A happy discovery

原文

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 little 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 morning passed rapidly and Frank 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 an 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 of thousands of pounds.

译文

古董店对许多人有一种奇特的吸引力。那些较为昂贵的古董店里,珍奇物品被美观地陈列在玻璃柜中,以免落尘,那里通常令人望而却步。但是,谁也不必鼓起勇气去进入一家不太讲究的古董店。在那杂乱无章、布满灰尘、漆黑的房间迷宫里,总有希望在散乱的杂物堆中发现一件真正的珍品。

没有人能偶然发现珍品。一个真正热心的淘便宜货的人必须有耐心,最重要的是,当他看到某物时,能辨认出它的价值。为此,他至少必须和店主一样博学。如同一位一心要有所发现的科学家,他必须珍视这样的希望:总有一天,他会得到丰厚的报酬。

我的老朋友,弗兰克·哈利迪,就是这样一个人。他经常向我描述他是怎样只花50美元就买到一件杰作的。一天星期六早上,弗兰克到我附近的一家古董店去。因为以前从未去过,他发现有许多东西引起他的兴趣。上午很快过去了,弗兰克正要离开,这时他注意到地板上放着一个大包装箱。上午很快过去了,弗兰克刚进来,但不愿费神去打开它。弗兰克央求他打开,店主勉强地撬开了箱子。箱里的东西令人失望。除了一把样子有趣的雕花匕首外,箱子里尽是些陶器,大部分已破损。弗兰克轻轻地把陶器从箱子里拿出来,突然在包装箱的底部发现了一幅小画。它在构图和线条上使他想起了他所熟悉的一幅意大利画,因此他决定买下它。店主草草地瞥了一眼,便告诉他这东西值50美元。弗兰克几乎掩饰不住他的兴奋,因为他知道自己发现了一件真正的珍品。这幅小画证明是科雷乔的一幅不知名的杰作,价值数十万英镑。

词汇表

fascination

名词
英:/ˌfæsɪˈneɪʃən/
美:/ˌfæsəˈneɪʃən/
定义
1. 迷恋;吸引力 - A strong attraction or interest in something.

例子: The fascination of antique shops draws many people in.

例子: Her fascination with history led her to visit museums regularly.

2. 魅力;吸引力 - The quality of being very interesting or captivating.

例子: The book's fascination kept me reading all night.

例子: The fascination of the story made it a bestseller.

近义词
allure: 强调一种诱人的魅力,常用于描述感官或情感吸引力,与 'fascination' 相比更侧重于表面吸引力。
enchantment: 暗示一种魔力般的吸引力,'fascination' 更中性,而 'enchantment' 更情感化。
captivation: 类似 'fascination',但更强调完全被吸引,常用于正式语境中。
反义词:
boredom, repulsion, indifference
用法
常用于描述对某事物的强烈兴趣或吸引力,常见于非正式和正式语境,如 'have a fascination with'(对...着迷),在文化或个人兴趣的讨论中常见。
形式:
复数: fascinations, 形容词形式: fascinating

深入解析:关键句型 "The [noun] where [clause]"

定义

这个句型是一种使用关系副词 where 引导的定语从句结构,用于描述地点或场所,并修饰前面的名词。基本结构为:The [noun](一个名词)+ where(引导从句)+ [clause](从句描述该名词的特征)。例如,在权威教材如《新概念英语》或《剑桥英语语法》中,这种句型被定义为关系从句的一种形式,where 代替了先行词的地点含义,帮助连接主句和从句,提供额外细节。它的核心含义是指定一个地点的具体情况,从而使句子更生动和信息丰富。

用法

此句型常用于描述与地点相关的场景,例如文章中的 "The more expensive kind of antique shop where rare objects are beautifully displayed...",这里 where 引导的从句修饰 "antique shop",解释了该地点的特征。使用规则包括:where 必须紧跟先行词(通常是表示地点的名词),从句中通常包含动词和描述性内容。在语法体系中,它属于定语从句的范畴,与其他关系代词如 whichthat 相关联,帮助学生构建复杂句式。跨语法点联系:它可以与时间状语从句(如 when)或原因状语从句(如 because)结合,形成更长的句子,例如 "The shop where I bought it, which was closed yesterday, has many treasures." 这有助于学生从简单句过渡到复合句,增强表达的连贯性。

注意事项

学生易犯的错误包括:误用 where 代替其他关系词,如用 where 来修饰非地点的名词(例如说 "The book where I read" 而应为 "The book that I read");或者遗漏从句中的必要成分,导致句子不完整。另一个常见偏误是把 where 用在非地点的上下文中,或在从句中时态不一致(如主句过去时,从句用现在时)。纠正建议:学生应先识别先行词是否表示地点,然后练习用 where 替换其他表达方式。同时,避免在口语中过度复杂化句子,以防听者迷惑。记住,where 从句不能独立存在,必须依附于主句。

练习

一个额外的例子:"The park where children play every day is full of flowers." 在这个句子中,where children play every day 描述了 "park" 的特征。学生可以尝试修改为自己的场景,例如 "The library where I study where has many books"(错误版本),然后纠正为 "The library where I study has many books",以练习句型的准确应用。通过这个例子,学生能更好地理解如何在写作中融入此类结构。

额外内容

背景知识:这种句型源于英语中关系从句的演变,起源于古英语的连接方式。在对比分析中,与法语的类似结构(如 "où")不同,英语的 where 更侧重地点的精确描述。补充信息:掌握这个句型后,学生可以扩展到更高级的表达,如在描述性文章中用它来增强叙述的深度,例如旅游指南或个人故事,从而提高语言的流畅性和吸引力。

深入解析:关键句型 "As [clause], [main clause]"

定义

这个句型是一种使用连词 as 引导的时间状语从句结构,用于表示时间顺序或原因,通常置于句首。基本结构为:As [clause](从句描述一个动作或状态)+ , + [main clause](主句表示主要事件)。在权威教材如《新概念英语》中,它被定义为状语从句的一种形式,as 这里表示 "当...的时候" 或 "因为...",帮助连接两个相关的事件。它的核心含义是展示事件的先后关系或逻辑联系,使句子更连贯。

用法

此句型常用于叙述故事或描述事件顺序,例如文章中的 "As he had never been there before, he found a great deal to interest him.",其中 as 引导的从句解释了主句的原因或背景。使用规则包括:as 从句通常放在句首,后跟逗号;从句中的动词时态应与主句协调(如过去时)。在语法体系中,它属于状语从句的子类,与其他连词如 whenbecause 相关联,方便学生构建复杂句式。跨语法点联系:它可以与条件句(如 if)或结果句(如 so)结合,例如 "As it was raining, we stayed home, so we watched a movie." 这有助于学生从基本句型过渡到更全面的叙述结构,特别是在写作或口语中表达因果关系。

注意事项

学生易犯的错误包括:混淆 as 的含义(如误以为是 "像...一样" 而非时间/原因);或者在从句中时态不一致,导致句子逻辑混乱,例如说 "As I go to school, I ate breakfast"(应为 "As I was going to school, I ate breakfast")。另一个偏误是省略逗号,导致句子阅读困难。纠正建议:学生应通过练习区分 as 的不同用法(如与比较级结合时表示 "像"),并在写作中检查时态一致性。同时,避免在正式文章中过度重复此句型,以免显得单调。记住,as 从句应简洁明了。

练习

一个额外的例子:"As the sun set, we started walking home." 在这个句子中,As the sun set 表示时间背景。学生可以尝试扩展为 "As I finished my homework, I went out to play.",然后在对话中应用,例如在讲述个人经历时说 "As I arrived late, the meeting had already started." 通过这个例子,学生能练习如何用此句型连接事件,增强语言的叙述能力。

额外内容

背景知识:as 作为连词的历史可以追溯到中古英语,常用于诗歌和散文以增强节奏感。在对比分析中,英语的 as 与中文的 "因为" 或 "当...时" 类似,但更灵活。补充信息:这个句型在英语学习中非常实用,能帮助学生在阅读如新闻或小说时更好地理解事件流程,同时在口语中用于自然过渡话题,提升沟通效率。