VOA慢速英语听力：苏格兰奥克尼群岛投票决定探索其他治理模式 Scotland’s Orkney Islands Voted to Explore Other Models of Governance
Officials on the Orkney Islands, a part of Scotland, recently voted to explore ways of seeking more self-governance — or even independence — from United Kingdom governments.
苏格兰奥克尼群岛的官员最近投票决定探索更多寻求自治甚至独立的方式，摆脱英国政府的控制。
Reporters from around the world watched remotely as Orkney Islands Council voted to study other "models of governance" for the island group, which has a population of 22,000 people.
来自世界各地的记者远程观看了奥克尼群岛议会的投票过程，他们将研究这个人口为2.2万的群岛群体的其他“治理模式”。
The proposal from local government leader James Stockan got international attention with its mention of possibly restoring Orkney's "Nordic connections." Orkney was under Norwegian and Danish control for centuries until 1472. In that year, the islands were taken by the Scottish crown as part of Margaret of Denmark's wedding gift, or dowry, to King James III of Scotland.
当地政府领导人詹姆斯·斯托肯的提议提到了可能恢复奥克尼群岛的“北欧联系”，因此引起了国际关注。奥克尼群岛在1472年之前几个世纪一直受挪威和丹麦的控制。在那一年，奥克尼群岛作为丹麦的玛格丽特（Margaret）送给苏格兰国王詹姆斯三世（James III）的婚礼礼物或嫁妆的一部分，被苏格兰王室夺取。
Stockan said his proposal "is not about us joining Norway," but about dealing with the "discrimination that we've had against this community" from the Scottish and U.K. governments.
斯托肯表示，他的提议“不是让我们加入挪威”，而是要解决苏格兰和英国政府对这个社区的“歧视”。
"I say, 'Enough,'" Stockan said. He added, "I say it is time for government to take us seriously, and it is time for us to look at all the options we've got."
斯托肯说：“我说，‘够了’。”他补充道：“我说是时候让政府认真对待我们，是时候让我们看看我们拥有的所有选项。”
Long a poor area that depends on the unpredictable fishing industry, Orkney became wealthier after large reserves of oil were discovered offshore in the 1960s. The islands, about 16 kilometers north of mainland Scotland, also have a growing wind-power industry and a growing tourism business.
奥克尼长期以来是一个依赖不可预测的渔业的贫困地区，在20世纪60年代发现了近海大量石油后变得富裕起来。这些岛屿位于苏格兰本土以北约16公里处，还拥有不断发展的风力发电产业和旅游业。
But Stockan said Orkney gets less support from the Scottish government than other island communities in Shetland or the Hebrides. He said that Orkney needs new boats to keep its many islands connected.
但斯托肯表示，与设得兰群岛或赫布里底群岛的其他岛屿社区相比，苏格兰政府对奥克尼的支持较少。他说奥克尼需要新的船只来保持岛屿之间的联系。
Duncan Tullock, another local leader, said Orkney was "living off crumbs." Living off crumbs means getting or earning very little.
另一位当地领导人邓肯·图洛克表示，奥克尼“过着吃碎屑的日子”。过着吃碎屑的日子意味着得到或赚取的很少。
Tullock added, "I've never been more disillusioned in my life with both the Scottish and the U.K. governments... We have had promise upon promise upon promise, every single one of them empty."
图洛克补充说：“在我一生中，我从来没有对苏格兰和英国政府感到如此幻灭……他们给了我们一个又一个承诺，每一个都是空洞的。”
A report that went with Stockan's motion suggested Orkney should investigate choices including a situation like the Faeroe Islands. It is a self-governing dependency of Denmark that lies between Scotland and Iceland. Another choice is to copy Britain's Crown Dependencies such as the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey.
随斯托肯的动议一起发布的一份报告建议奥克尼应该调查包括像法罗群岛在内的选择。法罗群岛是丹麦的自治领土，位于苏格兰和冰岛之间。另一个选择是模仿英国的王室附属领地，如泽西岛和根西岛。
Any major constitutional change will be difficult, likely requiring voting and lawmaking by the Scottish and British governments. The two governments themselves disagree over Scotland's desire for independence after Brexit.
任何重大的宪法改变都将很困难，可能需要苏格兰和英国政府进行投票和立法。这两个政府本身对于苏格兰在脱欧后渴望独立的愿望存在分歧。
The British government said there was "no mechanism" to change the status of Orkney. And the Norwegian government said the debate was "a domestic and constitutional British matter" on which it had no view.
英国政府表示，没有“机制”可以改变奥克尼的地位。
David Dawson, a member of Orkney's local government, also criticized some of the ideas being proposed for the island as “daydreams.” He said Britain’s rocky departure from the European Union served as a warning about the risks of going alone.
奥克尼当地政府成员大卫·道森也批评了提出的一些关于该岛的想法，称其为“白日梦”。他说，英国从欧盟艰难的脱欧过程给了一个关于独自行动风险的警示。
“Let me caution you with one word,” he said. “Brexit.”
他说：“让我用一个词来警告你们。”“脱欧。
I’m John Russell.
___________________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
option – n. a choice or possibility
tourism -- n. the business of providing hotels, restaurants, etc., for people who are traveling
disillusioned – adj. having lost trust in something
mechanism – n. a process that is used to produce a particular result
domestic -- adj. of, relating to, or made in your own country
caution -- n. care taken to avoid danger or risk
Forum
