| ►News of the Week/本周焦點新聞 |
| |
|
| Speaker of the House Ousted, Leaving Congress in Limbo |
| 美國眾議院議長遭罷免下台 國會陷入未定之天 |
| |
|
 |
In a historic move, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to oust McCarthy as Speaker. |
| |
在一項歷史性的進展中，美國眾議院表決罷免身為議長的麥卡錫。 |
|
The House will now need to elect a new speaker, but there is no clear alternative who would have the support needed to win the gavel. |
| |
眾議院如今需要選出一位新的議長，但沒有能得到贏得議事槌所需的支持的明確替代人選。 |
|
And McCarthy said he will not try for the speakership again. |
| |
而麥卡錫表示自己不會再次爭取議長職位。 |
| |
|
|
When Speaker Kevin McCarthy failed to keep his leadership post, his 269-day speakership became the shortest in more than 140 years. |
| |
凱文．麥卡錫議長未能保住他的領導職位，他兩百六十九天的議長任期成了一百四十多年來最短的。 |
| |
|
|
House members typically vote for a speaker on the first day of each new Congress. |
| |
眾議院成員通常在每屆新國會的第一天投票選議長。 |
|
Seven previous members of Congress, whose speakership terms ended with resignation or death while in office, served terms shorter than McCarthy's. |
| |
先前有七位國會成員的議長任期結束是因為辭職或在任內去世，擔任時間比麥卡錫短。 |
|
But those speakers served when their party was in leadership in other Congresses and ultimately had longer cumulative speakerships. |
| |
但是那些議長有在其所屬政黨於其他屆國會位居領導時任職，因而最終擁有更長的累積議長任期。 |
| |
|
|
House speakerships have grown longer on average since the 1800s, when the modern two-party political system was still being established. |
| |
自十八００年代以來，眾議院議長的平均任期變得更長了，當時現代的兩黨政治體系還在建立中。 |
|
A House speaker has stayed in power for an average of roughly 638 days since 2001, compared to 459 days during the 19th century. |
| |
自二００一年以來，一位眾議院議長在位平均約六百三十八天，相較之下，十九世紀時是四百五十九天。 |
| |
|
|
But McCarthy faced uniquely tough challenges as the leader of the 118th Congress. |
| |
但是，身為第一百一十八屆國會領導人的麥卡錫面臨了特別艱難的挑戰。 |
|
His four-seat Republican majority, tied with two other time periods for the fifth-smallest in history, left him vulnerable to pressure from hard-line conservatives in his party. |
| |
他的四席共和黨多數優勢與其他兩個時期並列史上第五小，使他難以招架自己黨內強硬保守派的壓力。 |
|
Winning the speaker's gavel ultimately required concessions that have now backfired, such as restoring the ability of a single member to trigger a vote to expel a speaker by a simple majority. |
| |
贏得議事槌終究需要作出如今事與願違的讓步，例如恢復單一成員能以簡單多數決啟動驅逐議長的投票。 |
| |
|
|
Now, Republican and frequent McCarthy critic Representative Matt Gaetz has forced a successful vote to vacate the chair on the House floor. |
| |
現在，屬共和黨且經常批評麥卡錫的眾議員馬特．蓋茨成功推動了一項清空眾議院主席之位的投票。 |
|
The vote came after McCarthy worked with Democrats to pass a short-term funding bill to avert a government shutdown, and it sets up another fight for the gavel. |
| |
這次投票是在麥卡錫與民主黨人合作通過一項短期資金法案以避免政府停擺之後進行的，這也促成另一場爭取議事槌的爭鬥。 |
| |
|
| |
| ►重點單字 |
| |
speaker n. 議長；發言人（speakership 為名詞，表示「議長職位」） |
| |
| oust v. 彈劾；罷黜 |
 |
|
The rebel group plotted to oust the dictator from power.
該反叛組織策劃推翻那名獨裁者下台。 |
|
| |
alternative n. 替代選擇；可替代的選項 |
| |
gavel n. 木槌；法官槌；主席槌 |
| |
resignation n. 辭職；辭呈 |
| |
| cumulative adj. 累積的；累計的 |
|
|
The cumulative effects of regular exercise on his health were remarkable.
規律運動對他的健康產生的累積效果很顯著。 |
|
| |
| establish v. 建立；設立 |
|
|
It took many years to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries.
建立那兩個國家間的外交關係花了許多年的時間。 |
|
| |
| vulnerable adj. 易脆弱的；易受攻擊的 |
|
|
The elderly are often more vulnerable to illness.
長者通常比較容易受到疾病的侵襲。 |
|
| |
| hard-line adj. 強硬派的；強硬的 |
|
|
The candidate's hard-line policies appealed to a specific group of voters.
這位候選人的強硬政策吸引了特定選民族群。 |
|
| |
concession n. 讓步；妥協 |
| |
| backfire v. 事與願違；產生不良後果 |
|
|
The prank they played on their friend backfired when he turned the tables on them.
他們對朋友的惡作劇在他逆襲之後產生了反效果。 |
|
| |
| trigger v. 觸發；引發 |
|
|
The unexpected news could trigger a stock market crash.
這則出乎意料的新聞恐引發股市崩盤。 |
|
| |
| expel v. 驅逐；開除 |
|
|
The school expelled the student for repeated violations of the code of conduct.
學校因那名學生多次違反行為規範而將其開除。 |
|
| |
| vacate v. 空出；撤離 |
|
|
After the meeting, they had to vacate the conference room for the next group.
會議結束後，他們得清空會議室給下一組人使用。 |
|
| |
| avert v. 避免；防止 |
|
|
Quick action by the pilot helped avert a potential disaster.
飛行員的迅速行動有助於避免一場潛在的災難。 |
|
| |
shutdown n. 關閉；停工 |
| |
|
| |
| ►片語解析 |
| |
in limbo 懸而未決、不上不下的狀態 |
| |
 |
limbo 原指天主教神學中的「靈薄獄」，為地獄邊緣地帶，是未受洗、未接觸福音的靈魂的居所，用來喻指「被遺忘狀態」，慣用語 in limbo 表示「懸而未決的狀態」。 |
|
| |
|
|
After losing his job, he felt like his career was in limbo.
失業後，他感覺自己的職涯陷入了不上不下的狀態。 |
|
| |
|
 |
| |
|
