The Frugal Alliance 英法成为节俭同盟
[audio]http://file.24en.com/bbc/tae/assets_7288882/bbc_tae_289_frugal_alliance_101103_tae_289_france_britain_audio_au_bb.mp3[/audio][font=Verdana, 宋体, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][p=21, 2, left]France and Britain are [b]standing shoulder-to-shoulder[/b] in a new defence alliance.[/p][p=21, 2, left]The British Prime Minister David Cameron and the French President Nicolas Sarkozy signed two new defence treaties this week that include [b]joint training exercises[/b] for a new Anglo-French rapid reaction force and the shared use of an aircraft carrier.[/p][p=21, 2, left]The two countries haven’t always seen [b]eye-to-eye[/b]. Their common history has been [b]peppered [/b]with conflict that goes back as far as the Battle of Hastings in 1066, when the Duke of Normandy invaded England and became king of the country.[/p][p=21, 2, left]The English, [b]on the other hand[/b], like to remember the Battle of Trafalgar, won at sea in 1805 against an alliance of the French and Spanish navies. It [b]curtailed[/b] Napoleon’s ambitions to control Europe.[/p][p=21, 2, left]Napoleon and his enemy, Admiral Nelson, have captured their people's imaginations. Nelson now sits on top of his column in Trafalgar Square [b]keeping watch over[/b] the sea.[/p][p=21, 2, left]The 1904 [b]Entente[/b] Cordiale (or [b]cordial[/b] agreement) [b]brought an end to[/b]centuries of regular wars, and the two countries have been allies ever since, most notably in the two world wars. But there have been [b]rocky[url=http://d.24en.com/s/?wd=patch]patch[/url]es[/b] that include different views on localised conflicts like the Iraq war.[/p][p=21, 2, left]Now both are back together in what has humorously been [b]dubbed[/b] the Entente Frugale (or [b]frugal[/b] agreement). The British and French governments are short of money and have been forced to implement[b]austerity measures[/b] in their defence plans.[b] Mutual[/b] suspicion that is[b]ingrained [/b]in the British and French [b]has given way to[/b] a [b]pragmatic[/b]alliance.[/p][p=21, 2, left]The people of the two countries have a love-hate relationship and joke about their rivalry. The French like to say that their neighbours across the Channel are bad cooks. The British think that the French [b]look down their noses at them.[/b][/p][p=21, 2, left]But the Brits also appreciate the [b][i]je ne sais quoi [/i][/b]that only French culture provides.[/p][p=21, 2, left]Many British holiday-makers love nothing better than to have a glass of champagne in a Parisian cafe by the river Seine.[/p][p=21, 2, left]The French like British music and some of their rock bands are now recording songs in English.[/p][p=21, 2, left]Maybe this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Long live the Frugal Agreement! [i]Vive l’Entente Frugale[/i][/p][/font]
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