英国大选：投票总要在周四 6件大选你应该知道的事

 　　1. How does the election work?

　　1. 大选是怎样运作的?

　　Britain's parliament has 650 members. Any party that wins an outright¹ majority of 326 or more seats can form a government.

　　英国国会有650名成员.任何党派只要获得不少于326个席位的绝对多数，就可以组建政府。

　　2. What if no party wins a Commons majority?

　　2. 如果没有党派赢得下议院的多数席位怎么办?

　　The situation becomes more complex if no party has a majority of MPs. The largest single party could try to form a minority government, but this would involve difficulties with getting business done and could prove unworkable. It, or other parties, could try to form a coalition², with the result that their combined MPs provide a Commons majority. Or it could reach an informal agreement with another party not to vote against it when a "no-confidence" motion is tabled by the opposition³, enabling it to become a sustainable government.

　　要是没有哪个党派赢得多数议员席位的话，情况就复杂了。席位最多的政党可以组建少数派政府，但这可能会在施政时遇到许多困难，也可能根本行不通。如果某几个党派的下议院议员总数之和超过半数，它们也可以尝试组建联合政府。议席最多的政党还可以和另一政党达成非正式协议，在遇到反对党的不信任案时不予支持，这样政府还能继续执政。

　　3. How much does it cost to run an election?

　　3. 进行一次大选要花多少钱?

　　The last UK general election, in 2010, cost ?84.6m to administer (excluding the cost of postal⁴ delivery).

　　上次2010英国大选花了8460万英镑(不包括邮费)。

　　4. Why are elections held on Thursdays?

　　4. 为什么选举总在周四?

　　One theory about the Thursday origins is that people were not paid until Fridays and so holding polls on Thursdays ensured they were not too drunk to vote.

　　一种说法是周五才会发工资，周四选举能保证人们不会因为宿醉而无法投票。

英国大选

　　5. Does the Queen vote?

　　5. 女王投票吗?

　　Queen Elizabeth cannot vote because she is part of the legislature. "As Head of State, The Queen must remain politically neutral, since her Government will be formed from whichever party can command a majority in the House of Commons," the monarchy⁵ site explains. Other royals can vote - and can even stand for election - but do not do so in order to maintain neutrality.

　　作为立法机关的一员，伊丽莎白女王不能投票。皇室网站对此的说明是“身为国家元首，女王必须保持政治中立，因为任何赢得下议院多数席位的党派都将为她组建政府”。其它皇室成员可以投票，甚至可以为选举拉票。但他们为了保持中立不这样做。

　　6. Can you tweet about voting?

　　6. 可以发和投票有关的微博吗?

　　The Electoral Commission warns against doing it inside the polling station, even if it's about your own vote. Elsewhere you are free to publicise your vote.

　　选举委员会警告人们不要在投票点发微博，就算是发自己的投票也不行。在投票点以外的其他地方，你可以想发就发。

　　However, there are strict laws against revealing someone else's vote, including influencing whether they publish it themselves.

　　但是，法律严禁公布别人的投票结果，包扩对别人是否自行公布结果施加影响。

1 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

2 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

3 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。

4 postal   

adj.邮政的，邮局的

参考例句：

• A postal network now covers the whole country.邮路遍及全国。
• Remember to use postal code.勿忘使用邮政编码。

5 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。