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◎陳成良

Wealthy travellers can pay ￡1,800 to jump long immigration queues at Heathrow airport.

富有的乘客在（英國）希斯洛機場，只要花上1800英鎊，就可跳過長長入境人龍，插隊入境。

The service, described as Heathrow’s ’best kept’ secret has outraged critics at a time when many passengers are forced to endure a three-hour wait to enter the country.

在很多乘客入境時都被迫忍受排隊3個小時的煎熬之際，被形容為希斯洛機場「保存最好的」秘密之這項服務，觸怒了批評人士。

And it follows claims long queues and staff shortages have forced customs officials to stop screening travellers for arms and drugs.

此前，由於排隊過長和人手不足，希斯洛機場的海關工作人員已經停止篩檢乘客是否攜帶武器和毒品。

Passengers who pay the ￡1,800 fee are whisked by limousine from their aircraft to a VIP suite, where they can sip champagne while their passports are checked and their luggage is brought to them.

乘客交1800英鎊後，一下飛機，就有豪華轎車迅速把他們接到VIP套房。他們可以在那裡邊喝香檳邊等待護照檢查，行李也會被運過去。

Staff shortages, caused by recent government cutbacks, have been blamed for weeks of chaos at Britain’s airports.

由於最近政府削減經費，造成機場工作人員短缺，這也成為幾週來英國機場一片混亂的主因。

Some travellers arriving in the UK have had to endure queues of three hours to pass through immigration, prompting huge numbers of complaints.

一些旅行者抵達英國後辦理入境手續時不得不忍受排3個小時長隊的痛苦，這也導致了大批投訴。

Louise Ellman, chairwoman of the Commons transport select committee said the VIP offer ’shows the contempt for members of the public trying to get into the country.’

英國下院交通特別委員會主席露意絲．艾爾曼說，這種VIP服務對於「想進入這個國家的平民百姓是一種歧視」。

新聞辭典

jump the queue：片語，不按秩序排隊；插隊。例句：I don’t think it’s good to jump the queue . （我認為插隊是不好的。）

screen：動詞，審查，篩檢。例句：The United States Secret Service screened hundreds of students to select its agents.（美國秘勤局仔細審查了數百名學生以選擇特務人員。）

whisk someone/something （away）：指迅速把某人或某物移到別處，例句：The firemen came and whisked the students away to a safe place.（消防隊員趕來把學生送到安全的地方。）

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