中國網(wǎng)站品牌欄目（頻道）
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Former Ministry of Defence Snatch Land Rovers.The cash-strapped Ministry of Defence is selling off millions of pounds of equipment at bargain basement prices to try to plug a budget deficit.(Agencies) |
Click for more photos and list of the sales
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The cash-strapped Ministry of Defence is selling off millions of pounds of equipment at bargain basement prices to try to plug a budget deficit. Everything from boxes of pencils to an aircraft carrier is to be cleared out in an emergency fire sale. Officials are hoping to make up a ￡36billion -shortfall. Among the items up for grabs are 14 Gazelle helicopters, costing around ￡5million which are expected to fetch around ￡100,000 and armoured Jaguars for VIPs which can cost up to ￡200,000. The MoD’s Defence Equipment & Sales website also has top-class watches which are likely to be sold for a -fraction of their value. Expensive timepieces have long been handed out to spies and undercover SAS troops working at British embassies abroad so that they could pass themselves off as well-heeled diplomats. The “unused as new” watches do not carry an asking price but it is expected they will go for a song. There is a Raymond Weil Tango men’s watch, advertised as “Stainless steel case, black dial with red accented hands..sapphire crystal glass”. It normally sells for ￡1,000. Also on offer is a ladies Crystal Dior watch – “Bezel set with 48 diamonds 0.24 carat, black lacquered dial, black rubber strap set with black sapphire crystal” – worth ￡4,000. A source said: “These watches were bought for SAS and defence -intelligence operatives who work at our embassies abroad so that they look the part when they go to events and parties attended by diplomats and local dignitaries. It’s all part of creating the right image.” Last year the Disposal Services Authority secured ￡84million from sales of unwanted -equipment. The watches are on auction beside military equipment, including Land Rovers, motorbikes and even SAS combat jackets. Also for sale is a ￡6,000 fridge advertised for ￡920; ships’ mattresses; a portable dentist’s chair and even a 100ft-wide girder bridge. The website also offers dump trucks, aircraft loading equipment, office furniture, tools and even a flight simulator for training Lynx -helicopter pilots. The largest item is the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, which -originally cost ￡200million. It is being sold in an eBay-style auction, with the latest top offer a mere ￡3.5million. Conservative MP Patrick Mercer, a former infantry commander, said: “The one thing of which you can be certain is that once-precious defence equipment is sold it will be needed again within the week. These goods have cost us millions and now they are being sold for peanuts. That cannot be right.” (Read by Renee Haines. Renee Haines is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies)
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為填補(bǔ)預(yù)算赤字缺口，捉襟見肘的英國國防部正廉價(jià)甩賣價(jià)值數(shù)百萬英鎊的裝備。 小到一盒盒鉛筆，大到一艘航空母艦，都在清倉大甩賣。官員們希望以此填補(bǔ)360億英鎊的資金缺口。 待售品中有14架小羚羊直升機(jī)，最初以500萬英鎊買入，現(xiàn)在售價(jià)預(yù)計(jì)只有10萬英鎊，另外還有重要人物乘坐的裝甲捷豹，買入價(jià)高達(dá)20萬英鎊。 英國國防部裝備銷售網(wǎng)站上還出售頂級名表，售價(jià)也就是實(shí)際價(jià)值的一個(gè)零頭。 一直以來，昂貴名表都是發(fā)給那些在英國駐外使館工作的間諜和英國空軍特別部隊(duì)的，以便他們喬裝打扮成富有的外交官。 這些手表“還沒用過，就跟新的一樣”，雖未列出報(bào)價(jià)，但估計(jì)也都被賤賣。 例如一款雷蒙威探戈系列男士名表的廣告上寫著“不銹鋼材質(zhì)，黑表盤配有紅色指針。寶藍(lán)色水晶玻璃表面?！闭Ｊ蹆r(jià)要1000英鎊。還有一款女士水晶迪奧表——“表圈鑲有48顆0.24克拉鉆石，黑漆表盤，黑色的橡膠表帶鑲嵌黑色寶藍(lán)水晶”——價(jià)值4000英鎊。 消息人士稱：“這些表都是買給那些在海外大使館工作的英國空軍特別部隊(duì)和國防情報(bào)特工的，當(dāng)他們參加一些有外交官和當(dāng)?shù)孛鞯綀龅幕顒?dòng)或派對時(shí)，看上去就比較像那么回事兒，都是為了塑造體面的形象。” 去年，處理服務(wù)中心通過售賣不需要的裝備進(jìn)賬8400萬英鎊。拍賣品除手表外，還有一些軍用裝備，包括路虎汽車、摩托車，甚至還有英國空軍特別部隊(duì)的作戰(zhàn)夾克。 此外，一臺價(jià)值6000英鎊的冰箱以920英鎊低價(jià)出售；待售品還有輪船氣墊；便攜式的牙醫(yī)椅子；甚至還有一座100英尺寬的板梁橋。 網(wǎng)站上還出售自動(dòng)傾卸卡車、飛機(jī)裝載設(shè)備、辦公用品、工具，甚至還有山貓直升機(jī)飛行員訓(xùn)練專用的飛行模擬器。 最大的一宗貨品要算皇家方舟號航空母艦了，造價(jià)2億英鎊。這艘航母目前在網(wǎng)上拍賣，類似于易趣網(wǎng)站的交易，最近的最高叫價(jià)也不過350萬英鎊。 曾做過步兵司令的保守黨議員帕特里克?莫賽爾說：“可以肯定的是，這些曾經(jīng)價(jià)值連城的國防設(shè)備賤賣掉之后，不出一個(gè)星期，我們又會(huì)重新需要它們?；藥装偃f買來的東西現(xiàn)在清倉大甩賣，真是大錯(cuò)特錯(cuò)。” 相關(guān)閱讀 （中國日報(bào)網(wǎng)英語點(diǎn)津 實(shí)習(xí)生沈清 編輯：Julie） |
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Vocabulary: cash-strapped: 缺錢的，囊中羞澀 sell off: to get rid of by selling, often at reduced prices（廉價(jià)出售，拋售） fire sale: any instance of offering goods or assets at greatly reduced prices to ensure a quick sale（減價(jià)出售，或指火災(zāi)受損物品拍賣） up for grabs: available for anyone to take or win（待售，競購） undercover: engaged or employed in spying or secret investigation（秘密從事的，被雇用進(jìn)行間諜活動(dòng)的） pass off: to present (one's self) as other than what one is（把…冒充為，假稱是）well-heeled: rich; prosperous; wealthy（富有的，穿著考究的） asking price: 要價(jià)，賣方報(bào)價(jià) go for a song: 賤價(jià)拋出 bezel：a groove or flange designed to hold a beveled edge, as of a watch crystal or a gem（表、戒指等嵌玻璃/寶石的溝緣） black lacquered: 黑漆，用于家具和做工精致的小盒等 look the part: to look suitable for a particular situation（看上去合適） infantry: 步兵，步兵團(tuán) peanut: for nearly nothing; for very little money（俚語，無甚價(jià)值之物，小數(shù)額） |
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