美国有线新闻 CNN 英国提前举行大选 首相梅政治豪赌

 

There's an important vote coming up in the United Kingdom next week. We mentioned it once before. It's an early or snap election. Though the country's general elections are scheduled to take place every five years, British Prime Minister Theresa May called for a vote this June because of divisions in parliamentary.

Here's what's happening: Prime Minister May is working to push through the Brexit, the British exit from the European Union. It's a controversial move for the country. Britons voted for it last summer, but they're still deeply divided over the decision. Those disagreements are reflected in the nation's government.

Most British lawmakers say they'll go through with the Brexit, but for Prime Minister May, the process would go much more smoothly¹ if she had more members of her own political party, the Conservative Party, in parliament. She's hoping the early election will give her that.

Polls show the Conservative Party is in the lead, but there are questions about how much so. And the future of Britain's role in Europe hangs in the balance.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Not caring about the British on June the 8th would be like closing your eyes at a football match when someone's about to score a goal. Britain's standing² in the world rides on Brexit and Brexit rides on this vote.

SUBTITLE³: Why you should care about the U.K. election.

THERESA MAY, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We need a general election and we need one now.

ROBERTSON: Prime Minister Theresa May's gamble is she will significantly increase her conservative majority and strengthen a hand of Brexit talks.

If she has called it wrong, she'll be in huff to her critics, hobbled at E.U. talks, less likely to deliver the prosperous Britain she promises.

Under such a scenario⁴, Britain's force for good around the world would be under threat, less aid, less influence. However, the world should be reassured⁵ whatever the outcome, there is no overnight shift to an obsolete⁶ U.K., but a gradual decline and an evolving global order.

If May's calculus⁷ is correct, she will only have to battle in Brussels and not Westminster, one fight, not two. Overseas investors⁸ can breathe easier. International businesses look to new and better horizons from British bases.

But if you blink and the ball misses the back of the net, though this election like so many recently confounds the pundits⁹, and the ball goes in any one of a number of myriad¹⁰ directions, good or bad, then you'll have taken your eye off the most critical game play upon which the future of one of the world's greats depends.

1 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 subtitle   

n.副题（书本中的），说明对白的字幕

参考例句：

• His new book has a subtitle.他的新书有一个副标题。
• Ah!I don't know why they don't subtitle these movies.唉！我不知道这些电影为什么不打字幕。

4 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

5 reassured   

adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The captain's confidence during the storm reassured the passengers. 在风暴中船长的信念使旅客们恢复了信心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The doctor reassured the old lady. 医生叫那位老妇人放心。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 obsolete   

adj.已废弃的，过时的

参考例句：

• These goods are obsolete and will not fetch much on the market.这些货品过时了，在市场上卖不了高价。
• They tried to hammer obsolete ideas into the young people's heads.他们竭力把陈旧思想灌输给青年。

7 calculus   

n.微积分；结石

参考例句：

• This is a problem where calculus won't help at all.对于这一题，微积分一点也用不上。
• After studying differential calculus you will be able to solve these mathematical problems.学了微积分之后，你们就能够解这些数学题了。

8 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

9 pundits   

n.某一学科的权威，专家( pundit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The pundits disagree on the best way of dealing with the problem. 如何妥善处理这一问题，专家众说纷纭。 来自辞典例句
• That did not stop Chinese pundits from making a fuss over it. 这并没有阻止中国的博学之士对此大惊小怪。 来自互联网

10 myriad   

adj.无数的；n.无数，极大数量

参考例句：

• They offered no solution for all our myriad problems.对于我们数不清的问题他们束手无策。
• I had three weeks to make a myriad of arrangements.我花了三个星期做大量准备工作。