托福考试阅读练习题：世界上最小国家正在出售

会计考友

　许多普通人都曾有过成为一国元首一国之君的梦想，如今购买一个世界上最小的国家就能圆梦。  
# v' Y# G! u' O2 G　　For sale: the world's smallest country with its own flag, stamps, currency and passports.
　　待售：世界上最小的国家，含该国国旗、邮票、货币以及护照。

. J0 y5 c' B# M9 Q　　Apply to prince michael of sealand if you want to run your own nation, even if it is just a wartime fort perched on two concrete towers in the north sea.
% Z  t8 P' b' n# t　　如果你想治理一个属于自己的国家，且不计较它仅仅是由北海中两座混凝土塔楼组成的一个战时城堡，那就去向西兰公国的迈克尔王子申请吧。
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　　Built in world war Two as an anti-aircraft base to repel german bombers, the derelict plat-form was taken over 40 years ago by retired army major Paddy Roy Bates who went to live there withhis family.
　　该城堡建于二战期间，是个用于抵御德国轰炸机的防空基地。40年前，退休少校帕迪·罗伊·贝茨带着家人住到这里，接管了这个已废弃的高台。

　　He declared the platform, perched seven miles off the east coast of england and just outside britain's territorial waters, to be the principality of sealand.
7 x" e& Y8 |. _　　他将这个距英国东海岸七英里、恰在英国领海外的高台宣布为西兰公国。

　　The self-styled prince Roy adopted a flag, chose a national anthem and minted silver and gold coins.
　　这位自封的罗伊王子选定了国旗、国歌还铸造了西兰银币和金币。
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　　The family saw off attempts by Britain's Royal Navy to evict them and also an attempt in 1978 by a group of german and dutch businessmen to seize sealand by force.
　　英国皇家海军曾试图驱逐他们，1978年还有一队德国和荷兰商人试图用武力夺取西兰.他们最终都被这家人赶了出去。
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　　Roy, 85, now lives in Spain and his son Michael told BBC Radio his family had been approached by estate agents with clients "who wanted a bit more than a bit of real estate, they wanted autonomy."
　　罗伊现已85岁，住在西班牙。他的儿子迈克尔对英国广播公司电台说，一些客户已通过房地产中介与他们家取得了联系，“这些人想要的不只是一处房产，还有自治权。”
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　　Notes:
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1 h2 V3 ^2 b2 i( ?( g; H2 m　　fort :堡垒

) @+ h  P! D/ M% B　　mint [mint] n. 薄荷;造币厂，巨款

　　vt. 铸造，铸币

　　Royal Navy : 皇家海军