美語情景對話 第579期:Irish Politics 愛爾蘭的政治

Todd: So, Ruth, you're from Ireland.

託德：露絲，你來自愛爾蘭。

Ruth: Yes, that's right.

露絲：對，沒錯。

Todd: And could you talk a little bit about the government in Ireland, like do you have a president or a prime minister?

託德：你能談談愛爾蘭政府嗎，比如你們國家的元首是總統還是總理？

Ruth: In fact, we have both. We have a president, Mary McAleese, and then there's another set, another ruling body, where the head is called the Taoiseach, which is Irish for Prime Minister, and the Prime Minister at the moment is a man called Bertie Ahern.

露絲：實際上，都有。我們的總統是瑪麗·麥卡利斯，還有一個治理職位，即愛爾蘭總理，現任總理是伯蒂·埃亨。

Todd: So you have two Prime Ministers.

託德：所以你們有兩位總理。

Ruth: We have a president and then we have a Prime Minister.

露絲：我們有一名總統，一名總理。

Todd: OK, and the woman is the.

託德：好，那剛提到的女性是……

Ruth: The woman is the President. Mary McAleese is the president.

露絲：那名女性是現任總統。瑪麗·麥卡利斯是現任總統。

Todd: OK, well, who actually has the power? Who makes the decisions?

託德：好，那誰掌握實權？誰來做決定？

Ruth: Normally I think it's the Taoiseach, the Prime Minister, that makes most of the decisions, and he's over the government. He decides the government.

露絲：我認爲總理做大部分的決定，他是管理政府的人。他決定政府事務。

Todd: OK, and what's that title called, Taoiseach.

託德：好，那個職位叫什麼，Taoiseach？

Ruth: Taoiseach.

露絲：對，Taoiseach。

Todd: Taoiseach.

託德：Taoiseach。

Ruth: It's Irish.

露絲：這是愛爾蘭語。

Todd: OK, so that's like Gaelic.

託德：好，和蘇格蘭的蓋爾語很像。

Ruth: Yeah. Yeah. There are still some parts of Ireland that's the Gaelic and, and also because it's one of the official languages. A lot of things will have an Irish name and an English name as well.

露絲：對，沒錯。愛爾蘭仍有很多地方用蓋爾語，因爲蓋爾語是官方語言之一。許多東西既有愛爾蘭說法也有英語說法。

Todd: So how do you choose the "Taoiseach".

託德：愛爾蘭如何選總理？

Ruth: The Taoiseach is chosen by the people. So we vote in the Prime Minister, but we also vote in the President as well. We get to choose both.

露絲：愛爾蘭總理由民衆選出。我們會投票選出總理，當然總統也是民衆投票選出來的。兩個職位都要進行投票。

Todd: OK, well, that's quite interesting. Do the elections happen at the same time?

託德：嗯，這真有趣。選舉是同時進行嗎？

Ruth: No, usually they happen seperately.

露絲：不是，一般是分別舉行的。

Todd: OK, so what's the point of having the President?

託德：好，那總統負責什麼？

Ruth: I'm not sure. I don't really know. I'm not big into politics, so I'm not sure how the whole thing works.

露絲：我不太清楚。我真不清楚。我對政治不太感興趣，所以我不太清楚政府的運作。

Todd: Right, right.

託德：好，好的。

Ruth: But I just know that we have a president as well.

露絲：不過我知道我們愛爾蘭也有總統。

Todd: Well, have you ever had a female "Taoiseach", a female Prime Minister?

託德：好，有女性擔任過總理一職嗎？你們有過女性總理嗎？

Ruth: There's never been a female "Taoiseach", only female presidents. We've had two female presidents. Mary McAleese and before her, Mary Robinson.

露絲：愛爾蘭從未有過女性總理，只有女性總統。愛爾蘭有過兩位女性總統，在現任總統瑪麗·麥卡利斯之前瑪麗·羅賓遜也曾擔任過總統一職。

Todd: OK, now is Ireland do most of the people vote? Do you have a high voter turnout?

託德：好，那愛爾蘭的大部分民衆都會參與投票嗎？投票人數多嗎？

Ruth: Quite a lot of people do vote. Mainly, older people, though. Younger people don't vote so much.

露絲：非常多的人會參與投票。不過主要是年長一些的人。年輕人蔘與投票的不太多。

Todd: That's not good.

託德：這可不好。

Ruth: No, not very good at all.

露絲：對，一點兒也不好。

Todd: Yeah, I think in the states it's like 50%, or going down.

託德：嗯，我想美國有50%的年輕人會參加投票，也可能更少一些。

Ruth: It's probably that, but maybe on the lower side.

露絲：愛爾蘭也差不多，不過投票的年輕人還是佔少數。

Todd: OK, well, thanks Ruth.

託德：好，謝謝你，露絲。

Ruth: No problem.

露絲：不客氣。

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重點講解：
1. in fact （用於修正、引出相反意見或對比等）事實上，其實；
例句：I think so; in fact, I am quite sure.
我想如此，事實上我非常確信。
2. as well 也；還；
例句：Tom is very unfriendly to me as well.
湯姆對我也很不友善。
3. vote in 投票選出；投票使當選；
例句：The members of the national assembly will vote in a prime minister by a simple majority.
國民議會成員將以簡單多數的方式選出一個首相。
4. at the same time 同時；
例句：Don't all speak at the same time.
大家別同時說。