(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Malaysia’s Ruling Families Vote for a New King
Malaysia's national news agency reported Monday that the nation's ruling families have agreed to vote for a new king.
King Muhammed V served as Malaysia's largely ceremonial chief of state until he unexpectedly resigned on Sunday. The vote on his replacement reportedly will take place on January 24.
The king resigned after being in power for just two years. This is the first time one of Malaysia's kings has stepped down before completing a five-year term.
No reason was given for the resignation.
The 49-year-old leader had only just returned to his official duties last week after spending two months on medical leave.
Images reportedly showing him getting married in Russia appeared on social media in December. Posts identified his new wife as Oksana Voevodina, who won a Miss Moscow beauty competition in 2015.
Officials working for King Muhammad have yet to answer requests for comment on the pictures or reports of a marriage.
Media has also reported tension between the king and the government of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. Mahathir, who served as Malaysia's prime minister from 1981 to 2003, returned to power last year.
Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy, where the king's duties are largely ceremonial and the rest of government operates independently. The king's duties include acting as protector of Islam in the Muslim-majority country. The king's approval is needed for the appointment of a prime minister and other top officials.
Malaysia's nine royal families take turns to provide a king, who is chosen through a vote in a Council of Rulers. This group is made up of the nine households, most of which are led by a sultan.
A vote must be held within four weeks of a king leaving office.
Heads of six of the nine households met on Monday at the national palace to decide a date for the election of a new king.
The council agreed that a new king would be elected on January 24. That person would then officially take power on January 31, the council said in a statement.
One sultan could not attend the meeting Monday because he was unwell, while another was outside the country, the council said. The third sultan who was not present was King Muhammad.
Earlier on Monday, Mahathir said the government hoped the council would elect a new king as soon as possible. He added that the government needed to keep the king informed of "certain matters", Bernama reported.
Mahathir led the opposition to a historic election win in May, defeating a group that had governed Malaysia for 60 years.
重点解析
1.vote for 投票赞成
Few members planned to vote for him.
几乎没什么成员打算投票支持他。
2.stepped down 辞职；下台
The reactionaries will never, of their own accord, step down from the stage of history.
反动派决不会自行退出历史舞台。
3.take place 发生；举行
Earlier reports suggested that a meeting would take place on Sunday.
早先的报道暗示周日可能会召开会议。
4.served as 担任
I served as a waiter at a teahouse.
我曾在茶楼当了一回服务员。
5.That person would then officially take power on January 31, the council said in a statement.
take power 上任；掌权
Her son Rahul is widely seen as the next Gandhi to take power.
目前普遍认为，她的儿子拉胡尔是接手政权的下一个“甘地”。
At first she was reluctant to take power, but she finally agreed.
起初，她不愿意接过权力，但最终她同意了。
6.Earlier on Monday, Mahathir said the government hoped the council would elect a new king as soon as possible.
as soon as possible 尽快
I take the view that she should be stopped as soon as possible.
我认为应该尽快阻止她。
It is wise to seek help and counsel as soon as possible.
尽快寻求帮助和建议乃明智之举。
参考译文
马来西亚王室：决定投票选新国王
马来西亚国家新闻社（Bernama）周一报导称，马来西亚王室同意投票选举新国王。
穆罕默德五世（King Muhammed V）在周日意外宣布辞职之前，一直担任马来西亚主要的礼仪国家元首。据报道，针对新国王的投票将于1月24日进行。
穆罕默德五世在位时间仅两年。这是马来西亚国王首次在五年任期结束前退位。
具体的辞职原因不明。
这位49岁的国家元首在休了两个月的病假后于上周才返回岗位。
据报道，去年12月他在俄罗斯结婚的照片出现在社交媒体上。有帖文指出，他的新婚妻子名叫奥克萨娜·沃伊芙丁娜（Oksana Voevodina），2015年曾获得莫斯科小姐选美比赛的冠军。
穆罕默德五世身边的官员还没有回复记者的置评请求。
媒体也报道了国王与总理马哈蒂尔·穆罕默德领导的政府之间的紧张关系。1981年至2003年曾担任马来西亚总理的马哈蒂尔于去年重新掌权。
马来西亚是一个君主立宪制国家，国王的职责主要是礼仪性的，政府的其他部门独立运作。国王的职责包括，在这个穆斯林占多数的国家中充当伊斯兰教的保护者角色。任命总理或其他高级官员也需要获得国王的批准。
马来西亚的9大王室家族轮流推举国王人选，国王则由统治者委员会投票选出。该委员会由9大家族组成，他们大多数受苏丹（所在的王室领袖）领导。
投票必须在国王离任后的四周内进行。
9大王室家族中的6位苏丹周一在国家皇宫会面，商议推选新国王的日期。
统治者委员会同意在1月24日选出新任国王。该委员会在一份声明中表示，新国王将于1月31日正式就任。
该委员会表示，一名苏丹因身体不适无法参加周一的会议，而另一名苏丹远在国外。最后一位缺席的苏丹就是穆罕默德五世。
周一早些时候，总理马哈蒂尔表示，政府希望委员会能尽快选出新国王。马新社报道称，他补充说，政府需要在“某些问题上”征询国王的意见。
去年5月，马哈蒂尔领导反对派赢得了历史性的选举胜利，一举击败统治马来西亚长达60年的（纳吉布所在）政党。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
