撒切尔夫人生平讣文：年轻时的"牛奶掠夺者"

2013-04-10 00:00:00来源：BBC英伦网

　　'Milk snatcher' “牛奶掠夺者”

　　When Sir Alec Douglas-Home stood down as Conservative leader, Mrs Thatcher voted for Ted Heath in the 1965 leadership election and was rewarded with a post as spokeswoman on housing and land.

　　亚历克·道格拉斯-霍姆爵士辞任保守党党魁以后，撒切尔在1965年党魁选举中把选票投给了特德·希思，作为回报，她成为了住房和土地事务的发言人。

　　She campaigned vigorously for the right of council tenants to buy their houses and was a constant critic of Labour's policy of high taxation.

　　她积极推动社会福利房住户获得购房置业的权利，并成为工党高税收政策的坚决批判者。

　　When Ted Heath entered Downing Street in 1970, she was promoted to the cabinet as education secretary with a brief to implement spending cuts in her department.

　　当特德·希思1970年入主唐宁街后，她被提升为教育及科学大臣，随后她下令削减教育开支。

　　One of these resulted in the withdrawal of free school milk for children aged between seven and 11 which led to bitter attacks from Labour and a press campaign which dubbed her "Margaret Thatcher, milk snatcher".

　　削减开支的一个结果就是取消了给7岁至11岁儿童免费供应牛奶的政策，这导致工党对其发动了猛烈的攻击，媒体抗议运动也将她戏称为“玛格利特·撒切尔，牛奶掠夺者”。

　　She herself had argued in cabinet against the removal of free milk. She later wrote: "I learned a valuable lesson. I had incurred the maximum of political odium for the minimum of political benefit."

　　她自己也曾在内阁为反对取消免费牛奶而争吵。她之后写道：“我学到了宝贵的一课。我为了最小的政治利益而招致了最大的政治憎恨。”

　　As one of the few high-flying women in politics there was, inevitably, talk of the possibility that she might, one day, become prime minister. Similar press speculation surrounded the Labour minister Shirley Williams.

　　作为政界少有的有野心的女性，她不可避免地会被人谈及：或许某一天，她会成为首相。工党大臣谢莉·威廉姆斯身边也围绕着类似的媒体猜测。

　　Margaret Thatcher dismissed the idea. In a TV interview she said she did not believe that there would be a woman prime minister in her lifetime.

　　玛格利特·撒切尔驳斥了这种想法。在一个电视采访中，她说她不相信在她有生之年会产生一个女首相。

　　The Heath government was not to last. Battered by the 1973 oil crisis, forced to impose a three-day working week and facing a miners' strike, Edward Heath's administration finally collapsed in February 1974.

　　希思政府注定不会长久。在遭受1973年石油危机的打击，被迫强制实行三日工作周，并面临新一轮矿工罢工后，爱德华·希思政府终于在1974年2月垮台了。

　　Margaret Thatcher, who has died following a stroke, was one of the most influential political figures of the 20th Century.

　　撒切尔夫人，20世纪最有影响力的政治人物之一，在2013年4月8日，因中风不幸逝世。

　　Her legacy had a profound effect upon the policies of her successors, both Conservative and Labour, while her radical and sometimes confrontational approach defined her 11-year period at No 10.

　　她深深影响了她之后的包括保守党和工党在内的历届英国首相。这样一位激进的，有时甚至带有攻击性的“铁娘子”担任了长达11年之久的英国首相。

　　Her term in office saw thousands of ordinary voters gaining a stake in society, buying their council houses and eagerly snapping up shares in the newly privatised industries such as British Gas and BT.

　　她在任职期间推动社会改革，成千上万的英国普通选民购买了政府公屋，抢购了诸如英国天然气和英国电信等新近私有化行业的股份。

　　But her rejection of consensus politics made her a divisive figure and opposition to her policies and her style of government led eventually to rebellion inside her party and unrest on the streets.

　　但她对舆论政治的排斥使她备受争议，同时她的政策也招致反对。最终她所领导的政党内部反声一片，社会也混乱不堪。

　　参加口译考试的同学们在平时要积累大量素材，尤其是像上文这样的双语时事内容。帮助同学们练习。

本文关键字: 掠夺者