胡敏读故事记单词托福词汇102（在线收听）

Lesson 102 The Fossil Fiasco 化石的悲惨下场

Words:

fossil n. 化石，僵化的事物

foster vt. 鼓励，促进；养育，抚养

foul adj. 恶臭的

founder n. 创建者，创始人

fraction n. 小部分，少量；分数

fracture n. 骨折；破碎；vt. 使破裂，断裂

fragile adj. 易碎的，脆的；脆弱的

fragility n. 脆弱

fragment n. 碎片，破片

fragmentary adj. 不完整的，片段的

fragrance n. 芬芳，香味

fragrant adj. 香的，芬芳的

frail adj. 脆弱的，意志薄弱的

frame n. 框架; vt. 帧，外加框；提出，制定；构造，组织，建筑

framework n. 构架；骨架

frank adj. 坦白的，直率的

frantic adj. 情感处于极度状态的（尤指恐惧或焦急），发疯的，不顾一切的

fraternal adj. 兄弟的，友善的

fraud n. 骗子，欺骗，欺诈

fraudulent adj. 欺诈的，欺骗性的

fray vi. 磨损，破裂；n. 吵架，冲突

“I still can’t believe you fractured the oldest fossil in the museum,” Bessie said “How are you going to explain this to the founder? He is an old and frail man. You might give him a heart attack.”

“It’s not my fault,” replied Alice. “I think the framework around the fossil was faulty. Whoever framed it must be a fraud. Nobody would make it that fragile. I would bet his credentials are fraudulent too. Besides, I don’t think anyone is going to miss one foul smelling fossil, do you? Anyway, I only broke off a small fraction of the fossil.”

“Yes, but that small fraction just happened to be the head,” Bessie laughed. “Without is, it looks fragmentary. Weren’t you aware of its fragility?”

“Yes, but at that moment, I was frantic,” Alice said. “I just needed something solid to stop the fray between those fraternal twins. I was trying to foster peace and cooperation. How was I supposed to know that the one twin would break it with his head?”

“Let us be frank,” said Bessie. “You smashed him over the head with it. Then you picked up the broken fragment and threw it at the other twin. Need I say more?”

“It all so fast, I really don’t remember,” Alice said with a grin. “I guess I better apologize to the founder now. First, I should spray on a little more fragrance. Maybe he won’t yell at me if I smell like a flower.”

“Trust me,” Bessie giggled. “You’re fragrant enough to turn him into a fossil.”

“我还是不相信你弄碎了博物馆里最古老的化石。”贝西说。“你怎么像创建人解释？他年纪大，身体脆弱。你可能会让他得心脏病。”

“这不是我的过错，”爱丽丝回答。“我认为化石周围的那圈架子有问题。建造它的人肯定是个骗子。没有人会把它做的那么脆弱。我敢打赌他的各项证件也是骗人的。另外，我认为没有人会怀念一具散发着恶臭的化石，你觉得呢？反正，我只打碎了化石的一小部分。”

“没错，但是那一小部分恰好是头部，”贝西笑道。“没有它，化石看上去就不完整了。你没有意识到他的脆弱吗？”

“我意识到了，但那时候，我不顾一切，”爱丽丝说，“我正好需要一个坚硬的东西阻止双胞胎兄弟之间的冲突。我在试图促进和平与合作。我怎能料到双胞胎中的一个会用头把他弄碎呢？”

“让我们坦率一点吧，”贝西说。“是你手持化石砸向他的头部的。然后，你捡起碎片，往双胞胎中的另一个扔过去。我还需要说下去吗？”

“一切发生得太快了，我不太记得了。”爱丽丝咧嘴笑着说。“我想我最好现在向创建人道歉。首先，我得再喷一点香水。也许我闻起来像鲜花一样，他就不会朝我大喊大叫了。”

“相信我，”贝西咯咯地笑道。“你已经香得足以把他变成化石了。”