Lesson 34

Antique shops exert a peculiar fascination on a great many people.
古董店对许多人都有着一种特殊的吸引力。
The more expensive kind of antique shop where rare objects are beautifully displayed in glass cases to keep them free from dust is usually a forbidding place.
那种把稀有物品精美地陈列在玻璃柜里以防灰尘的较昂贵的古董店，通常是一个令人望而生畏的地方。
But no one has to muster up courage to enter a less pretentious antique shop.
但是，进入一个不那么起眼的古玩店，谁也不必鼓起勇气。
There is always hope that in its labyrinth of musty, dark, disordered rooms a real rarity will be found amongst the piles of assorted junk that litter the floors.
总是有希望在它那发霉、阴暗、杂乱无章的房间迷宫中，在散落地板的成堆废旧物品中，发现一件真正的珍品。
No one discovers a rarity by chance.
没有人是偶然发现稀有之物的。
A truly dedicated bargain hunter must have patience, and above all, the ability to recognize the worth of something when he sees it.
一个真正专注的购物达人必须具备耐心，尤其是当他看到某物时识别其价值的能力。
To do this, he must be at least as knowledgeable as the dealer.
为了做到这一点，他必须至少和那个交易商一样博学。
Like a scientist bent on making a discovery, he must cherish the hope that one day he will be amply rewarded.
像一位潜心于做出发现的科学家一样，他必须怀抱希望，相信总有一天他会得到丰厚的回报。
My old friend, Frank Halliday, is just such a person.
我的老朋友弗兰克·哈利迪正是这样一个人。
He has often described to me how he picked up a masterpiece for a mere £50.
他经常向我描述他是如何仅花50英镑就买到一件杰作的。
One Saturday morning, Frank visited an antique shop in my neighbourhood.
一个周六的早晨，弗兰克光顾了我社区里的一家古董店。
As he had never been there before, he found a great deal to interest him.
由于他以前从未去过那里，他发现有很多让他感兴趣的东西。
The morning passed rapidly and Frank was about to leave when he noticed a large packing case lying on the floor.
早晨飞快地流逝，弗兰克正准备离开时，他注意到地板上放着一个巨大的包装箱。
The dealer told him that it had just come in, but that he could not be bothered to open it.
商人告诉他那件东西刚到货，但他懒得去把它打开。
Frank begged him to do so and the dealer reluctantly prised it open.
弗兰克乞求他这样做，那名商贩才不情愿地将它撬开了。
The contents were disappointing.
这些内容令人失望。
Apart from an interesting-looking carved dagger, the box was full of crockery, much of it broken.
除了一个看起来有趣的雕刻匕首，盒子里装满了陶器，其中大部分都碎了。
Frank gently lifted the crockery out of the box and suddenly noticed a miniature painting at the bottom of the packing case.
弗兰克轻轻地将陶器从箱子里拿出来，突然注意到包装箱底部有一幅微型画。
As its composition and line reminded him of an Italian painting he knew well, he decided to buy it.
由于它的构图与线条使他想起一幅他所熟知的意大利绘画，他决定买下它。
Glancing at it briefly, the dealer told him that it was worth £50.
匆匆扫视了一眼，商人告诉他那东西价值50英镑。
Frank could hardly conceal his excitement, for he knew that he had made a real discovery.
弗兰克几乎无法掩饰他的兴奋，因为他知道他有了一个真正的发现。
The tiny painting proved to be an unknown masterpiece by Correggio and was worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.
这幅微小的画作证明是科雷吉欧的一件无名杰作，价值数十万英镑。