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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
[00:00.00]UNIT5
[00:13.66]The Fraud
[00:14.97]Flushed with excitement, Kate stepped
[00:17.93]into the spatial1 vestibule and
[00:19.79]was immediately dazzled by the scene
[00:21.98]before her. The inlaid marble floor
[00:24.60]paved the way to a circular staircase
[00:26.90]rising three levels above her.
[00:29.52]In a fountain in the center
[00:31.93]of the entryway stood a bronze
[00:34.12]dolphin balancing on its tail,
[00:36.42]its snout pointed2 to
[00:38.38]the lofty domed3, stained glass skylight
[00:40.68]forty feet above. A massive chandelier,
[00:43.75]luminous in the bright sunlight,
[00:46.48]cast rainbow fairies dancing
[00:49.00]through the pink, green, and
[00:50.96]gold floral patterns of the floor
[00:53.26]and around the snowy white walls.
[00:55.56]Before she could fully4 appreciate
[00:57.97]the beauty of the intricate
[00:59.94]plaster work decorating the edges
[01:01.80]of the shallow niches5 installed
[01:03.88]in the walls to frame
[01:05.52]the numerous paintings, or,
[01:06.83]indeed, to appreciate the canvases
[01:08.91]themselves, her host, Victor Stone,
[01:11.97]approached. Small by North American standards,
[01:16.13]he was perfectly6 proportioned.
[01:17.88]Slightly balding at the forehead,
[01:20.84]his silver hair curved onto
[01:23.02]the collar of his pale
[01:24.99]blue shirt at the
[01:26.41]nape of his neck.
[01:27.94]Laughing blue eyes startled her
[01:29.80]with their clarity. A straight,
[01:31.34]aristocratic nose rose to meet
[01:34.07]his slightly arched brows.
[01:36.26]His carefully manicured hands bore
[01:38.78]a single gold pinkie ring.
[01:40.53]He held out his
[01:42.39]hand to take hers.
[01:43.48]“Thank you so much for coming,
[01:45.01]Kate. I am glad you
[01:46.76]could make it,” he said cheerfully.
[01:48.07]She had never met this
[01:50.04]charming little man before
[01:51.47]and knew him by reputation only.
[01:52.78]Among his contemporaries, he was
[01:55.19]known as a shrewd entrepreneur,
[01:58.25]able to diagnose at a glance,
[02:00.66]the prospects7 of those
[02:02.41]seeking his backing. She was
[02:04.71]anxious to learn why he had
[02:06.67]invited her to come to
[02:08.10]meet him at his home.
[02:09.30]“Thanks for asking me.
[02:10.94]Nice place you have here.”
[02:12.47]She felt stupid saying something
[02:14.12]so absurd, but she was,
[02:15.97]at that moment, stumped8.
[02:17.94]Her ego9 wouldn't let her
[02:21.12]admit she'd never in her whole life,
[02:23.31]been so impressed by a foyer.
[02:25.82]She hoped that he would realize
[02:27.79]she'd had little experience
[02:29.43]with the elite10, take pity
[02:30.96]on her, and show her around.
[02:33.59]“Would you like to see more
[02:35.89]of the house?” he asked, politely.
[02:37.86]“Would I? You bet!” She was
[02:39.71]happy he gave no indication
[02:41.47]that he thought she was
[02:42.67]not in his bracket.
[02:43.98]She left her briefcase11
[02:45.95]on the settee near the door
[02:47.59]and followed him through
[02:49.34]the foyer to a stairway
[02:50.55]to a stairway leading
[02:51.97]to a lower level of the house.
[02:53.17]They began the tour
[02:54.37]in the wine cellar. A heavy,
[02:56.34]double thick door opened
[02:57.76]to reveal row upon row
[02:59.30]of gleaming glass bottles
[03:01.71]of vintage wines, all lying
[03:04.00]on their sides, cradled by
[03:06.19]the solid oak racks. The steady
[03:08.16]hum of machinery12 broke the silence
[03:10.57]of the insulated room.
[03:12.10]Victor explained that it was
[03:14.18]necessary to control the ventilation,
[03:16.80]temperature and humidity of the cellar
[03:18.77]to achieve optimum conditions
[03:20.63]for conserving13 the flavors
[03:22.38]of the expensive wines.
[03:24.14]The small but luxurious14 audio-visual theater
[03:27.96]was adjacent to the wine cellar.
[03:29.93]Leather upholstered reclining chairs
[03:32.56]were casually15 arrayed about the room,
[03:34.53]all with an unimpaired view
[03:36.50]of the retractable16 screen.
[03:38.90]The stereo, silent at that moment,
[03:41.20]was state?of?the?art, with speakers
[03:43.61]tactically installed for maximizing
[03:45.25]sound effects. Black walnut17 wood paneling
[03:48.86]and a baffled ceiling averted18
[03:50.83]the possibility of overly loud
[03:52.47]entertainment disturbing others in the mansion19.
[03:55.21]Sliding glass doors led from
[03:58.27]the lowest level of the
[03:59.36]living area to the enclosed
[04:01.11]kidney?shaped swimming pool.
[04:03.41]Turquoise and white ceramic20 tiles outlined
[04:06.03]with gold covered the deck area.
[04:08.55]Pillars of quartz21 topped with
[04:10.52]milk glass spheres provided illumination
[04:12.38]should anyone choose to swim
[04:14.02]after dark. A changing booth
[04:16.54]was discretely22 hidden behind
[04:18.29]a screen of ornamental23 floor plants
[04:19.82]and cascading24 vines. Here, too,
[04:23.02]a baffled ceiling prevented
[04:24.66]the hollow resonance25 of the pool
[04:26.30]room from disturbing others.
[04:28.49]At the moment, the games room
[04:30.57]was arranged for gambling26.
[04:32.32]An authentic27 roulette wheel,
[04:34.29]a craps table for dice28,
[04:35.82]and various card tables were
[04:37.57]set up for a benefit evening
[04:39.21]that was being held the following night.
[04:41.18]Checkers, chess and other board
[04:43.70]games augmented29 the games of chance.
[04:45.34]Comfortable furniture and soft lighting30
[04:48.40]lent a romantic atmosphere to
[04:50.04]the terrace garden. Kate had noticed
[04:52.89]earlier that Victor had
[04:54.31]a slight limp. As they
[04:55.95]progressed on their tour, she realized
[04:57.70]he was quite lame31
[04:59.02]on the right side
[05:00.11]and needed to rest.
[05:01.20]They sat to chat
[05:02.41]for a few minutes.
[05:03.50]“How much do you know
[05:05.03]about me, Kate?” he asked.
[05:06.45]“Only what I've read.
[05:08.32]And what I have discerned
[05:10.39]in the past half hour.
[05:11.59]I think you are a man
[05:13.35]who has made your home
[05:14.55]into a diversion from
[05:15.53]the real world. Your taste
[05:16.63]is implicit32, subtle. Everything
[05:19.36]I have seen has been chosen
[05:21.33]with a keen eye, not to overwhelm,
[05:23.85]but to invite. I think
[05:26.36]you choose things for
[05:27.57]their intrinsic value, things that
[05:29.65]are esthetically pleasing to you.
[05:31.72]I don't think there could be
[05:33.37]an imitation or a fake item
[05:34.90]in this whole place.
[05:36.21]You love your home and
[05:37.63]enjoy sharing it with others.
[05:38.95]Am I right?”
[05:40.26]“You are perceptive33! Come.
[05:42.01]Let?s go to the sitting room
[05:43.98]and have a cocktail34.” He led
[05:45.62]the way back into the library
[05:47.59]with its mahogany shelves filled
[05:49.99]with leather bound matched
[05:51.53]sets of first editions
[05:52.73]and volumes of encyclopedia35.
[05:55.03]On a sturdy table under
[05:57.11]a reading lamp an illuminated36 manuscript
[05:58.97] with gold metallic37 page edging
[06:02.03] was lying open to
[06:03.35]display its vibrant38 art.
[06:05.53]Kate felt compelled to mention
[06:07.94]this beautiful piece. He said
[06:10.24]an obscure monk39 during the Renaissance40
[06:12.21]had copied and illustrated41
[06:13.96]the Book of Revelations.
[06:15.37]It had been quite shabby
[06:17.33]when it first came into
[06:18.54]his possession but he had
[06:20.07]it restored and planned to
[06:21.39]donate it to a museum.
[06:23.02]The door to a powder room
[06:24.77]stood ajar. Inside Kate noticed,
[06:26.96]again, the careful attention to
[06:29.59]detail manifest in the rest
[06:31.12]of the house. The doorknob
[06:32.87]was hand painted porcelain42.
[06:34.95]The ivory?colored fixtures43 were
[06:37.47]shell-shaped and gold-trimmed.
[06:39.76]A large bowl of sweetly scented44
[06:42.17]flowers was centered on the vanity.
[06:43.92]Next to the flowers sat
[06:45.67]a piece of hand-carved fossilized ebony.
[06:48.18]Kate was stunned45 by the size
[06:50.38]of the spacious46 sitting room.
[06:52.23]Several groupings of furniture
[06:53.87]lent themselves to seating
[06:54.97]as few as two guests
[06:56.28]or as many as ten. Here, too,
[06:59.45]ornamental plasterwork decorated the walls
[07:01.86]and ceilings. The raspberry colored
[07:05.03]velvet upholstery covering the couches
[07:07.22]and chairs complemented47 the pale
[07:09.41]green oriental carpets and lightly
[07:11.93]textured draperies. The gold-colored lamps
[07:15.10]with their creamy white shades,
[07:16.85]the paintings in their
[07:18.49]ornate alcoves48, and the open
[07:20.46]fireplace with family pictures
[07:22.54]on the mantel, gave Kate
[07:24.18]an overwhelming feeling
[07:25.38]of comfort and peace.
收听单词发音 |
1
spatial
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| adj.空间的，占据空间的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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domed
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| adj. 圆屋顶的, 半球形的, 拱曲的 动词dome的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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5
niches
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| 壁龛( niche的名词复数 )； 合适的位置[工作等]； （产品的）商机； 生态位（一个生物所占据的生境的最小单位） | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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7
prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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8
stumped
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| 僵直地行走，跺步行走( stump的过去式和过去分词 )； 把（某人）难住； 使为难； （选举前）在某一地区作政治性巡回演说 | |
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9
ego
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| n.自我，自己，自尊 | |
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10
elite
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| n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的 | |
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11
briefcase
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| n.手提箱，公事皮包 | |
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12
machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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13
conserving
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| v.保护，保藏，保存( conserve的现在分词 ) | |
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14
luxurious
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| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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15
casually
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| adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地 | |
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16
retractable
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| adj.可收回的；可撤消的；可缩回的；可缩进的 | |
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17
walnut
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| n.胡桃，胡桃木，胡桃色，茶色 | |
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18
averted
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| 防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移 | |
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19
mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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20
ceramic
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| n.制陶业，陶器，陶瓷工艺 | |
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21
quartz
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| n.石英 | |
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22
discretely
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| 分离地，离散地 | |
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23
ornamental
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| adj.装饰的；作装饰用的；n.装饰品；观赏植物 | |
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24
cascading
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| 流注( cascade的现在分词 )； 大量落下； 大量垂悬； 梯流 | |
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25
resonance
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| n.洪亮；共鸣；共振 | |
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26
gambling
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| n.赌博；投机 | |
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27
authentic
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| a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的 | |
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28
dice
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| n.骰子；vt.把（食物）切成小方块，冒险 | |
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29
Augmented
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| adj.增音的 动词augment的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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30
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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31
lame
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| adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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32
implicit
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| a.暗示的，含蓄的，不明晰的，绝对的 | |
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33
perceptive
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| adj.知觉的，有洞察力的，感知的 | |
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34
cocktail
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| n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物 | |
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35
encyclopedia
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| n.百科全书 | |
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36
illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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37
metallic
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| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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38
vibrant
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| adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的 | |
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39
monk
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| n.和尚，僧侣，修道士 | |
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40
renaissance
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| n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴 | |
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41
illustrated
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| adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词 | |
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42
porcelain
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| n.瓷；adj.瓷的，瓷制的 | |
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43
fixtures
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| （房屋等的）固定装置( fixture的名词复数 )； 如（浴盆、抽水马桶）； 固定在某位置的人或物； （定期定点举行的）体育活动 | |
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44
scented
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| adj.有香味的；洒香水的；有气味的v.嗅到(scent的过去分词) | |
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45
stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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46
spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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47
complemented
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| 有补助物的，有余格的 | |
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48
alcoves
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| n.凹室( alcove的名词复数 )；（花园）凉亭；僻静处；壁龛 | |
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