BBC新闻：英国将提前举行大选

燕山大学 刘立军 编写

【TRANSCRIPT】

BBC News. Hello, I'm Jerry Smit. Britain's main opposition party Labor, says it will now support an early general election, meaning the UK is almost certain to go to the polls in December. It comes as the Prime Minister Boris Johnson gears up for his fourth attempt in parliament to secure a snap election. The Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn told his colleagues that with Brexit delayed until the end of January, the immediate threat of leaving without a deal had been removed. “We always said we wanted an election. We do want an election, but we wanted no-deal to be taken off the table. We've now had confirmation from all 28 EU member states that no-deal is off the table. So we're gonna go out there with the biggest campaign this Party has ever mounted, totally united, totally determined.” With this analysis, here is our political correspondent Rob Watson. “This is one of those genuine, real, historic landmark developments in the three-and-a-half-year political crisis, that is the Brexit process, because this means definitively we are gonna have an early general election before Christmas. What's changed for the opposition Labor Party is this idea that it's just impossible any longer to resist an election that some of the smaller opposition parties have gone along with it and that what they had asked for which was to make sure that wasn't gonna be an eminent no-deal Brexit. Well, that has been handled by the European Union, saying Okay, we're gonna extend the Brexit process until the end of January.

Adapted from http://www.kekenet.com/broadcast/201910/598299.shtml

【VOCABULARY】

1. gear up: gear up (for /to sth.) | gear sb. / sth.↔up (for / to sth.) to prepare yourself /sb. /sth. to do sth. （使）为……作好准备。例如：Cycle organizations are gearing up for National Bike Week. 自行车组织正在为全国自行车周活动作准备。

2. snap adj.（只用于名词前）made or done quickly and without careful thought or preparation 匆忙的；仓促的。例如：

l It was a snap decision. 那是个仓促的决定。

l They held a snap election. 他们临时举行了选举。

3. gonna: (informal, non-standard) a way of saying or writing “going to” in informal speech, when it refers to the future 即将，将要（非正式用语，即going to）。例如：What's she gonna do now?  她现在要干什么？

4. eminent adj.（常用于名词前）　

l (of people 人)famous and respected, especially in a particular profession （尤指在某专业中）卓越的，著名的，显赫的。例如：an eminent architect 著名的建筑师

l (of good qualities 良好品质) unusual; excellent 非凡的；杰出的。例如：a man of eminent good sense极其明智的人

【QUESTIONS】 

Read the passage. Then listen to the news and fill in the blanks with the information (words, phrases or sentences) you hear.

BBC News. Hello, I'm Jerry Smit. Britain's main opposition party Labor, says it will now support  ________________________________, meaning the UK is almost certain to go to the polls in December. It comes as the Prime Minister Boris Johnson  ____________ for his fourth attempt in parliament to secure  ___________________________. The Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn told his colleagues that with Brexit delayed until the end of January, the immediate threat of  _______________________________________ had been removed. “We always said we wanted an election. We do want an election, but we wanted no-deal to be taken off the table. We've now had  __________________________ from all 28 EU member states that no-deal is off the table. So we're gonna go out there with the biggest campaign this Party has ever mounted, totally united, totally determined.” With this analysis, here is our political correspondent Rob Watson. “This is one of those genuine, real, historic  ___________________________________ in the three-and-a-half year  ___________________________, that is the Brexit process because this means definitively we are gonna have an early general election before Christmas. What's changed for the opposition Labor Party is this idea that it's just impossible any longer to  ______________________ that some of the smaller opposition parties have gone along with it and that what they had asked for which was to make sure that wasn't gonna be an  __________________ no-deal Brexit. Well, that has been handled by the European Union, saying Okay, we're gonna  _________________ the Brexit process until the end of January.”

【KEY】

Read the passage. Then listen to the news and fill in the blanks with the information (words, phrases or sentences) you hear.

BBC News. Hello, I'm Jerry Smit. Britain's main opposition party Labor, says it will now support  an early general election, meaning the UK is almost certain to go to the polls in December. It comes as the Prime Minister Boris Johnson  gears up for his fourth attempt in parliament to secure  a snap election. The Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn told his colleagues that with Brexit delayed until the end of January, the immediate threat of  leaving without a deal had been removed. “We always said we wanted an election. We do want an election, but we wanted no-deal to be taken off the table. We've now had  confirmation from all 28 EU member states that no-deal is off the table. So we're gonna go out there with the biggest campaign this Party has ever mounted, totally united, totally determined.” With this analysis, here is our political correspondent Rob Watson. “This is one of those genuine, real, historic  landmark developments in the three-and-a-half year  political crisis, that is the Brexit process because this means definitively we are gonna have an early general election before Christmas. What's changed for the opposition Labor Party is this idea that it's just impossible any longer to  resist an election that some of the smaller opposition parties have gone along with it and that what they had asked for which was to make sure that wasn't gonna be an  eminent no-deal Brexit. Well, that has been handled by the European Union, saying Okay, we're gonna  extend the Brexit process until the end of January.”