每日英語跟讀 Ep.K336: About UK - London’s smallest microflat sells for 80% above asking price

A 7-square-metre microflat, cramming in a bed, toilet, shower, sink and a microwave tucked under the pillow, has sold for 80% above its minimum listing price at £90,000.

一間7平方公尺的微型公寓，以比開出的底價高80％的9萬英鎊售出；這間微型公寓塞進一張床、廁所、淋浴間、水槽和一台收在枕頭下方的微波爐。

The microflat, located in a Victorian conversion in Lower Clapton, east London, is believed to be the capital’s smallest-ever property, marking a turn towards tiny homes driven by the UK’s housing crisis of soaring rent and property prices.

這間位於倫敦東區下克萊普頓維多利亞時代建築改建的微型公寓，據信是這座首都歷來最小的房子，代表英國租金和房價高漲的居住危機，帶動轉向迷你住宅的趨勢。

The apartment had a minimum price at auction of £50,000, but sold at 80% higher at £90,000.

這間公寓的拍賣底價是5萬英鎊，卻以高出80％的9萬英鎊賣出。

It was bought for £103,500 in May 2017. But the owner has already recouped their investment by receiving £800 a month in rent.

屋主在2017年5月以10萬3500英鎊購入，但這筆資金已透過每月收取800英鎊租金回收。

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Topic: 英國數千座紅色電話亭將不被淘汰 Thousands of red UK phone boxes to be protected from closure

Britain’s iconic red payphone boxes may look like obsolete relics in an age of ubiquitous smartphones, but regulator Ofcom said they can still be a "lifeline" for people.

在智慧型手機隨處可見的時代，英國標誌性紅色付費電話亭或許看似過時產物，但英國通訊管理局說，這些電話亭也可以成為人們的「生命線」。

Ofcom is proposing rules to prevent 5,000 call boxes in areas with poor mobile coverage from being closed down. It said that phone booths in areas considered accident or suicide hotspots, and those that have had more than 52 calls made from them in the past 12 months, would also meet the criteria.

英國通訊管理局正提出新規定，避免手機普及率較低地區的5000座電話亭被關閉。該局說，常發生意外或自殺事件的地區，以及過去12個月撥打次數超過52次的電話亭，都符合留存標準。

BT Group says nearly half of the phone boxes in the U.K. have been removed due to the growth of the mobile phone industry. It said more than 6,500 call boxes have so far been converted into mini community libraries, art galleries or storage units for public defibrillators under a plan called "Adopt a Kiosk."

英國電信集團表示，由於行動電話產業的成長，英國近半數電話亭已被移除，另有6500座在「認養一座電話亭」計畫下，被改造成小型社區圖書館、藝廊或放置公用去顫器的空間。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1507341 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1500928