VOA标准英语2011--Arkansas Treasure Hunt Links People With

Arkansas Treasure Hunt Links People With Lost Cash

Today every newspaper in the state of Arkansas is publishing a special section. There are no stories in it. No photographs. Not even any advertisements. Nothing but page after boring page of names and addresses.
You see, September 19 is the start of what Arkansas calls its month-long “Great Arkansas Treasure Hunt,” in which the state auditor’s office tries to match people with millions of dollars in cash and personal property that is rightfully theirs.
“Unclaimed property,” it’s called. It can be an insurance check you received but never cashed and forgot about. Or money and jewels, stocks and bonds from your late parents’ bank lock box.
The bank or insurance company may not keep these valuables. By law, it must turn them over to the state, which makes a serious effort to find the owner.
And so, like other states, Arkansas compiles a list of the last known owners of unclaimed property and publishes it in newspapers and online. Arkansas’ unclaimed property reported for 2011 totals close to $23 million, with the owners of an additional $150 million in valuables from previous years still waiting to be found.
The state puts cash in the bank, and other items in two big safes in the capital city of Little Rock. It even saves a few things that have only sentimental¹ value, like a “beanie baby” doll collection and World War ll medals that are starting to turn up regularly now that so many veterans of that war are dying. Among the unusual treasures that Arkansas holds in hopes that someone will claim them are two urns² of cremated³ human remains⁴.
If by chance you’re the owner of any of this property or money - or are that person’s rightful heir - your right to claim it never expires. In Arkansas last year, about six million very happy people were reunited with their money or valuables. No lottery⁵ anywhere can match those odds⁶.

1 sentimental   

adj.多愁善感的，感伤的

参考例句：

• She's a sentimental woman who believes marriage comes by destiny.她是多愁善感的人，她相信姻缘命中注定。
• We were deeply touched by the sentimental movie.我们深深被那感伤的电影所感动。

2 urns   

n.壶( urn的名词复数 )；瓮；缸；骨灰瓮

参考例句：

• Wine utensils unearthed include jars, urns, pots, bowls and cups. 发掘出的酒器皿有瓶、瓮、罐、壶、碗和杯子。 来自互联网
• Ernie yearned to learn to turn urns. 呕尼渴望学会转咖啡壶。 来自互联网

3 cremated   

v.火葬，火化（尸体）( cremate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He wants to is cremated, not buried. 他要火葬，不要土葬。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The bodies were cremated on the shore. 他们的尸体在海边火化了。 来自辞典例句

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 lottery   

n.抽彩；碰运气的事，难于算计的事

参考例句：

• He won no less than ￡5000 in the lottery.他居然中了5000英镑的奖券。
• They thought themselves lucky in the lottery of life.他们认为自己是变幻莫测的人生中的幸运者。

6 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？