英国当地时间15日晚上7点45分（北京时间16日凌晨3点45分），英国下议院以432票反对、202票支持的结果，否决了此前英国政府与欧盟达成的“脱欧”协议草案。根据议会下议院此前决定，英国首相特雷莎·梅将在21日前提出新“脱欧”方案，再次提交议会表决。
投票结果公布后，英国反对党工党领导人科尔宾向议会下议院提起对政府的不信任动议。英国议会将对这份动议进行辩论和投票。根据英国政治惯例，一旦议会投票通过对内阁的不信任动议，新政府须在14日内组成并获得半数以上议会下院议员支持，否则英国将提前举行大选。
疑欧派保守党议员们认为，梅在议会受挫使英国更有可能在没有任何正式协议的情况下退出欧盟，从而让英国与欧盟“干干净净地斩断关系”。特雷莎·梅此前曾警告说，“脱欧”协议如被否决，英国“不脱欧”的可能性比“无协议脱欧”的可能性要大，这将给人们对国家的信任带来“灾难性伤害”。
本篇课程首发于@友邻优课 YLYK 2019年1月17日，选自 The Economist Espresso APP
Losing it: the Brexit vote
Brexit /ˈbreksɪt, ˈbregzɪt/: n. 英国脱离欧盟 (British exit or Britain exiting from the EU)
① Theresa May has lost the parliamentary vote on her Brexit deal by 230 votes, the biggest defeat for a ruling party in nearly 100 years.
parliamentary /ˌpɑːlɪˈmentəri, ˌpɑːləˈmentəri/: adj. 议会的; 议员的
② Over 100 Tory MPs voted against her.
MP: 议员 (Member of Parliament)
③ Yet the prime minister is expected to defeat a motion of no confidence today, as neither Tory nor Northern Irish MPs want an early election.
defeat /dɪˈfiːt/: n. 失败
early election: 提前大选
④ She may go back to the European Union to seek changes to the deal, especially to the Irish backstop that would avert a hard border in Ireland by keeping the whole country in a customs union with the EU.
seek changes: 寻求改变
seek one's advice/help/assistance: 寻求建议/帮助/协助
backstop /ˈbækstɒp, ˈbækstɑːp/: n. 担保，后援
avert /əˈvɜːt, əˈvɜːrt/: vt. 防止；避免
customs /ˈkʌstəmz/: n. (复数) 海关；关税
in union with: 与……联合
⑤ Brussels may offer more promises not to use this backstop, but will be reluctant to make bigger changes, because the scale of Mrs May's defeat suggests even a revised deal would fail to win over MPs.
be reluctant/unwilling to do sth.: 勉强/不情愿做某事
scale /skeɪl/: n. 规模；程度
revised /rɪˈvaɪzd/: adj. 修订的；改进的
win over: 赢得……的支持
⑥ With only 70 days left until Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29th, any outcome is now possible, from a no-deal Brexit to no Brexit at all.
due /djuː, dʒuː, duː/: adj. 预定的；预期发生或到达的
outcome /ˈaʊtkʌm/: n. 结果；后果
▍生词好句
referendum /ˌrefəˈrendəm/: n. 全民公投
Norwegian model: 挪威模式
a ruling party: 执政党
Conservative/Tory Party: 保守党
Opposition Party: 反对党
Labour Party: 工党
be expected/supposed/likely to do sth.: 预计/应该/可能做某事
a motion of no confidence: 不信任动议
dissolve the Parliament: 解散议会
coalition government: 联合政府
▍责任编辑：高晴、李焕
▍内容制作：武志琳、章晓丹
