VOA慢速英语:Scottish Leader Wants New Independence Vote Over Brexit

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon wants Scotland to get a second vote on independence from Britain.
苏格兰首席部长妮可拉·斯特金希望就苏格兰脱离英国独立的问题进行第二次投票。
Her reason: Britain is forcing Scotland out of the European Union against its will.
她的理由是英国违背了苏格兰的意愿，强迫苏格兰退出欧盟。
“It has implications for our economy; for job opportunities, public spending and living standards —and for our ability to protect and advance our vital day-to-day- priorities in education, health and business,” she said.
它（退欧）会影响我们的经济，就业机会、公共支出、生活水准以及我们保护和推进教育，健康和商业上每天首要事项的能力。
Last June, British voters decided to leave the European Union.The vote was 51.9 percent in favor and 48.1 percent opposed.
去年六月，英国选民决定离开欧盟。百分之51.9的赞成票和百分之48.1的反对票。
But more than 60 percent of Scottish voters wanted to remain in the EU.
但是超过百分之60的苏格兰选民想留在欧盟。
The European Union is a political and economic union of 28 nations.Many, though not all, have joined together under a single currency, the Euro.The European Union headquarters is in Brussels, Belgium.
欧盟是28个国家组成的政治经济联盟。虽然不是所有人，但很多人在统一货币——欧元下团结在一起。欧盟的总部位于比利时的布鲁塞尔。
British Prime Minister Theresa May said a second Scottish independence vote would be disruptive. She also said most Scottish voters oppose a second vote on independence.
英国首相特蕾莎·梅提到让苏格兰进行第二次独立投票危害无穷。她也说道大部分苏格兰选民反对再来一次独立投票。
“Instead of playing politics with the future of our country,the Scottish government should focus on delivering good government and public services for the people of Scotland,” May said.“Politics is not a game.”
“不是在我们国家未来的问题上玩弄政治，苏格兰政府应该专注于为苏格兰人民提供健全的政府和公共服务，”梅说道，“政治不是游戏。”
In 2014, Scots rejected independence by a vote of 55 to 45 percent.
2014年，苏格兰人民通过公投拒绝了独立，当时是百分之55的反对票和百分之45的赞成票。
Sturgeon said the British government is blocking her efforts to allow Scotland to negotiate its own access to European Union markets.She added compromise with Britain is still possible, but doubtful.
斯特金说自己正努力通过谈判让苏格兰进入欧盟市场，但这正遭到英国政府的阻挠。她补充说有可能和英国和解，但一切待定。
“At times like these, it is more important than ever to have a clear plan for the way ahead—to try, as far as is possible, to be in control of events and not just at the mercy of them,” Sturgeon said.
“这种时候，对前方的道路有一个清楚的计划变得比以往任何时候都要重要——尽可能去试试，要控制事态而不是一味受制，”斯特金说。
Sturgeon said she would ask the Scottish Parliament next week to start the process for an independence vote.She said it would be held in the fall of 2018 or the spring of 2019.
斯特金说她会要求苏格兰议会下周开始独立投票的进程。她说这场投票将于2018年秋季或者2019年春季进行。
But a vote is not guaranteed.
但是不能保证会进行这场投票。
Sturgeon will need approval from the British Parliament, where May’s conservative party holds a majority.This comes just as May was preparing to start the formal process for Britain to leave the EU.
斯特金需要英国议会的支持，那里梅所代表的保守党占到了大多数。这种局面在梅准备正式启动英国离开欧盟的程序前就已经开始了。
I’m Bruce Alpert.
我是布鲁斯·阿尔珀特。