Antique shops exert a peculiar fascination on a great many people. 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. But no one has to muster up courage to enter a less pretentious antique shop. 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 little the floors.
No one discovers a rarity by chance. A truly dedicated bargain hunter must have patience, and above all, the ability to recognize the worth of something when he sees it. To do this, he must be at least as knowledgeable as the dealer. Like a scientist bent on making a discovery, he must cherish the hope that one day he will be amply rewarded.
My old friend, Frank Halliday, is just such a person. He has often described to me how he picked up a masterpiece for a mere $50. One Saturday morning, Frank visited an antique shop in my neighbourhood. As he had never been there before, he found a great deal to interest him. The morning passed rapidly and Frank was about to leave when he noticed a large packing case lying on the floor. The morning passed rapidly and Frank just come in, but that he could not be bothered to open it. Frank begged him to do so and the dealer reluctantly prised it open. The contents were disappointing. Apart from an interesting-looking carved dagger, the box was full of crockery, much of it broken. Frank gently lifted the crockery out of the box an suddenly noticed a miniature painting at the bottom of the packing case. As its composition and line reminded him of an Italian painting he knew well, he decided to buy it. Glancing at it briefly, the dealer told him that it was worth $50. Frank could hardly conceal his excitement, for he knew that he had made a real discovery. The tiny painting proved to be an unknown masterpiece by Correggio and was worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.
New words and expressions 生词和短语
antique
n. 古董，古玩
fascination
n. 魅力，迷惑力
forbidding
adj. 望而生畏的，望而却步的
muster
v. 鼓起
pretentious
adj. 自命不凡的，矫饰的
labyrinth
n. 迷宫
musty
adj. 陈腐的，发霉的
rarity
n. 稀世珍品
assorted
adj. 各式各样的
junk
n. 破烂货，废品
litter
v. 杂乱地布满
dedicated
adj. 专心致志的
bargain hunter
到处找便宜货买的人
dealer
v. 商人
cherish
v. 期望，渴望
amply
adv. 足够地
masterpiece
n. 杰作
mere
adj. 仅仅的
prise
v. 撬开
carve
v. 镌刻
dagger
n. 短剑，匕首
miniature
adj. 小巧的，小型的
composition
n. 构图
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