文本选自：The Guardian（卫报）
作者：Maeve McClenaghan, Rob Evans and Henry Dyer
原文标题：King Charles secretly profiting from the assets of dead citizens
原文发布时间：24 Nov. 2023
King Charles secretly profiting from the assets of dead citizens
The king is profiting from the deaths of thousands of people in the north-west of England whose assets are secretly being used to upgrade a commercial property empire managed by his hereditary estate, the Guardian can reveal. The Duchy of Lancaster, a controversial land and property estate that generates huge profits for King Charles III, has collected tens of millions of pounds in recent years under an antiquated system that dates back to feudal times.
Financial assets known as bona vacantia, owned by people who died without a will or known next of kin, are collected by the duchy. Over the last 10 years, it has collected more than £60m in the funds. It has long claimed that, after deducting costs, bona vacantia revenues are donated to charities. However, only a small percentage of these revenues is being given to charity. Internal duchy documents seen by the Guardian reveal how funds are secretly being used to finance the renovation of properties that are owned by the king and rented out for profit.
The duchy essentially inherits bona vacantia funds from people whose last known address was in a territory that in the middle ages was known as Lancashire county palatine and ruled by a duke. Today, the area comprises Lancashire and parts of Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Cumbria. A leaked internal duchy policy from 2020 gave officials at the king's estate licence to use bona vacantia funds on a broad array of its profit-generating portfolio. Codenamed "SA9", the policy acknowledges spending the money in this way could result in an "incidental" benefit to the privy purse, the king's personal income.
查尔斯国王秘密从死者财产中获利
精听党背景导读
近日，《卫报》披露了英国查尔斯三世国王如何通过其遗传财产——兰开斯特公爵领地，利用无主遗产（即无遗嘱或已知亲属的逝世人士留下的财产）为自己带来利益。《卫报》的调查揭示了这一财产如何在过去数年秘密地将数百万英镑用于升级其商业地产，这些地产最终以盈利方式出租。此举虽然间接提高了国王的个人收入，却引发了有关道德和透明度的广泛争议。这一情况触及了英国皇室财产管理的深层问题，包括税收优惠、资金使用的透明度，以及对公共资源的管理。
文本选自：The Guardian（卫报）作者：Maeve McClenaghan, Rob Evans and Henry Dyer原文标题：King Charles secretly profiting from the assets of dead citizens原文发布时间：24 Nov. 2023关键词：英国 查尔斯 获利
精听党带着问题听
1.“追溯到”用英语可以怎么表达？2. 尝试理解一下“the Guardian can reveal” 中使用的“can”?3. 如何理解第三段的“county palatine”？
精听党选段赏析
标题解读
King Charles secretly profiting from the assets of dead citizens
查尔斯国王秘密从死去公民的财产中获利
profit vi. 获益；得到好处；1. profit from 从…中获利；2. profit by 因…而获益；
asset n. 资产；财产；1. The company's assets include real estate and investments. 该公司的资产包括房地产和投资。2. He listed his assets and liabilities for the loan application. 他为贷款申请列出了他的资产和负债。
段一
The king is profiting from the deaths of thousands of people in the north-west of England whose assets are secretly being used to upgrade a commercial property empire managed by his hereditary estate, the Guardian can reveal. The Duchy of Lancaster, a controversial land and property estate that generates huge profits for King Charles III, has collected tens of millions of pounds in recent years under an antiquated system that dates back to feudal times.
upgrade vt. 升级；提高；改进；1. The software needs to be upgraded to the latest version. 软件需要升级到最新版本。2. n. 升级；
The upgrade to the system will bring many new features. 系统的升级将带来许多新功能。
commercial adj. 商业的；
empire n. 帝国；大企业，大集团；
hereditary adj. 世袭的；遗传的；遗传性的；1. The title of duke is hereditary in their family. 公爵的头衔在他们家族是世袭的。2. Hereditary diseases are passed down through generations. 遗传病通过世代传递。
estate n. 个人财产；（尤指）遗产；大片私有土地，庄园；<英>住宅区，工业区；1. He inherited the family estate after his parents passed away. 他在父母去世后继承了家族的地产。2. The estate includes vast gardens and a lake. 这个庄园包括广阔的花园和一个湖泊。
reveal vi. 揭示；显示；透露；1. The investigation revealed the truth about the scandal. 调查揭露了关于这个丑闻的真相。2. He revealed his plans to the team. 他向团队透露了他的计划。
duchy n. 公爵领地；
controversial adj. 有争议的，引发争论的；1. The new policy is highly controversial. 这项新政策引起了广泛争议。2. His views on education are controversial. 他对教育的观点很有争议。
generate vt. 产生；生成；1. The new strategy generates a lot of business for the company. 这种新策略为公司带来了大量业务。2. The power plant generates electricity for the entire city. 这个发电厂为整个城市提供电力。3. yield v. 产生；
antiquated system 过时的系统；1. The company still uses an antiquated system for processing orders. 该公司仍在使用一种过时的系统来处理订单。2. There's a need to replace the antiquated equipment in the factory. 需要更换工厂中过时的设备。
date back to feudal times 追溯到封建时代；1. The castle dates back to feudal times. 这座城堡可以追溯到封建时代。2. Some of these laws date back to feudal times and are no longer relevant. 这些法律中的一些追溯到封建时代，现在已不再适用。3. feudal adj. 封建（制度）的；
参考译文
据《卫报》披露，英格兰西北部成千上万名死者的遗产正被秘密用于升级由其世袭遗产所管理的商业地产帝国，从中给国王带来利益。兰开斯特公国是一个具有争议的土地和房地产企业，为查尔斯三世国王创造巨额利润。近年来，公国通过一种追溯至封建时代的陈旧制度，收集了数千万英镑。
段二
Financial assets known as bona vacantia, owned by people who died without a will or known next of kin, are collected by the duchy. Over the last 10 years, it has collected more than £60m in the funds. It has long claimed that, after deducting costs, bona vacantia revenues are donated to charities. However, only a small percentage of these revenues is being given to charity. Internal duchy documents seen by the Guardian reveal how funds are secretly being used to finance the renovation of properties that are owned by the king and rented out for profit.
financial assets 金融资产；1. The company's financial assets include shares in other companies. 该公司的金融资产包括其他公司的股份。2. He advised diversifying financial assets to reduce risk. 他建议多样化金融资产以降低风险。
known as 被称为；1. The chemical compound known as sodium chloride is common table salt. 被称为氯化钠的化合物是普通的食盐。
bona vacantia 无主财产；1. Assets left by a person who dies without a will and no identifiable heirs become bona vacantia. 没有遗嘱且没有可识别的继承人的人留下的资产成为无主财产。2. The company's assets were declared bona vacantia after it was dissolved. 在公司解散后，其资产被宣布为无主财产。
will n. 遗嘱；1. He left a will stating how his estate should be divided. 他留下了一份遗嘱，说明他的遗产应如何分配。2. Updating her will became a priority after the birth of her child. 在孩子出生后，更新她的遗嘱成为了优先事项。
next of kin 最近亲属；1. In the event of an emergency, please contact my next of kin. 如遇紧急情况，请联系我的最近亲属。2. As her next of kin, he was responsible for making decisions on her behalf. 作为她的最近亲属，他负责代表她做出决定。3. kin n.（统称）家属，亲属，亲戚；
it has long claimed that 长期以来一直声称；1. It has long claimed that the formula for the drink is a closely guarded secret. 长期以来一直声称这种饮料的配方是严格保密的。2. The organization has long claimed that its methods are effective. 该组织长期以来一直声称其方法是有效的。3. It is widely asserted that… 人们普遍认为…；4. It has been maintained that… 有人认为…；
deduct costs 扣除费用；1. After deducting costs, the net profit of the company was quite substantial. 在扣除费用后，公司的净利润相当可观。2. Deducting costs from the project budget gave us a better idea of the actual profit. 从项目预算中扣除费用让我们更好地了解了实际利润。
charity n. 慈善机构；1. Several charities are involved in the disaster relief efforts. 几个慈善机构参与了灾难救援工作。2. He donates a portion of his income to various charities. 他将他的一部分收入捐赠给了各种慈善机构。
renovation n. 翻新；改造；1. The old house underwent extensive renovation. 这所老房子进行了广泛的翻新。2. They are planning the renovation of their kitchen. 他们正在计划翻新他们的厨房。
rent out 出租；1. They decided to rent out their spare room to a student. 他们决定将他们的空余房间出租给一名学生。2. Many landlords rent out properties as a source of income. 许多房东将房产出租作为收入来源。
参考译文
被称为“无主遗产”的财产，属于那些没有遗嘱或已知亲属的死者，由公国收集。在过去10年中，公国已经收集了超过6000万英镑的资金。公国长期以来声称，在扣除成本后，无主遗产的收入会捐给慈善机构。然而，只有一小部分收入真的被捐给了慈善机构。《卫报》看到的公国内部文件揭示了这些资金是如何被秘密用于资助国王所拥有的物业的翻新，而这些物业被出租以获取利润。
段三
The duchy essentially inherits bona vacantia funds from people whose last known address was in a territory that in the middle ages was known as Lancashire county palatine and ruled by a duke. Today, the area comprises Lancashire and parts of Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Cumbria. A leaked internal duchy policy from 2020 gave officials at the king's estate licence to use bona vacantia funds on a broad array of its profit-generating portfolio. Codenamed "SA9", the policy acknowledges spending the money in this way could result in an "incidental" benefit to the privy purse, the king's personal income.
essentially adv. 本质上；基本上；1. Essentially, our goals are the same, even though our methods differ. 本质上，我们的目标是相同的，尽管我们的方法不同。2. The two products are essentially different in their composition. 这两种产品在成分上本质上是不同的。
inherit vt. 继承；1. She inherited a large sum of money from her grandmother. 她从她的祖母那里继承了一大笔钱。2. He will inherit the title of Duke after his father's death. 他的父亲去世后，他将继承公爵的头衔。
bona vacantia funds 无主资金；1. The government takes control of bona vacantia funds until a rightful owner is found. 政府控制无主资金，直到找到合法所有者。2. Bona vacantia funds are often used for public purposes if no heir is identified. 如果没有确定继承人，无主资金通常用于公共目的。
known adj. 已知的；众所周知的；1. He is known for his expertise in environmental science. 他以其在环境科学方面的专业知识而闻名。2. The known risks of the procedure were explained to the patients. 向病人解释了该程序的已知风险。
territory n. 领土；地区；1. The country expanded its territory through conquest. 该国通过征服扩大了其领土。
palatine adj. 宫廷的；皇家的；1. The palatine architecture reflects the grandeur of royalty. 宫廷建筑反映了皇家的宏伟。2. n. 地方行政长官；
As a palatine, he had considerable authority in the region. 作为地方行政长官，他在该地区拥有相当大的权力。
comprise vt. 包括；构成；1. The committee comprises experts from different fields. 委员会由不同领域的专家组成。
estate licence 地产许可证；1. They obtained an estate licence to renovate the old building. 他们获得了地产许可证来翻新那座旧建筑。2. The estate licence specifies the conditions for the use of the land. 地产许可证规定了土地使用的条件。
broad array of 广泛的系列；1. The conference covered a broad array of topics. 会议涵盖了广泛的主题。2. Her skills include a broad array of programming languages. 她的技能包括广泛的编程语言。
portfolio n. 投资组合；作品集；1. He manages a diversified investment portfolio. 他管理着一个多元化的投资组合。2. The artist showed us her portfolio of paintings. 艺术家向我们展示了她的绘画作品集。
codename vt. 代号命名；1. The military operation was codenamed "Desert Storm". 军事行动的代号是“沙漠风暴”。2. The new product was codenamed "SA9" during development. 新产品在开发期间的代号是“SA9”。
result in 导致；结果是；1. The negotiations resulted in a new agreement. 谈判导致了一项新协议的达成。2. The accident resulted in major traffic delays. 事故导致了重大的交通延误。
incidental benefit 附带利益；偶然好处；1. The incidental benefit of the new policy was an improvement in employee morale. 新政策的一个附带好处是提高了员工士气。2. Exercise has several incidental benefits including stress reduction. 锻炼有几个附带利益，包括减轻压力。3. incidental adj. 附带的，次要的；
privy purse 私人钱包；王室私人资金；1. The privy purse is used to cover the monarch's personal expenses. 私人钱包用于支付君主的个人开支。2. Historically, the privy purse was a significant source of income for the royalty. 历史上，私人钱包是皇室的一个重要收入来源。3. privy adj. 私人的；不公开的；秘密参与的；
参考译文
公国基本上继承了一些人的无主财产，这些人的最后一个已知地址是在中世纪被称为兰开夏郡的地区，属于宫廷，由公爵统治。如今，这一地区包括兰开斯特郡及其部分默西塞德郡、大曼彻斯特郡、柴郡和坎布里亚郡的地区。2020年泄露的一份内部公国政策授权国王地产的官员在其广泛的盈利投资组合中使用无主遗产资金。这一政策被代号命名为“SA9”，承认以这种方式使用资金可能会“偶然”给国王的私人收入——王室专用资金带来好处。
精听党每日单词
profit
/ˈprɑːfɪt/ vi. 获益；得到好处；
asset
/ˈæset/ n. 资产；财产；
upgrade
/ˌʌpˈɡreɪd/ vt. 升级；提高；改进；
commercial
/kəˈmɜːrʃ(ə)l/ adj. 商业的；
empire
/ˈempaɪər/ n. 帝国；大企业，大集团；
hereditary
/həˈredɪteri/ adj. 世袭的；遗传的；遗传性的；
estate
/ɪˈsteɪt/ n. 个人财产；（尤指）遗产；大片私有土地，庄园；<英>住宅区，工业区；
reveal
/rɪˈviːl/ vi. 揭示；显示；透露；
duchy
/ˈdʌtʃi/ n. 公爵领地；
controversial
/ˌkɑːntrəˈvɜːrʃ(ə)l/ adj. 有争议的，引发争论的；
generate
/ˈdʒenəreɪt/ vt. 产生；生成；
antiquated system
过时的系统；
date back to feudal times
追溯到封建时代；
financial assets
金融资产；
known as
被称为；
bona vacantia
无主财产；
will
/wɪl/ n. 遗嘱；
next of kin
最近亲属；
it has long claimed that
长期以来一直声称；
deduct costs
扣除费用；
charity
/ˈtʃærəti/ n. 慈善机构；
renovation
/ˌrenəˈveɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 翻新；改造；
rent out
出租；
essentially
/ɪˈsenʃəli/ adv. 本质上；基本上；
inherit
/ɪnˈherɪt/ vt. 继承；
bona vacantia funds
无主资金；
known
/noʊn/ adj. 已知的；众所周知的；
territory
/ˈterətɔːri/ n. 领土；地区；
palatine
/ˈpælətaɪn/ adj. 宫廷的；皇家的；
comprise
/kəmˈpraɪz/ vt. 包括；构成；
estate licence
地产许可证；
broad array of
广泛的系列；
portfolio
/pɔːrtˈfoʊlioʊ/ n. 投资组合；作品集；
codename
/kod nem/ vt. 代号命名；
result in
导致；结果是；
incidental benefit
附带利益；偶然好处；
privy purse
私人钱包；王室私人资金；
精听党文化拓展
在英国，处理无主遗产（bona vacantia）的法律程序通常遵循以下步骤：
识别无主遗产：当一个人在英国去世且没有留下有效的遗嘱，同时也没有可识别的近亲时，该人的财产成为无主遗产。
财产的归属：在大部分英格兰和威尔士地区，无主遗产由政府的法定部门（比如财政部的Bona Vacantia部门）管理。在特定区域，例如兰开斯特公爵领地和康沃尔公爵领地，无主遗产由相应的皇室领地管理。
申报和调查：律师、执行人或其他相关人员需要向Bona Vacantia部门或相应的皇室领地机构申报无主遗产。随后，这些机构会进行调查，确认死者确实没有遗嘱和合法继承人。
处理和销售财产：确认财产为无主遗产后，相关部门会处理这些财产，可能包括出售或处置房地产、股票和其他资产。
分配财产：在大部分情况下，无主遗产的收益用于公共服务或慈善事业。在某些情况下，如果事后发现有合法继承人，他们可以申请认领这些财产。
慈善捐赠：无主遗产的部分收益可能会被捐赠给慈善机构，这取决于管理这些遗产的机构的政策。
这个过程旨在确保无主遗产得到妥善管理，并在没有合法继承人的情况下为社会带来益处。然而，这一程序的具体细节可能因不同的地理区域和管理机构而有所不同。
精听党每日美句
Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
世界上没有任何东西可以代替坚持。