友达英语》双语阅读》英国开始公投 决定是否留在欧盟

英国开始公投 决定是否留在欧盟

星期四，英国开始举行历史性公投，最终决定英国是否要继续留在欧盟。

选民前往投票站之际，民调显示留欧派和脱欧派势均力敌。

预计投票人数会很多。两个月来，两派之间的激烈辩论主要围绕着高度敏感并引发分歧的移民问题。自2000年以来，英国的移民速度增加了一倍。

卡梅伦首相是留欧派的领袖。星期四，他做了最后努力，争取说服尚未拿定主意的选民。他说，留在一个经过改革的欧盟，英国会更好更强大。卡梅伦和其他反对脱欧的人士说，如果英国脱离拥有28个成员国的欧盟，经济将遭受严重损失。

分析人士说，卡梅伦的政治前途将取决于星期四的公投结果，如果脱欧派赢得公投，卡梅伦几乎别无选择，只能辞职，但卡梅伦一直表示不会辞职。

Polls open in Britain’s historic EU referendum

Voting began Thursday in Britain’s historic election that by the end of the day will decide whether the country remains in the European Union.

As voters went to polling stations, public opinion polls showed the two sides in a dead heat.

Turnout was expected to be high, culminating a bitter, two-month campaign that centered largely on immigration, a highly sensitive and divisive issue in a nation whose immigration rate has doubled since 2000.

Prime Minister David Cameron has led the call to remain. On Thursday, he made a final pitch to convince undecided voters. “We are stronger, we are better off in a reformed European Union,” he said. Cameron and other opponents of a Brexit say Britain’s economy will be badly damaged if it breaks away from the 28-nation bloc.

Analysts say Cameron’s political future hangs in the balance depending on the outcome of the poll. If the voters’ decision Thursday is to leave the EU, pundits say Cameron will lose his mandate and have little choice but to resign, something the British leader has until now said he will not do.

友达英语》流行美语

李华去Larry家，帮他收拾屋子，他们会用到两个常用语：gut feeling和out of the woods.

(knocking on door)

LH: Larry, 快开门。

Larry: OK, OK, I'm coming! I'm coming! (door opens)

LH: 你怎么还穿着睡衣？？都快中午了，难道你还没有起床啊？

Larry: Hm? Oh, I must have slept in or something....

LH: 你睡过头了？咱们今天不是要大扫除吗？你的好哥们儿不是明天从纽约来看你吗？你看你这屋子还乱七八糟的呢。

Larry: Hmm.... it is a bit messy in here, isn't it? Well, no matter.... I have a gut feeling my friend isn't coming tomorrow.

LH: Your 'gut' has a feeling? 你的肠子有感觉？你要拉肚子吗？

Larry: No, no. A 'gut feeling' refers to someone's intuition. To say you have a gut feeling about something means that you have a feeling about the outcome of something before it happens.

LH: 哦，原来gut feeling就是直觉的意思。你是说，你有个直觉你朋友不会来了。为什么这么说呢？

Larry: Well, sometimes it's hard to explain why you get a gut feeling about something. But in this case, there are a few things that tell me he's not going to come.

LH: 哦？比如说？

Larry: For one thing, this friend of mine has been meaning to visit me for years, and every time, right before he's supposed to come, something happens and he cancels the trip.

LH: 原来，这个人以前每次说要来看你都没能成行，老是因为这样那样的事儿改变计划。

Larry: Right, and that's not the only reason I have a gut feeling he won't come.... I was on the phone with him last night....

LH: 你们在电话里说什么了？

Larry: Girl trouble.

LH: 怎么，他跟女朋友吵架了？

Larry: (Sigh)..That's right. He was pretty upset. I was talking to him until four o'clock in the morning!

LH: 你跟他聊到凌晨4点钟？难怪你今天这么晚都起不来！

Larry: Yep. that's why I have a gut feeling he's going to cancel his trip once again. I was hoping to help him with his problems, but I have a gut feeling that he and his girlfriend are not out of the woods quite yet.

LH: 等一下！ 你说，你直觉觉得，他和他女朋友还没有out of the woods? 他们俩去森林里干嘛？

Larry: Ha.... no, they aren't literally in the woods. What I meant is, I don't think their problems are totally solved. My advice may have helped him somewhat, but I don't think they're totally out of the woods yet.

LH: 哦，They aren't out of the woods yet意思是说，他们之间的问题还没有彻底解决，对吗？

Larry: That's right. I have a gut feeling they might even break up.

LH: 你觉