新托福阅读材料：英国城市争当“拉斯维加斯”

会计考友

　　美国的拉斯维加斯赌城举世闻名，这座赌城每年都为美国旅游业贡献大笔收入，也带来了许多就业机会。而近期，英国政府也计划在境内选取一座城市新建大型赌场，这引起了英国各大城市的激烈竞争。
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　　英国各城市为修建国内唯一一座拉斯维加斯式超级赌场的争夺，正变得扑朔迷离。负责选址工作的机构目前已收到逾40份申请，而该机构负责人表示，他不知该如何从中选择。
　　The scramble to house the UK’s only Las Vegas-style super casino is turning into a lottery. The body set to up to decide its location has already received more than 40 applications and its head says he does not know how to chose between them.

/ l9 d. n7 ?3 M& k( K　　英国政府赌场顾问小组(Casino Advisory Panel)负责人斯蒂芬·克罗(Stephen Crow)教授表示，在评估这些申请的时候，“公平和严格审查是我们的口号”。但是，当被问及如何选择的时候，他说：“我们怎么下决定?我不知道。”
1 L$ x0 Z: _) v5 Q5 [( V　　Professor Stephen Crow, head of the government’s Casino Advisory Panel, said “fairness and rigorous examination will be our watchwords” when assessing the applications. But when asked how he would choose, he said: “How are we going to make up our minds? I don’t know.”
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　　由于申请截止日期是3月31日，预计还会有更多城市表示有意让超级赌场落户。在所有申请城市中，布莱克浦提出了一个围绕超级赌场的全城重建计划，成为夺标大热门。
6 r+ _6 d' `, h( V　　With the deadline for applications not until March 31 more authorities are expected to register interest in having a super casino. Blackpool is the favourite to win the licence, having made a super casino the cornerstone of a city-wide regeneration programme.
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　　然而，伦敦也有希望赢得这张牌照。该市拟在新的温布利体育场(Wembley)和千禧穹顶(Millennium Dome)修建超级赌场。
! F4 ~2 ]5 m7 T, Q+ V　　However, London is also hopeful of winning the licence, with super casinos planned at the new Wembley stadium and next to the Millennium Dome.
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% d1 r" j  y2 v3 Y$ f　　英国政府去年通过了颇受争议的新赌博法，仅允许成立一家超级赌场。此外还将发放8张中型赌场和8张大型赌场的牌照。
; Q6 g2 [9 v& t- I4 |$ ~2 k　　Under the government’s controversial new gambling laws, which were passed last year, only one super casino will be allowed. An additional eight medium-sized new casinos and eight large ones will also receive licences.
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　　在一次社会市场基金会(Social Market Foundation)的研讨会上，克罗向包括数家美国赌场经营者在内的听众表示，多数地方当局仅对超级赌场感兴趣。他称：“他们对大型或小型赌场的兴趣没有那么大。”
) R1 P4 O- V5 [* ^　　Speaking at a Social Market Foundation seminar to an audience that included several US casino operators, Professor Crow said most local authorities were only interested in super casinos. “They are not so interested in the large or small ones,” he said.

　　英国政府原本打算发放8张超级赌场牌照，但经过去年大选前与保守党的紧张谈判后，政府被迫将超级赌场牌照数量减至一张。
8 ?3 C, H9 ^0 \% ~& ], |3 L9 j　　The government originally intended to grant eight super casino licences but was forced to cut the number to one after tense negotiations with the Conservatives in the run-up to the last general election.
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( b) M- x- P3 A4 ^& a　　英国体育大臣理查德·卡本(Richard Caborn)最近表示，如果能获得地方当局、议会下院议员及公众的足够支持，政府有可能修订相关立法，增加超级赌场牌照的数量。
　　Richard Caborn, gambling minister, said recently the legislation could be revisited and the number of super casino licences increased – provided there was sufficient support from local authorities, MPs and the public.