在由英国脱欧公投结果引发的英国首相辞职和竞选大战中，一位头脑冷静、举止得体的牧师家的女儿脱颖而出，泰然自若地成为新一任英国首相。
Theresa May, who since 2010 has served as Britain’s home secretary, is to assume the top job on July 13. That was much earlier than expected. When Prime Minister David Cameron announced that he would step aside following the June 23 Brexit vote, people thought the transition of power would be months long.
特蕾莎•梅自2010年起便担任英国内政大臣，并于7月13日正式就任英国首相。这一切发生的要比人们预计的快得多。6月23日的英国脱欧公投结果出炉，时任首相卡梅伦宣布辞职，当时人们预计新首相上台执政要等到几个月以后。
But then May’s principal rival, junior government minister Andrea Leadsom, abruptly withdrew on July 11 from a two-woman contest for the leadership of the governing Conservative party and, by extension, the prime minister’s post.
然而就在7月11日，梅的主要竞争对手、也是竞选中的另一位女性候选人、(能源部)副部长安德里亚•利德索姆突然宣布退出保守党领袖和首相之位的竞选。
“So we will have a new prime minister in that building behind me by Wednesday evening,” Cameron said, gesturing toward 10 Downing Street in London, the government’s headquarters and prime minister’s residence.
“所以，周三傍晚，我身后的这栋宅邸将会迎来一位新首相，”卡梅伦指着位于伦敦的唐宁街10号说道。而这里也是英国政府总部和首相官邸的所在地。
It’s the latest chapter in the breakup drama known as Brexit. When 52 percent of the British *populace voted to leave the European Union, the country was left in apparent shock. The full *repercussions of the decision remain *perilously unclear.
这是英国脱欧“分手大戏”的最新一幕。52的英国民众投了脱欧票后，英国便陷入了动荡之中。而脱欧究竟会带来怎样的后果，现在仍不得而知。
The results *rattled markets worldwide. Economists warned that splitting from the EU could undermine London’s status as a financial capital and tip the country into a recession. It could also fuel separatist *sentiment in Scotland, which strongly supported staying in the EU.
脱欧结果也震动了全球市场。经济学家称，脱欧将会削弱伦敦金融中心的地位，使整个国家陷入经济衰退。同时，这也可能助长强烈支持“留欧”的苏格兰的独立情绪。
May, 59, who had offered low-key backing to the “Remain” camp, offered assurances that she would not seek to defy voters’ wishes and reverse the outcome. The referendum, technically, was advisory, and it will fall to the country’s new leader to formally set the pullout mechanism in motion.
59岁的梅曾低调地支持过“留欧”派，但她表示将不会违背投票者的意愿或颠覆这个结果。严格来说，这次公投只是民意调查性质的，需要这个国家的新首相来正式开启脱欧谈判进程。
“Brexit means Brexit, and we’re going to make a success of it,” May said.
“脱欧就是脱欧，我们会把它处理好。”梅说道。
The incoming prime minister, who is Oxford-educated but has held herself largely apart from the clubby old-boys network of the British political world, is widely regarded as an experienced and steady hand, if not an overly *charismatic figure.
这位牛津大学毕业的新首相并没有加入英国政坛“老男孩”交际圈。但她却被广泛认为是一名有着坚定领导力的老手，如果不用“魅力非凡的人物”这样的字眼来形容她的话。
Cameron offered May his full support, as did her *erstwhile rival, Leadsom. So did leading “Leave” supporter Boris Johnson, a former London mayor who had originally been considered a front-runner to succeed Cameron.
卡梅伦和她先前的竞争对手利德索姆，都大力支持梅。“脱欧派”的领导者、伦敦前市长鲍里斯•约翰逊也表示了对梅的支持。此前，他一直被认为是最有可能接替卡梅伦的人。
And so did Johnson’s onetime loyal second, Justice Minister Michael Gove, who, in what was described by the British press as an act of Shakespearean *villainy, leaped unexpectedly into the race for the Conservative leadership, driving Johnson out. Gove was knocked out of the running after May and Leadsom *garnered more support from within the party.
此外，约翰逊曾经忠诚的追随者，司法大臣迈克尔•戈夫也表示了对梅的支持。但他在英国媒体的眼中，却被形容为是“莎士比亚笔下的恶人”。此前，他出人意料地宣布参加保守党党魁竞选，将约翰逊驱逐出局。然而，在梅和利德索姆获得了党内更多支持后，戈夫也落败出局。
May is only the second woman to serve as prime minister, after Margaret Thatcher’s turn at 10 Downing a generation ago as the “Iron Lady”. She is widely perceived as not lacking in steel herself.
梅是继“铁娘子”玛格丽特•撒切尔之后英国的第二位女首相，在众人眼中，她的气势完全不输给当年的“铁娘子”。
“She’s been around – she’s an experienced negotiator and experienced minister,” said Frances G. Burwell, a vice president and European analyst at the Atlantic Council. “I think we’ll see her trying to build a consensus. Whether she succeeds is something else.”
“她十分老练，是个十分有经验的谈判者和大臣，”大西洋理事会副主席、欧洲事务分析师弗朗西斯•G•伯韦尔评论道。“我认为她会尝试去建立一个共识。当然她是否能成功还另当别论。”
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