背誦為王第四冊第49課
- 聽力原文
- 參考譯文
楊克鉆石
雅克布?楊克是南非的一位鉆石勘探家。他的運氣一直都不好。勘探的時間越長，他越不相信自己有一天會發(fā)財。試想一下當(dāng)他就在自家后院發(fā)現(xiàn)世界上最大的鉆石之一時的感受！一場暴風(fēng)雨沖走了他屋后的一部分山坡。一顆碩大的鉆石就出現(xiàn)在泥土中。
楊克把鉆石賣給了一位鉆石商人，他賣了個好價錢，30多萬美元！這顆鉆石在紐約被再次出售，售價幾乎達(dá)到了80萬美元！
一顆鉆石在切割前是無法知道其真正價值的。一旦切割成功，鉆石的價值就會增加一千倍。這就不難理解為什么這塊楊克鉆石的主人要去找他所知的最好的鉆石切割師。切割師名叫卡普蘭，他花了整整12個月來仔細(xì)研究這顆鉆石。正當(dāng)他感到可以開始工作的時候，他發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個瑕疵。他不得不重新開始計算&&否則可能會毀掉鉆石。卡普蘭繼續(xù)研究這塊鉆石。又過了6個月?？ㄆ仗m終于對鉆石的主人說：“我可以開始工作了，完成之后你會看到一顆堪與世界上任何鉆石相媲美的精美鉆石和十一顆質(zhì)量上乘的小鉆石?！?
卡普蘭又等了幾天，直到他感覺自己處于最好的身體和精神狀態(tài)。稍有差池就將完全毀掉這顆鉆石。他操起工具，屏住呼吸，敲下了第一錘。鉆石裂開了，正像他承諾的那樣。
Lesson49 The Jonker Diamond
Jacobus Jonker was a diamond prospector in South Africa. He never really had much luck, and the longer he prospected, the less he believed in ever making his fortune. Imagine his feelings, then, when he found one of the biggest diamonds in the world - right in his own back yard! There had been a heavy rainstorm, and the rains had washed away part of a hillside behind his house. And in the middle of the mud sat a huge diamond. Jonker sold the stone to a diamond dealer for a pretty penny - over three hundred thousand dollars! In New York, the diamond was resold - this time for almost eight hundred thousand dollars!
The true value of a diamond is never known until it has been cut. Once cut successfully, its value can increase a thousand times. It's easy to understand why the owner of the Jonker diamond went to the best diamond cutter he knew. Kaplan, the cutter, studied the diamond for twelve whole months. When he felt he was ready to start work, he discovered a flaw. He had to begin his calculations all over again - otherwise he might have destroyed the stone. Kaplan continued to study the stone; six more months passed. Finally, Kaplan said to the owner, "I'm ready to start my work. There will be one exquisite diamond that will be comparable to any in the world, and eleven small diamonds of first-class quality."
Kaplan waited a few more days until he felt he was in the best physical and mental condition possible. One mistake could lead to the total destruction of the stone. He picked up his tools and held his breath as he made the first blow. The diamond split exactly as he had promised.
prospector 探勘者；采礦者
exquisite 精致的
Jacobus Jonker was a diamond prospector in South Africa. He never really had much luck, and the longer he prospected, the less he believed in ever making his fortune. Imagine his feelings, then, when he found one of the biggest diamonds in the world - right in his own back yard! There had been a heavy rainstorm, and the rains had washed away part of a hillside behind his house. And in the middle of the mud sat a huge diamond. Jonker sold the stone to a diamond dealer for a pretty penny - over three hundred thousand dollars! In New York, the diamond was resold - this time for almost eight hundred thousand dollars!
The true value of a diamond is never known until it has been cut. Once cut successfully, its value can increase a thousand times. It's easy to understand why the owner of the Jonker diamond went to the best diamond cutter he knew. Kaplan, the cutter, studied the diamond for twelve whole months. When he felt he was ready to start work, he discovered a flaw. He had to begin his calculations all over again - otherwise he might have destroyed the stone. Kaplan continued to study the stone; six more months passed. Finally, Kaplan said to the owner, "I'm ready to start my work. There will be one exquisite diamond that will be comparable to any in the world, and eleven small diamonds of first-class quality."
Kaplan waited a few more days until he felt he was in the best physical and mental condition possible. One mistake could lead to the total destruction of the stone. He picked up his tools and held his breath as he made the first blow. The diamond split exactly as he had promised.
prospector 探勘者；采礦者
exquisite 精致的
