英国新首相
The New Prime Minister of the U.K.
刘立军 供稿
TRANSCRIPT
We're going to start this show by taking a trip to the United Kingdom, where there's a new prime minister taking office this week.
Rishi Sunak represents the Conservative Party in England, and he becomes Britain's third leader in seven weeks.
His pathway to number 10, as in 10 Downing Street, where the prime minister lives, was cleared when other members of his party including former Prime Minister Boris Johnson pulled out of the race Sunday night.
Sunak was the only candidate able to secure the support of 100 conservative members of parliament, the necessary threshold.
Rishi Sunak, the son of Indian immigrants and the first prime minister of color in the country's history.
And at 42 years old, he's also the youngest in more than 200 years.
But his new position won't be easy.
Mr. Sunak replaces Liz Truss, the former prime minister of England, who resigned after only six weeks, roughly 45 days in office.
Sunak takes over at a time of widespread economic turmoil throughout the country.
The financial markets have been extremely volatile and the value of the United Kingdom's currency, the pound, has tumbled downward.
This is a difficult time for any leader of Britain especially because the country is suffering from high inflation.
The new prime minister will also have to unify the country as calls from across the nation for another general election to select a new prime minister continue.
Next steps for the newly elected prime minister include a meeting with the monarch and for the first time, that's the new king, King Charles III.
He ascended the throne last month after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
The queen appointed 15 prime ministers during her 70-year reign on the throne.
VOCABULARY
1. pathway n. 路径
2. threshold n. the point just before a new situation, period of life, etc. begins 开端；起点；入门
3. turmoil n. a state of great anxiety and confusion 动乱；骚动；混乱；焦虑
4. volatile adj. (of a situation ) likely to change suddenly; easily becoming dangerous 可能急剧波动的；不稳定的
5. inflation n. a general rise in the prices of services and goods in a particular country, resulting in a fall in the value of money; the rate at which this happens 通货膨胀；通胀率
6. the throne: the position of being a king or queen 王位；王权；帝位
QUESTIONS
Read the statements. Then listen to the news and decide whether the statements are true (T) or false (F). Then correct the false statements.
1. Rishi Sunak represents the Conservative Party in England.
2. Rishi Sunak becomes Britain's third leader in six weeks.
3. Rishi Sunak is the son of Indian immigrants.
4. Rishi Sunak is the first prime minister of color in the country's history.
5. Sunak’s new position won't be easy.
6. Liz Truss resigned after only seven weeks in office.
7. This is a difficult time for any leader of Britain because calls from across the nation for another general election to select a new prime minister continue.
8. The new prime minister will have to unify the country because the country is suffering from high inflation.
9. King Charles III descended the throne last month after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
10. The queen appointed 15 prime ministers during her 71-year reign on the throne.
KEY
Read the statements. Then listen to the news and decide whether the statements are true (T) or false (F). Then correct the false statements.
(T) 1. Rishi Sunak represents the Conservative Party in England.
(F) 2. Rishi Sunak becomes Britain's third leader in six weeks. （正确表达）Rishi Sunak becomes Britain's third leader in seven weeks.
(T) 3. Rishi Sunak is the son of Indian immigrants.
(T) 4. Rishi Sunak is the first prime minister of color in the country's history.
(T) 5. Sunak’s new position won't be easy.
(F) 6. Liz Truss resigned after only seven weeks in office.（正确表达）Liz Truss resigned after only six weeks in office.
(F) 7. This is a difficult time for any leader of Britain because calls from across the nation for another general election to select a new prime minister continue.（正确表达）This is a difficult time for any leader of Britain because the country is suffering from high inflation.
(F) 8. The new prime minister will have to unify the country because the country is suffering from high inflation.（正确表达）The new prime minister will have to unify the country because calls from across the nation for another general election to select a new prime minister continue.
(F) 9. King Charles III descended the throne last month after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.（正确表达）King Charles III ascended the throne last month after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
(F) 10. The queen appointed 15 prime ministers during her 71-year reign on the throne.（正确表达）The queen appointed 15 prime ministers during her 70-year reign on the throne.
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