金融英语阅读：黄金是恶魔 |
文章来源： 文章作者： 发布时间：2007-04-09 00:17 字体： [ 大 中 小] 进入论坛 |
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
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| One day in 1848, a carpenter named Marshall, who worked in a saw mill on the American River in California, made a remarkable1 discovery. He noticed some bright yellow particles in the water. He bent2 down to pick them up, and took them to his partner, a Mr. Sutter. This was the beginning of the California Gold Rush. Sutter was a Swiss. He had gone to America some years earlier to make his fortune. |
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在加利福尼亚州美洲河畔锯木厂的一位名叫马歇尔木匠，在1848年有一个惊人的发现。他注意到河里有一些金黄发亮的颗粒，便俯身捧了一些带给他的伙伴。他的伙伴是一位名叫萨特的先生。这就是加利福尼亚州淘金热的开端。萨特是一位瑞士人，几年前他为了发财致富到了美国。 |
| Sutter realized the importance of the discovery and decided3 to file a claim so that his right to the gold would be established. So he sent a man named Bennet to San Francisco to see the Governor. He warned Bennet not to tell anyone in case people came to the valley before his claim was recognized. Bennet could not keep the secret, but the people of San Francisco did not believe him at first. Then the editor of a weekly newspaper there, Sam Brannan, went to Sutter's mill to make a report. When he came back, he ran through the streets of the town shouting “Gold! Gold!”. Within a month, almost the entire population, then only 800 people, had gone to look for the precious metal. Soldiers deserted4 the army, sailors left their ships and men gave up their jobs so as not to miss the chance of becoming rich. |
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萨特意识到这个发现的重要性，决定对其权益提出要求，以确认他对黄金的所有权。所以，他派了一位名叫贝内特的人去旧金山见州长。他告诫贝内特不要对任何人讲这件事，以免在他的权益得到确认之前会有人来到这个流域。贝内特还是将此事泄漏了出去，但在一开始，旧金山的人并不相信他。后来，还是一位当地周报编辑萨姆·布兰南，赶到萨特所在的锯木厂做了一篇报导。他一回到旧金山，就满城大街小巷的叫喊“黄金！黄金！”不到一个月，几乎全城的人，当时只有八百人，都去淘金了。士兵逃离军营，水手弃船登岸，男人们放弃工作，以免丢失这一发财机会。
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| The news spread across America to Europe and thousands of people joined in the search. |
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这个消息从美洲传到了欧洲，成千上万的人加入了淘金队伍中。 |
| The Gold Rush proved a disaster for Sutter himself. For years he tried to evict5 the prospectors6 from his property so that his family might enjoy the wealth of his land, but his business was ruined. The prospectors did a great deal of damage, and killed one of his sons. At the end of his life, he was a poor man who continually stopped people in the street to tell them “Gold is the Devil.” |
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对萨特本人来说，淘金最终是一个灾难。许多年来，他千方百计要把那些淘金者从他的那块宝地上赶走，好让他的一家独享这里的财宝，但他的家业被毁了。淘金者到处破坏，还杀了他的一个儿子。临终前，他已贫困潦倒，还常常拦住街上的行人，对他们说“黄金是恶魔"". |
点击  收听单词发音
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1
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 |
参考例句： |
- She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
- These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。
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2
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 |
参考例句： |
- He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
- We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
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3
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 |
参考例句： |
- This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
- There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
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4
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 |
参考例句： |
- The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
- The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。
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evict
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| vt.驱逐，赶出，撵走 |
参考例句： |
- The lessor can evict the lessee for failure to pay rent.出租人可驱逐不付租金的承租人。
- The government always says it's for the greater good when they evict farmers from their land.当政府把农民从他们的土地赶出去的时候，总是号称是为了更大众的利益。
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prospectors
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| n.勘探者，探矿者( prospector的名词复数 ) |
参考例句： |
- The prospectors have discovered such minerals as calcite,quartz and asbestos here. 探矿人员在这里发现了方解石、石英、石棉等矿藏。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The prospectors have discovered many minerals here. 探矿人员在这里发现了许多矿藏。 来自辞典例句
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