The debate began with a simple question in a dark Calgary hotel ballroom: does Alberta need Canada?(辩论在卡尔加里一家昏暗的酒店宴会厅里以一个简单的问题开场：阿尔伯塔需要加拿大吗？)
辩论在卡尔加里一家昏暗的酒店宴会厅里以一个简单的问题开场：阿尔伯塔需要加拿大吗？
By the time(到……的时候) the audience was asked to vote at the end, more than three-quarters had answered no – a decisive measure of the convictions(信念，坚定的看法) of a room packed with some of Alberta’s most ardent(狂热的，热切的) independence supporters, some of whom had paid C$900 (£480) for a “visionary” weekend pass(周末通票).
到会议结束时观众被要求投票时，超过四分之三的人回答了“不”——这决定性地衡量了满屋子阿尔伯塔最狂热的独立支持者的信念，其中一些人花了900加元（480英镑）购买“有远见”的周末通票。
But outside the comfort of the ballroom, the debate is far from settled(远未解决). Across the province, the forthcoming 19 October referendum on separatism has divided communities, prompting accusations of treason and grift and, at times, bitter feuds between former allies.(在全省范围内，即将于10月19日举行的分离主义公投已使社区分裂，引发了叛国和诈骗的指控，有时甚至导致昔日盟友之间的激烈争斗。) One recent poll shows support for independence at only 14%.
但在宴会厅的舒适区之外，辩论远未尘埃落定。在全省范围内，即将于10月19日举行的分离主义公投已使社区分裂，引发了叛国和诈骗的指控，有时甚至导致昔日盟友之间的激烈争斗。最近一项民调显示，支持独立的比例仅为14%。