VOA标准英语2011--Does a Fortune Await You?

Each year in the United States, hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of unclaimed property - especially stock certificates, jewelry¹ left in safe-deposit boxes, and seemingly forgotten money in checking accounts - are turned over to state governments by banks and companies that cannot locate the owners. The states, in turn, try to find these people.
The mid-South state of Arkansas even makes a game of it. It calls it "The Great Arkansas Treasure Hunt."
Each October, every newspaper in the state publishes a special section. There are no stories in it. No photographs. No advertisements. Nothing but page after boring page of names and people's last known addresses. State auditor² Charlie Daniels and his staff hope that people identified in that list will contact them and claim their cash and personal property.
Arkansas State Auditor's Office
The folks in Arkansas are serious about getting you your money -- if you're entitled to it.
Last year, that unclaimed treasure trove³ of everything from cash to diamonds and guns was valued at $22 million.
Charlie Daniels' office puts the cash in the bank and the valuables in two big safes in the capital of Little Rock. It even holds onto some items that have only sentimental⁴ value, like World War Two medals, that are starting to turn up regularly, now that so many veterans of that war are dying. The state has even been known to hold onto false teeth and urns⁵ of cremated⁶ human remains⁷.
sander_123, Flickr Creative Commons
What does the State of Arkansas consider to be valuable. Quite possibly, these!
The right of the owner - or that person's lawful⁸ heir - to claim this property or money never expires. Each year in Arkansas alone, about 15,000 families who join in the treasure hunt discover that they have inherited valuables they never knew existed. No lottery⁹ ticket anywhere can match the Great Arkansas Treasure Hunt's decent odds¹⁰ of paying off - sometimes quite handsomely.

1 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

2 auditor   

n.审计员，旁听着

参考例句：

• The auditor was required to produce his working papers.那个审计员被要求提供其工作底稿。
• The auditor examines the accounts of all county officers and departments.审计员查对所有县官员及各部门的帐目。

3 trove   

n.被发现的东西，收藏的东西

参考例句：

• He assembled a rich trove of Chinese porcelain.他收集了一批中国瓷器。
• The gallery is a treasure trove of medieval art.这个画廊是中世纪艺术的宝库。

4 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。

5 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

6 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

7 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。

8 lawful   

adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的

参考例句：

• It is not lawful to park in front of a hydrant.在消火栓前停车是不合法的。
• We don't recognised him to be the lawful heir.我们不承认他为合法继承人。

9 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。

10 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？