胡敏读故事记单词托福词汇028

Lesson 28 Starting Small 从小事做起

Words:

 

brim n. 边；边缘；n. 满溢

 

brisk adj. 活泼的，轻快的；兴隆的，繁忙活跃的

 

brittle¹ adj. 易碎的

 

broaden vt. 放宽，变阔，扩大

 

brochure n. 小册子

 

bronze n. 青铜，铜像；古铜

 

Bronze Age 青铜器时代

 

brook² n. 小河

 

brown n./adj. 褐色的，棕色的；vt. （使）成褐色，晒黑

 

brownish adj. 呈褐色的

 

brusque adj. (指人及人的举止等)粗暴和唐突，无礼的

 

brutal³ adj. 野蛮的，残忍的，冷酷无情的

 

bubble n. 气泡，水泡

 

buckle⁴ n. 带扣；v. （使）变弯曲

 

bud n. 芽，蓓蕾；vi. 发芽

 

buddy⁵ n. 密友，伙伴

 

budget n. 预算

 

building block 积木；基础材料

 

bulb n. (花)球茎，球形物

 

bulk n. 大批；大部分；大小，体积

 

bulky adj. 庞大的；笨重的

 

They say it’s best to start with something small when you’re trying to build a business. So I started with belt buckles⁶. It’s a good building block for a clothing business. Fortunately, I had a buddy already in the business so he helped me to set up a store.

 

The buckles I sell are made out of bronze. Bronze is a brownish colored metal that matched every color of clothing including brown garments. They’re not at all brittle. In fact, they are strong and long lasting⁷. My buckles are made in ffice:smarttags" />Spain by the best craftsmen⁸ alive since the Bronze Age. I save a lot of money by exporting them in bulky contains that are filled to the brim.

 

The clothing business is very competitive and it can be brutal at times. I suppose it’s better than selling light bulbs. Some customers are rather brusque and don’t seem to like conversation. It doesn’t bother me. I try to run a brisk business by selling most of my products in bulk at a discount. As long as I keep to my budget, I can make a profit,

 

My goal is to broaden my business by the end of the year by adding belts and hats to my product line. I also want to publish a brochure of my goods. If I succeed at making a good profit, maybe I can buy that house by the brook that I’ve always wanted.

 

Every time I feel exhausted⁹ by the demands of my business, I close my eyes and dream of that house. I think of the cool water coming from the nearby brook. I imagine the sweet smell of flower buds in the garden. And I picture myself sitting in a big bathtub full of bubbles.

他们说当你要建立一个企业时，最好先从小事做起。于是，我开始做皮带扣生意，这是服装生意的一大基础。幸运的是，我有个哥们是搞这生意的，于是他帮我开了一家商店。

 

我卖的皮带扣是铜质的。铜是一种呈棕色的金属，它能搭配各种颜色（自然包括棕色）的服装。我卖的皮带扣绝不是一碰就碎的东西，相反它结实耐用。我的皮带扣由青铜器时代以来最优秀的工匠在西班牙制成。我将满载皮带扣的巨大集装箱出口，从而攒了不少的钱。

 

服装业竞争激烈，有时竞争相当残酷。我想这还是比卖灯泡好。有些顾客相当粗鲁，也不愿多说话。不过我不在乎。通过以优惠价批量出售大部分产品，我努力把企业办得兴旺发达。只要我严格按照预算行事，就能盈利。

 

我的目标是到年底扩大经营范围，将皮带和帽子加入生产线。我还想出版一本产品介绍手册。如果我能大笔盈利，也许我会买下小溪边我梦寐以求的房子。

 

每当我被生意上的种种需求折腾得筋疲力尽时，我就会闭上眼睛，梦见那栋房子。我想到屋旁小溪里的溪水的清凉；我想象着花园里蓓蕾的芬芳；我想象着自己坐在一个满是泡泡的大浴缸里。

1 brittle   

adj.易碎的；脆弱的；冷淡的；(声音)尖利的

参考例句：

• The pond was covered in a brittle layer of ice.池塘覆盖了一层易碎的冰。
• She gave a brittle laugh.她冷淡地笑了笑。

2 brook   

n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让

参考例句：

• In our room we could hear the murmur of a distant brook.在我们房间能听到远处小溪汩汩的流水声。
• The brook trickled through the valley.小溪涓涓流过峡谷。

3 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

4 buckle   

n.扣子，带扣；v.把...扣住，由于压力而弯曲

参考例句：

• The two ends buckle at the back.带子两端在背后扣起来。
• She found it hard to buckle down.她很难专心做一件事情。

5 buddy   

n.（美口）密友，伙伴

参考例句：

• Calm down,buddy.What's the trouble?压压气，老兄。有什么麻烦吗？
• Get out of my way,buddy!别挡道了，你这家伙！

6 buckles   

搭扣，扣环( buckle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She gazed proudly at the shiny buckles on her shoes. 她骄傲地注视着鞋上闪亮的扣环。
• When the plate becomes unstable, it buckles laterally. 当板失去稳定时，就发生横向屈曲。

7 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

8 craftsmen   

n. 技工

参考例句：

• rugs handmade by local craftsmen 由当地工艺师手工制作的小地毯
• The craftsmen have ensured faithful reproduction of the original painting. 工匠保证要复制一幅最接近原作的画。

9 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。