Negotiators from the UK and EU reached a draft Brexit deal in 11th-hour talks Thursday, although there are serious doubts that the agreement will be approved by UK lawmakers back in Westminster.

　　本周四（10月17日），英国和欧盟的谈判代表在11个小时的会谈后达成了一份脱欧协议草案，尽管有些人严重怀疑该协议能否得到英国议会的批准。

　　Sterling rose on news after the UK made concessions over the Irish border, an issue that had proven to be the biggest obstacle to a deal. The pound was 0.8% higher against the dollar, at $1.2929, reaching a five-month high but soon trimmed those gains as opposition parties in the UK voiced their concerns.

　　英国在与爱尔兰边境问题上做出让步后，英镑应声上涨，此前这一问题一直是达成协议的最大障碍。英镑兑美元上涨0.8%，至1英镑兑1.2929美元，创下五个月来的新高，但由于反对党派表达了他们的担忧，这一涨幅很快收窄。

　　“We have a great new Brexit deal,” UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted. He called on British lawmakers to back the deal when it’s put before Parliament on Saturday.

　　英国首相鲍里斯·约翰逊发布推文说：“我们达成了一项伟大的新脱欧协议。”他呼吁英国议员在新协议于周六提交议会时表示支持。

　　European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker called the deal “fair and balanced.”

　　欧盟委员会主席让-克洛德·容克称，该协议是“公平和均衡的”。

　　The “Withdrawal Agreement” was also approved by EU leaders at their summit on Thursday, but it still needs to pass UK lawmakers at the weekend. The EU Parliament will also have to ratify the deal at an as yet unspecified date.

　　欧盟领导人在本周四的峰会上也通过了这份脱欧协议，但协议仍需在周末通过英国议员的投票。该协议也需要得到欧盟议会的批准，但表决日期尚未确定。

　　Speaking after the deal was announced, Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, said the deal was the result of intense work from both negotiating teams. “We have delivered together,” he said.

　　欧盟首席英国脱欧谈判代表米歇尔·巴尼耶在协议宣布后表示，该协议是双方谈判团队紧张工作的结果。他说：“我们共同努力实现了这个目标。”

　　Giving further details on the deal, Barnier said that Northern Ireland will remain part of the UK’s customs territory and would be the entry point into the EU’s single market. He said there would be no regulatory or customs checks at the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (a part of the UK). That removed what had been a key issue for both sides. He added that Northern Ireland would remain aligned to some EU rules, notably related to goods.

　　巴尼耶透露了协议的更多细节，他说，北爱尔兰仍将留在英国关税区，并将成为进入欧盟单一市场的入口。他说，爱尔兰共和国和北爱尔兰（英国领土）之间的边境将不会有监管或海关检查。这解决了双方存有争议的一个关键问题。他补充说，北爱尔兰将继续遵守欧盟的一些规定，尤其是商品方面的规定。

　　The deal also covers the protection of citizens’ rights and a transition period that will last until the end of 2020. Barnier also said the EU and UK would work toward an “ambitious free trade deal with zero tariffs and quotas.”

　　该协议还包括保护公民权利，以及将持续到2020年底的过渡时期政策。巴尼耶还表示，欧盟和英国将努力达成一项“零关税和配额的自由贸易协定”。

　　Johnson faced a Saturday deadline by law to request an extension to the current Brexit departure date of Oct. 31 had no deal been reached. However, Juncker has implied that EU leaders won’t allow an extension, even if Johnson asks.

　　根据法律规定，如果未能达成协议，约翰逊必须在本周六的最后期限前提出申请，以延后目前的脱欧日期（10月31日）。然而，容克暗示，即使约翰逊提出要求，欧盟领导人也不会允许延期。

　　This sets up a complicated and difficult day for the UK Parliament on Saturday. There are doubts a deal will be approved in Westminster, with opposition parties already criticizing it.

　　这使英国议会本周六将经历复杂而艰难的一天。反对党已经对此提出批评，因此有人怀疑这项协议是否能在议会得以通过。

　　While details of the new deal remain scant, the UK opposition Labour party said in a statement that “from what we know, it seems the Prime Minister has negotiated an even worse deal than Theresa May’s, which was overwhelmingly rejected.” The pro-Remain Liberal Democrats also said they were determined to stop Brexit altogether and still advocated a second referendum. The leader of the Brexit Party, Nigel Farage, said the deal should not be supported. The Scottish National Party (SNP) has also said it will not vote for the deal.

　　尽管新协议的细节尚不清楚，但英国反对党工党在一份声明中表示，“据我们所知，首相协商的协议似乎比特雷莎·梅的更糟糕，此前特雷莎·梅达成的协议在议会被多数票否决。”支持留欧的自由民主党人还表示，他们决心一致阻止英国脱欧，并仍主张举行第二次公投。英国脱欧党领袖奈杰尔·法拉奇表示，不应该支持该协议。苏格兰民族党也表示不会投票支持该协议。

　　A key ally of the government, the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), has already responded by saying that it cannot support the deal.

　　政府的主要盟友北爱尔兰民主统一党已经表示，不会支持该协议。

　　The UK government, which does not have a majority in the British Parliament, needs the DUP’s votes to approve the deal.

　　在英国议会中并未占据多数席位的英国政府需要得到北爱尔兰民主统一党的支持以通过该协议。

　　The DUP said in a statement earlier Thursday that it was unhappy with the proposed customs and consent arrangements, which were designed to give Northern Ireland a say over its relationship with the EU post-Brexit. The DUP has repeatedly opposed any plans that would see it treated differently from the UK after Brexit.

　　北爱尔兰民主统一党在本周四早些时候的一份声明中表示，对草拟协议中的关税和达成一致的安排感到不满，这些安排的目的是在英国脱欧后，使北爱尔兰对其与欧盟的关系拥有发言权。民主统一党曾多次反对在英国脱欧后北爱尔兰与英国区别对待的任何计划。

　　British MPs had rejected a Brexit deal reached by Johnson’s predecessor, Theresa May, three times because of objections to the Irish “backstop” issue. This was designed to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland if the UK and EU couldn’t agree on a trade deal in a post-Brexit transition.

　　由于反对与爱尔兰之间的“备份安排”问题，英国议员曾三次拒绝前任首相特蕾莎·梅达成的脱欧协议。“备份安排”是在英国脱欧后的过渡期，如果英国和欧盟不能就贸易协议达成一致，防止北爱地区与爱尔兰之间出现“硬边界”。

　　重点词汇

　　scant [skænt]：adj.不足的；缺乏的；勉强够的