地球上最令人費解的政治體系：英語精讀講義

Where is the European Union?

歐盟在哪裡？

Obviously, here somewhere,

很顯然，在大概這裡的某個地方，

but much like the European continent itself, 片語搭配

但就像歐洲大陸本身一樣，

which has an unclear boundary,

有著不明確的邊界，

the European Union also has some fuzzy edges to it. 慣用語

歐盟的邊緣也有一些模糊之處。

To start, 表達脈絡

首先，

the official members of the European Union

歐盟的正式成員國

are in decreasing order of population,

按人口遞減的順序排列是：

Germany, France,

德國、法國、

the United Kingdom,

英國、

Italy, Spain,

義大利、西班牙、

Poland, Romania,

波蘭、羅馬尼亞、

the Kingdom of the Netherlands,

荷蘭王國、

Greece, Belgium,

希臘、比利時、

Portugal, the Czech Republic,

葡萄牙、捷克共和國、

Hungary, Sweden,

匈牙利、瑞典、

Austria, Bulgaria,

奧地利、保加利亞、

Denmark, Slovakia,

丹麥、斯洛伐克、

Finland, Ireland,

芬蘭、愛爾蘭、

Croatia, Lithuania,

克羅埃西亞、立陶宛、

Latvia, Slovenia,

拉脫維亞、斯洛維尼亞、

Estonia, Cyprus,

愛沙尼亞、賽普勒斯、

Luxembourg, and Malta.

盧森堡和馬爾他。

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

歐盟的邊界可能還會繼續向外擴張，

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

因為還有其他國家正處於努力成為成員國的各個階段。

How the EU works is hideously complicated

歐盟的運作方式極其複雜，

and a story for another time, 片語搭配

這是另一個話題了，

but for this video,

但在本影片中，

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,

國家需要繳納會費，

and second,

第二，

vote on the laws they all must follow,

要對他們都必須遵守的法律進行投票，

and third,

第三，

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

成員國的公民也自動成為歐盟公民。

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

最後這一點意味著，如果你是這些國家中任何一國的公民，

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

你可以在任何其他國家自由地生活、工作和退休，

which is nice,

這很不錯，

especially if you think your country is too big 文法

特別是如果你覺得你的國家太大，

or too small

或太小，

or too hot

或太熱，

or too cold.

或太冷。

The European Union gives you options.

歐盟為你提供了選擇。

By the way, 表達脈絡

順便問一下，

did you notice how all three of these statements

你有沒有注意到這三句話

have asterisks attached to this unhelpful footnote?

都附帶了星號，指向這個沒啥用的註腳？

Well,

好吧，

get used to it. 片語動詞

習慣就好。

Europe loves asterisks

歐洲就喜歡星號，

that add exceptions to complicated agreements.

為複雜的協議加上例外情況。

These three, for example,

比如這三個星號，

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

就將我們引向了第一點邊界的模糊之處，

with Norway, Iceland, and little Liechtenstein,

即與挪威、冰島和小國列支敦斯登的關係，

none of which are in the European Union, 文法

它們都不在歐盟內，

but if you're an EU citizen,

但如果你是歐盟公民，

you can live in these countries

你可以在這些國家生活，

and Norwegians, Icelanders,

而挪威人、冰島人，

or Liechtensteiners can live in yours.

或列支敦斯登人也可以在你的國家生活。

Why?

為什麼呢？

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

為了換取人員流動的自由，

they have to pay membership fees to the European Union,

他們必須向歐盟繳納會費，

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

即使他們並不是歐盟的一部分。

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

因此，在他們仍然必須遵守的法律中，他們沒有發言權。

This arrangement is the European Economic Area,

這種安排被稱為歐洲經濟區（EEA），

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

聽起來像個糟糕的交易，若不是因為那個星號

which grants EEA, but not EU members

它賦予了EEA成員（但非歐盟成員）

a pass on some areas of law,

在某些法律領域的豁免權，

notably farming and fishing,

尤其是農業和漁業，

something a country like, say,

像冰島這樣的國家，

Iceland might care quite a lot about running themselves.

可能會非常在意由自己來管理這些事務。

Between the European Union

在歐盟

and the European Economic Area,

和歐洲經濟區之間，

the continent looks mostly covered

歐洲大陸看起來基本被覆蓋了，

with the notable exception of Switzerland, 片語搭配

除了顯著例外的瑞士，

who remains neutral and fiercely independent,

她保持中立並極度獨立，

except for her participation in the Schengen Area.

除了參與了申根區。

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

如果你來自一個邊境極其乾淨

and or well patrolled,

和/或巡邏嚴密的國家，

the Schengen Area is a bit mind-blowing 用詞

申根區會讓你覺得有點不可思議，

because it's an agreement between countries

因為這是國家間的一項協議，

to take a meh approach to borders. 片語搭配

對邊界採取「無所謂」的態度。

In the Schengen Area,

在申根區，

international boundaries look like this.

國際邊界看起來是這樣的。

No border officers or passport checks of any kind.

沒有任何形式的邊檢人員或護照檢查。

You can walk from Lisbon to Tallinn

你可以從里斯本走到塔林，

without identification

無需身分證件，

or the need to answer the question,

也無需回答這樣的問題：

business or pleasure. 文化背景

商務還是旅遊？

For Switzerland,

對於瑞士來說，

being part of Schengen,

作為申根區的一部分，

but not part of the European Union,

但不是歐盟的一部分，

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

意味著非瑞士人隨時可以進來，

but they can never stay.

但永遠不能留下。

This kumbaya approach to borders 文化背景

這種對邊界的「天下一家」態度

isn't appreciated by everyone in the EU,

並未得到歐盟內所有國家的欣賞，

most loudly the United Kingdom and Ireland,

聲音最大的是英國和愛爾蘭，

who argue that islands are different.

他們認為島嶼情況不同。

Thus,

因此，

to get onto these fair Isles, 用詞

要進入這些美麗的島嶼，

you'll need a passport and a good reason.

你需要護照和合理的理由。

Britannia's reluctance to get fully involved with the EU

不列顛不願完全捲入歐盟的態度

brings us to the next topic, 表達脈絡

引出了我們的下一個話題，

money.

錢。

The European Union has its own fancy currency,

歐盟擁有自己奇特的貨幣，

the euro,

歐元，

used by the majority,

被大多數國家使用，

but not all of the European Union members.

但並非所有歐盟成員國都用。

This economic union is called the Eurozone,

這個經濟聯盟被稱為歐元區，

and to join,

要加入其中，

a country must first reach certain financial goals,

一個國家必須首先達到某些財務目標，

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

而謊稱達到這些目標絕對是沒有任何人會幹的事。

Most of the non-Eurozone members,

大多數非歐元區成員國，

when they meet the goals,

當他們達到這些目標時，

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

將放棄本國貨幣轉而使用歐元，

but three of them,

但其中三個國家，

Denmark, Sweden,

丹麥、瑞典，

and, of course,

當然還有，

the United Kingdom,

英國，

have asterisks attached to the

在條約的

euro section of the treaty,

歐元部分附帶了星號，

giving them a permanent opt out. 片語動詞

賦予它們永久的退出權。

And weirdly,

奇怪的是，

four tiny European countries,

四個微小的歐洲國家，

Andorra, San Marino,

安道爾、聖馬利諾、

Monaco, and Vatican City,

摩納哥和梵蒂岡城，

have an asterisk giving them the exact reverse,

擁有一個賦予它們完全相反權利的星號，

the right to print and use euros as their money,

即印製和使用歐元作為其貨幣的權利，

despite not being in the European Union at all. 文法

儘管它們完全不在歐盟內。

So,

所以，

that's the big picture. 表達脈絡

這就是總體情況。

There's the EU,

有歐盟，

which makes all the rules,

制定所有規則，

the Eurozone inside of it with a common currency,

內部是有著共同貨幣的歐元區，

the European Economic Area outside

外部是歐洲經濟區，

of it where people can move freely and

人們可以在那裡自由移動，以及

the selective Schengen for countries that think borders

有選擇性的申根區，針對那些認為邊界

just aren't worth the hassle. 片語搭配

不值得折騰的國家。

As you can see,

如你所見，

there's some strange overlap with these borders,

這些邊界有一些奇怪的重疊，

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

但我們討論複雜情況還遠未結束，

once again,

再一次，

because empire.

因為帝國。

So,

所以，

Portugal and Spain have islands from their colonial days

葡萄牙和西班牙擁有從殖民時代起

that they've never parted with. 片語動詞

就未曾分離的島嶼。

These are the Madeira and Canary Islands

這些是馬德拉群島和加那利群島，

off the coast of Africa

位於非洲海岸附近，

and the Azores well into the Atlantic.

以及深入大西洋的亞速群島。

Because these islands are Spanish and Portuguese,

因為這些島嶼是西班牙和葡萄牙的，

they're part of the European Union as well.

它們也是歐盟的一部分。

Adding a few islands to the EU's borders

為歐盟的邊界增加幾個島嶼

isn't a big deal 片語搭配

並不是什麼大事，

until you consider France,

直到你考慮到法國，

the queen of not letting go. 慣用語

這位不願放手的女王。

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

她仍然保留著加勒比海的一些島嶼、

Reunion off the coast of Madagascar,

馬達加斯加海岸附近的留尼旺島，

and French Guiana in South America.

以及南美洲的法屬圭亞那。

As far as France is concerned, 片語搭配

就法國而言，

these are France too,

這些也是法國，

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

這憑一己之力將歐盟的端到端距離

across a third of the Earth's circumference.

跨越了地球周長的三分之一。

Collectively,

總而言之，

these bits of France,

法國的這些部分，

Spain,

西班牙，

and Portugal are called the Outermost

以及葡萄牙的領土被稱為最外延

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

地區，這是對帝國問題的簡單回答的結果：

just keep it.

留著就行。

On the other hand, 表達脈絡

另一方面，

there's the United Kingdom,

還有英國，

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

這位與她的「準前領地」保持複雜關係的大師，

and she's by no means alone 片語搭配

她絕不孤單，

in this on such an empire happy continent.

在這個痴迷帝國的歐洲大陸上。

The Netherlands and Denmark

荷蘭、丹麥

and France,

和法國，

again,

再次，

all have what the European Union calls overseas territories.

都擁有歐盟所謂的海外領地。

They're not part of the European Union.

它們不是歐盟的一部分。

Instead,

相反，

they're a bottomless well of asterisks 慣用語

它們是一個無底的星號坑，

due to their complicated relationships with both the European Union

因為它們與歐盟

and their associated countries,

及其所屬國家都有著複雜的關係，

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

這使得很難作為一個群體對它們說出任何有意義的話，

but in general, 語氣意圖

但總體而言，

European Union law doesn't apply to these places,

歐盟法律不適用於這些地方，

though in general,

儘管總體而言，

the people who live there are European Union citizens

居住在那裡的人是歐盟公民，

because in general,

因為總體而言，

they have the citizenship of their associated country.

他們擁有其所屬國家的公民身分。

So,

所以，

in general,

總體而言，

they can live anywhere in the EU they want,

他們可以隨心所欲地住在歐盟的任何地方，

but in general,

但總體而言，

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

其他歐盟公民不能自由遷移到這些領地，

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

這使得這些地方成為真正的歐盟一種奇怪的半透膜。

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

我們要詳細討論的最後一部分，

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

儘管你可能還會偶然發現許多一次性的星號，

such as the Isle of Man

比如曼島，

or the Spanish cities in North Africa

或者在北非的西班牙城市，

or Gibraltar,

或者直布羅陀，

who pretends to be part of Southwest England sometimes,

有時假裝是英格蘭西南部的一部分，

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

或者希臘那個禁止女性完全合法的地區，

or Saba and friends,

或者薩巴島及其夥伴，

who are part of the Netherlands

它們是荷蘭的一部分，

and so should be part of the EU,

因此本應是歐盟的一部分，

but aren't,

但事實並非如此，

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

或者是法羅群島，儘管住著丹麥公民，

they lose their EU citizenship,

他們卻會失去歐盟公民身分，

and on and on it goes. 慣用語

諸如此類，不勝枚舉。

These asterisks almost never end, 表達脈絡

這些星號幾乎永遠沒完，

but this video must.

但這個影片必須結束了。