VOA慢速英语:Britain Officially Starts Withdrawal from European Union

British Prime Minister Teresa May has officially started the process for Britain to leave the European Union (EU).
英国首相特雷莎·梅已正式开启英国退出欧盟的进程。
May sent a letter to European Council President Donald Tusk on Wednesday.The move put Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon into effect.
她于周三致信欧洲理事会主席唐纳德·图斯克（Donald Tusk）。这使得《里斯本条约》第五十条生效。
The treaty is an international agreement on which the EU is based.Article 50 deals with how a member country can withdraw from the organization.
该条约是欧盟所依据的国际条约。该条约的第五十条涉及到成员国如何可以从欧盟退出。
May’s letter noted the historic nationwide vote on EU membership last year.It said the British people had not voted to “harm the European Union or any of the remaining member states.”
梅在信函中谈到了去年英国对其欧盟成员资格进行的历史性全国投票。信函称，英国人并没有投票决定“损害欧盟或其余任何成员国”。
The letter went on to say that Britain wanted the EU to succeed and explained that the election result was an effort to “restore national self-determination.”
信函中还说道，英国希望欧盟能够繁荣，并解释称选举的结果是要努力“恢复国家的独立自主”。
By informing the EU of its decision, Britain now starts two years of negotiations between the two sides.Talks on security, business, defense, health, the environment and other issues are expected to be complex.
通过告知欧盟其决定，英国现在开始了双方为期两年的谈判。围绕安全、商业、国防、卫生、环境、以及其他问题的谈判预计将十分复杂。
The process started on June 23, 2016, when Britons decided in a close referendum vote to leave the EU.
该程序从2016年6月23日开始，当时英国人在全民公投中以微小的胜率决定脱离欧盟。
Then-prime minister David Cameron had promised to hold the referendum, but had campaigned for Britain to stay an EU member.Cameron resigned after the vote.
时任首相戴维·卡梅伦（David Cameron）曾承诺要举行全民公投，但也曾为英国留在欧盟而四处奔走。卡梅伦在投票后辞职。
Some observers say the vote’s outcome resulted partly from feelings that the EU government was taking too much control away from British citizens.
一些观察家说，投票结果的部分原因是由于感到欧盟政府拿走了英国公民太多的控制权。
People in London and Scotland voted to stay in the EU, while other areas supported a British exit, commonly called “Brexit.”
伦敦和苏格兰的民众投票留在欧盟，而其他地区则支持英国脱离欧盟——通常被称为“英国退欧”。
Few Britons and political observers agree on what Brexit will mean for Britain and its partners.
英国退欧对英国及其合作伙伴到底意味着什么，很少有英国人和政治观察家能为此达成共识。
Jo Murkens of the London School of Economics says most people do agree the process will be disorderly and take more than two years.
伦敦政经的乔·马肯斯（Jo Murkens）表示说，大多数人都认为此过程将是无序的，所需时间也将超过2年。
He said, “The effect of European Union law is all pervasive from constitutional-level questions to the regulation of bananas and cucumbers.So, it is a mammoth task that will not be negotiated within two years.It will take a decade or decades to give full effect to EU withdrawal.”
他说道：“从宪法层面的问题到对鸡毛蒜皮小事的管理，欧盟法律的影响都无处不在。因此，这是一项庞大的任务，两年内不会谈成。要花上十年甚至几十年才能彻底贯彻退出欧盟的政策。”
One day before May invoked Article 50, London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan called on European leaders not to punish Britain.He said that London would remain an important city, especially as a financial center, after Brexit.
在特雷莎·梅行使第五十条的前一天，伦敦市长沙迪克·汗（Sadiq Khan）呼吁欧洲领导人不要惩罚英国。他表示，在英国退欧之后，伦敦将仍然是一个重要的城市，特别是作为金融中心。
He said, “The truth is that London will always remain a key partner for Brussels and every European nation long after Brexit is resolved.”
他说：“事实是，在解决英国退欧之后，伦敦仍然是布鲁塞尔和欧洲各国家的重要伙伴。”
Khan warned against a bad Brexit deal.He said such an agreement would cut off the EU from its only truly international financial center and risk losing financial services companies to New York, Singapore and Hong Kong.
沙迪克·汗警告要提防一份不利的脱欧协议。他表示，这样的协议将会切断欧盟和其唯一真正国际金融中心的联系，并且还会面临失去纽约、新加坡和香港金融服务公司的风险。
London’s mayor also said the “perfect gesture of goodwill” would be for the government to guarantee that EU citizens would remain in Britain.
伦敦市长还表示，这种“善意的完美姿态”将有利于政府保证欧盟公民继续留在英国。
Seliq Khan is the first Muslim mayor of a major western city.He has launched a campaign bringing attention to how London continues to welcome foreigners and businesses.
沙迪克·汗是西方重要城市的首位穆斯林市长。他曾发起一场运动，引起人们关注伦敦如何继续欢迎外国人和企业。
I’m Jonathan Evans.
乔纳森·埃文斯为您报道。