VOA慢速英语20116 德国总理默克尔呼吁禁止蒙脸面纱

Germany’s Merkel Calls for Ban on Full-Face Covers 德国总理默克尔呼吁禁止蒙脸面纱

German Chancellor¹ Angela Merkel has called for a ban on full-face veils worn by some Muslim women.

德国总理默克尔呼吁禁止穆斯林女性佩戴蒙脸面纱。 

Merkel announced her position Tuesday at a conference of her Christian² Democrat³ Union (CDU) in the central German city of Essen. Her comments were part of a speech she gave before her reelection as party leader.

默克尔周二在德国中部城市埃森市召开的基督教民主联盟（简称CDU，基民盟）会议上宣布了她的立场。该言论是她连任党魁前所作演讲的一部分。

"In communication between people, which is of course essential to our living together, we have to show our faces," Merkel said.

默克尔说，“人们之间互相交流对我们生活在一起来说是必不可少的，我们必须露出我们的面孔。”

She said veils that fully⁴ cover the face should be banned "wherever legally possible." Merkel's CDU party has previously⁵ discussed banning them in schools, courts and other public buildings. 

她说，完全覆盖面部的面纱应该被禁止，不管它在其它哪里是合法的。默克尔的基民盟党以前曾经讨论过在学校、法院等公共场所禁止蒙脸面纱。

A small minority of Muslim women in Germany wear full-face veils. 

德国少数穆斯林女性佩戴了蒙脸面纱。

In the past, Merkel has said she believes Muslims who completely cover their faces have little chance of fully mixing into German society.

默克尔过去曾经表示，她认为完全遮盖面部的穆斯林很难充分融入德国社会。

Legal experts said it is unclear whether a veil ban would violate Germany's constitution.

法律专家表示尚不清楚面纱禁令是否会违反德国宪法。

Three European nations - France, Belgium and the Netherlands – already have bans on the face-covering veils.

法国、比利时和荷兰这三个欧洲国家早已禁止蒙脸面纱。

Merkel recently announced she would seek a fourth term as chancellor in elections expected to be held in fall 2017. Her popularity has dropped since Germany decided⁶ to accept about one million refugees.

默克尔最近宣布她将在2017年秋天举行的选举中寻求第四次连任总理。自从德国决定接收大约1百万难民以来，她的人气有所下降。

German public opinion studies show Merkel's CDU party is currently leading among voters. But even if the CDU wins, the Chancellor would likely have to form a coalition⁷ government with competing parties. 

德国舆论调查显示，默克尔的基民盟党目前在选民中处于领先。但是即便基民盟获胜，总理也可能必须同竞争党派组成联合政府。

"The 2017 election will be more difficult than any election before, at least since German reunification," Merkel said.

默克尔说，“2017年大选将比以往任何一次都更加艰难，至少是两德统一以来最困难的一次。”

Merkel also faces strong opposition⁸ from the anti-immigration Alternative for Deutschland (AFD) party. The AFD has been critical of Muslim migrants entering Germany. The group recently said Islam is not compatible with Germany's constitution.

默克尔还面临着反移民的德国新选择党的强烈反对。德国新选择党一直批评穆斯林移民进入德国。该党最近表示，伊斯兰教与德国宪法不相容。

Words in This Story

veil – n. thin piece of material that covers the face

essential – adj. extremely important or necessary

compatible – adj. able to exist or be used together

1 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

2 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

3 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

5 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 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。

8 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。