365个英语简短小故事- 64. A Tiger Change Stripes

Melissa had heard about Bill. He was a womanizer. He dated one woman after another, telling one lie after another. He was a pilot, a tiger trainer, a banker, a publisher, a tycoon¹, an investor², an adventurer, and on and on. He laughed about how easy it was to deceive women. Dress sharp and drive a luxury car, and they would follow you anywhere. Bill could get almost any woman he wanted. And then he discarded them like so many empty water bottles.

Although Bill owned a carpet-cleaning business that had five employees, he made most of his money gambling³. He went to Vegas at least six times a year, and played at a couple of casinos in the Los Angeles area regularly. Tonight he had invited himself to a monthly neighborhood poker⁴ game. For most of the evening, Bill was rather quiet. He hadn’t said one unkind word about women, and he only briefly⁵ bragged⁶ about his poker skills. Melissa wondered if Bill had finally met a woman who had put him in his place. Meanwhile, he was winning every third hand.

Melissa decided⁷ to play one last hand, and then leave. She ended up with a wonderful hand—three nines and two aces⁸. The betting was spirited, but eventually all the other players dropped out, except Bill. Bill made a final raise, and Melissa called. There was almost $200 in the pot, the biggest of the evening. Melissa was mentally shopping with the money (much of it Bill’s!). Bill, however, also had a full house—three tens and two deuces. Bill chuckled⁹, “The best female poker player in the world couldn’t beat me, honey. What on earth were you thinking?”

 

1 tycoon   

n.有钱有势的企业家，大亨

参考例句：

• The tycoon is on the verge of bankruptcy.那名大亨濒临破产的边缘。
• The tycoon has many servants to minister to his needs.那位大亨有很多人服侍他。

2 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

3 gambling   

n.赌博；投机

参考例句：

• They have won a lot of money through gambling.他们赌博赢了很多钱。
• The men have been gambling away all night.那些人赌了整整一夜。

4 poker   

n.扑克；vt.烙制

参考例句：

• He was cleared out in the poker game.他打扑克牌，把钱都输光了。
• I'm old enough to play poker and do something with it.我打扑克是老手了，可以玩些花样。

5 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

6 bragged   

v.自夸，吹嘘( brag的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He bragged to his friends about the crime. 他向朋友炫耀他的罪行。
• Mary bragged that she could run faster than Jack. 玛丽夸口说她比杰克跑得快。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 aces   

abbr.adjustable convertible-rate equity security (units) 可调节的股本证券兑换率；aircraft ejection seat 飞机弹射座椅；automatic control evaluation simulator 自动控制评估模拟器n.擅长…的人( ace的名词复数 )；精于…的人；（ 网球 ）（对手接不到发球的）发球得分；爱司球

参考例句：

• The local representative of ACES will define the local area. ACES的当地代表将划定当地的范围。 来自互联网
• Any medical expenses not covered by ACES insurance are the sole responsibility of the parents. 任何ACES保险未包括的医疗费用一律是父母的责任。 来自互联网

9 chuckled   

轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
• She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情，她就轻轻地暗自发笑。