The English We Speak是英国BBC电台为英语学习者量身打造的一档英语学习节目。

今天，两位主持人要讨论一种“特殊的关系”，那么，它是谁与谁之间的关系？关系有用多特殊呢？让我们跟随录音去了解一下。

William: Hello and welcome to The English We Speak, I'm William Kremer.

Yang Li: And I'm Yang Li.

William: Let me play you something, Li.

British national anthem.

Yang Li: Oh, God Save the Queen; the British national anthem. Are you in a patriotic mood, William?

William: Ah, but wait...

USA national anthem.

Yang Li: Eh? The Star Spangled Banner - The American National Anthem. But this is the BBC, William!! British Broadcasting Corporation!

William: Yeah, I know, Li. But a very special visitor is coming to Britain today. Barack Obama is visiting the UK on a three-day state visit.

Yang Li: Ah, that's right. But tell me something, William, be honest. Do the Brits and Americans like each other?

William: Well, that's a very difficult question to answer in ninety seconds, Li. But it's fair to say that our two countries have a lot in common. Not only do we share the same language but economically and politically Britain and the USA have a close connection. And this connection is often called the special relationship.

Yang Li: The special relationship.

William: Here are a few examples of this phrase being used, which I found on the BBC website:

Examples

例子1：
Britain's former Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, talks to Katty Kay about recent remarks in which he described the 'special relationship' between America and Britain as a fiction that should be dropped.

例2：

Isabel Hilton and guests discuss the past, present and future of what people on this side of the Atlantic like to call 'the special relationship' between Britain and America. But is it really that special?

例3：

Files newly released by the Wikileaks website highlight what is described as the UK's 'paranoia' about its so-called special relationship with the US.

Yang Li: It sounds like people are starting to question how special the special relationship is!

William: Well, that might be true, and you can see that this is an issue that is easier to talk about because there is a special phrase for it.

Yang Li: So does the UK have a special relationship with other countries too?

William: Yeah, of course. And occasionally you might read about 'a special relationship with Australia' or 'a special relationship with India', for example. But the phrase 'the special relationship' by itself usually refers to the USA and Britain.

Yang Li: We have a special relationship, don't we William?

William: Yeah, of course we do, Yang Li! And do you think our special relationship is like the special relationship?

Yang Li: Well, that depends, who is who in this relationship? Am I the USA or am I the UK?!

William: Hmm. Well, that's an interesting question but also quite a strange one! So let's end today's programme there. Bye-bye!

Yang Li: Can I be America? I can take you for a ride in my Cadillac!

赏析：

英国与美国有一个“特殊的关系”，美国的文化起源于英国，他们拥有共同的语言，经济、政治上也有着千丝万缕的联系。比如三个月前的英国的Royal Wedding（“皇室婚礼”），也在美国引起了相当大的关注，前几天两位新人还造访了美国，美国人民也表示了热情的欢迎。两位主持人今天讲的词组是“The special relationship”, 不单单指“特殊的关系”，而且特指英美之间的这种特殊的关系。

当然，这种关系也已经开始有人质疑是不是真的有那么特殊了，例3中的“维基解密”网站甚至还说这种英美之间的“特殊关系”是英国的“妄想”。

The special relationship仅特指“英美关系”，如果要表示其他国家的关系，应当加上with+国家。

其他语言点：

Patriotic：爱国的

it's fair to say... ：可以这么说......

on this side of the Atlantic: 大西洋的这一岸，指在英国或者在美国，如果至英美两国，则可用“on both sides of the Atlantic”

highlight：强调

paranoia：妄想症