Britain for the first time since the early 18th century.

　　First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond wants to delay the vote for several years so the independence movement in Scotland can gain momentum³.

　　But British Prime Minister David Cameron is urging Scotland to hold the referendum as soon as possible. Cameron opposes any breakup of the United Kingdom.

　　The parliaments of England and Scotland voted more than 300 years ago to unite in a single kingdom called Great Britain.

1 sever   

v.切开，割开；断绝，中断

参考例句：

• She wanted to sever all her connections with the firm.她想断绝和那家公司的所有联系。
• We must never sever the cultural vein of our nation.我们不能割断民族的文化血脉。

2 hurdles   

n.障碍( hurdle的名词复数 )；跳栏；（供人或马跳跃的）栏架；跨栏赛

参考例句：

• In starting a new company, many hurdles must be crossed. 刚开办一个公司时，必须克服许多障碍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There are several hurdles to be got over in this project. 在这项工程中有一些困难要克服。 来自辞典例句

3 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。