VOA标准英语2009年-Czech Court Clears Way for President to Si

By Lisa Bryant
Paris
03 November 2009

The Czech Republic's Constitutional Court has removed the last obstacle to a new European Union charter known as the Lisbon Treaty by dismissing a complaint that had been brought against the document. Shortly after the court decision, the Czech President Vaclav Klaus signed the document. The move paves the way for a stronger, more unified¹ EU.

 
Czech Republic's President Vaclav Klaus briefs the press after signing the Lisbon Treaty at the Prague Castle in Prague, Czech Republic, 03 Nov 2009
The court's decision, essentially² that the European Union's Lisbon Treaty does not violate the Czech constitution, does not come as a surprise. But it is significant, because it removes the last legal obstacle blocking the treaty, making the Czech Republic the last of the EU's 27 members to endorse³ the reform document.

In a statement read by his spokeswoman, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barosso hailed the ruling.

"I hope we can now move forward as quickly as possible on the nomination⁴ of the president of the European Council and the vice⁵ president of the Commission, the high representative," he said.

Observers expect European leaders will meet later this month to elect the first ever EU president. More broadly, says Antonio Missiroli, head of the Brussels-based European Policy Center, the EU will undergo some major structural⁶ changes over the next few weeks.

"In fact by January 1, the whole new setup should be in place - new [EU] Commission, new president of the European Council, new "foreign minister," the new treaty," said Missiroli. "That would be a new start of the European Union. Of course, things are not going to change overnight and suddenly from the first a completely different way of operating by the European Union. But I think that over time, when the novelties will be in place, it will be more likely that the European Union will be capable of acting⁷ more effectively, especially on the international stage."

Missiroli, for one, is cautiously optimistic about the future. While foreign leaders will not have a single telephone number to call if they want to reach Europe, he says they will at least be able to reach a single switchboard - in Brussels. 

1 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

2 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

3 endorse   

vt.(支票、汇票等)背书，背署；批注；同意

参考例句：

• No one is foolish enough to endorse it.没有哪个人会傻得赞成它。
• I fully endorse your opinions on this subject.我完全拥护你对此课题的主张。

4 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

5 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

6 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

7 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。