英国防部廉价甩卖航空母舰为补赤字

　　The cash-strapped Ministry of Defence is selling off millions ofpounds of equipment at bargain basement prices to try to plug a budgetdeficit。

　　为填补预算赤字缺口，捉襟见肘的英国国防部正廉价甩卖价值数百万英镑的装备。

　　Everything from boxes of pencils to an aircraft carrier is to becleared out in an emergency fire sale. Officials are hoping to make up a36billion shortfall。

　　小到一盒盒铅笔，大到一艘航空母舰，都在清仓大甩卖。官员们希望以此填补360亿英镑的资金缺口。

　　Among the items up for grabs are 14 Gazelle helicopters, costingaround 5million which are expected to fetch around 100,000 and armouredJaguars for VIPs which can cost up to 200,000.

　　待售品中有14架小羚羊直升机，最初以500万英镑买入，现在售价预计只有10万英镑，另外还有重要人物乘坐的装甲捷豹，买入价高达20万英镑。

　　The MoD’s Defence Equipment &Sales website also has top-classwatches which are likely to be sold for a fraction of their value。

　　英国国防部装备销售网站上还出售顶级名表，售价也就是实际价值的一个零头。

　　Expensive timepieces have long been handed out to spies andundercover SAS troops working at British embassies abroad so that theycould pass themselves off as well-heeled diplomats。

　　一直以来，昂贵名表都是发给那些在英国驻外使馆工作的间谍和英国空军特别部队的，以便他们乔装打扮成富有的外交官。

　　The “unused as new” watches do not carry an asking price but it is expected they will go for a song。

　　这些手表“还没用过，就跟新的一样”，虽未列出报价，但估计也都被贱卖。

　　There is a Raymond Weil Tango men’s watch, advertised as “Stainlesssteel case, black dial with red accented hands..sapphire crystalglass”. It normally sells for 1,000. Also on offer is a ladies CrystalDior watch – “Bezel set with 48 diamonds 0.24 carat, black lacquereddial, black rubber strap set with black sapphire crystal” – worth 4,000.

　　例如一款雷蒙威探戈系列男士名表的广告上写着“不锈钢材质，黑表盘配有红色指针。宝蓝色水晶玻璃表面。”正常售价要1000英镑。还有一款女士水晶迪奥表——“表圈镶有48颗0.24克拉钻石，黑漆表盘，黑色的橡胶表带镶嵌黑色宝蓝水晶”——价值4000英镑。

　　A source said: “These watches were bought for SAS and defenceintelligence operatives who work at our embassies abroad so that theylook the part when they go to events and parties attended by diplomatsand local dignitaries. It’s all part of creating the right image。”

　　消息人士称：“这些表都是买给那些在海外大使馆工作的英国空军特别部队和国防情报特工的，当他们参加一些有外交官和当地名流到场的活动或派对时，看上去就比较像那么回事儿，都是为了塑造体面的形象。”

　　Last year the Disposal Services Authority secured 84million fromsales of unwanted equipment. The watches are on auction beside militaryequipment, including Land Rovers, motorbikes and even SAS combatjackets。

　　去年，处理服务中心通过售卖不需要的装备进账8400万英镑。拍卖品除手表外，还有一些军用装备，包括路虎汽车、摩托车，甚至还有英国空军特别部队的作战夹克。

　　Also for sale is a 6,000 fridge advertised for 920; ships’mattresses; a portable dentist’s chair and even a 100ft-wide girderbridge。

　　此外，一台价值6000英镑的冰箱以920英镑低价出售；待售品还有轮船气垫；便携式的牙医椅子；甚至还有一座100英尺宽的板梁桥。

　　The website also offers dump trucks, aircraft loading equipment,office furniture, tools and even a flight simulator for training Lynxhelicopter pilots。

　　网站上还出售自动倾卸卡车、飞机装载设备、办公用品、工具，甚至还有山猫直升机飞行员训练专用的飞行模拟器。

　　The largest item is the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, whichoriginally cost 200million. It is being sold in an eBay-style auction,with the latest top offer a mere 3.5million。

　　最大的一宗货品要算皇家方舟号航空母舰了，造价2亿英镑。这艘航母目前在网上拍卖，类似于易趣网站的交易，最近的最高叫价也不过350万英镑。

　　Conservative MP Patrick Mercer, a former infantry commander, said:“The one thing of which you can be certain is that once-precious defenceequipment is sold it will be needed again within the week. These goodshave cost us millions and now they are being sold for peanuts. Thatcannot be right。”

　　曾做过步兵司令的保守党议员帕特里克·莫赛尔说：“可以肯定的是，这些曾经价值连城的国防设备贱卖掉之后，不出一个星期，我们又会重新需要它们。花了几百万买来的东西现在清仓大甩卖，真是大错特错。”