新奇事件簿 稀有邮票

A new world record has been set for the sale of a postage stamp. Not just any old stamp, but a one-of-a-kind. The 1856 British Guiana One-Cent Magenta¹ was sold at an auction² in New York for $9.48 million. The auction house, Sotheby's, said it was the fourth time the stamp has broken the record. Sotheby's vice³ chairman David Redden said the record would never be broken again, unless the same stamp came up for auction again. He told reporters: "That price will be hard to beat, and likely won't be exceeded unless the British Guiana itself comes up for sale again in the future." David Beech⁴, a former curator of stamps at the British Library, compared the sale to buying the artwork the 'Mona Lisa'.

一项新的世界纪录已经因邮票拍卖而产生。并不是任何古老邮票，而是一种邮票。在1856年发行的英属圭亚那的1分洋红邮票在纽约的拍卖会上以948万美元卖出。苏士比拍卖行称，这是这张邮票第四次打破记录了。苏士比的副主席大卫.雷登称，纪录将不会再次被打破。除非这枚邮票再次现身拍卖行。won't be exceeded 他告诉记者，这个价格很难被打败，而且很可能不会被超越。除非英属圭亚那在将来自己去售卖这枚邮票。大卫.比奇，负责保管英国图书馆的邮票，并将这次售卖与艺术品《蒙娜丽莎》的购买相媲美。

The stamp was bought by an anonymous⁵ buyer. It was previously⁶ owned by John E. du Pont, an heir to the du Pont chemical fortune. He is currently in prison for fatally shooting an Olympic champion wrestler⁷. It was first discovered in 1873 by a 12-year-old stamp collector. He sold it a few years later for six shillings - about $50 in today's money and a tidy sum back then. It has since had a dozen owners, including the French government. Mr Redden marvelled⁸ at how sought after the stamp has become. He said: "This is the most valuable item in the world by weight. It's just a tiny piece of paper." He added he was happy that the stamp had been bought by a collector who would cherish it, and not by an investor⁹.

邮票的购买者是匿名的。这枚邮票起初由约翰.E. du Pont拥有，他是杜邦公司化学制品的继承人。他目前在监狱，因射杀一名奥林匹克摔跤运动员而坐牢。这枚邮票是被一位12岁的集邮者在1873年发现的。几年之后，他以6县令卖出，相当于今天的50美元，在那时是一笔巨款。这枚邮票的主人有许多，包括法国政府。雷登先生对于搜索邮票的方式感到很惊奇。他说，以重量作为衡量标准的话，这是世界上最贵的一件物品。它只是薄薄的一张纸。他还说，他很高兴，因为邮票是被一位懂得珍惜它的集邮爱好者购买的，而不是被投资者购买的。

1 magenta   

n..紫红色（的染料）；adj.紫红色的

参考例句：

• In the one photo in which she appeared, Hillary Clinton wore a magenta gown.在其中一张照片中，希拉里身着一件紫红色礼服。
• For the same reason air information is printed in magenta.出于同样的原因，航空资料采用品红色印刷。

2 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。

3 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

4 beech   

n.山毛榉；adj.山毛榉的

参考例句：

• Autumn is the time to see the beech woods in all their glory.秋天是观赏山毛榉林的最佳时期。
• Exasperated,he leaped the stream,and strode towards beech clump.他满腔恼怒，跳过小河，大踏步向毛榉林子走去。

5 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

6 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

7 wrestler   

n.摔角选手，扭

参考例句：

• The wrestler tripped up his opponent.那个摔跤运动员把对手绊倒在地。
• The stronger wrestler won the first throw.较壮的那个摔跤手第一跤就赢了。

8 marvelled   

v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I marvelled that he suddenly left college. 我对他突然离开大学感到惊奇。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I marvelled at your boldness. 我对你的大胆感到惊奇。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。