考研英语阅读篇章:为让女儿当公主 美国男子在非洲沙漠建国

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    考研英语阅读篇章：为让女儿当公主 美国男子在非洲沙漠建国
    When a dad promised his seven-year-old daughter she would be a real
princess, he wasn’t kidding.
    当一名父亲承诺将自己七岁的女儿变成真正的公主时，他并不是在开玩笑。
    Jeremiah Heaton travelled to a remote desert region of Africa to claim a
disputed stretch of land in his daughter Emily's name.
    In a move that is either an inspiring display of paternal love or a case of
major over-indulgence, Mr Heaton planted a flag in the unclaimed piece of land
sandwiched between Egypt and Sudan after making a promise to Emily that she
would one day be royalty.
    After reaching the desert region of Bir Tawil in June, the father-of-three
from Virginia planted a flag his children had designed, and made the first steps
towards claiming the land.
    On his return Mr Heaton and his wife made a crown for their daughter and
asked friends and family to refer to her as Princess Emily.
    Her kingdom covers about 1300km sq of desert that has never been claimed by
Sudan or Egypt.
    Mr Heaton found Bir Tawil, one of the last unclaimed pieces of land on the
planet, after searching for how he could fulfil his promise to Emily.
    Several attempts to claim ownership of the region have been made online,
but Mr Heaton believes that by actually travelling to the site and planting the
flag gave his claim an edge.
    It took Mr Heaton 14 hours to travel by caravan through the desert before
he could plant the flag, which has a blue background and a seal and stars
representing the family.
    He may have completed his journey in June, but it began at the start of the
year when he was chatting to his young daughter.
    "Over the winter, Emily and I were playing, and she has a fixation on
princesses. She asked me, in all seriousness, if she'd be a real princess
someday," Heaton said. "And I said she would."
    Princess Emily, who sleeps in a custom-made castle bed, is showing signs of
being a generous ruler, and said that she wants to ensure children in the region
have enough food.
    Shelia Carapico, professor of political science and international studies
at the University of Richmond, said the family's claim will need to be
recognised by the other African nations.
    She said it was not plausible for someone to plant a flag and say they have
political control over the land without legal recognition from neighbouring
countries, the United Nations or other groups.
    In addition, she said, it is not known whether people have ownership of the
land, regardless of whether the property is part of a political nation.