原版英文小故事 22. A Good Buy

Christopher loved to shop at thrift¹ stores. Almost a month ago, he bought a popular word game that uses little chips of wood with different letters on them. As he was purchasing it, the clerk said, “Oh, look, the game box hasn’t even been opened yet! That might be worth some money.”

Christopher examined the box and, sure enough, it was completely² enveloped³ in factory-sealed plastic. When he looked at the box cover, he saw that beneath the name of the game and the description was a copyright⁴ date of 1973.

“You should put that up for auction⁵ on the Internet, and see what happens,” the clerk said.

“Yes, you’re right,” Christopher agreed. “I think I’ll give that a try. The rarity of something is part of what increases its value, and I can’t imagine there being very many unopened boxes of this game still around 30 years later. Maybe it’s worth millions!”

“Well, if it is, don’t forget who told you about the wrapper,” the clerk smiled.

“No problem. You’re getting a percentage of anything over $10,” Christopher said. The game itself was priced at only $1.99, and the clerk gave Christopher the usual 10 percent senior⁶ discount.

“You’ve got yourself a deal, partner,” she replied, laughing.

At home, Christopher went online to several auction sites looking for his specific⁷ product. He couldn’t find it anywhere on the auction sites. Then he typed in the name of the word game and hit Search. The response was 5,543 sites containing that name. Christopher examined the first 10 sites and found a site that listed people looking for various versions⁸ of the game. Over the years, the game had been produced using different chip sizes, colors, materials, and even fonts. In addition, different game boards were produced over the years, themselves consisting of different colors and fonts. The game board had never changed in size or material. Most of the game seekers seemed content with used games. Only a few even mentioned “fresh” unopened games. Those who wanted unopened games all promised top dollar. Christopher emailed all of them, telling them what he had.

Two weeks later, Christopher went back to the thrift shop. He said to the clerk, “How are you doing, partner?”

She looked at him for a second, then recognized him and said, “Oh, hi, partner!”

“I’ve got something for you,” he beamed⁹. “I’m sorry it didn’t turn out to be millions. Maybe if I waited another 20 years, but by then the plastic wrapper might have rotted¹⁰ off. Here’s your share.” He handed her three $100 bills.

“Wow!” she exclaimed¹¹. “Thank you! You’re such a nice partner. How much did you get for it?”

“One thousand. I hope that you’re okay with 30 percent.”

“Okay?! I’m thrilled¹²! I never expected to see a dime¹³. We’ll have to do more business together.”

“You got it, partner!” Christopher smiled.
 

1 thrift   

adj.节约，节俭；n.节俭，节约

参考例句：

• He has the virtues of thrift and hard work.他具备节俭和勤奋的美德。
• His thrift and industry speak well for his future.他的节俭和勤勉预示着他美好的未来。

2 completely   

adv.完全地，十分地，全然

参考例句：

• She never completely gave up hope.她从不完全放弃希望。
• I feel completely in the dark on this question.这件事使我感到茫然。

3 enveloped   

v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was enveloped in a huge white towel. 她裹在一条白色大毛巾里。
• Smoke from the burning house enveloped the whole street. 燃烧着的房子冒出的浓烟笼罩了整条街。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 copyright   

n.版权，著作权

参考例句：

• He retained the copyright of his book.他保留此书的著作权。
• This company has a proprietorship of the copyright.这家公司拥有版权所有权。

5 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

6 senior   

adj.年长的；资格较老的，地位较高的；n.年长者，前辈；大学高年级学生

参考例句：

• My brother is senior to me by two years.我哥哥比我年长两岁。
• They are senior students.他们是高年级学生。

7 specific   

adj.明确的；具体的；特定的

参考例句：

• The money is to be used for specific purposes.这笔钱有专门用途。
• We haven't fixed a specific date for our meeting.我们会议的具体日期还没有定下来。

8 versions   

n.译本( version的名词复数 )；版本；（个人对事件的）描述；（原物的）变体

参考例句：

• There are two versions of the game, a long one and a short one. 这游戏有两个版本，一长一短。
• When both versions of the story were collated,major discrepancies were found. 在将这个故事的两个版本对照后，找出了主要的不符之处。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 beamed   

有梁的，定向的

参考例句：

• a high beamed ceiling 木梁高高支撑着的天花板
• The news was beamed to East Africa by satellite. 新闻通过卫星向东非广播。

10 rotted   

v.（使）腐烂， （使）腐朽( rot的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The window frame had rotted away completely. 窗框已经完全烂掉了。
• If farm-yard manure is used it must be well rotted. 如果使用农场的粪肥，必须让它完全腐烂。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 exclaimed   

vt.exclaim的过去式v.呼喊，惊叫，大声说( exclaim的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "We have a good chance of winning," he exclaimed optimistically. “我们很可能获胜。”他乐观地喊道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She exclaimed in delight when she saw the presents. 她见到礼品高兴得叫了起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 thrilled   

adj.非常兴奋的；极为激动的vt.“thrill”的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He was thrilled at the prospect of seeing them again. 他一想到將要再次见到他们便欣喜若狂。
• They were thrilled to discover a perfectly preserved specimen of Roman pottery. 他们因发现了一件保存完好的罗马时代陶器而欣喜若狂。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 dime   

n.（指美国、加拿大的钱币）一角

参考例句：

• A dime is a tenth of a dollar.一角银币是十分之一美元。
• The liberty torch is on the back of the dime.自由火炬在一角硬币的反面。