英语学习点: Isolation Vocabulary 与孤立相关的词汇

Britain has found itself swimming against the tide in the last few days, after a European Union make-or-break summit to save the euro.

The British PM David Cameron vetoed treaty changes for the 27-member bloc aimed at forging a tax and budget consensus to tackle the eurozone debt crisis.

A bulldog. A symbol of the British spirit?

Mr Cameron argued he had to protect Britain's financial services industry from further taxation and was praised by eurosceptic politicians in his Conservative Party who had urged him to show the "bulldog spirit". The bulldog has become an unofficial symbol of the British spirit of independence and defiance.

But many in Britain believe that the decision to go it alone has put the bulldog in the doghouse. Opposition leader Ed Milliband fears the country could be left out of the loop in future decisions taken by the continental group. And the Liberal Democrat Nick Clegg, Cameron's partner in a coalition government, has acknowledged that there is "a real danger that over time the UK will be marginalised within the EU".

Business leaders are also concerned about a perception that their country could become isolated in Europe. Ian Rodgers, director of the trade body UK Steel, says the domestic metals industry is dominated by foreign firms, which would make their investments in Britain on the basis that it was a key part of the European community.

Across the English Channel, the British stance caused some irritation. According to the European Commissions' president Jose Manuel Barroso, "the UK's position on financial regulation represented a "risk to the integrity of the single market".

Glossary 词汇表

to swim against the tide逆流而行
a make-or-break summit决定成败与否的峰会
the euro欧元
to veto否决，反对
a bloc一个联盟
a consensus共识
to tackle something解决什么问题
the eurozone debt crisis欧元区债务危机
the financial services industry金融服务产业
a eurosceptic反对欧洲一体化者
the bulldog spirit战斗精神

to go it alone单干
in the doghouse被打入冷宫
to be left out of the loop被排除在外
the continental group欧洲大陆组合
to be marginalised受排挤，被边缘化
the perception看法，观念
to be isolated被孤立
a stance立场，态度
irritation恼怒
integrity整合性
the single market欧洲单一货币市场