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　　第十四篇 The National Trust

　　The National Trust in Britain plays an increasingly important part in the preservation forpublic enjoyment of the best that is left unspoiled of the British countryside. Although the Trusthas received practical and moral support from the Government, it is not a rich Governmentdepartment. It is a voluntary association of people who care for the unspoiled countryside andhistoric buildings of Britain. It is a charity which depends for its existence on voluntary supportfrom members of the public'. Its primary duty is to protect places of great natural beauty andplaces of historical interest.

　　The attention of the public was first drawn to the dangers threatening the great old houses andcastles of Britain by the death of Lord Lothian, who left his great seventeenth-century house to theTrust together with the 4500-acre park and estate surrounding it.This gift attracted wide publicityand started the Trust's "Country House Scheme”. Under this scheme, with the help of theGovernment and the general public, the Trust has been able to save and make accessible to thepublic about one hundred and fifty of these old houses2. Last year about one and three quaners of amillion people paid to visit these historic houses, usually at a very small charge.

　　In addition to country houses and open spaces the Trust now owns some examples of ancientwind and water mills3 , nature reserves4, five hundred and forty farms and nearly two thousand fivehundred cottages or small village houses, as well as some complete villages. In these villages noone is allowed to build, develop 'or disturb the old village environment in any way and all thehouses are maintained in their original sixteenth-century style. Over four hundred thousand acres ofcoastline , woodland, and hill country are protected by the Trust and no development or disturbancesof any kind are permitted. The public has free access to these areas and is only asked to respect thepeace, beauty and wildlife.

　　So it is that over the past eighty years the Trust has become a big and important organizationand an essential and respected part of national life, preserving all that is of great natural beauty andof historical significance not only for future generations of Britons but also for the millions oftourists who each year invade Britain in search of a great historic and cultural heritage.

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