2006年VOA标准英语-Blair Takes Final Legislative Agenda to British

By Sonja Pace
London
15 November 2006

Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair has taken his final legislative¹ agenda to parliament with promises of tougher legislation on terrorism, crime, and illegal immigration. The agenda was unveiled amid a great deal of pomp and pageantry as Queen Elizabeth II formally presented the government's program to parliament.

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It is an annual ceremony, laced with traditions dating back centuries - the flourish of trumpets², the monarch³ entering the upper House of Lords, wearing the jewel studded Imperial State Crown.

And then, the Queen's messenger knocks on the doors of the House of Commons, summoning members to attend the opening of parliament. 
 

Queen Elizabeth II  
  
After that it was down to business as the Queen read the government's program for the upcoming legislative session.

"At the heart of my government's program will be further action to provide strong, secure and stable communities and to address the threat of terrorism," the queen said.

It came as no surprise that tougher security legislation and countering the threat of terrorism top the legislative agenda.

It follows a revelation by Britain domestic intelligence chief, Eliza Manningham-Buller that her agents are tracking about 30 terrorist plots involving 16,00 people.

The government has warned that young British Muslims are being radicalized at an alarming rate and that the terrorist threat will likely continue for a generation to come.

The government wants to introduce legislation to allow the use of phone intercepts⁴ in court, to extend the current 28-day limit on detention⁵ without charges and to make it easier to deport⁶ terrorist suspects.

The Queen read an agenda that includes more than 30 legislative proposals ranging from public transport, road congestion⁷, and health care to climate change and foreign policy issues.

"My government remains⁸ committed to peace in the Middle East. It will continue to work to find a lasting⁹ settlement between Israel and the Palestinians, to support the new Iraqi government in its efforts to build an enduring constitutional settlement and to assist the government of Afghanistan."

 
Tony Blair  
  
Mr. Blair has promised to focus on the Middle East during his remaining months in office.

In a speech earlier this week, he repeated calls for a "whole Middle East strategy," which focuses first and foremost on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

That, the prime minister believes, will relieve "pressure points" elsewhere and will help stabilize¹⁰ the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan and prove more effective in countering terrorism on a global scale.

In her annual address, Queen Elizabeth also announced that she and her husband, Prince Philip, will visit the United States in May for the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the founding of the settlement of Jamestown in the state of Virginia.

1 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

2 trumpets   

喇叭( trumpet的名词复数 )； 小号； 喇叭形物； （尤指）绽开的水仙花

参考例句：

• A wreath was laid on the monument to a fanfare of trumpets. 在响亮的号角声中花圈被献在纪念碑前。
• A fanfare of trumpets heralded the arrival of the King. 嘹亮的小号声宣告了国王驾到。

3 monarch   

n.帝王，君主，最高统治者

参考例句：

• The monarch's role is purely ceremonial.君主纯粹是个礼仪职位。
• I think myself happier now than the greatest monarch upon earth.我觉得这个时候比世界上什么帝王都快乐。

4 intercepts   

（数学）截距( intercept的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It intercepts a portion of the light impinging on the photocell. 它遮住一部分照射在光电管上的光。
• The pelletfilter intercepts the particulate matter. 颗粒过滤器将颗粒物进行拦截。

5 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

6 deport   

vt.驱逐出境

参考例句：

• We deport aliens who slip across our borders.我们把偷渡入境的外国人驱逐出境。
• More than 240 England football fans are being deported from Italy following riots last night.昨晚的骚乱发生后有240多名英格兰球迷被驱逐出意大利。

7 congestion   

n.阻塞，消化不良

参考例句：

• The congestion in the city gets even worse during the summer.夏天城市交通阻塞尤为严重。
• Parking near the school causes severe traffic congestion.在学校附近泊车会引起严重的交通堵塞。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

10 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。