So far David Cameron has been grilled by the finest journalistic minds including the BBC’s former grand inquisitor Jeremy Paxman on this general election campaign. But it took a question from a Year 7 called Reema, who is from Salford, Greater Manchester, on the BBC’s children’s television programme Newsround to leave the Prime Minister unable to find answer.
目前为止，英国首相大卫·卡梅伦回答过最杰出的新闻工作者的提问，包括最厉害的前BBC记者杰瑞米·帕克斯曼在总统大选上的提问。但在BBC儿童电视节目Newsround上，大曼切斯特郡索尔福德市的7年级学生瑞玛的一个问题却难倒了首相大人。
The question was: “If you could pick one politician apart from yourself to win who would it be and why?” Mr Cameron, shifting uncomfortably, answered: “Wow. If I could pick politician? Would they have to be living or dead?”
问题是：“如果让你选一位除你自己以外的政治家当选首相，你会选谁?为什么?”卡梅伦先生不安地挪动了一下身体，回答道：“哇，要我选一位政治家?活着的还是死去的?”
He continued: “If I thought someone else should win the election I would not be standing myself, so I can’t really answer the question about who else I would like to win. There are lots of candidates around the country I am very enthusiastic about. I am afraid it is too difficult to say I would like someone else to win other than me or I wouldn’t be here, and I am quite keen on winning.”
他又继续说道：“如果我认为有别的什么人应该当选，那么如今当首相的就不会是我了，所以我无法真正回答这个问题。全国有很多候选人我都很看好。恐怕很难说我想让除我之外的谁当选，否则今天我不会在这儿，因为我十分渴望赢得大选。”
As Mr Cameron got up to leave he said: “Top question – it is the best one I have been asked all election campaign.”
卡梅伦起身准备离开时说道：“很棒的提问——这是我被问过的关于大选的一个最难回答的问题。”
Vocabulary
grill：盘问，究问
inquisitor：提问者
