CNN新闻: 英国正式启动脱欧程序
燕山大学 刘立军 宋葳 编写
◇TRANSCRIPT
Your ten minutes of world news explained begins with the countdown to Brexit.
The British exit or separation from the European Union has officially begun. Nine months after a slim majority of British voters chose to leave the E.U., British Prime Minister Theresa May signed Article 50 this week. That's what gives any E.U. member the right to leave the association on its own.
One reason why the Brexit is so incredibly complicated is legal. Right now, there are 12,000 European Union laws enforced in Britain. They applied to businesses, consumers, workers. And since 1972, these E.U. laws have taken precedence over Britain's own laws.
With that changing, as the nation separates itself from the E.U., it has to convert those laws to suit its own country. So, some will be kept, some replaced, some eliminated. One Brexit official says the government priority was getting the right deal for every single person in Britain.
Lawmakers have two years to figure out how to do that, but it's only one of the challenges they face.
◇VOCABULARY
1. Article 50:《里斯本条约》 第50条,《里斯本条约》是基于《欧盟宪法条约》的“简化版欧盟宪法条约”，规定了有关欧盟如何有效运作和推动欧洲一体化进程的所有内容。《里斯本条约》的第50条涉及到欧盟成员国的退出条款，即“任何成员国可以根据本国的制宪要求，决定退出联盟”。只有250个词的第50条款，起草人从未料到这一条款会被启用，迄今为止也没有一个成员国适用过。因此英国与欧盟也曾就条款的含义打起口水战，成为双方手中一张弥足珍贵的政治牌。
Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union is a part of European Union law that sets out the process by which member states may withdraw from the European Union. It has been extensively debated after the referendum held in the United Kingdom on 23 June 2016 in which 51.9% of those voting favoured the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union. Once Article 50 is triggered, there is a two-year time limit to complete negotiations. If negotiations do not result in a ratified agreement, the seceding country and EU would follow World Trade Organisation rules on tariffs. This article was used for the first and so far only time by the United Kingdom on 29 March 2017. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_50_of_the_Treaty_on_European_Union)
2. incredibly adv. in a way that is very difficult to believe 令人难以置信。例如：
·Incredibly, she had no idea what was going on. 令人难以置信的是，她当时对发生的事一无所知。
3. complicated adj. made of many different things or parts that are connected; difficult to understand 复杂的；难懂的。 complex例如：
·a complicated system复杂的系统
·The instructions look very complicated. 这说明书看起来很难懂。
·It's all very complicated - but I'll try and explain. 尽管这一切都很难理解，但我会尽力解释。
◇QUESTIONS
Read the following statements. Then listen to the news and decide the statements are TRUE (✓) or FALSE (û).
□1. The British exit or separation from the European Union has officially begun since last year.
□2. 19 months after a slim majority of British voters chose to leave the E.U., British Prime
Minister Theresa May signed Article 50 this week.
□3. Legal is one of the reasons why the Brexit is so complicated.
□4. Right now, there are 12,000 European Union laws enforced in Britain.
□5. The EU laws applied to businesses, consumers, workers, and many other areas of the UK. And since 1974, these E.U. laws have taken precedence over Britain's own laws.
□6. According to one Brexit official, getting the right deal for every single person in Britain was the government priority.
□7. Lawmakers have more than two years to figure out how to do that, but it's not the only challenge they face.
◇KEY
û1. The British exit or separation from the European Union has officially begun since last year.
（The British exit or separation from the European Union has officially begun.）
û2. 19 months after a slim majority of British voters chose to leave the E.U., British Prime Minister Theresa May signed Article 50 this week.
（Nine months after a slim majority of British voters chose to leave the E.U., British Prime Minister Theresa May signed Article 50 this week.）
✓3. Legal is only one of the reasons why the Brexit is so complicated.
✓4. Right now, there are 12,000 European Union laws enforced in Britain.
û5. The EU laws applied to businesses, consumers, workers, and many other areas of the UK.
And since 1974, these E.U. laws have taken precedence over Britain's own laws.
（They applied to businesses, consumers, workers. And since 1972, these E.U. laws have taken precedence over Britain's own laws.）
✓6. According to one Brexit official, getting the right deal for every single person in Britain
was the government priority.
û7. Lawmakers have more than two years to figure out how to do that, but it's not the only
challenge they face.
（Lawmakers have two years to figure out how to do that, but it's only one of the challenges they face.）