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

关键句型 "The [adjective] [noun] where [relative clause]"

定义

这个句型用于描述一个名词,并通过 where 引导的定语从句提供额外细节,强调地点或条件。结构是:The + [adjective](形容词)+ [noun](名词)+ where + [relative clause](从句)。根据《新概念英语》教材,这种句型是相对从句的常见形式,用于修饰前面的名词,使句子更丰富和具体。例如,在文章中,“The more expensive kind of antique shop where rare objects are beautifully displayed” 就展示了这个结构。

它帮助学习者构建复杂句子,连接主句和从句,表达更精确的描述。

用法

此句型常用于描述特定地点、事物或情况,强调从句中描述的细节与主句名词的关联。在语法体系中,它属于定语从句的范畴,where 通常引导表示地点的从句,与其他关系代词如 thatwhich 相关联。规则:where 后跟完整的从句,必须与主句名词逻辑上相关。

横向比较:与 which 引导的从句(如 "the shop which is expensive")相比,where 更侧重于地点(例如,“the shop where I work"),而 that 可以用于更广泛的场景但不特定于地点。与简单句相比,这个句型能避免冗长,增强连贯性。例如,与 "The antique shop is expensive. Rare objects are displayed there." 相比,这个句型合并为一句,更流畅。

跨语法联系:它与名词短语和形容词结合,能扩展到其他从句类型,如时间从句(when)或原因从句,帮助学生理解从句在英语中的灵活性。

注意事项

学生常犯的错误包括:误用 where 在非地点从句中(如用在时间上,应改用 when);或遗漏从句,导致句子不完整。纠正建议:练习时,确保 where 后跟完整的谓语动词,并检查从句与主句的逻辑连接。

另一个常见问题是用错关系代词,例如说 "The shop where is beautiful" 而非 "The shop where rare objects are beautifully displayed",因为从句需要独立完整。

错误示例:The antique shop where rare objects displayed.  // 缺少谓语动词
正确示例:The antique shop where rare objects are beautifully displayed.

练习

原创例子:想象描述一个旅游景点,你可以说:“The beautiful park where children play happily is my favorite place." 学生可以替换 [adjective] 为 "quiet",[noun] 为 "library",并修改 [relative clause] 为 "where people read books",如:“The quiet library where people read books is perfect for studying."

通过这种替换,学生能应用句型到日常描述中,比如谈论学校或社区,提升表达的生动性。

额外内容

背景知识:定语从句如这个句型起源于古英语的从句结构,在现代英语中广泛用于书面和口头表达,增强描述力。对比分析:与中文的定语后置不同,英语中定语从句通常后置,这让句子更紧凑。相比法语的类似结构,英语的 where 不需性别或数的变化,更易于初学者掌握。这句型还能联系到文化背景,如在旅游指南中常用,丰富学生对英语在实际生活中的应用。

关键句型 "There is always hope that [clause]"

定义

这个句型用于表达对未来的积极期望或可能性,结构为:There is always + hope + that + [clause](从句)。它表示一种持续的希望或信念,that 引导的从句解释希望的内容。根据《剑桥英语语法》教材,这种句型属于存在句(There is/are结构)的变体,常用于激励或描述情感状态,如文章中的 "There is always hope that in its labyrinth... a real rarity will be found"。

它适合表达不确定但乐观的场景,帮助学习者构建鼓舞人心的句子。

用法

此句型主要用于讨论可能性、愿望或预期的场景,如日常生活中的计划或故事叙述。规则:There is always 强调 permanence,然后 that 引导一个完整的从句,通常包含情态动词或将来时。在语法体系中,它与存在句相关,连接到从句的使用中,建立句子的复杂性。

横向比较:与简单句如 "I hope that..." 相比,这个句型更 impersonal 和普遍,适合正式或叙述性语言;与 "It is hoped that..." 相比,它更直接且常见于口语。与其他从句句型如 "I think that..." 不同,它焦点在 "hope" 上,强调情感而非意见。

跨语法联系:它涉及 that 从句,与条件句或虚拟语气相关联(如 "that a rarity will be found"),学生可扩展到其他表达希望的结构,如 "I wish that...",加深对从句的整体理解。

注意事项

学生易犯错误包括:省略 that,导致句子模糊(如 "There is hope a rarity will be found");或用错时态,在从句中不使用将来时。纠正建议:始终包含 that 以保持正式性,并练习从句的时态一致性。

另一个问题是过度使用,导致句子冗长;建议结合上下文,确保自然流畅。

错误示例:There is hope in the shop a rarity found.  // 缺少 that 和完整从句
正确示例:There is always hope that a real rarity will be found in the shop.

练习

原创例子:在讨论个人目标时,你可以说:“There is always hope that I will achieve my dreams." 学生可以替换 [clause] 为 "that I will travel the world",如:“There is always hope that I will travel the world someday."

这种练习鼓励学生应用到实际生活,比如在日记或对话中描述愿望,增强表达的积极性。

额外内容

背景知识:这个句型反映了英语中乐观主义表达的传统,尤其在文学和励志语境中流行,如小说或演讲。对比分析:与西班牙语的类似表达(如 "Hay esperanza de que...")相比,英语版本更简洁,不需额外助词。这能帮助学生理解文化差异,例如在英语国家,强调希望以激励行动,学习者可通过阅读故事(如本文章)来加深印象,并扩展到更高级的句型如条件句。