美国有线新闻 CNN 苏格兰准备进行第二次独立公投

 

AZUZ: Next up, political tensions, debates, divisions in another part of Europe. We're moving west to Scotland. It's part of the United Kingdom but for how long is the question being asked.

Last June, people in the U.K. voted to leave the European Union. This was known as the Brexit, the British exit from the E.U., and Britain's process of actually separating from the union is ongoing¹. But most voters in Scotland wanted Britain to remain in the European Union. They weren't happy with the outcome of the Brexit vote.

Now, a Scottish politician named Nicola Sturgeon wants her country to have a new vote on whether Scotland should stay part of Britain. It's not certain when or if that will happen. Scotland can't have an independence vote until it's approved by the British government.

But the reason why this is getting so much attention is because it could inspire similar events in other parts of Europe. Will people in Catalonia and the Basque country, parts of Spain, be emboldened² to separate from Spain? Will voters in Flanders, a region of Belgium, try to break off from that country? Will Northern Ireland separate from the U.K. and join the Republican of Ireland?

People in all these places are closely watching Scotland.

DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: She's shrouded³ in scaffolding, the RSS Discovery which sailed Captain Scott from Dundee to Antarctica in 1901. Her mast dismantled⁴, workmen tapping away at her aging bow to repair and restore, as Nicola Sturgeon chips away at a more ancient structure, the 300-year-old union between Scotland and England.

In Scotland's 2014 independence referendum, Dundee was known as the yes city, yes for a future outside of the U.K. But even here in bonnie Dundee, the spirit of patriotism⁵ burns both ways for Scotland and for a United Kingdom.

Scotland voted 45 percent to 55 percent in the first referendum. That's 45 percent yes for independence, 55 percent no, let's stay in the union. The polls now are more evenly split and, of course, anything can happen over the course of a campaign. But what it does suggest is that a new referendum would split Scotland pretty much down the middle, in the same way that Brexit split Britain.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has accused Nicola Sturgeon of playing games with politics. But Scotland's quest for independence long predates Sturgeon's Scottish National Party. Centuries of warfare⁶ centering around Edinburgh's historical castle, then union, now a high stakes political battle which risks the breakup of the U.K., and one which, given the pressures of Brexit, Westminster may not have the energy to fight.

Diana Magnay, CNN, Edinburgh.

1 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

2 emboldened   

v.鼓励，使有胆量( embolden的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Emboldened by the wine, he went over to introduce himself to her. 他借酒壮胆，走上前去向她作自我介绍。
• His success emboldened him to expand his business. 他有了成就因而激发他进一步扩展业务。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 shrouded   

v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密

参考例句：

• The hills were shrouded in mist . 这些小山被笼罩在薄雾之中。
• The towers were shrouded in mist. 城楼被蒙上薄雾。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 dismantled   

拆开( dismantle的过去式和过去分词 )； 拆卸； 废除； 取消

参考例句：

• The plant was dismantled of all its equipment and furniture. 这家工厂的设备和家具全被拆除了。
• The Japanese empire was quickly dismantled. 日本帝国很快被打垮了。

5 patriotism   

n.爱国精神，爱国心，爱国主义

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• They obtained money under the false pretenses of patriotism.他们以虚伪的爱国主义为借口获得金钱。

6 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。