英国新闻听力 英国地方选举 伦敦备受关注

 

Voters in England and Wales are going to the polls in local elections. They're the first major election tests since Gordon Brown replaced Tony Blair as Prime Minister last year. The most high profile contest is one for mayor of London. Oliver Conway reports.

Polls are being held in 137 of the local authorities in England and all 22 in Wales. All together about 4,000 seats are being contested, roughly 1/5 of the total. Although many of the campaigns have focused on local issues, the results are likely to be seen as an indicator¹ for how the parties may fire in the next general election, which must take place by 2020. In particular, all sides will be watching the battle of becoming Mayor of London. With an annual budget of more than 11 billion pounds of stake, the party that wins London will get a huge symbolic² boost nationally.

1 indicator   

n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器

参考例句：

• Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
• His left-hand indicator is flashing.他左手边的转向灯正在闪亮。

2 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。