34_A_Happy_Discovery

34 A Happy Discovery

Antique shops exert a peculiar fascination on a great many people. The more expensive kind of antique shop where rare objects are beautifully displayed in glass cases to keep them free from dust is usually a forbidding place. But no one has to muster up courage to enter a less pretentious antique shop. There is always hope that in its labyrinth of musty, dark, disordered rooms a real rarity will be found amongst the piles of assorted junk that litter the floors.

No one discovers a rarity by chance. A truly dedicated bargain hunter must have patience, and above all, the ability to recognize the worth of something when he sees it. To do this, he must be at least as knowledgeable as the dealer. Like a scientist bent on making a discovery, he must cherish the hope that one day he will be amply rewarded.

My old friend, Frank Halliday, is just such a person. He has often described to me how he picked up a masterpiece for a mere ￡50. One Saturday morning, Frank visited an antique shop in my neighbourhood. As he had never been there before, he found a great deal to interest him. The morning passed rapidly and Frank was about to leave when he noticed a large packing case lying on the floor. The dealer told him that it had just come in, but that he could not be bothered to open it. Frank begged him to do so and the dealer reluctantly prised it open. The contents were disappointing. Apart from an interesting-looking carved dagger, the box was full of crockery, much of it broken. Frank gently lifted the crockery out of the box and suddenly noticed a miniature painting at the bottom of the packing case. As its composition and line reminded him of an Italian painting he knew well, he decided to buy it. Glancing at it briefly the dealer told him that it was worth ￡50. Frank could hardly conceal his excitement, for he knew that he had made a real discovery. The tiny painting proved to be an unknown masterpiece by Correggio and was worth hundreds and thousands of pounds.

Words

• Antique /ænˈtik/ 古玩
• fascination /ˌfæsəˈneʃən/ 魅力
• forbidding /fɚˈbɪdɪŋ/ 望而却步的
• pretentious /priˈtɛnʃəs/ 狂妄的
• labyrinth /ˈlæbɚˌɪnθ/ 迷宫
• musty /ˈmʌsti/ 发霉的
• rarity /ˈrɛrəti/ 稀世珍品
• assorted /əˈsɔrtɪd/ 各式各样的
• junk /dʒʌŋk/ 废品
• litter /ˈlɪtɚ/ 杂乱布满
• dedicated /ˈdɛdəketəd/ 专心致志地
• bargain /ˈbɑrɡən/ hunter /ˈhʌntɚ/ 到处找便宜货的人
• dealer /ˈdilɚ/ 商人
• cherish /ˈtʃɛrɪʃ/ 期望
• amply /ˈæmpli/ 充足的
• masterpiece /ˈmæstɚˌpis/ 杰作
• rapidly /ˈræpədli/ 迅速地
• reluctantly /rɪˈlʌktəntli/ 不情愿
• prised /praɪzd/ 撬开

Expressions

• antique shop/store/desk/jewelry 古玩店/古董桌/古董珠宝
• hold/have a fascination for sb./sth. 对某人/某物有魅力
• forbidding place/look 令人生畏的地方/神情
• muster (up) the courage/confidence/to do something 鼓起勇气/信心做某事
• in the labyrinth of sth. 在……的迷宫中
• junk mail 垃圾邮件
• be littered with something 到处散落着某物
• sb. cherish the hope that + 句子 某人怀有……的希望
• The mere fact 从句 + …
• prise something open 把某物撬开
• carve a. from/out of b. = 用 B 雕刻出 A
• a. be carved from/out of b. A 由 B 雕刻而成
• There is always hope that+句子 总有……的希望
• by chance 偶然
• above all 最重要的是
• be bent on doing sth. 执意要做某事
• sb. cherish the hope that+句子 某人怀有……的希望
• described to sb. what/how...+宾从
• describe sth. to sb. 向某人描述某物
• pick up 捡起；拿起
• sb. can’t/couldn’t be bothered to do sth. 某人懒得做某事
• beg sb. to do sth. 恳求某人做某事
• at the bottom of... 在……的底部