原文标题：
Same-sex weddings
The ties that bind
A decade after it was legalised gay marriage enjoys record support
同性婚礼
束缚的纽带
同性恋婚姻合法化十年后支持率创新高
Many Britons have changed their minds on gay marriage
But ten years after it was legalised, the Church of England remains a holdout
许多英国人改变了对同性婚姻的看法
同性婚姻合法化十年后，英国教会仍然顽固不化
[Paragraph 1]
DAVID CAMERON may not have expected same-sex marriage to be among his proudest legacies.
戴维·卡梅伦或许没有预料到同性婚姻会成为他最引以为傲的遗产之一。
The landmark social reform, which was passed by the House of Commons on July 17th 2013, did not appear in any party’s manifesto for the election in 2010.
这项具有里程碑意义的社会改革于2013年7月17日在下议院获得通过，然而在2010年选举中，没有任何政党的宣言中提到过同性婚姻。
The resulting coalition government initially said it would retain a ban on gay marriage.
导致联合政府当初表示将维持同性恋婚姻禁令。
In his memoirs the former prime minister admitted that he had gone on “a journey”; one that caused him to “worry and even wobble”.
这位前首相在回忆录中承认，他经历了一段 “忧心忡忡，甚至摇摆不定的心路历程”。
[Paragraph 2]
Once he found his resolve, Mr Cameron was met with prophecies of doom.
卡梅伦有了决心，但遭遇了重重阻力。
Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, said the change would “fatally weaken what is still one of our country’s greatest strengths,” paving the way to polygamy and marriage between siblings.
前坎特伯雷大主教凯里勋爵表示，这一变革将“极大地削弱我们国家的优势”，为一夫多妻制和兄弟姐妹之间的婚姻铺平道路。
[Paragraph 3]
The roof did not fall in.Indeed, same-sex marriage has proved remarkably popular.
天没有塌下来。事实证明，同性婚姻非常受欢迎。
As of 2020, the most recent year for which there is data, more than 42,000 gay couples in England and Wales had tied the knot. (Scotland and Northern Ireland passed separate laws.)
截至 2020 年（有数据的最近一年），英格兰和威尔士有4.2万多对同性伴侣结婚。（苏格兰和北爱尔兰通过了单独的法律。）
Polling in June found that more than three-quarters of Britons now support gay marriage, up from just over half in 2012. Just 14% are opposed.
6月份的民意调查发现，现在有75%以上的英国人支持同性婚姻，而2012年的支持率仅略高于50%。现在只有 14% 的人反对。
[Paragraph 4]
The success of same-sex marriage legislation shows how political leaders can shape and accelerate deeper shifts in public opinion.
同性婚姻立法的成功表明，政治领袖可以塑造并加速公众舆论更深层次的转变。
Britons have long been becoming more liberal and less religious.
长期以来，英国人变得更加自由，宗教信仰越来越少。
The previous New Labour government had done much to sweep away repressive legislation.
上届新工党政府为废除压制性立法做了很多工作。
It ended Section 28, which prevented schools and local authorities from “promoting homosexuality” and introduced civil partnerships. Campaigners were pushing for more.
它废除了第 28 条，该条禁止学校和地方当局“宣扬同性恋”，并引入了民事伴侣关系。活动人士正在推动更多改革。
[Paragraph 5]
The law was changed, and attitudes changed with it.
法律改了，态度也随之改变。
Gay marriages became not an abstract threat but something undertaken by friends, colleagues, neighbours.
同性婚姻不再是一种抽象的威胁，而是朋友、同事、邻居之间具体的事情。
Almost half of Britons now say they know a married gay couple.
现在近一半的英国人说他们认识一对已婚的同性恋伴侣。
[Paragraph 6]
This change reveals some deeper shifts.
这一变化揭示了一些更深层次的转变。
Danny Kruger, a Conservative MP, told a recent conference on “national conservativism” that marriages between men and women were “the only possible basis for a safe and successful society”.
保守党议员丹尼·克鲁格在最近一次关于“全国保守主义”的会议上表示，男女之间的婚姻是“安全和成功社会的唯一可能的基础”。
But there appears little constituency for such a message in Britain now. Number 10 quickly shot down the remarks.
但在英国，这样的言论似乎没有什么支持者。唐宁街10号（首相府）很快就驳斥了这番言论。
Like most successful and enduring policies, same-sex marriage has moved beyond contention.
与大多数成功且持久的政策一样，同性婚姻已经无可争议。
Though Britain was not the first to legalise it, 19 other countries have since given gay marriage their blessing.
尽管英国并不是第一个将同性婚姻合法化的国家，但此后已有 19 个国家对同性婚姻给予了支持。
[Paragraph 7]
A thornier legacy concerns the relationship between church and state.
一个更棘手的遗留问题涉及教会与国家之间的关系。
The government designed the law to ensure no organisation or minister could be forced to marry same-sex couples.
政府制定法律的目的是确保不会强迫任何组织或牧师为同性伴侣主持婚礼。
That pleased the Church of England and helped the bill’s passage through Parliament.
这令英国国教感到满意，并帮助该法案在议会获得通过。
But it has led to a decade of ecclesiastical discord as liberal members of the church argue for the right to perform or partake in gay marriages.
但这导致了长达十年的教会纷争，因为教会的自由派成员主张有权进行或参与主持同性婚姻。
A fudge in which the church said it would “bless” (meaning not marry) same-sex couples pleased no one.
教会曾表示愿意“祝福”（意指不为同性伴侣主持婚礼）同性夫妇，这种敷衍令人不悦。
A group of MPs led by Ben Bradshaw, a gay Anglican, is looking at ways to amend the legislation to allow willing priests and parishes to take part, which they argue could also help boost dwindling numbers in the aisles.
由英国圣公会同性恋者本·布拉德肖领导的一群议员正在研究修改立法的方法，以允许愿意的牧师和教区参与其中，他们认为这也有助于提振不断减少的信徒人数。
“Either be the established church or go off and be a sect,” says Mr Bradshaw.
布拉德肖先生说：“要么成为正式的大众教会，要么离开教会成为一个小众教派。”
（恭喜读完，本篇英语词汇量719 左右，有删减）
原文出自：2023年7月15日《The Economist》Britain版块
精读笔记来源于：自由英语之路
本文翻译整理: Irene
本文编辑校对: Irene
仅供个人英语学习交流使用。
【补充资料】（来自于网络）
唐宁街10号Downing Street No. 10，是英国首相的官方住所和办公地点。这座建筑位于伦敦白厅的Downing Street街道上，是英国政府的中心之一。由一座三层的乔治时代建筑组成，其中一层设有首相的办公室，二层是私人住所，三层是官方客厅和会议室。这里作为英国首相的官方住所和办公地点可以追溯到18世纪。自从那时以来，几乎每位英国首相都曾在这里居住和工作。这座建筑也成为了英国政府决策和权力集中的象征，许多重要政策和决定都在这里制定和实施。也是英国政府对外和国内的重要场所，各国领导人和外交官经常在这里会晤。建筑前方还有一座著名的铁闸，被称为“黑门”，成为了政治活动和示威活动的焦点。
教会（church）和教派（sect）是宗教组织的两个常见概念。区别在于，教会通常是一个社会性较强的宗教组织，拥有大量信徒和广泛的影响力，而教派更侧重于小规模的宗教组织，可能具有更为独立和个性化的信仰体系。
【重点句子】（3个）
The roof did not fall in.Indeed, same-sex marriage has proved remarkably popular.
天没有塌下来。事实证明，同性婚姻非常受欢迎。
The success of same-sex marriage legislation shows how political leaders can shape and accelerate deeper shifts in public opinion.
同性婚姻立法的成功表明，政治领袖可以塑造并加速公众舆论更深层次的转变。
Gay marriages became not an abstract threat but something undertaken by friends, colleagues, neighbours.
同性婚姻不再是一种抽象的威胁，而是朋友、同事、邻居之间具体的事情。
自由英语之路
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