VOA标准英语2009年-British Leader Condemns Strikes Against Foreign

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has condemned¹ the strikes spreading across Britain protesting the employment of foreign European workers, while unemployment soars in the country.
　
Britain's PM Gordon Brown speaks on Britain and the Global economy (File)

What began as a protest last week against legal foreign European construction workers at an oil refinery² on the east coast of England quickly spread to at least a dozens different locations at energy plants throughout Britain.

The wildcat strikes have come under the backdrop of rapidly rising unemployment.

The question is will those strikes be escalating³ in the coming days.

Interviewed on BBC Television Sunday, Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged calm.

"That is not the right thing to do and it is not defensible. What we have set up is a process to deal with the questions people have been asking about what has happened in this particular instance," said Mr. Brown.

The independent mediation⁴ service has been asked to step in to investigate and help resolve the matter. Prime Minister Brown says while the strikes in his view are wrong, he acknowledges that job security is big concern for many right now.

"The worries that they have about what is happening to the international economy are real. I mean, people are worried about what is happening to jobs in every part of our country. I am determined⁵ that we take action early so that jobs that can be saved, can be saved and we have made some arrangements to do so," he said. "Where people lose their jobs, we help them back into jobs as quickly as possible."

Under E.U. law, European workers are generally free to work in other member states and they can accept lower pay than local employees if they wish.

In this case, British protesters say the Italian and Portuguese⁶ construction workers at a refinery in Lincolnshire are taking jobs that Britons should have been offered, but were not.

Tensions have been rising rapidly as Britain's economy shrinks and jobs go away. According to the International Monetary⁷ Fund, the British economy will contract by about 2.8 percent this year. That would make it the worst-hit country among the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations.

1 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

2 refinery   

n.精炼厂，提炼厂

参考例句：

• They built a sugar refinery.他们建起了一座榨糖厂。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

3 escalating   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句

4 mediation   

n.调解

参考例句：

• The dispute was settled by mediation of the third country. 这场争端通过第三国的斡旋而得以解决。
• The dispute was settled by mediation. 经调解使争端得以解决。

5 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

6 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。

7 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。