英國政府的一舉一動都難以逃脫反對黨的監督。據英國媒體報道，根據英國保守黨的統計，英國政府各部和主要公共機構官員去年的“航空里程”高達3億英里，相當于這些政治家和公務員前往月球1280次，環球旅行1.2萬次。

British ministers surely waste no time when it comes to hopping from one place to another, at least that’s what the latest study by the Conservatives suggests.

According to the study, Government officials flew more than 300 million miles in 2007- the equivalent of more than 1,000 journeys to the moon.

The cost to taxpayers of the air travel by ministers and mandarins, excluding subsistence and accommodation, is estimated at 50 million pounds, the study found.

A total of 306million air miles were covered on official business almost 146million miles by the Foreign Office alone.

Tories calculated the figures using new stats for carbon emissions generated from official flights, as the Government refused to publish full details of flights and travel by MPs and civil servants.

The Government would never indulge in unnecessary air travel, The Sun quoted a Cabinet Office spokesman, as saying.

The Foreign Office, Ministry of Defence and Department for International Development were responsible for the most air travel last year, followed by the Cabinet Office, which includes flights taken by the Prime Minister and staff from 10 Downing Street, the study found.

(Agencies)

Vocabulary:

mandarin: 官員，職位較高的政府官員

(英語點津Celene編輯)