VOA文化艺术2022--戴安娜王妃的爱车即将拍卖

Car Driven by Britain’s Princess Diana to Be Sold at Auction¹

A vehicle once driven by Britain's Princess Diana is set to go up for sale this weekend.

The Ford² Escort RS Turbo model was driven by the late Princess of Wales from 1985 to 1988. It is to be auctioned³ Saturday at a racing⁴ festival in Britain's Northamptonshire area.

Auction officials said they expect the car to sell for at least $118,000.

The vehicle is thought to be the only RS Turbo model produced to be painted black, said Silverstone Auctions⁵, the company leading the sale. The vehicle usually came in white but the royal family police guard requested that Diana's car be painted black "for discretion⁶," the company added.

The Ford Escort has been driven about 40,000 kilometers. Arwel Richards is the Classic Car Specialist at Silverstone Auctions. He told Reuters he thinks the vehicle was "a very brave choice" for Princess Diana.

"All the other members of the royal family would be driving around London in the back... of an official car," Richards said. "And she's driving in a car... that you would see on a housing estate not outside the palace."

Next week marks 25 years since Diana died at age 36. The princess was killed in an automobile⁷ crash while photographers riding on motorbikes chased her official car in Paris.

The sale will take place at the Silverstone Classic festival. It is a three-day event near the town of Silverstone that includes motor racing and music performances.

Among other things to be sold at the auction include a Rolls-Royce convertible⁸ once owned by Bee Gees⁹ band member Maurice Gibb. The singer, who died in 2003, bought the black 1973 Corniche in 1979. The vehicle stayed in the family until 2012. It is listed with a "guide price" starting at $118,000.

Also to be sold is a 1973 British-made Rover P5. The car was used to drive former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher¹⁰ to meet Queen Elizabeth II after Thatcher's election win in 1979. It has a listed "guide price" starting at $41,000.

Also being offered is a 1988 Volkswagen T25 Caravelle GL 112 minibus vehicle used to transport the late British physicist¹¹ Stephen Hawking¹².

Words in This Story

auction – n. a sale in which things are sold to the person offering the most money

discretion – n. the act of taking care not to attract too much attention, especially by keeping something secret

estate – n. a large area of land in the country that is owned by a person or organization

palace – n. a large structure where important people live, like kings and queens

convertible – n. a car that has a folding roof

1 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

2 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

3 auctioned   

v.拍卖( auction的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It was sad to see all grandmother's lovely things being auctioned off. 眼看着祖母那些可爱的东西全都被拍卖掉，心里真不好受。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• TV franchises will be auctioned to the highest bidder. 电视特许经营权将拍卖给出价最高的投标人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

5 auctions   

n.拍卖，拍卖方式( auction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They picked up most of the furniture at auctions in country towns. 他们大部分的家具都是在乡村镇上的拍卖处买的。 来自辞典例句
• Our dealers didn't want these cars, so we had to dump them at auctions. 我们的承销商都不要这些车子，因此我们只好贱价拍卖。 来自辞典例句

6 discretion   

n.谨慎；随意处理

参考例句：

• You must show discretion in choosing your friend.你择友时必须慎重。
• Please use your best discretion to handle the matter.请慎重处理此事。

7 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

8 convertible   

adj.可改变的，可交换，同意义的；n.有活动摺篷的汽车

参考例句：

• The convertible sofa means that the apartment can sleep four.有了这张折叠沙发，公寓里可以睡下4个人。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了。

9 gees   

n.（美俚）一千元（gee的复数形式）v.驭马快走或向右（gee的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• When the lunch bell rang, she peeled the gees and ate them. 中午吃饭铃响时她就剥开鸡蛋吃起来。 来自互联网
• How do you want you gees? 你要怎么样的蛋呢？ 来自互联网

10 thatcher   

n.茅屋匠

参考例句：

• Tom Sawyer was in the skiff that bore Judge Thatcher. 汤姆 - 索亚和撒切尔法官同乘一条小艇。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
• Mrs. Thatcher was almost crazed; and Aunt Polly, also. 撒切尔夫人几乎神经失常，还有波莉姨妈也是。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

11 physicist   

n.物理学家，研究物理学的人

参考例句：

• He is a physicist of the first rank.他是一流的物理学家。
• The successful physicist never puts on airs.这位卓有成就的物理学家从不摆架子。

12 hawking   

利用鹰行猎

参考例句：

• He is hawking his goods everywhere. 他在到处兜售他的货物。
• We obtain the event horizon and the Hawking spectrumformula. 得到了黑洞的局部事件视界位置和Hawking温度以及Klein—Gordon粒子的Hawking辐射谱。