当地时间6月23日早上7点，英国各地382个选区的投票站向选民开放，决定英国是否脱离欧盟的公投开始投票。公投票上只有一个问题：英国应该继续作为欧盟成员还是离开欧盟？
Britain will hold a referendum on Thursday on whether the country will leave the European Union, a process often referred to as “Brexit.”英国将于周四就是否退出欧盟举行公投，这一程序常被称为“Brexit”。
What is Britaindeciding?1
英国要决定什么？
Britain will hold a referendum on Thursday on whether the country will leave the European Union, a process often referred to as “Brexit.”英国将于周四就是否退出欧盟举行公投，这一程序常被称为“Brexit”。
Why did campaigningstop?2
为什么停止了拉票活动？
Early Thursday, a member of Parliament, Jo Cox, 41, was gunned downoutside a library in her district in Birstall, England. With the referendum days away, campaigning was suspended as a gesture of respect.
上周四早间，41岁的下院议员乔·考克斯在其位于英格兰伯斯托尔的选区内的一家图书馆外被开枪打死。在几天之后便将迎来公投之际，停止拉票活动是出于对考克斯的尊重。
Ms. Cox was a strong backer of Britain’s remaining inside the bloc. When the suspect in her killing, Thomas Mair, was asked his name in court, he answered, “My name is death to traitors, freedom for Britain.”
考克斯强烈支持英国留在欧盟。在法庭上被问及姓名时，本案嫌疑人托马斯·迈尔(Thomas Mair)回答说，“我的名字叫‘叛国者死，给不列颠自由’。”
The reasons for and against3
反对和支持英国退出欧盟的理由
Those who favor leaving argue that the European Union has changed enormously over the last four decades with regard to the size and the reach of its bureaucracy, diminishing British influence and sovereignty.
支持退出的人表示，过去四年里，欧盟在规模和官僚体制的势力范围上发生了巨变，削弱了英国的影响力和主权。
Those who want to stay say that a medium-size island needs to be part of a larger bloc of like-minded countries to have real influence and security in the world, and that leaving would be economically costly.
希望留在欧盟的人则认为，作为一个中等大小的岛国，英国要加入一个由志同道合的国家组成的更大的阵营，才能在世界上拥有真正的影响力和安全，并表示退出欧盟会在经济上付出巨大代价。
Who is arguing to stay,and who to go?4
反对者和支持者分别是谁？
REMAIN Prime Minister David Cameron leads the “Remain” camp, and he could lose his job if his effort fails. Behind him are most of the Conservative government he leads, the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party, which is strongly pro-Europe.
留下 “留下”阵营的领导人是英国首相戴维·卡梅伦(David Cameron)。如果行动失败，他可能会丢掉自己的工作。在他的身后，是他领导的保守派政府大部、工党(Labour Party)、自由民主党(Liberal Democrats)和力挺欧洲的苏格兰民族党(Scottish National Party)。
Most independent economists and large businesses favor staying in, as do the most recent heads of Britain’s intelligence services. President Obama, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and President Xi Jinping of China also want Britain to stay in.
大部分独立经济专家和大企业，以及近年的英国情报机构负责人也支持留下。奥巴马总统、德国总理安格拉·默克尔(Angela Merkel)和中国国家主席习近平也希望英国留在欧盟。
LEAVE The “Leave” camp is led by Michael Gove, the justice minister, and Boris Johnson, the former mayor of London. Nearly half the Conservative members of Parliament favor leaving, as do the members of the U.K. Independence Party, or UKIP, and its leader, Nigel Farage. Their main issues are sovereignty and immigration.
退出 “退出”阵营由英国司法大臣迈克尔·戈夫(Michael Gove)和前伦敦市长鲍里斯·约翰逊(Boris Johnson)领导。议会近半数保守派下议员和英国独立党（U.K. Independence Party，简称UKIP）成员及其领袖奈杰尔·法拉奇(Nigel Farage)支持退出欧盟。他们的主要问题是主权和移民。
Abroad, the French National Front leader, Marine Le Pen, favors Brexit, as do other anti-Europe parties in Germany, the Netherlands and elsewhere.
在国外，法国国民阵线(National Front)领导人马琳·勒庞(Marine Le Pen)，以及德国和荷兰等国的其他反欧洲政党支持英国退出欧盟。
What is thehistory?5
历史背景
The European Union began in 1951 as the European Coal and Steel Community, an effort by six nations to heal the fissures of World War II through duty-free trade. In 1957, the Treaty of Rome created the European Economic Community, or Common Market.
欧盟的前身是六国在1951年成立的欧洲煤钢共同体(European Coal and Steel Community)，当时是想通过免税贸易来弥合二战造成的裂痕。1957年，根据《罗马条约》(Treaty of Rome)规定成立欧洲经济共同体(European Economic Community)，又叫共同市场(Common Market)。
Britain tried to join later, but President Charles de Gaulle of France vetoed its application in 1963 and in 1967. Britain finally joined in 1973.
随后，英国试图加入，但法国总统夏尔·戴高乐(Charles de Gaulle)在1963年和1967年两度否决英国的申请。1973年，英国加入。
Has a vote like thishappened before?6
以前出现过这种投票吗？
Yes. A referendum was held in 1975, two years after Britain joined the European Economic Community, on whether it should stay. More than 67 percent of Britons voted in favor.
出现过。英国在加入欧洲经济共同体两年后的1975年，曾就是否应该留下来举行过公投。当时，67%的英国人投了赞成票。
What impact would an exit haveon Britain’s economy?7
退欧将对英国经济产生怎样的影响？
This is an essential and divisive question. The economic effect of an exitwould depend on what settlement was negotiated, especially on whether Britain would retain access to the single market for duty-free trade and financial services. But that would probably require accepting freedom of movement and labor for European Union citizens, which is one of the main complaints the “Leave” camp has about bloc membership.
这是一个存在争议的重大问题。退欧对英国经济的影响取决于谈判达成的协议，尤其是英国是否能继续进入这个免税贸易和金融服务的单一市场。但是，那很可能需要接受欧盟公民的流动和务工自由，而这是“退欧”阵营对欧盟成员身份的一个主要不满之处。
Most economists favor remaining in the bloc and say an exit would cut growth, weaken the pound and hurt the City of London, Britain’s financial center. Even economists who favor an exit say growth would be affected in the short and medium terms, though they also say Britain would be better off by 2030.
大多数经济学家倾向于留在欧盟，称退欧将削减增长，造成英镑疲软，危及伦敦城这个英国金融中心。即使那些赞成退欧的经济学家也认为，英国经济增长将在短期和中期内受到影响，但他们表示，如果退欧，到2030年，英国的经济会比不退欧强。
Why are they voting now?8
为什么是现在？
It has to do with a decades-long rift in the governing Conservative Party. A vocal minority has demanded that Britain leave the European Union since the time of Margaret Thatcher. That minority grew in opposition during the Tony Blair years, and views on Europe have become a litmus test for Tory candidates, because grass-roots Conservatives tend to favor a British exit.
这关系到执政党保守党内存在数十年的分歧。自玛格丽特·撒切尔(Margaret Thatcher)时代开始就有少数派大声疾呼，要求英国退出欧盟。在托尼·布莱尔(Tony Blair)执政时期，少数派的反对立场更加鲜明，对欧盟的看法已成为保守党候选人的试金石，因为草根保守党人倾向于赞成英国退欧。
To pacify his party and undermine the anti-European Union U.K. Independence Party, Mr. Cameron promised to hold the referendum should he be re-elected prime minister. Nearly half of all Tory members of Parliament, including six cabinet ministers, now favor leaving the bloc.
卡梅伦为了安抚自己的党派，削弱反欧盟的英国独立党，承诺如果自己能连任首相，就会举行全民公决。近一半的议会保守党成员，包括6名内阁部长，现在都倾向于退出欧盟。
Who is involved invoting?9
谁可以参加投票？
British citizens 18 and older can vote, as can citizens abroad who have been registered to vote at home in the last 15 years. Also eligible are residents of Britain who are citizens of Ireland or of the Commonwealth, which consists of 53 countries, including Australia, Canada, India and South Africa.
18岁以上的英国公民可以投票，住在国外的英国人，如果过去15年里进行过投票注册，也可以投票。居住在英国的爱尔兰或英联邦公民可以投票，英联邦包括澳大利亚、加拿大、印度和南非等53个国家。
Unlike in general elections, members of the House of Lords may vote, as can Commonwealth citizens in Gibraltar, a British overseas territory. Citizens of the European Union living in Britain cannot vote, unless they are citizens of Cyprus, Ireland or Malta.
和大选不同的是，上议院成员也可以投票，居住在英属海外领地直布罗陀的英联邦国家公民也可以。在英国居住的欧盟公民不能投票，只有塞浦路斯、爱尔兰和马耳他公民是例外。
Why the unusual name？10
怎么取了这么奇怪的名字？
The referendum is often called Brexit, for British exit from the European Union. It is a variant of the label Grexit, invented during the Greek debt crisis (which, by the way, is not over).
这个公投通常被称为Brexit，指英国退出欧盟，它借用了Grexit的形式。Grexit指希腊退欧，是在希腊债务危机中（顺便说一句，危机还未结束）时生造的一个词。
Will this vote befinal?11
投票结果就是决定吗？
Yes, at least for the foreseeable future. If Britons vote to leave, there will be an initial two-year negotiation with the European Union about the terms of the divorce, which is unlikely to be amicable.
是的，至少在可预见的未来是的。如果英国人的投票结果是退出，就会开始一个为期两年的谈判，与欧盟协商退出的条款。这不太可能是一个亲切友好的谈判。
The negotiation will decide Britain’s relationship with the bloc. The major issues would surround trade. If Britain wants to remain in the European Union’s common market — the world’s largest trading bloc, with 500 million people — Brussels is expected to exact a steep price, in particular to discourage other countries from leaving.
谈判将决定英国与欧盟的关系。主要将围绕贸易问题展开。如果英国想继续留在欧盟的共同市场内——这是世界上较大的贸易圈，拥有五亿人口——布鲁塞尔可能就会开出一个天价，尤其是为了防止其他国家也退出欧盟。
What is likely to happen?12
结果可能会是怎样？
As the campaign has progressed, the odds against Brexit have gradually become smaller. Betfair, a betting exchange, has “Remain” at 60 percent probability.
随着拉票活动的进行，英国退欧的可能性增大了。博彩交易所必发(Betfair)给“留欧”开出的机率是60%。
