地球上最令人费解的政治体系：英语精读讲义

Where is the European Union?

欧盟在哪里？

Obviously, here somewhere,

很显然，在大概这里的某个地方，

but much like the European continent itself, 短語搭配

但就像欧洲大陆本身一样，

which has an unclear boundary,

有着不明确的边界，

the European Union also has some fuzzy edges to it. 習語

欧盟的边缘也有一些模糊之处。

To start, 表達脈絡

首先，

the official members of the European Union

欧盟的正式成员国

are in decreasing order of population,

按人口递减的顺序排列是：

Germany, France,

德国、法国、

the United Kingdom,

英国、

Italy, Spain,

意大利、西班牙、

Poland, Romania,

波兰、罗马尼亚、

the Kingdom of the Netherlands,

荷兰王国、

Greece, Belgium,

希腊、比利时、

Portugal, the Czech Republic,

葡萄牙、捷克共和国、

Hungary, Sweden,

匈牙利、瑞典、

Austria, Bulgaria,

奥地利、保加利亚、

Denmark, Slovakia,

丹麦、斯洛伐克、

Finland, Ireland,

芬兰、爱尔兰、

Croatia, Lithuania,

克罗地亚、立陶宛、

Latvia, Slovenia,

拉脱维亚、斯洛文尼亚、

Estonia, Cyprus,

爱沙尼亚、塞浦路斯、

Luxembourg, and Malta.

卢森堡和马耳他。

The edges of the EU will probably continue to expand further out

欧盟的边界可能还会继续向外扩张，

as there are other countries in various stages of trying to become a member. 短語搭配

因为还有其他国家正处于努力成为成员国的各个阶段。

How the EU works is hideously complicated

欧盟的运作方式极其复杂，

and a story for another time, 短語搭配

这是另一个话题了，

but for this video,

但在本视频中，

you need know only three things.

你只需要知道三件事。

First, 表達脈絡

第一，

countries pay membership dues,

国家需要缴纳会费，

and second,

第二，

vote on the laws they all must follow,

要对他们都必须遵守的法律进行投票，

and third,

第三，

citizens of member countries are automatically European Union citizens as well. 短語搭配

成员国的公民也自动成为欧盟公民。

This last means that if you're a citizen of any of these countries,

最后这一点意味着，如果你是这些国家中任何一国的公民，

you are free to live and work and retire in any of the others,

你可以在任何其他国家自由地生活、工作和退休，

which is nice,

这很不错，

especially if you think your country is too big 語法

特别是如果你觉得你的国家太大，

or too small

或太小，

or too hot

或太热，

or too cold.

或太冷。

The European Union gives you options.

欧盟为你提供了选择。

By the way, 表達脈絡

顺便问一下，

did you notice how all three of these statements

你有没有注意到这三句话

have asterisks attached to this unhelpful footnote?

都附带了星号，指向这个没啥用的脚注？

Well,

好吧，

get used to it. 短語動詞

习惯就好。

Europe loves asterisks

欧洲就喜欢星号，

that add exceptions to complicated agreements.

为复杂的协议加上例外情况。

These three, for example,

比如这三个星号，

point us towards the first bit of border fuzziness 短語搭配

就将我们引向了第一点边界的模糊之处，

with Norway, Iceland, and little Liechtenstein,

即与挪威、冰岛和小国列支敦士登的关系，

none of which are in the European Union, 語法

它们都不在欧盟内，

but if you're an EU citizen,

但如果你是欧盟公民，

you can live in these countries

你可以在这些国家生活，

and Norwegians, Icelanders,

而挪威人、冰岛人，

or Liechtensteiners can live in yours.

或列支敦士登人也可以在你的国家生活。

Why?

为什么呢？

In exchange for freedom of movement of people, 短語搭配

为了换取人员流动的自由，

they have to pay membership fees to the European Union,

他们必须向欧盟缴纳会费，

even though they aren't a part of it. 語法

即使他们并不是欧盟的一部分。

and thus don't get a say in its laws that they still have to follow. 短語搭配

因此，在他们仍然必须遵守的法律中，他们没有发言权。

This arrangement is the European Economic Area,

这种安排被称为欧洲经济区（EEA），

and it sounds like a terrible deal were it not for that asterisk 語法

听起来像个糟糕的交易，若不是因为那个星号

which grants EEA, but not EU members

它赋予了EEA成员（但非欧盟成员）

a pass on some areas of law,

在某些法律领域的豁免权，

notably farming and fishing,

尤其是农业和渔业，

something a country like, say,

像冰岛这样的国家，

Iceland might care quite a lot about running themselves.

可能会非常在意由自己来管理这些事务。

Between the European Union

在欧盟

and the European Economic Area,

和欧洲经济区之间，

the continent looks mostly covered

欧洲大陆看起来基本被覆盖了，

with the notable exception of Switzerland, 短語搭配

除了显著例外的瑞士，

who remains neutral and fiercely independent,

她保持中立并极度独立，

except for her participation in the Schengen Area.

除了参与了申根区。

If you're from a country that keeps her borders extremely clean

如果你来自一个边境极其干净

and or well patrolled,

和/或巡逻严密的国家，

the Schengen Area is a bit mind-blowing 用詞

申根区会让你觉得有点不可思议，

because it's an agreement between countries

因为这是国家间的一项协议，

to take a meh approach to borders. 短語搭配

对边界采取“无所谓”的态度。

In the Schengen Area,

在申根区，

international boundaries look like this.

国际边界看起来是这样的。

No border officers or passport checks of any kind.

没有任何形式的边检人员或护照检查。

You can walk from Lisbon to Tallinn

你可以从里斯本走到塔林，

without identification

无需身份证件，

or the need to answer the question,

也无需回答这样的问题：

business or pleasure. 文化背景

商务还是旅游？

For Switzerland,

对于瑞士来说，

being part of Schengen,

作为申根区的一部分，

but not part of the European Union,

但不是欧盟的一部分，

means that non-Swiss can check in anytime they like,

意味着非瑞士人随时可以进来，

but they can never stay.

但永远不能留下。

This kumbaya approach to borders 文化背景

这种对边界的“天下一家”态度

isn't appreciated by everyone in the EU,

并未得到欧盟内所有国家的欣赏，

most loudly the United Kingdom and Ireland,

声音最大的是英国和爱尔兰，

who argue that islands are different.

他们认为岛屿情况不同。

Thus,

因此，

to get onto these fair Isles, 用詞

要进入这些美丽的岛屿，

you'll need a passport and a good reason.

你需要护照和合理的理由。

Britannia's reluctance to get fully involved with the EU

不列颠不愿完全卷入欧盟的态度

brings us to the next topic, 表達脈絡

引出了我们的下一个话题，

money.

钱。

The European Union has its own fancy currency,

欧盟拥有自己奇特的货币，

the euro,

欧元，

used by the majority,

被大多数国家使用，

but not all of the European Union members.

但并非所有欧盟成员国都用。

This economic union is called the Eurozone,

这个经济联盟被称为欧元区，

and to join,

要加入其中，

a country must first reach certain financial goals,

一个国家必须首先达到某些财务目标，

and lying about reaching those goals is certainly not something anyone would do. 語氣意圖

而谎称达到这些目标绝对是没有任何人会干的事。

Most of the non-Eurozone members,

大多数非欧元区成员国，

when they meet the goals,

当他们达到这些目标时，

will ditch their local currency in favor of the euro, 短語搭配

将放弃本国货币转而使用欧元，

but three of them,

但其中三个国家，

Denmark, Sweden,

丹麦、瑞典，

and, of course,

当然还有，

the United Kingdom,

英国，

have asterisks attached to the

在条约的

euro section of the treaty,

欧元部分附带了星号，

giving them a permanent opt out. 短語動詞

赋予它们永久的退出权。

And weirdly,

奇怪的是，

four tiny European countries,

四个微小的欧洲国家，

Andorra, San Marino,

安道尔、圣马力诺、

Monaco, and Vatican City,

摩纳哥和梵蒂冈城，

have an asterisk giving them the exact reverse,

拥有一个赋予它们完全相反权利的星号，

the right to print and use euros as their money,

即印制和使用欧元作为其货币的权利，

despite not being in the European Union at all. 語法

尽管它们完全不在欧盟内。

So,

所以，

that's the big picture. 表達脈絡

这就是总体情况。

There's the EU,

有欧盟，

which makes all the rules,

制定所有规则，

the Eurozone inside of it with a common currency,

内部是有着共同货币的欧元区，

the European Economic Area outside

外部是欧洲经济区，

of it where people can move freely and

人们可以在那里自由移动，以及

the selective Schengen for countries that think borders

有选择性的申根区，针对那些认为边界

just aren't worth the hassle. 短語搭配

不值得折腾的国家。

As you can see,

如你所见，

there's some strange overlap with these borders,

这些边界有一些奇怪的重叠，

but we're not done talking about complications by a long shot, 習語

但我们讨论复杂情况还远未结束，

once again,

再一次，

because empire.

因为帝国。

So,

所以，

Portugal and Spain have islands from their colonial days

葡萄牙和西班牙拥有从殖民时代起

that they've never parted with. 短語動詞

就未曾分离的岛屿。

These are the Madeira and Canary Islands

这些是马德拉群岛和加那利群岛，

off the coast of Africa

位于非洲海岸附近，

and the Azores well into the Atlantic.

以及深入大西洋的亚速尔群岛。

Because these islands are Spanish and Portuguese,

因为这些岛屿是西班牙和葡萄牙的，

they're part of the European Union as well.

它们也是欧盟的一部分。

Adding a few islands to the EU's borders

为欧盟的边界增加几个岛屿

isn't a big deal 短語搭配

并不是什么大事，

until you consider France,

直到你考虑到法国，

the queen of not letting go. 習語

这位不愿放手的女王。

She still holds on to a bunch of islands in the Caribbean,

她仍然保留着加勒比海的一些岛屿、

Reunion off the coast of Madagascar,

马达加斯加海岸附近的留尼汪岛，

and French Guiana in South America.

以及南美洲的法属圭亚那。

As far as France is concerned, 短語搭配

就法国而言，

these are France too,

这些也是法国，

which single-handedly extends the edge-to-edge distance of the European Union

这凭一己之力将欧盟的端到端距离

across a third of the Earth's circumference.

跨越了地球周长的三分之一。

Collectively,

总而言之，

these bits of France,

法国的这些部分，

Spain,

西班牙，

and Portugal are called the Outermost

以及葡萄牙的领土被称为最外延

Regions, and they're the result of the simple answer to empire,

地区，这是对帝国问题的简单回答的结果：

just keep it.

留着就行。

On the other hand, 表達脈絡

另一方面，

there's the United Kingdom,

还有英国，

the master of maintaining complicated relationships with her quasi former lands,

这位与她的“准前领地”保持复杂关系的大师，

and she's by no means alone 短語搭配

她绝不孤单，

in this on such an empire happy continent.

在这个痴迷帝国的欧洲大陆上。

The Netherlands and Denmark

荷兰、丹麦

and France,

和法国，

again,

再次，

all have what the European Union calls overseas territories.

都拥有欧盟所谓的海外领地。

They're not part of the European Union.

它们不是欧盟的一部分。

Instead,

相反，

they're a bottomless well of asterisks 習語

它们是一个无底的星号坑，

due to their complicated relationships with both the European Union

因为它们与欧盟

and their associated countries,

及其所属国家都有着复杂的关系，

which makes it hard to say anything meaningful about them as a group, 語法

这使得很难作为一个群体对它们说出任何有意义的话，

but in general, 語氣意圖

但总体而言，

European Union law doesn't apply to these places,

欧盟法律不适用于这些地方，

though in general,

尽管总体而言，

the people who live there are European Union citizens

居住在那里的人是欧盟公民，

because in general,

因为总体而言，

they have the citizenship of their associated country.

他们拥有其所属国家的公民身份。

So,

所以，

in general,

总体而言，

they can live anywhere in the EU they want,

他们可以随心所欲地住在欧盟的任何地方，

but in general,

但总体而言，

other European Union citizens can't freely move to these territories,

其他欧盟公民不能自由迁移到这些领地，

which makes these places a weird semipermeable membrane of the European Union proper. 習語

这使得这些地方成为真正的欧盟一种奇怪的半透膜。

And the final part we're going to talk about in detail,

我们要详细讨论的最后一部分，

even though there are still many more one-off asterisks you might stumble upon, 短語動詞

尽管你可能还会偶然发现许多一次性的星号，

such as the Isle of Man

比如马恩岛，

or the Spanish cities in North Africa

或者在北非的西班牙城市，

or Gibraltar,

或者直布罗陀，

who pretends to be part of Southwest England sometimes,

有时假装是英格兰西南部的一部分，

or that region in Greece where it's totally legal to ban women,

或者希腊那个禁止女性完全合法的地区，

or Saba and friends,

或者萨巴岛及其伙伴，

who are part of the Netherlands

它们是荷兰的一部分，

and so should be part of the EU,

因此本应是欧盟的一部分，

but aren't,

但事实并非如此，

or the Faroe Islands upon which while citizens of Denmark live,

或者是法罗群岛，尽管住着丹麦公民，

they lose their EU citizenship,

他们却会失去欧盟公民身份，

and on and on it goes. 習語

诸如此类，不胜枚举。

These asterisks almost never end, 表達脈絡

这些星号几乎永远没完，

but this video must.

但这个视频必须结束了。