奇速英语

丘吉尔66年前随手扔掉的雪茄如今价值5万元

A cigar once smoked by Winston Churchill is set to be auctioned, after the usherette who picked it up off the floor in the 1950s asked Churchill’s permission to tell her friends about finding it.
In January 1953, Violet King was helping Churchill and his wife Clementine to their seats at the London Coliseum to see the film premier of American musical Call Me Madam when she saw him drop one of his cigars. Ms King asked her niece to help her preserve it in a special plastic bag. She was so excited about her collection that she wrote to 10 Downing Street asking for Churchill's permission to share the story with her friends. Just a week later, she received a friendly letter back from the Prime Minister's private secretary, Jane Portal, which said: “The Prime Minister wishes me to thank you for your letter of April 1. He has, of course, no objection to you telling your friends that the cigar you found is his and much appreciates your kindness.”
The cigar and Ms King's letter will go under the hammer later this year at Hansons Auctioneers in Derbyshire. They are expected to fetch as much as £6,000（around 50,000 RMB）. A cutting from The Daily Telegraph documenting Churchill's visit to the theatre will also be displayed with the items.
Violet’s great nephew Julian Lewis, 50, inherited the items from his father 30 years ago. He said his great aunt had treasured the cigar right up until her death and that it is now worth sharing with a wider audience.