布莱尔首相演讲:Tourism and foot and mouth disease

Transcript¹ of the Prime Minister's broadcast on Foot and Mouth Disease

This weekend will see the traditional start to the tourism season in Britain - when hundreds of castles, historic houses, wildlife centres and other attractions open their doors to visitors after the winter break.

There's no doubt however, that this year the tourist season has been overshadowed by the Foot and Mouth outbreak.

This disease has been a devastating² blow for livestock³ farmers. Hundreds of them have seen their animals, livelihood⁴ and hopes for the future destroyed and many others fear they will suffer the same fate.

It is a human tragedy and they deserve our sympathy and help. That is why no resource, no effort and no time is being spared to bring this outbreak under control.

It's also why we promise to support farmers both now, through this immediate⁵ crisis, and for the longer term to build a sustainable future for the countryside.

But foot and mouth has also hurt the tourist industry, indeed the whole rural economy - and, in the vast majority of cases, totally unnecessarily.

Bookings have been cancelled. Visitor numbers have fallen. This is true even in parts of the UK - and there are many of them, in fact the majority of them - which have not seen a single case of the disease.

The Government is putting in place measures to help the tourism and the countryside, through these difficult times - such as tax breaks or rates holidays, for village shops and pubs and other country businesses. And we're urgently looking at what other help is needed.

But everyone I've met who works in the tourist industry over the last few days has made the point that, while Government assistance is helpful, what they actually need most is for the visitors themselves to return.

So again we are doing everything we can to get over the message - at home and abroad - that the whole of the UK is open for business, as indeed it is.

I know a lot of people from overseas visit this website regularly. And many of you may plan to visit the UK itself this year. You should come.

But I've seen some of the foreign news broadcasts about the impact of foot and mouth disease on Britain. I can promise you that they paint a picture of our country, which bears little relation to reality.

In our towns and cities, you wouldn't notice any difference. Indeed in every village, town and city in the country, you can go into it. All the most famous landmarks⁶ from the Tower of London to Edinburgh Castle, from Shakespeare's birthplace in Stratford to historic Cambridge, Chester, York, Durham - are open for business.

In the countryside, yes, there are some restrictions⁷, particularly on using footpaths⁸, that go through farm land. But there is still a huge amount for you to see and do.

Many hundreds of attractions are open, even in the areas most severely⁹ affected¹⁰. And more are opening all the time.

For example, in Cumbria - the region with the most cases - all the top ten visitor attractions are open, including the cruises on Lake Windermere and Ullswater. And of course the beautiful towns and villages are open as normal as well.

So I hope you will see for yourself. On this site, we've set out county by county what the exact situation is, and how you can find out exactly what is open - from Land's End in Cornwall to John O'Groats in Scotland.

I know, too, that many people in Britain have stayed away from the countryside because they believe this is the right thing to do. They want to help our farmers and help our rural communities.

But now it is clear where the disease is and the extent of it. The best help you can give is to come and visit. Of course, there are some simple rules to follow: don't walk on farmland, and keep away from livestock. But that means a day out, or a weekend break, or a longer holiday can still be enormous fun - and just as relaxing as it ever was.

And if you come - and I hope you will - I know you will find a warm welcome.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

3 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

4 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。

5 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。

6 landmarks   

n.陆标( landmark的名词复数 )；目标；（标志重要阶段的）里程碑 ~ (in sth)；有历史意义的建筑物（或遗址）

参考例句：

• The book stands out as one of the notable landmarks in the progress of modern science. 这部著作是现代科学发展史上著名的里程碑之一。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The baby was one of the big landmarks in our relationship. 孩子的出世是我们俩关系中的一个重要转折点。 来自辞典例句

7 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

8 footpaths   

人行小径，人行道( footpath的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There are a lot of winding footpaths in the col. 山坳里尽是些曲曲弯弯的羊肠小道。
• There are many footpaths that wind through the village. 有许多小径穿过村子。

9 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

10 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。