纽约时报 败局逼近 特雷莎·梅推迟英国脱欧公投(1)

Defeat Looming¹, May Delays Vote on Exit from EU

败局逼近，梅推迟英国脱欧公投

By Stephen Castle

斯蒂芬·卡索

Britain’s embattled Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday postponed² a critical parliamentary vote on her proposal for Britain’s departure from the European Union,

周一，四面楚歌的英国首相特雷莎·梅推迟了议会一项针对她提议的英国脱离欧盟的提议的投票事项，

a humiliating retreat that left the country’s economic and political future uncertain, and revealed her tenuous³ hold on power.

这一耻辱性的退让使得英国的经济和政治前途充满了不确定性，同时也暴露了她手上的权利其实脆弱不堪。

British lawmakers had been scheduled to vote on Tuesday on the agreement Mrs. May had reached with the bloc⁴ for Britain’s withdrawal⁵, or Brexit.

议员们原定于周二就梅与欧盟达成的退出欧盟，即“脱欧”，的协议进行投票。

In changing course so late, Mrs. May has left the country without any clear way forward after an agonizing⁶ battle over an issue that has gripped British society for nearly three years.

近三年来，这个问题一直困扰着英国社会，在经历了一场痛苦的斗争之后，梅在最后关头改变路线，国家未来的道路由此陷入了迷雾。

The question facing the United Kingdom remains⁷ as straightforward⁸ — and yet as divisive — as it was when a small but clear majority of voters called for breaking with the European Union:

英国面临的问题一直都很清晰——也一直存在很大的分歧——和当初一小部分但数量仍不容忽视的选民要求脱离欧盟时面临的问题一样:

Is it possible to have a smooth and orderly divorce from Europe that will not cause a sudden break in all political and economic ties, and also spare the British economy?

有没有可能平稳有序地从欧盟脱离出去，既不导致所有的政治和经济关系突然中断，也不损害英国经济?

The answer, for now, seems to be a resounding⁹ no.

就目前来看，答案似乎是一声响亮的“没有”。

And the country’s future is as uncertain as ever.

而这个国家的未来一如既往的不确定。

But the opposition¹⁰ to her plan is also a rebuke¹¹ to Mrs. May herself.

然而，反对她的计划，也是对梅本人的一种指责。

After years of talking the talk of a hard-liner, insisting that no deal was better than a bad deal,

多年来，梅在言辞上一直走的是强硬路线，坚称没达成协议总比达成糟糕的协议强，

Mrs. May showed up with a compromise that seemed to anger everyone on all sides of the debate.

故而她最终做出的妥协才像是激怒了争论各方的所有人一般。

While a strong prime minister with reserves of political capital might also find it impossible to escape the political quicksand that is Brexit,

拥有政治资本储备的强硬派首相可能还会发现，自己几乎不可能逃脱英国脱欧带来的政治流沙，

Mrs. May has few allies even among her own party and is facing constant speculation¹² that she could confront a no-confidence vote.

在脱欧问题上梅甚至在她的党内都几乎没有盟友，而且人们一直在猜测，她可能还会面临不信任投票。

She is hanging on only because her party cannot agree on an alternative.

她之所以还在坚持，只是因为她的政党还没能达成一致，制定出其他解决方案。

In this reality, no plan and political paralysis¹³ means Britain could be staring at a hard break on March 29.

在这种情况下，没有计划和政治瘫痪意味着英国可能在3月29日面临一场艰难的脱欧局面。

That would mean that suddenly, in one dramatic moment, Britain’s time would run out and it would lose much of its economic and political links to Europe.

具体就是，在一个戏剧性的瞬间，英国的时间将会突然耗尽，瞬间失去与欧洲的大部分经济和政治联系。

Banking¹⁴, trade, travel, the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland — all would possibly change overnight.

银行业、贸易、旅游、爱尔兰与北爱尔兰之间的边界——所有这些都可能在一夜之间变得不一样。

With the news of the postponed vote, the British pound lost about 1 percent of its value against the euro and the United States dollar, falling to its lowest level in more than a year and a half.

公投推迟的消息公布后，英镑对欧元和美元的汇率贬值了大约1%，跌至了一年半多时间以来的最低水平。

Responding to news of the delayed vote, Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s representative in the Brexit negotiations¹⁵, wrote on Twitter, “I can’t follow anymore.”

在回应推迟投票的消息时，参与英国脱欧谈判的欧洲议会代表盖伊·费尔霍夫施塔特在Twitter上写道，“我再也跟不上了。”

1 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望

2 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

3 tenuous   

adj.细薄的，稀薄的，空洞的

参考例句：

• He has a rather tenuous grasp of reality.他对现实认识很肤浅。
• The air ten miles above the earth is very tenuous.距离地面十公里的空气十分稀薄。

4 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

5 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

6 agonizing   

adj.痛苦难忍的；使人苦恼的v.使极度痛苦；折磨(agonize的ing形式)

参考例句：

• I spent days agonizing over whether to take the job or not. 我用了好些天苦苦思考是否接受这个工作。
• his father's agonizing death 他父亲极度痛苦的死

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 straightforward   

adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的

参考例句：

• A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
• I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。

9 resounding   

adj. 响亮的

参考例句：

• The astronaut was welcomed with joyous,resounding acclaim. 人们欢声雷动地迎接那位宇航员。
• He hit the water with a resounding slap. 他啪的一声拍了一下水。

10 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

11 rebuke   

v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise

参考例句：

• He had to put up with a smart rebuke from the teacher.他不得不忍受老师的严厉指责。
• Even one minute's lateness would earn a stern rebuke.哪怕迟到一分钟也将受到严厉的斥责。

12 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

13 paralysis   

n.麻痹(症)；瘫痪(症)

参考例句：

• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。
• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。

14 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

15 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。