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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.

古玩店对许多人来说有一种特殊的魅力。高档一点的古玩店为了防尘，把文物漂亮地陈列在玻璃柜子里，那里往往令人望而却步。而对不太装腔作势的古玩店，无论是谁都不用壮着胆子才敢进去。人们还常常有希望在发霉、阴暗、杂乱无章、迷宫般的店堂里，从杂乱地摆放在地面上的、一堆堆各式各样的破烂货里找到一件稀世珍品。

无论是谁都不会一下子就发现一件珍品。一个到处找便宜的人必须具有耐心，而且最重要的是看到珍品时要有鉴别珍品的能力。要做到这一点，他至少要像古董商一样懂行。他必须像一个专心致志进行探索的科学家那样抱有这样的希望，即终有一天，他的努力会取得丰硕的成果。

我的老朋友弗兰克·哈利戴正是这样一个人。他多次向我详细讲他如何只花50英镑便买到一位名家的杰作。一个星期六的上午，弗兰克去了我家附近的一家古玩店。由于他从未去过那儿，结果他发现许多有趣的东西。上午很快过去了，弗兰克正准备离去，突然看见地板上放着一只体积很大的货箱。古董商告诉他那只货箱刚到不久，但他嫌麻烦不想把它打开。经弗兰克恳求，古董商才勉强把货箱撬开了。箱内东西令人失望。除了一柄式样别致、雕有花纹的匕首外，货箱内装满陶器，而且大部分都已破碎。弗兰克轻轻地把陶器拿出箱子，突然发现在箱底有一幅微型画，画面构图与纸条使他想起一幅他所熟悉的意大利画，于是他决定将画买了下来。古董商漫不经心看了一眼那幅画，告诉弗兰克那画值50英镑。弗兰克几乎无法掩饰自己兴奋的心情。他知道自己发现了一件珍品。那幅不大的画原来是柯勒乔的一幅未被发现的杰作，价值几十万英镑。

Words

  • Antique /ænˈtik/ n. 古玩
    1. She visited the antique shop and was impressed by the owner's good taste.
    2. He decided to sell his antique desk and was willing to bargain with potential buyers.（L4）
  • fascination /ˌfæsəˈneʃən/ n. 魅力
    1. Oddly enough, water holds a fascination for most children.
    2. He has a fascination for art, but the idea that [everyone can be a great artist] is mistaken.
  • forbidding /fɚˈbɪdɪŋ/ adj. 望而却步的
    1. The dark forest can be a forbidding place, and we should take the warnings about bears seriously.
    2. The ancient church, a forbidding place, has stood there for hundreds of years.
  • pretentious /priˈtɛnʃəs/ adj. 狂妄的
    1. He is so pretentious that he only drinks expensive coffee and laughs at anyone who enjoys a normal cup.（N2L35&L82）
    2. I found Susie very pretentious.
    3. He is so pretentious that he would rather be alone with his thoughts than have conversations with others.
  • labyrinth /ˈlæbɚˌɪnθ/ n. 迷宫
    1. It is easy to get lost in the labyrinth of trees.
    2. In the labyrinth of traffic, one car [braking suddenly] can set up a chain of reactions that causes a traffic jam.
    3. Finally, after getting through a labyrinth of corridors, she found his office.
  • musty /ˈmʌsti/ adj. 发霉的
    1. What’s more, the hotel room was dark and musty.
    2. Leo was astonished to find that all his clothes smelt musty.
  • rarity /ˈrɛrəti/ n. 稀世珍品
    1. It is outrageous that clean water is still a rarity in some parts of the world.
  • assorted /əˈsɔrtɪd/ adj. 各式各样的
    1. They have no intention of sharing the assorted sweets with anyone else.（L28）
    2. It is clear that she bought a large bag of assorted sweets for the movie night.
  • junk /dʒʌŋk/ n. 废品
    1. She was under the impression that the junk mail was important, so she opened it.
    2. The company should be apologetic for sending so much junk mail to my mailbox.
  • litter /ˈlɪtɚ/ v. 杂乱布满
    1. The floor was littered with cigarette ends, and I had the impulse to clean up the mess.
  • dedicated /ˈdɛdəketəd/ adj. 专心致志地
    1. She is a dedicated student who spends hours studying every day.
    2. It is anticipated that a dedicated student [who works very hard] will be very successful.
    3. The support and encouragement from their family have made it possible for a dedicated student to fulfill his dream.（L26）
  • bargain /ˈbɑrɡən/ hunter /ˈhʌntɚ/ 到处找便宜货的人
    1. It became an accepted fact that he used to be the best bargain hunter in the company.
  • dealer /ˈdilɚ/ v. 商人
    1. She's an art dealer who worked with Alan. 4 The art dealer was surprised when, all of a sudden, a famous artist walked into his gallery.
  • cherish /ˈtʃɛrɪʃ/ v. 期望
    1. You must cherish the hope that he wasn’t killed in action.
    2. She cherishes the hope that her parents will notice her practicing the piano every day.
  • amply /ˈæmpli/ adv. 充足的
    1. The company amply rewarded its employees with a bonus at the end of the year.（L15）
    2. The hotel amply provided its guests with breakfast and Wi-Fi during their stay.
  • masterpiece /ˈmæstɚˌpis/ n. 杰作
    1. They’re about to turn that into a masterpiece.（L24）
    2. Her work is a masterpiece of (= an excellent example of) simplicity.
  • rapidly /ˈræpədli/ 迅速地
  • reluctantly /rɪˈlʌktəntli/ 不情愿
  • prised /praɪzd/ v. 撬开
    1. The child attempted to prise open the peanut butter but couldn't do it.
    2. They found their children trying to prise open the window of the house.

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
    1. He cherishes the hope that one day they will meet again.
    2. She cherishes the hope that she will benefit from her hard work.
    3. He cherishes the hope that, in the process, he will learn valuable lessons.
  • 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
    1. There is always hope that the beautiful song will reduce everyone in the room to tears.
    2. There is always hope that he will not be killed in action and will return safely.
    3. There is always hope that the teacher will find time to read a story to the students.
  • by chance 偶然
    1. means happening or occurring unexpectedly or accidentally, without any specific intention or planning 偶然，碰巧; 意外地
    2. Do you really expect me to believe you chose
    3. By chance, I saw my neighbor at the grocery store after staying up all night.
    4. For me, above all, I find it impossible to not eat chocolate whenever it's in front of me.
    5. Above all, it is clear that chairs should be comfortable.
    6. Above all, she could give me spiritual comfort.
  • 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
    1. He cherishes the hope that one day they will meet again.
    2. She cherishes the hope that she will benefit from her hard work.
    3. He cherishes the hope that, in the process, he will learn valuable lessons.
  • described to sb. what/how...+宾从
  • describe sth. to sb. 向某人描述某物
    1. I need you to describe to me what happened.
    2. Can you describe to me why this is dear to you?
    3. Please describe to us how you received an electric shock.
  • pick up 捡起；拿起
    1. 无意获得/买到 to buy something, acquire or obtain something, especially cheaply or by chance — oxford learners dictionaries
    2. We managed to pick up a few bargains in the end.
    3. While shopping at that store, I picked up a rare book that turned out to be quite expensive.
  • sb. can’t/couldn’t be bothered to do sth. 某人懒得做某事
    1. He couldn't be bothered to do his homework, so he spent the evening playing video games instead.
    2. He couldn't be bothered to fix the broken lock, so he prised it open.
  • beg sb. to do sth. 恳求某人做某事
    1. I begged Helen to stay, but she wouldn’t listen.
    2. The child begged his mother to buy him a new toy, but she refused and got rid of his old ones instead.
    3. She begged her parents to let her stay up late, but they said no.
  • at the bottom of... 在……的底部
    1. At the bottom of his desk, he found his favorite comic book.
    2. Despite the hurtful words, I choose not to hold a grudge against my friend because at the bottom of my heart I love him.