[精听口译素材] 41. 从英德两国应对新冠疫情看两国政府差异

本视频为欧盟委员会制作的公开口译素材。

SpeechRepository官网: 

https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/sr/

Source:https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/sr/node/30673

Time: 27/01/2021

Level: Advanced （官方定为Advanced，实际差不多Intermediate+）

Use: Consecutive 

本文非官方文本，如有问题望周知。

正文从30s开始。

Ladies and gentlemen,

On the first of July this year, Germany took over the rotating presidency of the European Union. For the six months between the end of July and the end of December, it will be Germany's responsibility to steer the European Union and its member states through the many challenges that they are facing. Challenges such as the need to get the economies of the different member states back on their feet after the major hit that they will take through the coronavirus pandemic. Challenges such as the increase in the number of populist movements with their anti-democratic narratives, how is the European Union going to respond to that? And last but not least, the German government will also be responsible for handling the negotiations to finalise a Brexit deal with the UK, so that the UK would finally be able to leave the European Union at the end of this year with the deal causing the least possible disruption. 

And I think the fact that the Germans have taken over the presidency at such a critical time has not yet really received all the attention that it deserves. Because it will offer people, particularly people in the UK, an opportunity to see the contrasting styles and values of the two governments. And I have to say that if the way in which the coronavirus pandemic has been handled by the two governments is anything to go by, then that comparison is not going to be particularly favourable to the UK. 

Let me start by giving you some figures. As of the beginning of September, the UK with its population of 68 million people had had 336,000 cases of coronavirus, Germany with its population of 83 million had had just 245,000 cases. And if we look at the statistics for death data, the number of deaths caused by coronavirus, then the contrast is even more stark. Because whereas the UK had had 41,500 deaths due to coronavirus by the beginning of September, Germany had had just 9,300. 

So clearly Germany's getting something right that the UK isn't. So what is it? Well, it seems to me that one obvious answer is the way in which the Germans found their healthcare system. And this is a bit of a paradox because the UK has always blown a lot of hot air about how wonderful the National Health Service, the NHS and how this current conservative government was going to make it even better, turning it into a world-beating health care service second to none. 

But the fact is that the Germans spend quite a lot more on healthcare than we do in the UK. Germany spends on average 6000 Euros per person per anima on health care. And that contrasts to just the 4000 euros equivalent spent by the UK on healthcare per anima per capita. And what that basically meant was that when the coronavirus pandemic broke earlier this year, the Germans were just much better prepared to deal with the crisis. They had more beds, they had more equipment, they had more doctors and nurses available. They also had a testing system in place which enabled them to quickly identify outbreaks of coronavirus and to contain those outbreaks. Whereas the UK pretty much gave up on testing from day one and it's only beginning to get its act together now. In other words for those prepared to listen, the coronavirus pandemic offers some interesting lessons about how to conduct government business. 

You see, Brexit was always based on the premise that the UK was fundamentally better than everybody else. It was only being held back by all those pesky rules of regulations that came out of Brussels. Once we were free of that, we would be able to resume our rightful position as global leaders. But the facts seem to tell a different story and suggest that that will not be the case after Brexit happens. The only problem is, will people see that for as the saying goes, "there's none so blind as we will not see". Thank you for your attention. 

• 这里的this year指的是去年——2020年7月德国担任欧盟轮值主席国。2021年德国的大事件应该是大选。
• the rotating presidency 轮值主席（国），很多国际组织比如联合国安理会，欧盟，金砖国家（BRICS）都会由成员国（member states）轮流担任主席。
• steer
• be/get back on your feet: to have enough money again, or to be successful again after having problems 重新富有，东山再起
• 白手起家 from scratch
• go by sth 根据某事作判断
• And I have to say that if the way in which the coronavirus pandemic has been handled by the two governments is anything to go by, then that comparison is not going to be particularly favourable to the UK.
• death toll 死亡总数 （在新冠肆虐的这一年多时间里，death toll时常出现）
• toll 之前也出现过很多次，包括过路费，鸣丧钟等意，可以再去查查字典。
• hot air 大话，空话
• I'd come to the conclusion by then that he was all hot air. 我那时已得出结论，他只会夸夸其谈。
• 外交部例行记者比较常会看到自诩民主的灯塔或者自我标榜：

• These countries, claiming to be "beacons of democracy" and "shining examples of human rights", are in the habit of pointing fingers and willfully accusing other countries of coercion, repression and violation of freedoms. 这些国家总是自诩为“民主灯塔”“人权模范”，一贯到处指指点点，动不动就指责他国胁迫压制、侵犯自由。

• be second to none = the best
• anima 灵魂，生命
• 这里的俗语原话是：there's none so blind as those who will not see.