霍金率皇家学会发出警告:退欧将给科学界带来灾难

Renowned cosmologist Stephen Hawking was among 150 academics to declare support for Britain remaining in the European Union on Thursday in a letter that said leaving the bloc would damage science and research.

著名宇宙学家史蒂芬·霍金与150多名院士于上周四联合上书，呼吁英国人民在公投时选择继续留在欧盟，否则将会造成科学研究界的重大灾难。

"If the UK leaves the EU and there is a loss of freedom of movement of scientists between the UK and Europe, it will be a disaster for UK science and universities," the academics wrote in a letter to The Times newspaper.

众位院士在给《泰晤士报》的信件中表示：“如果英国离开欧盟，英国和欧洲之间的科学家将失去活动自由，这对于英国的科学和大学教育将是一场‘灾难'”。

The over 150 signatories are Cambridge scientists, mathematicians, engineers and economists and all are also fellows of the Royal Society, Britain's leading scientific institution.

联名上书的这150多名院士大多是剑桥大学的科学家、数学家、工程师和经济学家。与此同时，他们也是英国最顶尖科研机构——英国皇家学会的研究成员。

Other signatories included Martin Rees, the astronomer royal and former president of the Royal Society, University of Cambridge physicist Athene Donald, and letter organiser Alan Fersht, a leading chemist.

此外，参与联名上书的还有皇家天文学家及英国皇家学会的前任主席——马丁·里根、剑桥大学物理学家艾斯纳·唐纳德，以及此次联名上书呼吁的组织者，著名化学家艾伦·费什特。

Britain is due to vote on June 23 on whether to remain in the 28-member bloc. Opinion polls show that the campaign to remain within the EU is slightly ahead, but its lead over the "leave" campaign has narrowed in recent months.

英国将在6月23日进行公投，该投票将决定英国是否能够继续留在欧盟。虽然民意测验显示支持英国继续留在欧盟的票数暂时领先，但是提倡退欧的票数在近几个月来持续增高，紧追不舍。

In the letter, the scientists argued that science was vital for Britain's long-term prosperity and that membership of the EU had increased funding of science and allowed the country to recruit talented researchers from continental Europe.

科学家们在信中强烈表示，科技对于英国的长期繁荣至关重要，英国在欧盟成员国的身份可以帮助其获得更多的科学资金，并且还便于英国从欧洲大陆引进更多的精英人才。

"Investment in science is as important for the long-term prosperity and security of the UK as investment in infrastructure projects, farming or manufacturing; and the free movement of scientists is as important for science as free trade is for market economics," they wrote.

他们在信中表示：“对科学的投资和对基础设施、农业和制造业的投资一样，这对英国的长期繁荣和安全非常重要。科学家们的活动自由对科学的意义也如同自由贸易对市场经济的意义那样至关重要。”