女王出国不用护照！各国护照趣事

 　　Obtaining or renewing a passport can be a complicated process, but there are few things more enjoyable than flicking¹ through it and seeing stamps from around the world.

　　办护照或更新护照是一个复杂的过程。不过，除了翻看护照、看看世界各地的印章，有关护照还有一些更有趣的故事。

　　The document is one of the most treasured keepsakes from every holidaymaker's travels, with every page providing a snapshot of countries visited and cherished memories.

　　对于每一个度假者的旅行而言，护照是最珍贵的纪念品之一，每一页都是出游国家的记录，也承载着宝贵的记忆。

　　These are some of the most bizarre or interesting facts about passports from Britain and around the world.

　　下面是一些关于英国和世界各地护照最为怪异或有趣的故事。

　　Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher² was once offered a passport bearing number 007 – the code number for fictional³ MI6 agent James Bond.

　　英国前首相玛格丽特·撒切尔曾被提供一本编号007的护照（oo7是科幻片《军情六处》特工詹姆斯·邦德的代码）。

　　女王出国不用护照！各国护照趣事

　　However, the late Baroness⁴ Thatcher turned it down.

　　不过，已故的撒切尔夫人没有使用这本护照。

　　That fact was revealed by the current 007 passport holder⁵, Geoffrey Howe, Lord Howe of Aberavon, who was Thatcher’s longest-serving Cabinet minister until he resigned in 1990 with a devastating⁶ Commons speech which signalled the end of her premiership.

　　这件事是007号护照的现持有人杰弗里·豪告诉大家的，他是撒切尔任期最长的内阁部长，于1990年辞职，并发表了一次令人印象深刻的下议院演讲，预示了撒切尔夫人任期的结束。

　　You need one, but the Queen doesn’t

　　你需要护照，但女王不不需要护照

　　Although she may not jet abroad as much as she used to, Queen Elizabeth II has travelled around the world on Commonwealth⁷ and state visits – all without a passport.

　　虽然英国女王伊丽莎白而是现在可能不像过去那样常往国外飞了，但她到世界各地旅行和进行国事访问时都不用护照。

　　According to the British Monarchy’s website, it is unnecessary for the Queen to possess one ‘as a British passport is issued in the name of Her Majesty’.

　　据英国王室网站，女王陛下不需要护照，“因为英国护照都是以陛下之名签发的”。

　　However, the same luxury isn’t afforded to the entire Royal Family, as all other members, including Prince Philip and Prince Charles, have passports.

　　不过，不是整个皇室成员都有这个待遇。皇室的所有其他成员，包括菲利普亲王和查尔斯王子都有护照。

　　Britain’s passport is powerful

　　英国的护照很强大

　　The British passport is one of the most powerful in the world, giving holders⁸ access to 174 countries without a visa.

　　英国护照是世界上最强大的旅行证件之一，其持有者可以免签证去174个国家。

　　A ranking by global consulting firm Henley and Partners put the UK passport in top spot along with travel documents from Finland, Germany, Sweden and the US.

　　全球有名的咨询公司亨氏顾问公司将英国护照连同芬兰、德国、瑞典和美国的旅行证件一起排在榜首。

　　Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Somalia were at the bottom of the list.

　　阿富汗、伊拉克、巴基斯坦和索马里的旅行证件则排名靠后。

　　The firm gave each country a score based on visa regulations and the number of countries its residents can visit visa-free.

　　该公司基于该国家的签证规定和免签国家的数量给每个国家的旅行证件打分。

　　But it is one of the most expensive

　　但是英国护照最贵

　　A study by travel website GoEuro suggests UK travellers pay some of the highest passport costs in the world – more than people in Afghanistan, China and Russia.

　　据旅游网站GoEuro的一项研究，英国旅客所支付的护照成本全球最高——比阿富汗、中国和俄罗斯的护照成本高得多。

　　At ?72.50, the British passport is the 11th most expensive of 51 countries included in the study, and it takes a worker earning minimum wage 11 hours to pay it off.

　　在研究所涉及的51个国家中，英国护照费用排在第11位，为72.50镑（约合700人民币），相当于挣最低工资的工人工作11个小时的薪水。

　　Research by Skyscanner found Turkey has most expensive passport in the world (?215) while Swaziland has the cheapest (?2.50).

　　据天巡网的研究发现，土耳其的护照是世界上最昂贵的护照(215镑，约合2060人民币)，斯威士兰（位于东南部）最便宜(2.50镑，约合24人民币)。

　　Britain’s oldest passport

　　英国最古老的护照

　　The oldest passport still in existence in Britain dates back to June 18, 1641 and bears the signature of Charles I.

　　英国现存最古老的护照可以追溯到1641年6月18日，护照上有查理一世的签名。

　　No to Body Art

　　不接受人体艺术

　　In 2014, Britain’s most tattooed⁹ man was refused a new passport, but not due to the ink that covers almost every inch of his body.

　　2014年，英国纹身最多的人被拒签发新的护照，但并不是因为他的身体几乎每一寸都有纹身。

　　The man was denied a travel document due to his unusual name – King of Ink Land King Body Art The Extreme Ink-Ite.

　　真正被拒发旅行证件的原因是他过于个性的名字（他的名字是：King of Ink Land King Body Art The Extreme Ink-Ite）。

　　A walking moose and hidden images

　　走动的驼鹿和隐藏的图像

　　While most countries offer boring travel documents with few or no notable features, some are having fun with theirs while promoting their identity.

　　虽然大多数国家的护照只是无聊的旅行证件，没有什么明显特征，但有些国家的护照在作为旅行证件的同时也增加了一些有意思的东西。

　　Finland’s passport, for example, doubles as a flip-book with a walking moose on the bottom right corner of every second page, while there are hidden images on the pages of new Canadian passports.

　　例如，芬兰护照同时也是一本行走驼鹿的手翻画册，护照每页背面右下角有驼鹿的画；新版本的加拿大护照上有隐藏的图像。

　　When placed under an ultraviolet light a Canadian passport displays colourful depictions of the Parliament buildings in Ottawa, Niagara Falls and other scenes.

　　加拿大护照放在紫外线下显示彩绘渥太华的国会大厦、尼亚加拉瀑布和其他景点。

　　Illegal passports

　　非法护照

　　Not only is Sweden’s passport one of the most powerful in the world, but it is one of the most highly sought-after on the black market.

　　瑞典护照是世界上最强大的旅行证件之一，在黑市上也最有市场。

1 flicking   

（尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的现在分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等）

参考例句：

• He helped her up before flicking the reins. 他帮她上马，之后挥动了缰绳。
• There's something flicking around my toes. 有什么东西老在叮我的脚指头。

2 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

3 fictional   

adj.小说的，虚构的

参考例句：

• The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
• The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。

4 baroness   

n.男爵夫人，女男爵

参考例句：

• I'm sure the Baroness will be able to make things fine for you.我相信男爵夫人能够把家里的事替你安排妥当的。
• The baroness,who had signed,returned the pen to the notary.男爵夫人这时已签过字，把笔交回给律师。

5 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

6 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

7 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

8 holders   

支持物( holder的名词复数 )； 持有者； （支票等）持有人； 支托（或握持）…之物

参考例句：

• Slaves were mercilessly ground down by slave holders. 奴隶受奴隶主的残酷压迫。
• It is recognition of compassion's part that leads the up-holders of capital punishment to accuse the abolitionists of sentimentality in being more sorry for the murderer than for his victim. 正是对怜悯的作用有了认识，才使得死刑的提倡者指控主张废除死刑的人感情用事，同情谋杀犯胜过同情受害者。

9 tattooed   

v.刺青，文身( tattoo的过去式和过去分词 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击

参考例句：

• He had tattooed his wife's name on his upper arm. 他把妻子的名字刺在上臂上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The sailor had a heart tattooed on his arm. 那水兵在手臂上刺上一颗心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》