胡敏读故事记单词托福词汇026

Lesson 26 Tom’s Search 汤姆的探索

Words:

 

boiling point 沸点

 

boisterous¹ adj. 喧闹的，欢闹的

 

bold adj. 大胆的；放肆无礼的

 

bolster² n. 垫子，枕垫；vt. 支持

 

bombastic³ adj. 夸大的，言过其实的

 

bonanza⁴ n. 富矿带；兴旺发达；带来好运之事

 

bond n. 联结，联系；粘连；化学键；公债

 

bondage⁵ n. 奴役，束缚

 

bonus n. 红利，奖金

 

boom n. 繁荣；vi. 急速发展

 

boon⁶ n. 恩惠，恩赐；神益，非常有用的东西

 

boost vt. 增加，提高，促进

 

bore vt. 钻孔

 

boredom⁷ n. 烦恼，无聊

 

boring adj. 令人厌烦的

 

boulder⁸ n. 巨石

 

bounce vi. 跳起，弹回

 

bound adj. 被束缚的；负有义务的；深切的爱；注定的，必然的；n.范围，限定

 

boundary n. 分界线，边界

 

boundless⁹ adj. 无限的，无边无际的

 

Tom was a product of the baby boom generation. He had a bold personality. His passion for adventure seemed boundless.

He worked as a supervisor¹⁰ at a mining company, boring holes in boulders¹¹ to extract mineral samples. To measure the mineral content, the samples were heated to a temperature that was nearly 100 times the boiling point of the water. A certain percentage of gold content would indicate the presence of a new gold mine. Although the long hours sometimes made Tom feel like he was in bondage, Tom was bound to his job. Mining was not at all boring to him. The prospect¹² of finding a bonanza was exciting and he felt a special bond with his workers. They bolstered¹³ his confidence that he would someday find gold.

In the early years, the mining company’s stock had boomed in value. However, it had recently decreased in worth. The company desperately¹⁴ needed to find a new source of gold to boost its profits and to bounce back from its losses. Tom knew this. So he spent most of his time collecting mineral samples from the western boundary line of the new frontier. It was a dangerous area, but he knew that finding gold there would save the company and could earn him a bonus. It would also be a boon to his future with the company.

Tom was right. He found a huge gold source that year. The company promoted him to general manager, doubled his salary and held a grand celebration. Tom’s increase in importance did not lead him to make bombastic speeches at the party. Tom was not like that and it certainly would have created boredom at the gathering¹⁵. Instead, he praise his men and yelled, “Let’s get boisterous tonight!”

 

汤姆是婴儿潮时代的产物。他的性格大胆，对冒险似乎拥有永无止境的热情。

他是一家矿业公司的主管，他的工作是在巨石上钻洞以获取矿物标本。为检验矿物成分，标本又被加热到水的沸点的近100倍。如果其中含有一定比例的金将意味着存在新的金矿。尽管有时长时间的工作让汤姆感觉身处桎梏，但他还是深爱自己的工作。采矿对他而言一点也不无聊。找到富矿带的希望令人兴奋，他感到有一种特殊的纽带链接着他和他的工人。他们使他鼓起信心，坚信总有一天会找到金矿。

早年，这家矿业公司的股票一度暴涨，但最近股价已经下跌。公司急于找到新的金矿，以提高利润，扭亏为盈。这些汤姆都知道。所以他大部分时间都在新矿带的西边界采集矿物标本。这是个危险地带，但他知道在这里找到金矿不仅能挽救公司，还能为自己挣得奖金。这还将有利于他今后在公司的发展。

汤姆是对的，那一年他找到了富含大量金矿的矿源。公司将他晋升为总经理，给他加了双倍的薪水，还举行了隆重的庆典。汤姆的荣升并未导致他在聚会上夸夸其谈。汤姆不是那种人，如果真是那样，聚会岂不乏味之极。相反，汤姆将手下的工人称赞了一番，然后喊道：“今晚让我们尽情欢闹吧！”

1 boisterous   

adj.喧闹的，欢闹的

参考例句：

• I don't condescend to boisterous displays of it.我并不屈就于它热热闹闹的外表。
• The children tended to gather together quietly for a while before they broke into boisterous play.孩子们经常是先静静地聚集在一起，不一会就开始吵吵嚷嚷戏耍开了。

2 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

3 bombastic   

adj.夸夸其谈的，言过其实的

参考例句：

• The candidate spoke in a bombastic way of all that he would do if elected.候选人大肆吹嘘，一旦他当选将要如何如何。
• The orator spoke in a bombastic manner.这位演说家的讲话言过其实。

4 bonanza   

n.富矿带，幸运，带来好运的事

参考例句：

• Bargain hunters enjoyed a real bonanza today.到处买便宜货的人今天真是交了好运。
• What a bonanza for the winning ticket holders!对于手持胜券的人来说，这是多好的运气啊。

5 bondage   

n.奴役，束缚

参考例句：

• Masters sometimes allowed their slaves to buy their way out of bondage.奴隶主们有时允许奴隶为自己赎身。
• They aim to deliver the people who are in bondage to superstitious belief.他们的目的在于解脱那些受迷信束缚的人。

6 boon   

n.恩赐，恩物，恩惠

参考例句：

• A car is a real boon when you live in the country.在郊外居住，有辆汽车确实极为方便。
• These machines have proved a real boon to disabled people.事实证明这些机器让残疾人受益匪浅。

7 boredom   

n.厌烦，厌倦，乏味，无聊

参考例句：

• Unemployment can drive you mad with boredom.失业会让你无聊得发疯。
• A walkman can relieve the boredom of running.跑步时带着随身听就不那么乏味了。

8 boulder   

n.巨砾；卵石，圆石

参考例句：

• We all heaved together and removed the boulder.大家一齐用劲，把大石头搬开了。
• He stepped clear of the boulder.他从大石头后面走了出来。

9 boundless   

adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的

参考例句：

• The boundless woods were sleeping in the deep repose of nature.无边无际的森林在大自然静寂的怀抱中酣睡着。
• His gratitude and devotion to the Party was boundless.他对党无限感激、无限忠诚。

10 supervisor   

n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师

参考例句：

• Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
• He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

11 boulders   

n.卵石( boulder的名词复数 )；巨砾；（受水或天气侵蚀而成的）巨石；漂砾

参考例句：

• Seals basked on boulders in a flat calm. 海面风平浪静，海豹在巨石上晒太阳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The river takes a headlong plunge into a maelstrom of rocks and boulders. 河水急流而下，入一个漂砾的漩涡中。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

13 bolstered   

v.支持( bolster的过去式和过去分词 )；支撑；给予必要的支持；援助

参考例句：

• He bolstered his plea with new evidence. 他举出新的证据来支持他的抗辩。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The data must be bolstered by inferences and indirect estimates of varying degrees of reliability. 这些资料必须借助于推理及可靠程度不同的间接估计。 来自辞典例句

14 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

15 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。