The hard reality of Brexit is hitting Britain
脱欧的残酷现实正在冲击全英
While food shortages have been common in many countries over the course of the pandemic, Iain Brown, vice chairman of East Scotland Growers (ESG), believes that one issue unique to the UK is making life extra painful: Brexit.
尽管疫情期间食物短缺对很多国家来说已经稀松平常，但苏格兰东部农业合作社的副社长伊恩·布朗认为，“脱欧”这项英国独有的问题正让本就艰难的生活雪上加霜。
According to Brown, the two essential prongs of production — first, getting fresh food out of the ground, and then distributing it onto supermarket shelves — are both taking a hit due to a lack of workers.
据布朗说，生产过程中的两个重要环节——从地里收获新鲜的食材，再把它配送到超市货架上——都因缺少人力而受到严重影响。
It seems that the consequences of Brexit are finally being felt up and down the UK. And far from the sunlit uplands promised by members of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government, a shortage of European workers in these vital areas means financial losses for businesses and empty shelves as the UK hurtles towards Christmas.***
全英国上下似乎终于感受到脱欧带来的后果。情况远非首相鲍里斯·约翰逊政府所承诺的“阳光普照的高地”：随着英国迅速迈向圣诞季，在这些（农业生产）关键地区出现欧洲劳动力短缺，意味着企业要蒙受经济损失，而商家则会无货可卖。
UK GDP growth ground to a near halt in July, according to the Office for National Statistics, in part because of supply chain issues and worker shortages. Britain's economy remains 2.1% smaller than before the pandemic, and some economists think the difference won't be made up until the second quarter of next year.
根据英国国家统计署的数据，英国的 GDP 增长在七月几乎陷入停滞，某种程度上是因为供应链出现问题以及人力短缺。英国经济目前维持在比疫情前萎缩 2.1% 的规模。一些经济学家认为，这一情况要到明年的第二季度才会有所改变。
The government, critics say, failed to adequately prepare for the inevitable consequences of Brexit and mitigate its initial impact.
批评者称，政府没能为脱欧带来的不可避免的后果做好充分准备，也并未减轻脱欧初期英国受到的影响。
"Throughout the whole Brexit process the government found its efforts to get business and people prepared for the inevitable upheaval undermined by its need to present Brexit as something that would be positive for the UK and the economy," says Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform.
欧洲改革中心高级研究员山姆·洛表示：“在整个脱欧的过程中，政府发现，由于它需要把脱欧包装成一件对英国和经济有积极意义的事，这种需求削弱了它在让企业和大众做好准备迎接这场不可避免的剧变上所付出的努力。”
But Brexit really is starting to bite. It was never going to be the case that the UK would immediately fall apart. But little by little, many of the assurances made in 2016 and during years of negotiations are cracking.
但是，脱欧真的开始反噬英国了。（虽然）它绝不会让英国立刻分崩离析，但在 2016 年和经年累月的谈判中许下的承诺，正一点一点地碎裂开来。
主编：Hoby、Mia
品控：木子
审核：夏天
Photo Credit: JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP
重点词汇
shortage
/ˈʃɔːr.t̬ɪdʒ/
n. 短缺，不足
相关词汇：short（adj. 缺少的，不够的）
搭配短语：sth. is short.
例句：Time / Money is short.
例句：I'm short of money.
搭配短语：a shortage of food
over the course of sth.
在……期间，在……的过程中
相关词汇：course（n. 过程，进程）
同义词：in the course of sth.
grower
/ˈɡroʊ.ɚ/
n. 种植户，栽培者，种植者
英文释义：a person who grows a particular type of crop
搭配短语：apple / cotton growers
词义辨析：grower, farmer
虽然两个词都可以表示“农民”，但 grower 主要强调从事农作物种植，而 farmer 除了种植之外，可能还需要管理农场和饲养动物，farmer 所做的事比 grower 要更多样一些。
prong
/prɑːŋ/
n. 方面，部分
例句：The policy has two prongs.
例句：The second prong of this policy is to provide social services for the poor.
up and down
在整片区域内；情绪时好时坏
英文释义：here and there especially throughout an area
hurtle
/ˈhɝː.t̬əl/
v. 猛冲，飞驰，飞速移动
例句：All of a sudden, the truck came hurtling towards people on the crosswalk.
例句：The country is hurtling toward disaster.
grind to a halt
（车辆）慢慢停下来；（国家、组织）逐渐停顿，慢慢瘫痪
相关词汇：grind（v. 把……磨碎，把……磨成粉；（机器）缓慢、艰难地运行）
搭配短语：to grind the black pepper / the coffee beans
英文释义：If a machine grinds, it works slowly and with difficulty.
相关词汇：halt（n. 停止）
in part
部分地
同义词：to some degree
同义词：partly
up until
最晚，最迟到……时
相关词汇：until（prep. 直到……时）
例句：Sorry, we make deliveries any time up until 10 pm.
adequately
/ˈæd.ə.kwət.li/
adv. 足够地，充分地
相关词汇：adequate（adj. 足够的，充分的）
英文释义：satisfactory and good enough
词根词缀：-ly（构成副词）
词义辨析：adequate, enough
这两个词都可以表示“足够的”，但 enough 所指的“足够”仅仅指数量上足够；而 adequate 还可以指质量上“足够好的、足够令人满意的”。
mitigate
/ˈmɪt̬.ə.ɡeɪt/
v. 减轻，缓和，缓解
搭配短语：to mitigate the damage（减轻损害）
搭配短语：to mitigate the problem（让问题得到缓和）
initial
/ɪˈnɪʃ.əl/
adj. 最初的，开始的
搭配短语：initial impression
同义词：first impression
搭配短语：the initial stages of the disease
upheaval
/ʌpˈhiː.vəl/
n. 剧变，激变，动乱
英文释义：a big change that often causes a lot of trouble or problems
搭配短语：political upheaval
搭配短语：a major upheaval
undermine
/ˈʌn.dɚˌmaɪn/, /ˌʌn.dɚˈmaɪn/
v. 破坏，损坏，削弱，动摇；侵蚀（岩层或建筑的基底）
例句：Constant criticism from parents may undermine their children's confidence.
搭配短语：to undermine someone's position（动摇某人的地位）
搭配短语：to undermine someone's authority（削弱某人的权威）
bite
/baɪt/
v. 咬；造成伤害或不良影响
英文释义：to have an unpleasant effect
搭配短语：bite into sth.
例句：A lack of workers started biting deeply into British food supplies.
be the case
如此
同义词：be so
搭配短语：that being the case（既然如此）
例句：That being the case, we have to cancel off the date.
assurance
/əˈʃʊr.əns/
n. 保证，承诺
同义词：a promise
相关词汇：assure（v. 向……保证）
搭配短语：I assure you that...
crack
/kræk/
v.（使）爆裂，破裂
词性拓展：crack（n. 爆裂声，噼啪声）
