托福閱讀材料：想成為一國之君就給自己買一個國家吧

許多普通人都曾有過成為一國元首一國之君的夢想，如今購買一個世界上最小的國家就能圓夢。

For sale: the world's smallest country with its own flag, stamps, currency and passports.

待售：世界上最小的國家，含該國國旗、郵票、貨幣以及護照。

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.

如果你想治理一個屬于自己的國家，且不計較它僅僅是由北海中兩座混凝土塔樓組成的一個戰(zhàn)時城堡，那就去向西蘭公國的邁克爾王子申請吧。

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.

該城堡建于二戰(zhàn)期間，是個用于抵御德國轟炸機的防空基地。40年前，退休少校帕迪·羅伊·貝茨帶著家人住到這里，接管了這個已廢棄的高臺。

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.

他將這個距英國東海岸七英里、恰在英國領(lǐng)海外的高臺宣布為西蘭公國。

The self-styled prince Roy adopted a flag, chose a national anthem and minted silver and gold coins.

這位自封的羅伊王子選定了國旗、國歌還鑄造了西蘭銀幣和金幣。

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.

英國皇家海軍曾試圖驅(qū)逐他們，1978年還有一隊德國和荷蘭商人試圖用武力奪取西蘭.他們最終都被這家人趕了出去。

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."

羅伊現(xiàn)已85歲，住在西班牙。他的兒子邁克爾對英國廣播公司電臺說，一些客戶已通過房地產(chǎn)中介與他們家取得了聯(lián)系，“這些人想要的不只是一處房產(chǎn)，還有自治權(quán)。”

Notes:

fort :堡壘

mint [mint] n. 薄荷;造幣廠，巨款

vt. 鑄造，鑄幣

Royal Navy : 皇家海軍