星火英语15篇文章背完大学英语六级词汇：Unit5-Part1

（单词翻译）

The Fraud

Flushed with excitement, Kate stepped

into the spatial¹ vestibule and

was immediately dazzled by the scene

before her. The inlaid marble floor

paved the way to a circular staircase

rising three levels above her.

In a fountain in the center

of the entryway stood a bronze

dolphin balancing on its tail,

its snout pointed² to

the lofty domed³, stained glass skylight

forty feet above. A massive chandelier,

luminous⁴ in the bright sunlight,

cast rainbow fairies dancing

through the pink, green, and

gold floral patterns of the floor

and around the snowy white walls.

Before she could fully⁵ appreciate

the beauty of the intricate

plaster work decorating the edges

of the shallow niches⁶ installed

in the walls to frame

the numerous paintings, or,

indeed, to appreciate the canvases

themselves, her host, Victor Stone,

approached. Small by North American standards,

he was perfectly⁷ proportioned.

Slightly balding at the forehead,

his silver hair curved onto

the collar of his pale

blue shirt at the

nape of his neck.

Laughing blue eyes startled her

with their clarity. A straight,

aristocratic nose rose to meet

his slightly arched brows.

His carefully manicured hands bore

a single gold pinkie ring.

He held out his

hand to take hers.

“Thank you so much for coming,

Kate. I am glad you

could make it,” he said cheerfully.

She had never met this

charming little man before

and knew him by reputation only.

Among his contemporaries, he was

known as a shrewd entrepreneur,

able to diagnose at a glance,

the prospects⁸ of those

seeking his backing. She was

anxious to learn why he had

invited her to come to

meet him at his home.

“Thanks for asking me.

Nice place you have here.”

She felt stupid saying something

so absurd, but she was,

at that moment, stumped⁹.

Her ego¹⁰ wouldn't let her

admit she'd never in her whole life,

been so impressed by a foyer.

She hoped that he would realize

she'd had little experience

with the elite¹¹, take pity

on her, and show her around.

“Would you like to see more

of the house?” he asked, politely.

“Would I? You bet!” She was

happy he gave no indication

that he thought she was

not in his bracket.

She left her briefcase¹²

on the settee near the door

and followed him through

the foyer to a stairway

to a stairway leading

to a lower level of the house.

They began the tour

in the wine cellar. A heavy,

double thick door opened

to reveal row upon row

of gleaming glass bottles

of vintage wines, all lying

on their sides, cradled by

the solid oak racks. The steady

hum of machinery¹³ broke the silence

of the insulated room.

Victor explained that it was

necessary to control the ventilation,

temperature and humidity of the cellar

to achieve optimum conditions

for conserving¹⁴ the flavors

of the expensive wines.

The small but luxurious¹⁵ audio-visual theater

was adjacent to the wine cellar.

Leather upholstered reclining chairs

were casually¹⁶ arrayed about the room,

all with an unimpaired view

of the retractable¹⁷ screen.

The stereo, silent at that moment,

was stateoftheart, with speakers

tactically installed for maximizing

sound effects. Black walnut¹⁸ wood paneling

and a baffled ceiling averted¹⁹

the possibility of overly loud

entertainment disturbing others in the mansion²⁰.

Sliding glass doors led from

the lowest level of the

living area to the enclosed

kidneyshaped swimming pool.

Turquoise²¹ and white ceramic²² tiles outlined

with gold covered the deck area.

Pillars of quartz²³ topped with

milk glass spheres provided illumination

should anyone choose to swim

after dark. A changing booth

was discretely²⁴ hidden behind

a screen of ornamental²⁵ floor plants

and cascading²⁶ vines. Here, too,

a baffled ceiling prevented

the hollow resonance²⁷ of the pool

room from disturbing others.

At the moment, the games room

was arranged for gambling²⁸.

An authentic²⁹ roulette wheel,

a craps table for dice³⁰,

and various card tables were

set up for a benefit evening

that was being held the following night.

Checkers, chess and other board

games augmented³¹ the games of chance.

Comfortable furniture and soft lighting³²

lent a romantic atmosphere to

the terrace garden. Kate had noticed

earlier that Victor had

a slight limp. As they

progressed on their tour, she realized

he was quite lame³³

on the right side

and needed to rest.

They sat to chat

for a few minutes.

“How much do you know

about me, Kate?” he asked.

“Only what I've read.

And what I have discerned

in the past half hour.

I think you are a man

who has made your home

into a diversion from

the real world. Your taste

is implicit³⁴, subtle. Everything

I have seen has been chosen

with a keen eye, not to overwhelm,

but to invite. I think

you choose things for

their intrinsic value, things that

are esthetically pleasing to you.

I don't think there could be

an imitation or a fake item

in this whole place.

You love your home and

enjoy sharing it with others.

Am I right?”

“You are perceptive³⁵! Come.

Lets go to the sitting room

and have a cocktail³⁶.” He led

the way back into the library

with its mahogany shelves filled

with leather bound matched

sets of first editions

and volumes of encyclopedia³⁷.

On a sturdy table under

a reading lamp an illuminated³⁸ manuscript

with gold metallic³⁹ page edging

was lying open to

display its vibrant⁴⁰ art.

Kate felt compelled to mention

this beautiful piece. He said

an obscure monk⁴¹ during the Renaissance⁴²

had copied and illustrated⁴³

the Book of Revelations.

It had been quite shabby

when it first came into

his possession but he had

it restored and planned to

donate it to a museum.

The door to a powder room

stood ajar. Inside Kate noticed,

again, the careful attention to

detail manifest in the rest

of the house. The doorknob

was hand painted porcelain⁴⁴.

The ivorycolored fixtures⁴⁵ were

shell-shaped and gold-trimmed.

A large bowl of sweetly scented⁴⁶

flowers was centered on the vanity.

Next to the flowers sat

a piece of hand-carved fossilized ebony.

Kate was stunned⁴⁷ by the size

of the spacious⁴⁸ sitting room.

Several groupings of furniture

lent themselves to seating

as few as two guests

or as many as ten. Here, too,

ornamental plasterwork decorated the walls

and ceilings. The raspberry colored

velvet⁴⁹ upholstery covering the couches

and chairs complemented⁵⁰ the pale

green oriental carpets and lightly

textured⁵¹ draperies. The gold-colored lamps

with their creamy white shades,

the paintings in their

ornate alcoves⁵², and the open

fireplace with family pictures

on the mantel, gave Kate

an overwhelming feeling

of comfort and peace.