星火英语15篇文章背完大学英语六级词汇：Unit5-Part1

The Fraud



Flushed with excitement, Kate stepped



into the spatial 1 vestibule and



was immediately dazzled by the scene



before her. The inlaid marble floor



paved the way to a circular staircase



rising three levels above her.



In a fountain in the center



of the entryway stood a bronze



dolphin balancing on its tail,



its snout pointed 2 to



the lofty domed 3, stained glass skylight



forty feet above. A massive chandelier,



luminous 4 in the bright sunlight,



cast rainbow fairies dancing



through the pink, green, and



gold floral patterns of the floor



and around the snowy white walls.



Before she could fully 5 appreciate



the beauty of the intricate



plaster work decorating the edges



of the shallow niches 6 installed



in the walls to frame



the numerous paintings, or,



indeed, to appreciate the canvases



themselves, her host, Victor Stone,



approached. Small by North American standards,



he was perfectly 7 proportioned.



Slightly balding at the forehead,



his silver hair curved onto



the collar of his pale



blue shirt at the



nape of his neck.



Laughing blue eyes startled her



with their clarity. A straight,



aristocratic nose rose to meet



his slightly arched brows.



His carefully manicured hands bore



a single gold pinkie ring.



He held out his



hand to take hers.



“Thank you so much for coming,



Kate. I am glad you



could make it,” he said cheerfully.



She had never met this



charming little man before



and knew him by reputation only.



Among his contemporaries, he was



known as a shrewd entrepreneur,



able to diagnose at a glance,



the prospects 8 of those



seeking his backing. She was



anxious to learn why he had



invited her to come to



meet him at his home.



“Thanks for asking me.



Nice place you have here.”



She felt stupid saying something



so absurd, but she was,



at that moment, stumped 9.



Her ego 10 wouldn't let her



admit she'd never in her whole life,



been so impressed by a foyer.



She hoped that he would realize



she'd had little experience



with the elite 11, take pity



on her, and show her around.



“Would you like to see more



of the house?” he asked, politely.



“Would I? You bet!” She was



happy he gave no indication



that he thought she was



not in his bracket.



She left her briefcase 12



on the settee near the door



and followed him through



the foyer to a stairway



to a stairway leading



to a lower level of the house.



They began the tour



in the wine cellar. A heavy,



double thick door opened



to reveal row upon row



of gleaming glass bottles



of vintage wines, all lying



on their sides, cradled by



the solid oak racks. The steady



hum of machinery 13 broke the silence



of the insulated room.



Victor explained that it was



necessary to control the ventilation,



temperature and humidity of the cellar



to achieve optimum conditions



for conserving 14 the flavors



of the expensive wines.



The small but luxurious 15 audio-visual theater



was adjacent to the wine cellar.



Leather upholstered reclining chairs



were casually 16 arrayed about the room,



all with an unimpaired view



of the retractable 17 screen.



The stereo, silent at that moment,



was stateoftheart, with speakers



tactically installed for maximizing



sound effects. Black walnut 18 wood paneling



and a baffled ceiling averted 19



the possibility of overly loud



entertainment disturbing others in the mansion 20.



Sliding glass doors led from



the lowest level of the



living area to the enclosed



kidneyshaped swimming pool.



Turquoise 21 and white ceramic 22 tiles outlined



with gold covered the deck area.



Pillars of quartz 23 topped with



milk glass spheres provided illumination



should anyone choose to swim



after dark. A changing booth



was discretely 24 hidden behind



a screen of ornamental 25 floor plants



and cascading 26 vines. Here, too,



a baffled ceiling prevented



the hollow resonance 27 of the pool



room from disturbing others.



At the moment, the games room



was arranged for gambling 28.



An authentic 29 roulette wheel,



a craps table for dice 30,



and various card tables were



set up for a benefit evening



that was being held the following night.



Checkers, chess and other board



games augmented 31 the games of chance.



Comfortable furniture and soft lighting 32



lent a romantic atmosphere to



the terrace garden. Kate had noticed



earlier that Victor had



a slight limp. As they



progressed on their tour, she realized



he was quite lame 33



on the right side



and needed to rest.



They sat to chat



for a few minutes.



“How much do you know



about me, Kate?” he asked.



“Only what I've read.



And what I have discerned



in the past half hour.



I think you are a man



who has made your home



into a diversion from



the real world. Your taste



is implicit 34, subtle. Everything



I have seen has been chosen



with a keen eye, not to overwhelm,



but to invite. I think



you choose things for



their intrinsic value, things that



are esthetically pleasing to you.



I don't think there could be



an imitation or a fake item



in this whole place.



You love your home and



enjoy sharing it with others.



Am I right?”



“You are perceptive 35! Come.



Lets go to the sitting room



and have a cocktail 36.” He led



the way back into the library



with its mahogany shelves filled



with leather bound matched



sets of first editions



and volumes of encyclopedia 37.



On a sturdy table under



a reading lamp an illuminated 38 manuscript



with gold metallic 39 page edging



was lying open to



display its vibrant 40 art.



Kate felt compelled to mention



this beautiful piece. He said



an obscure monk 41 during the Renaissance 42



had copied and illustrated 43



the Book of Revelations.



It had been quite shabby



when it first came into



his possession but he had



it restored and planned to



donate it to a museum.



The door to a powder room



stood ajar. Inside Kate noticed,



again, the careful attention to



detail manifest in the rest



of the house. The doorknob



was hand painted porcelain 44.



The ivorycolored fixtures 45 were



shell-shaped and gold-trimmed.



A large bowl of sweetly scented 46



flowers was centered on the vanity.



Next to the flowers sat



a piece of hand-carved fossilized ebony.



Kate was stunned 47 by the size



of the spacious 48 sitting room.



Several groupings of furniture



lent themselves to seating



as few as two guests



or as many as ten. Here, too,



ornamental plasterwork decorated the walls



and ceilings. The raspberry colored



velvet 49 upholstery covering the couches



and chairs complemented 50 the pale



green oriental carpets and lightly



textured 51 draperies. The gold-colored lamps



with their creamy white shades,



the paintings in their



ornate alcoves 52, and the open



fireplace with family pictures



on the mantel, gave Kate



an overwhelming feeling



of comfort and peace.