听播客学英语 48 罗伯特的城堡

 　　We have a saying in English that an Englishman’s home is his castle. What exactly does it mean? Some people say that it means that you can do anything you like in your own home. But that isn’t true. You are not allowed to kill people in your home, for example. Perhaps it means that you can decide whom to allow into your home. If you say no, then they have to stay outside. But that isn’t true either. The police, for example, sometimes have the right to come into your house even if you don’t want them to.

　　So perhaps the saying just means that English people like to think about their home as a castle. It is safe, secure and private. It is my place. It is not anyone else’s place!

　　Robert Fidler is a farmer in Surrey, which is a county south of London. He wanted to build a castle on his farm as a home for himself and his family. Unfortunately, in Britain you cannot build a castle, or any other building, anywhere you want. You need to get planning permission (sometimes called planning consent) first. So Robert Fidler applied¹ for planning permission. The local authority said no. Robert Fidler’s farm is in the Green Belt, which is the area around big cities where new houses and other buildings are generally not allowed. The Green Belt stops towns and cities from getting too big and destroying the open countryside. So Robert Fidler could not build his castle.

　　However, Robert decided² to build the castle anyway, without planning consent. First, he built a high wall with bales of straw. If you are a farmer, like Robert was, you can do almost anything as long as it is agricultural, and bales of straw are definitely agricultural. Behind the wall of straw, where no-one could see, Robert Fidler built his castle, or rather his house which looked like a castle. There is a picture of it on the website. It has two round towers, with ramparts on the top. The newspapers said that the castle also had cannons³, but I cannot find a picture of them.

　　Robert finished his house in 2002. He moved in with his wife and small son. When they looked out of their windows, all they could see was the wall of straw, but they did not mind. Birds built their nests in the straw, and it was fun to watch them. Besides, it was vital to keep the castle secret. They hoped that after four years, they would be allowed to keep the castle, even without planning permission.

　　In 2006, Robert removed the wall of straw, and now everyone could see the remarkable⁴ house which he had built. The local authority were horrified⁵. They told Robert that he had to demolish⁶ the house. He refused. The local authority started legal action. Last week a judge agreed with the local authority and said that Robert’s castle had to go. But Robert Fidler will continue fighting, and says that he will go to the European Court of Human Rights if necessary. He told the newspapers, “This house will never be knocked down. This is a beautiful house that has been lovingly created. I will do whatever it takes to keep it.”

　　Knocking a building down – will this happen to Robert Fidler’s castle?

　　So, should Robert be allowed to keep his castle, or should it be knocked down? Some people say that it is a really nice building and that it would be wrong to demolish it and leave Robert and his family with nowhere to live. Other people say that everyone else has to obey the planning laws, and it would be unfair to make an exception in this case. What do you think?

　　Our phrasal verb this week is “to knock down”. If you knock down a house, or a wall, or a building, it means that you demolish it. You use a big hammer, or a machine, to hit the walls until they fall down and there is nothing left except a pile of bricks and stones. The local authority have told Robert Fidler that he must knock his house down. He says that it will never be knocked down. OK?

　　There is a quiz on the website. Have fun.

1 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 cannons   

n.加农炮，大炮，火炮( cannon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Cannons bombarded enemy lines. 大炮轰击了敌军阵地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One company had been furnished with six cannons. 某连队装备了六门大炮。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

5 horrified   

a.(表现出)恐惧的

参考例句：

• The whole country was horrified by the killings. 全国都对这些凶杀案感到大为震惊。
• We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. 地方监狱的普遍状况让我们震惊。

6 demolish   

v.拆毁(建筑物等)，推翻(计划、制度等)

参考例句：

• They're going to demolish that old building.他们将拆毁那座旧建筑物。
• He was helping to demolish an underground garage when part of the roof collapsed.他当时正在帮忙拆除一个地下汽车库，屋顶的一部份突然倒塌。