15篇文章貫通六級詞匯MP3（字幕版）Unit5-Part2

<p> </p> <p>[00:00.00]She relished the novelty and thrill<br /> [00:03.71]of having been summoned<br /> [00:05.02]to this prestigious man's home.<br /> [00:06.88]The sheer beauty of the place<br /> [00:09.29]far surpassed her expectations.<br /> [00:11.37]However, she was becoming suspicious<br /> [00:14.54]about the reason for this visit.<br /> [00:16.73]Now that she had received<br /> [00:18.59]an orientation to his home,<br /> [00:20.23]and notwithstanding her first impressions<br /> [00:22.31]of the man, she was anxious<br /> [00:24.17]to learn why she was here.<br /> [00:26.24]What could a mere reporter<br /> [00:27.78]do for this rich, influential man?<br /> [00:30.62]He began to speak soberly,<br /> [00:33.03]contradicting his earlier spontaneity.<br /> [00:35.99]“I will tell you a story<br /> [00:37.74]you may have difficulty believing,”<br /> [00:39.71]he said, softly. “I was<br /> [00:42.33]not born into this lifestyle.<br /> [00:43.97]It is ironic that there is<br /> [00:45.72]such a discrepancy between<br /> [00:47.14]what I was and what I am.<br /> [00:48.67]My father left the United States<br /> [00:51.63]when I was about two years old.<br /> [00:54.04]He ran a junk store<br /> [00:55.57]in the slums of Winnipeg<br /> [00:57.21]when I was a kid.<br /> [00:58.74]He was a vulgar man<br /> [01:00.05]but he knew how to<br /> [01:01.59]fool people into thinking<br /> [01:02.90]they were buying something<br /> [01:04.11]rare or valuable. It was<br /> [01:05.52]under his tutelag that<br /> [01:07.17]I learned to be a fraud.”<br /> [01:09.35]I decided at an early age<br /> [01:11.65]that if there was<br /> [01:13.95]a shortcut to success,<br /> [01:15.26]I could bypass the complications<br /> [01:17.01]of getting there by<br /> [01:18.32]the conventional methods. I was<br /> [01:20.19]like a hurricane, rushing forward<br /> [01:22.70]without consideration for the rules.<br /> [01:24.78]If it's any consolation,<br /> [01:26.85]I didn't intentionally harm anyone<br /> [01:29.60]in the process. I was able<br /> [01:32.11]to stay within the parameters<br /> [01:33.42]of the law, but just barely.<br /> [01:36.16]I bought and sold used furniture<br /> [01:38.56]before going into the antique business.<br /> [01:40.64]When I bought, I always<br /> [01:42.39]paid a fraction of the potential<br /> [01:44.36]worth of the goods.<br /> [01:45.89]When I sold, I always<br /> [01:47.53]made a profit. I was able<br /> [01:50.27]to upgrade my stock with<br /> [01:51.69]almost every transaction. In time,<br /> [01:54.43]I had a warehouse full<br /> [01:56.07]of merchandise.I didn't<br /> [01:58.04]flatter myself by thinking<br /> [02:00.23]I hadn't muddied the waters a bit.<br /> [02:02.41]I knew I had probably<br /> [02:03.51]stepped on a few toes, but<br /> [02:05.04]I was on a roll. I had<br /> [02:06.68]the momentum and rejoiced<br /> [02:08.43]in my success. As long as<br /> [02:10.62]the money kept coming in,<br /> [02:12.04]anything was permissible.<br /> [02:14.23]One day, I received a visit<br /> [02:16.96]from a rather important patron<br /> [02:18.71]of the arts. He had an<br /> [02:21.12]interesting proposition for me.<br /> [02:23.20]He held the patent and trademark<br /> [02:25.71]for the prototype of<br /> [02:27.57]an innovative way to determine<br /> [02:29.22]the age of a painting<br /> [02:31.20]using ultraviolet light. He would<br /> [02:33.28]sell them to me for<br /> [02:34.70]the nominal fee of a nickel<br /> [02:36.01]if I would reciprocate by<br /> [02:37.99]doing him a favor. I was<br /> [02:41.04]to include one of his<br /> [02:42.25]personal paintings in my next shipment<br /> [02:44.22]of antiques going to New York.<br /> [02:46.19]At first, I thought he was<br /> [02:48.59]mocking me, but he gave<br /> [02:50.57]me his oath that he just<br /> [02:52.20]wanted to ensure the painting<br /> [02:53.85]would arrive at its destination safely,<br /> [02:56.04]and, because it would be<br /> [02:58.33]a part of an antique shipment,<br /> [03:00.19]it would be exempt from import duty.<br /> [03:03.26]It was a provocative offer,<br /> [03:05.01]and even though I remained skeptical,<br /> [03:07.30]I agreed.A few days later,<br /> [03:10.91]a crated painting arrived and <br /> [03:13.26]was added to my goods <br /> [03:14.46]ready for delivery to New York. <br /> [03:16.87]I had always subscribed to <br /> [03:18.73]the theory that if something appeared <br /> [03:20.48]to be too good to be true, <br /> [03:22.12]it probably was. However, <br /> [03:24.52]my greed prevailed and <br /> [03:27.59]the painting was on its way.<br /> [03:29.56]I was unaware at the time<br /> [03:31.86]that my fortunes were about <br /> [03:33.72]to go into a downward spiral. <br /> [03:35.57]My benefactor, it turned out, <br /> [03:38.42]was a man with a grudge <br /> [03:40.06]against me. Irrespective of the fact <br /> [03:43.78]that I felt a deal <br /> [03:44.98]we had made years before <br /> [03:46.30]had been fair, he felt <br /> [03:47.83]I had cheated him. <br /> [03:49.36]I was about to be <br /> [03:50.89]the recipient of his wrath.<br /> [03:52.64]When my agent in New York <br /> [03:54.94]went to customs to retrieve <br /> [03:56.36]the shipment, he was greeted <br /> [03:58.11]by a squad of police waiting <br /> [03:59.76]to detain him on <br /> [04:00.74]charges of smuggling cocaine. <br /> [04:02.71]It appeared there was a bit <br /> [04:04.79]of a discrepancy between <br /> [04:06.32]what I was told was in <br /> [04:07.41]the crate and the actual contents. <br /> [04:09.71]The drugs were in <br /> [04:11.24]a hidden compartment in the crate.<br /> [04:12.99]I admit it was naive<br /> [04:15.29]of me to believe <br /> [04:16.60]I had no enemies, <br /> [04:17.92]but I didn't know anyone <br /> [04:19.23]would go to this degree <br /> [04:20.54]to prove how much he despised me. <br /> [04:21.96]Hitherto, I had gone through <br /> [04:24.92]life thinking that when two people <br /> [04:27.10]agreed to a deal, if one of <br /> [04:28.64]them got the better of the other, <br /> [04:30.06]it was fair, because they did agree. <br /> [04:32.79]Now I was learning that if <br /> [04:35.21]you take advantage of some people, <br /> [04:37.06]even with their permission, <br /> [04:38.81]you aggravate them to seek revenge. <br /> [04:41.43]I can't refute my recklessness.<br /> [04:43.41]Almost seven years have <br /> [04:46.69]elapsed since that time. <br /> [04:48.77]My agent took responsibility <br /> [04:50.19]for the crime and went <br /> [04:51.61]to jail for five years. <br /> [04:53.03]I felt guilty as hell, <br /> [04:54.79]but I continued to pay him <br /> [04:56.86]by sending the money to his family. <br /> [04:58.40]I even withheld extra <br /> [05:00.69]in a bonus account to give <br /> [05:02.23]to him when he was released. <br /> [05:03.86]I also gave up my business <br /> [05:05.83]and began to help others <br /> [05:07.15]start their businesses. In time, <br /> [05:09.45]the guilt I felt subsided. <br /> [05:12.07]I put my energies into stepping <br /> [05:13.93]into the breach to help <br /> [05:15.13]those less fortunate than I. <br /> [05:16.99]To my amazement, my luck started <br /> [05:19.29]to fluctuate upward and I flourished. <br /> [05:21.81]All you see here today, <br /> [05:23.56]I have accumulated since that time.<br /> [05:25.63]Now, it seems, my enemy <br /> [05:28.48]has decided to reclaim <br /> [05:30.67]his power over me. <br /> [05:32.10]He has reported the crime <br /> [05:33.73]and the erroneous imprisonment of my <br /> [05:35.15]agent and named me as <br /> [05:36.80]the person responsible for the offence. <br /> [05:39.42]I had never changed my citizenship, <br /> [05:41.50]so the F.B.I. wants me <br /> [05:43.79]deported so they can <br /> [05:45.22]prosecute me in New York.<br /> [05:46.53]I hope I can induce you, <br /> [05:49.15]through your column, to tell my story. <br /> [05:51.24]Next week I have to appear before <br /> [05:54.08]a magistrate for the preliminary hearing. <br /> [05:57.14]If I'm not mistaken, public pressure <br /> [05:59.33]might enable me to <br /> [06:00.75]avoid deportation at least. <br /> [06:02.94]I am more likely to get <br /> [06:04.58]a fair trial here than there. <br /> [06:06.12]My record as a good citizen <br /> [06:08.31]may offset the perception that <br /> [06:09.94]I may be a criminal. <br /> [06:11.47]What do you think? Will you help?<br /> [06:13.23]Kate had listened to this synopsis <br /> [06:15.42]in silence but her outrage <br /> [06:17.27]was building. While his story <br /> [06:19.35]seemed plausible, this plea <br /> [06:21.21]for her assistance didn't quite fit. <br /> [06:23.51]With his financial resources, <br /> [06:25.70]he could hire the best <br /> [06:27.12]legal team in the country. <br /> [06:28.76]She realized she had to <br /> [06:30.51]detach herself from her first impressions <br /> [06:32.37]and extract fact from fiction. <br /> [06:35.43]Why didn't she believe him? <br /> [06:37.40]Suddenly, it came to her. <br /> [06:39.38]Exposition of this version <br /> [06:41.78]of Victor's tale would not only <br /> [06:43.86]gain him public sympathy, it would <br /> [06:46.38]invalidate any testimony against him.<br /> [06:48.68]Nothing could constrain her <br /> [06:51.16]when she realized she had literally <br /> [06:52.58]been taken in by his story. <br /> [06:55.31]“If you were innocent, <br /> [06:56.63]why weren't you the defendant? <br /> [06:57.94]If you were innocent <br /> [06:59.03]all those years ago, <br /> [07:00.02]why did your agent <br /> [07:01.22]go to prison for you? <br /> [07:02.53]Why did it take so long for <br /> [07:03.96]your enemy to turn you in? <br /> [07:05.82]The statute of limitations <br /> [07:07.46]for that offence has expired. <br /> [07:09.43]I believe this has been <br /> [07:11.18]a pathetic attempt to get me <br /> [07:12.60]to mediate your case in the press. <br /> [07:13.91]I think you have always been <br /> [07:15.55]an integral player in <br /> [07:17.08]the criminal world and your past<br /> [07:18.83]has caught up with you. <br /> [07:20.26]My cardinal sin was allowing myself <br /> [07:22.23]to be reeled in by your tales <br /> [07:24.74]of what a model citizen you are.”<br /> [07:26.28]Kate could feel herself <br /> [07:28.68]getting dizzy and light-headed, <br /> [07:30.11]surprised by the audacity she had, <br /> [07:32.52]talking to anyone in that manner. <br /> [07:33.93]Before she lost complete control, <br /> [07:36.67]she would have to <br /> [07:38.31]get out of there. <br /> [07:39.52]She stood, turned, and <br /> [07:41.38]marched toward the door. <br /> [07:42.79]As she began to open <br /> [07:44.33]the front door, she looked back. <br /> [07:45.97]Victor stood beside his chair, <br /> [07:47.61]pale and shaken. “You admitted <br /> [07:50.56]you were a fraud in your youth. <br /> [07:52.65]You are still a fraud! <br /> [07:53.74]I will write your story...<br /> [07:54.72]my version! My guess is that <br /> [07:57.46]the eventual verdict will be‘guilty’!”</p> <p> </p>

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