高中英语外刊阅读60篇（2022第八期）

Introduction 这不是鲍里斯约翰逊(Boris Johnson)预期首相职位应该有的样子。作为英国退欧的推动者，约 翰逊在他任期的第一年就有了一个英雄般的愿景：只有英国才能让英国重生。但不管怎样，结果都 不会有什么英雄气概。英国例外论已经走到了尽头。在经历了大流行的破坏和英国退欧带来的附 带损害之后，未来几年最需要的将是重建经济的漫长而不懈的努力。 本文节选自：Financial Times（2020.05.14） British exceptionalism has reached the end of the road The prime minister has been heard to admit to“boosterism”. Critics call it bluff and bluster. Either way, Mr Johnson’s political trademark has been an abiding confidence that all will be well. For Britain, an illustrious history, innate stoicism and an abundance of optimism are sufficient shield against the slings and arrows of occasional misfortune. There are many explanations for the delayed and initially weak government reaction that has seen Britain fare relatively badly in the fight against the virus. Some relate to resources, some to poor manage‐ ment and some to the mis-steps inevitable in the response to such an extraordinary threat. But at the heart of the failure was the yawning gulf between exceptionalism and the relentless focus and organisation needed to stamp out coronavirus. Even as other European nations were shutting down their economies in early March, Britain initially took a relaxed approach. Mr Johnson was defiant. The threat would be beaten back by“a fantastic NHS, fantastic testing systems and fantastic surveillance systems”. The great number of Britons would be little disturbed. Several weeks were lost before Britain followed the rest in locking down its economy. None of this was as Mr Johnson imagined when Britain left the EU at the end of January. A“newly forged United Kingdom”was on the slipway, Mr Johnson declared.“We are embarked now on a great voyage, a project that no one thought in the international community that this country would have the 10 英国例外主义已经走到尽头 第十篇 29 英文外刊阅读 guts to undertake.” With the economy in recession, government borrowing and debt piling higher and unemployment set to rise sharply, the journey no longer looks so enticing. The pandemic promises anoth