介绍:
Dutch referendum on Ukraine 荷兰就乌欧联系国协定公投
A hard Dutch kick 荷兰这一脚好狠
主播: 凤梨君 个人微信号： fenglisama 微信公众号 EnglishQiPa 奇葩说英语
Voting down the EU’s treaty with Ukraine would hand Vladimir Putin a win 公投乌克兰和欧盟联系国协定会抬佛拉基米尔普京一手
Apr 2nd 2016 | From the print edition
IN November 2013 Viktor Yanukovych, then the president of Ukraine, succumbed to Russian pressure and renounced an association agreement with the European Union that he and his predecessors had spent six years negotiating. Many Ukrainians thought their country’s best hope for transforming itself from a corrupt gangster state into an orderly democracy (or, as they put it, a “normal country”) had been sacrificed on the orders of Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president. Thousands set up camp on Kiev’s Maidan, chanting “Ukraine is Europe”. Police attacked, touching off a cycle of protest and violence that ended in Mr Yanukovych’s flight to Russia, a new government—and the signing of the Ukraine-EU agreement.
1 treaty |ˈtri:ti| （国家之间的）条约，协定 2 succumb |səˈkʌm| 屈服；屈从；抵挡不住（攻击、疾病、诱惑等）3 renounce |rɪˈnaʊns| 声明放弃；宣布放弃
4 association |əˌsəʊʃiˈeɪʃn; -siˈeɪ-; 美 əˌsoʊ-|联合；合伙；关联；交往 5 predecessor |ˈpri:dɪsesə(r); 美 ˈpredəs-| 前任 6 Kiev [ˈki:ev] 基辅（乌克兰共和国首都）
7 maidan |maɪˈdɑ:n| 草地，广场，空地 8 chant |tʃɑ:nt; 美 tʃænt| 反复唱；反复呼喊 9 touch off 触发，引发，引起（困难或暴力的局面）
Mr Putin then sent troops into Ukraine to win back Russian influence by stealth and force. He succeeded in seizing Crimea, splitting off a few rebel areas and embittering Ukrainians’ once-warm feelings towards Russia. Yet the Ukraine-EU association agreement is in trouble again. This time the sticking-point is the Netherlands, the only one of the EU’s 28 members that has not ratified it.
1 stealth |stelθ| 偷偷摸摸；不声张的活动；秘密行动 2 crimea [kraiˈmiə] 克里米亚（半岛）; 3 splitting off （使）脱离，分裂出去，分离 4 embitter |ɪmˈbɪtə(r)| 使怨愤；使沮丧；使苦恼
5 sticking-point 症结 6 ratify |ˈrætɪfaɪ| 正式批准；使正式生效
Dutch Eurosceptics want to stop their government from doing so, and have gathered enough signatures to stage a referendum on April 6th. They argue that what Ukrainians call their “European choice” was actually imposed on them by Brussels. They describe Ukraine as a country “divided” between pro-European and pro-Russian regions; in fact, outside the rebel Donbas, the country has united against the Russian threat. They observe that the past two years have been an economic catastrophe, without acknowledging that it was Russia’s embargo and military interventions that did the damage.
1 Eurosceptic [ˌjʊərəʊ'skeptɪk] 欧洲统一怀疑论者；反对英国亲近欧盟的人; 2 pro |prəʊ; 美 proʊ| 赞成；支持 3 Donbas 位于乌克兰的顿涅茨盆地;
4 catastrophe|kəˈtæstrəfi| 灾难；灾祸；横祸 5 embargo |ɪmˈbɑ:gəʊ; 美 ɪmˈbɑ:rgoʊ| 禁止贸易令；禁运
The Dutch government and all the main parties are campaigning for a Yes vote in the referendum. Yet the polls point to a No. That would be a tragedy. Ukraine is torn between a corrupt oligarchy and a nascent reform movement; between a moribund post-Soviet economy and the promise of farm exports and computing services for the European market. If Ukraine really is to become normal, it needs Europe to meet it part-way. For that to happen, the Dutch need to vote Yes.
1oligarchy |ˈɒlɪgɑ:ki; 美 ˈɑ:ləgɑ:rki| 寡头政治 2 nascent |ˈnæsnt| 新生的；萌芽的；未成熟的 3 moribund |ˈmɒrɪbʌnd; 美 ˈmɔ:r-; ˈmɑ:r-| 行将灭亡的；即将倒闭的；濒于崩溃的
4 part-way 赞成
The Dutch worry about being tied to a large, poor, corrupt state . When their leaders say that the deal involves little risk, they are reminded of similar promises before Greece was admitted to the EU. But the association agreement is overwhelmingly about trade. It does not allow Ukrainians to work in the EU. It refers to political and military co-operation, but without NATO-like obligations. Ukraine will need decades of reform before it could be a candidate for EU accession.
1 overwhelming |ˌəʊvəˈwelmɪŋ; 美 ˌoʊvərˈw-| 巨大的；压倒性的；无法抗拒的 2 NATO |ˈneɪtəʊ; 美 -toʊ| North Atlantic Treaty Organization 北约；北大西洋公约组织
3 accession |ækˈseʃn| 正式加入（国际组织）
Chaos v control 混乱和控制
For Ukraine, the economic promise of the deal is immense. For the Dutch, the reason to ratify it is to deny Mr Putin the fulfilment of his wish for a corrupt and anti-European Ukraine. Ever since Maidan, Russia has been trying to reassert control by spreading chaos on Ukraine’s border. The Dutch learned better than any other country what such chaos can mean, when scores of their countrymen were killed in 2014, in the downing of flight MH-17. When Ukrainians turned towards Europe, their dream was for their country to escape the pit of corruption and chaos. They are still struggling to climb out. Dutch voters should not step on their fingers.
1 ratify |ˈrætɪfaɪ| 正式批准；使正式生效 2 fulfilment 履行;实现;完成;满足 2 reassert |ˌri:əˈsɜ:t; 美 -ˈsɜ:rt| 重新发挥作用 3 scores of 大量的，许多的; 4 pit 深洞；深
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