美国有线新闻 CNN 2015-05-06

 Hey, everyone. Welcome to a new week and its first edition of CNN Student News. It's good to see you.

 

First up, we're previewing a big election this week in the United Kingdom. It's set for May 7th. Voters in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales will be choosing members of their country's parliament, which is like the U.S. Congress, except in the U.K., the leader of the party that wins the majority in parliament becomes prime minister.  

 

It's not the only story making headlines in the U.K. though. Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, welcomed a baby girl on Saturday. The princess' name hasn't been announced yet. But the role of Britain's royal family is mostly ceremonial. It does not have lawmaking power, like those running in Thursday's parliamentary elections.

 

We're here in the U.K. We're here to cover what is one of the most unpredictable, exciting, and consequential¹ elections anywhere in the world this year. 

 

This is the most important general election in a generation.  

 

This is nothing less than a once-in-a-generation fight.

 

So, we got David Cameron, he's the prime minister. He's the head of the Conservative Party, roughly the equivalent of the Republicans in the U.S. He's seen by many people by as just a little bit too harsh.

 

Ed Milliband, leader of the opposition², he's the head of the Labour Party. He might be the most left-wing British prime minister for many years, if he's elected. His main problem has been trying to prove he's ready to be prime minister.

 

Nicola Sturgeon, who's a rising star of British politics, SNP success, but really get the ball rolling again for another independence referendum in a few years time.

 

Well, in British political terms, the world has changed. We're really not sure what's going to happen.

 

The reason this election matters to America, there are consequences that could flow from this election. For example, United Kingdom could actually split up. Scotland could break away, making it much less powerful country. Britain could leave the European Union, depriving the United States of a key ally in the one of the world's most important economic blocs³.

 

Either you're deceiving the British public or you know exactly what you're going to do, but you're refusing to get specifics.  

 

If we don't save the money in welfare,and other parties don't seem to do that, then they're going to have to make deep cuts in things like the National Health Service and I don't want to do that.

 

They were leads in the north of England of England for the final big step piece of the campaign, the last debate.

 

Give David Cameron credit, he believes in our staying in the E.U. But I'm afraid he's being dragged by his party to exit from the E.U. 

 

I don't think there was a clear winner. Someone just said to me, it was a score draw. It's not going to change the election. That's for sure.

 

1 consequential   

adj.作为结果的，间接的；重要的

参考例句：

• She was injured and suffered a consequential loss of earnings.她受了伤因而收入受损。
• This new transformation is at least as consequential as that one was.这一新的转变至少和那次一样重要。

2 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。

3 blocs   

n.集团，联盟( bloc的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The division of Europe into warring blocs produces ever-increasing centrifugal stress. 把欧洲分为作战集团产生了越来越大的离心效果。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The policy of the two blocs was played out. 把世界分为两个集团的政策已经过时了。 来自辞典例句