VOA常速英语:Gibraltar Fears Isolation, Economic Ruin If Britain Leaves EU

Red phone boxes, double-decker buses and pubs, Gibraltar is an unmistakable British outpost in southern Europe.
红色的公用电话亭、双层巴士还有英式酒吧，直布罗陀无疑是英国在南欧的据点。

The territory was ceded to Britain by Spain in 1713; A British vote to leave the European Union could give a boost to Madrid’s hopes of reclaiming sovereignty over the territory.
这一片土地在1713年时被西班牙割让给英国；英国退欧可能会助力西班牙重新收回该地主权的希望。

“It is part of the European treaty system that they’re not actively allowed to pursue a claim to Gibraltar, whilst Britain is a member of the European Union. So in a way, the European Union is protecting Gibraltar.”
“欧盟条约体系的一部分就是不允许主动要求收回直布罗陀，同时英国也是欧盟的成员之一。因此在某种程度上说，欧盟是在保护直布罗陀。”

Spain has in the past tightened border controls at times of heightened tension. Madrid has accused Gibraltarians of cross-border tobacco and liquor smuggling, and that could be used as a pretext for closing the frontier, effectively cutting off Gibraltar’s 30,000 residents.
西班牙在局势紧张时期曾加紧了对边境的管制。马德里方面曾指责直布罗陀跨境烟草和酒类走私，这可能被当做是关闭边境，有效隔绝直布罗陀30000居民的借口。

“Like any sovereign state not bound by treaties, Spain would be absolutely entitled to close those borders to a territory that is no longer part of the European Union.”
“就像任何一个不受协约约束的主权国家一样，西班牙将绝对有权对一块已经不属于欧盟的领土关闭其边境。”

Gibraltar’s economy grew by more than 10 percent last year, fueled by its attractiveness as a low tax environment with access to the EU Single Market. Gibraltar’s leader fears the consequences of a vote to leave.
直布罗陀的经济在去年增长逾10%，助力于其连通欧盟单一市场的低税收环境的吸引力。直布罗陀的领导人担心英国退欧后的不良后果。

“How do you change your economic model to go from being able to sell to 520 million people to sell only to 32,000 people? These are challenges which are existential to the current economic model; we would have to completely reposition our economy, and it’s something that’s going to be very difficult.”
“你怎样将经济模式从可以向5亿两千万人口销售到向只有32000人销售的转变？这些是存在于现行经济模式的挑战。我们不得不完全重新调整我们的经济，这也将是特别困难的事情。”

In Britain, polls suggest the “Leave” campaign has pulled ahead; but in Gibraltar a huge majority of the residents say they will vote to stay in the European Union.
在英国，民调显示“脱欧”派占领主导；但是在直布罗陀，很大一部分居民说他们将投票留在欧盟。

“There might be a lot of debate, as we say in family, ‘You fight within the family, but you don’t leave the family.’ Because as Cameron said, ‘What do you want to be, little England or little France?’ We’ve got to be together.”
“会有很多争论，就像我们常在家说的，‘你会和家人争吵，但是你不会离开家。’因为卡梅隆说过‘你想要变成什么，一个小型的英格兰还是小型的法兰西？’我们应该在一起。”

Campaigners who want to leave the European Union say Spain already ignores the bloc’s rules on recognizing the territory’s sovereignty; but the people of Gibraltar fear a so-called Brexit could leave them cut off on the very tip of Europe.
希望英国脱欧的活动人士说西班牙已经无视欧盟有关承认领土主权的规则；但是直布罗陀的人民担心所谓的英国脱欧会让他们处在欧洲的末端，被隔绝。

Henry Ridgwell for VOANEWS London.
亨利·里德威尔伦敦报道。