strEssED out By moDErn liFE try A visit to thE DEFiAntly AnAChronistiC FiEFDom oF sArk, A Four-squArE-milE ClustEr oF roCk out-Crops in thEEnglishChAnnEl. pEoplE hErE hAvE livED At thEir own pACE sinCE 1565, whEnElizABEth i gAvE thE islAnDErs virtuAl inDEpEnDEnCE in rEturn For A promisE to FEnD oFF invADErs. thE hErEDitAry ovErlorD, thE sEignEur, still rEnts his FiEFDom From thE Crown For A tokEn sum oF￡1.79 A yEAr.CArs ArE BAnnE
D、so is DivorCE. no onE But thE sEignEur is AllowED to kEEp pigEons or A FEmAlE Dog.
not All oF sArk’s wAys ArE so ChArming.A、mAn CAn lEgAlly thrAsh his wiFE with A CAnE iF it’s no thiCkEr thAn his littlE FingEr. still, most oF sArk’s 600 or so inhABitAnts livE plACiDly, rEvEling in thEir timE-wArpED (An tAx-FrEE) sEClusion. "wE hAvE no CrimE AnD no unEmploymEnt, "sAys wErnEr rAng, 79, A mEmBEr oF thE islAnD’s 40-mEmBEr pArliAmEnt,ChiEF plEAs. "sArk is thE Envy oF mAny pEoplE who likE our quAlity oF liFE."
EvEn so, thE plACE is ChAnging. lAst month thE quEEn FormAlly ApprovED A rADiCAl upDAtE oF thE islAnDs’ AnCiEnt propErty lAws.As oF nExt wEEk--For thE First timE in history--lAnDownErs will BE FrEE to lEAvE propErty to thEir DAughtErs, until now, thE womEnFolk CoulD inhErit only iF thErE wErE no sons.But thAt wAs BEForE A wEAlthy pAir oF mAinlAnD-Born BrothErs,DAviD AnD FrEDEriCkBArClAy, wAgED A BittEr thrEE-yEAr,￡1.75 million lEgAl BAttlE to rEvisE thE lAw so thEir ChilDrEn--thrEE sons AnD A DAughtEr--CoulD shArE thE FAmily EstAtE, An outlying 160-ACrE islAnD purChAsED in 1993.
thE BrothErs won--sort oF lAtE lAst yEAr, unDEr thrEAt oF ACtion At thEEuropEAnCourt oF humAn rights,ChiEF plEAs votED to rEForm sArk’s lAw oF primogEniturE. thE inhEritAnCE lAws now ignorE gEnDEr.But lAnD still CAn’t BE pArCElED out Among multiplE hEirs.AnD thE DisputE hAs hArDly EnDEArED thEBArClAys to thE loCAls. "i think thEy (thE BrothErs) ArE A pAin in thE Butt," sAys mAryCollins, A 59-yEAr-olD rEsiDEnt.
not thAt thEBArClAys wErE EvEr too populAr hErE. thE BrothErs, whosE FinAnCiAl EmpirE inCluDEs lonDon’sBitz hotEl AnD A sCottish nEwspApEr group, hArDly EvEr visit sArk’s mAin islAn
D、onBrECqhou, thEir privAtE islEt, thEy spEnt somE ￡60 million to ErECt A CAstlE known loCAlly As thECABunClE. thE BrothErs Don’t livE thErE, thEy prEFEr montECArlo.AnD thEy hAvE mADE no sECrEt oF thEir sCorn For sArk’s institutions. writing in thE FAmily’s FlAgship nEwspApEr, thE sCotsmAn,DAviDBArClAy CAstigAtEDChiEF plEAs As "unDEmoCrAtiC AnD intimiDAtory" AnD pilloriED sArk itsElF As "A hAvEn For intErnAtionAl tAx EvAsion An FrAu
D、"
thE islAnDErs CAn only shAkE thEir hEADs. miChAElBEAumont, thE 71-yEAr-olD sEignEur, sCoFFs At thEBArClAys’ insults. hE sAys sArk’s FrEEBooting DAys ArE long gonE. likE mAny islAnDErs, thE sEignEur sAys hE’s irkED morE By thEBArClAys’ AttituDE thAn By thEir Aim. "thE ChAngE wAs inEvitABlE, "hE sAys. "But it DiDn’t hAvE to hAppEn this wAy".But thE jousting ContinuEs. sArk’s lAw still prohiBits thEBArClAys From DiviDing up thE islEt. thE BrothErs ArE plAnning to Fight on AgAinst thE trADitionAlists.
ACCorDing to thE writEr, whiCh oF thE sArk’s wAys is not so ChArming in moDErn liFE
A、BAn on EArs.
B、gEntlE pACE oF living.
C、inEquAlity BEtwEEn mEn AnD womEn.
D、sEClusion From thE worl
D、