VOA慢速英语--英国退出欧盟是世界末日吗？

Will Britain's Withdrawal¹ from the EU Be the End of the World?

Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union (EU) is coming soon and so is the end of the world, if you believe the British newspapers.

Those reports tell of possible food shortages, grounded flights and troops sent to guard British streets if no agreement is reached.

Positions of both sides appeared to harden. British officials have said they are preparing for no deal on their country’s withdrawal, also known as Brexit. They warned that it could affect European trade.

Prime Minister Theresa May said only that the government was preparing for every possibility.

All the warnings show the difficulty of finding a way to end trade ties that have developed since Britain became an EU member in 1973, explained Ben Fletcher. He is the director of the manufacturer's association EEF.

"We are attempting to reverse 40 years of integration² in a four- to six-week negotiation," Fletcher said. "This is a degree of complexity³ like splitting the atom…We have to understand how hard that is."

Little time left for deal

More than two years after Britain voted to leave the EU, time is growing short. Britain is set to leave the EU on March 29, 2019. In order for EU countries to have time to approve any deal, both sides say they need to come to an agreement by October.

Without a deal, 40 years of free trade between Britain and Europe will end. This would lead to tariffs⁵ and border inspections⁶ that could delay shipments of everything from food and fuel to clothing and cars. In addition, Britain would no longer be a part of Europe-wide agreements that govern air traffic and prescription⁷ drugs.

Recent comments by Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab and Health Secretary Matt Hancock shocked people in Britain. The two men were speaking about the government's preparations for the withdrawal. Their comments led newspapers to write about trucks lined up for at international borders and travelers waiting for hours at passport control.

May said that while she expects to negotiate a deal that will let trade continue, the government is doing the right thing in preparing for "every eventuality."

“It is about making sure that we'll be able to continue to do the things that are necessary once we've left the European Union, if we leave without a deal," she said.

On Tuesday, British officials in Dover, released a report explaining how a no-deal Brexit would affect Europe's busiest port.

The report said there will be a line of trucks waiting to cross the English Channel, creating a gridlock as far as 65 kilometers inland. About 10,000 trade trucks pass through Dover on a busy day. That is one-sixth of Britain's trade in goods, with a value of $156 billion a year. Some 99 percent of those products moved through the port from other EU countries.

Companies prepare for problems

The drug company Sanofi has begun to keep more medicines and vaccines⁸ in Britain than usual as part of its planning for possible transportation delays after Brexit.

Ireland-based Ryanair, Europe's busiest airline, plans to add warnings on its tickets. The warning will say the company will not accept the ticket if Brexit causes flight problems after March 29.

Stories like this are too much for Brexit supporters like Marcus Fysh, a member of Britain’s parliament from the governing Conservative Party. Fysh accused the government of trying to frighten people so they will accept a weaker agreement with the EU.

"That is irresponsible, and it should stop right now," he said. "And they should get behind Brexit, which people voted for."

Last month, Britain’s government released its offer to the EU. The proposal would end free movement of labor⁹ and the rule of the European Court of Justice. It would, however, accept a customs union for trade in goods and agricultural products. The offer was quickly rejected by EU negotiator Michel Barnier. He said Britain cannot enjoy free trade with the European markets if it does not accept the EU’s other policies.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt urged France and Germany to use their power with the European Commission to prevent a bad agreement.

"There is a real chance of no deal by accident," he told the Evening Standard. "Everyone is assuming, no, no, no, this will never happen. Well, actually, it could."

I’m Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

reverse – v. to go in the opposite direction

integrate – v. to merge¹⁰

tariff⁴ – n. a tax on goods coming into or leaving a country

gridlock – n. a situation in which streets are so full that vehicles cannot move

1 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。

2 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

3 complexity   

n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物

参考例句：

• Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
• The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。

4 tariff   

n.关税，税率；(旅馆、饭店等)价目表，收费表

参考例句：

• There is a very high tariff on jewelry.宝石类的关税率很高。
• The government is going to lower the tariff on importing cars.政府打算降低进口汽车的关税。

5 tariffs   

关税制度； 关税( tariff的名词复数 )； 关税表； （旅馆或饭店等的）收费表； 量刑标准

参考例句：

• British industry was sheltered from foreign competition by protective tariffs. 保护性关税使英国工业免受国际竞争影响。
• The new tariffs have put a stranglehold on trade. 新的关税制对开展贸易极为不利。

6 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

8 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

9 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

10 merge   

v.(使)结合，(使)合并，(使)合为一体

参考例句：

• I can merge my two small businesses into a large one.我可以将我的两家小商店合并为一家大商行。
• The directors have decided to merge the two small firms together.董事们已决定把这两家小商号归并起来。