常春藤解析英語 16 Diamonds Aren't Everyone's Best

by Jerri C. Graham

In the middle of dinner, Victor got down on one knee. Taking Claire's hand in his, he spoke the words she had been dying to hear, "Will you marry me?" Claire beamed as Victor reached into his pocket, pulling out the velvet-covered jewelry box. Nestled inside was a two-carat diamond. As he placed the ring on her finger, the look of joy on her face turned to horror as blood began to drip from the ring. This blood wasn't her own, but the blood of the thousands of men and women who died as a result of the diamond she was now wearing.

This example is an exaggerated illustration of the blood diamond trade. Blood diamonds are not red, nor are they dripping with blood. These are precious stones that are mined in countries that are considered war zones. The gems are then secretly sold, with the proceeds funding the war efforts of terrorists or of less-than-honorable military regimes.

Africa may be the cradle of civilization, but in it sleep age-old feuds that have taken countless lives. The majority of the world's diamonds come from Africa. Countries such as Angola, Sierra Leone, and the Ivory Coast are known to produce some of the most pristine diamonds on earth. These places are also known for their bloody wars and conflicts.

In 1974, Portugal's rule of Angola came to an end. Soon after independence, fighting among different factions broke out. The civil war lasted 27 years and took over half a million lives. Many of the bombs, bullets, and grenades used to kill were purchased using funds from the sale of diamonds. These diamonds found their way onto the fingers, wrists, and necks of the wealthy around the world.

For years, the diamond trade was stained with the blood of these sorts of operations. However, the public as well as governments around the world eventually became informed about its violent nature. Sanctions against the diamond industry in these countries made a difference and now most of these conflicts have been resolved and the trade is sparkling again.

1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?

(A) To show the proper way to propose.

(B) To limit the time a person can wear a diamond.

(C) To suggest when and where to ask someone to marry you.

(D) To demonstrate how the diamonds we buy may have had a horrible past.

2. Which of the following isn't part of the blood diamond process?

(A) Diamonds are mined.

(B) Weapons are purchased.

(C) Countries reach peace agreements.

(D) Customers buy diamonds.

3. How did diamonds take lives in Angola?

(A) The terrorists used them as weapons.

(B) Different groups purchased weapons using money from the sale of diamonds.

(C) Diamonds are often used to create some of the most sophisticated weapons.

(D) Precious stones can add value to any country seeking independence.

4. What helped weaken the blood diamond trade?

(A) Searches for missing relatives lost in the conflict.

(B) Research done by participants in the diamond trade.

(C) Officials not allowing the sale of these diamonds.

(D) An increase in demand for other gemstones.

單字小鋪

1. velvet n. 絲絨

2. carat n. 克拉(鉆石的重量單位)

3. drip vi. 滴下

4. illustration n. 說明，例證

5. mine vt. 開采(礦物)

6. proceeds n. 收益(恒用復(fù)數(shù))

7. less-than-honorable　　一點也不值得尊敬的

honorable a. 可尊敬的;高尚的

8. regime n. 政體

9. feud n. 宿仇;長期爭斗

10. pristine a. 原始的;純樸的

11. faction n.(政黨、組織等的)派別

12. civil war n. 內(nèi)戰(zhàn)

13. grenade n. 手榴彈

14. sparkling a. 閃耀的

15. propose vi. 求婚

propose to sb　　向某人求婚

16. sophisticated a. 精密的

17. gemstone n. 寶石

詞組小鋪

1. get down on one knee　　單膝下跪

2. as a result of...　　由于……

3. the/a majority of...　　大多數(shù)的……

the/a minority of...　　少數(shù)的……

難句分析

1. Nestled inside was a two-carat diamond.

= A two-carat diamond was nestled inside.

(盒子里放著一枚兩克拉的鉆石戒指。)

2. ...but in it sleep age-old feuds that have taken countless lives.

= ...but age-old feuds that have taken countless lives sleep in it.

(……但其中卻蘊育了奪走無數(shù)人性命的長期斗爭。)

精解字詞詞組

1.be dying + to V/for N　　渴望(做)……

= be longing + to V/for N

= be eager + to V/for N

例：Gail has been dying to visit Spain ever since she started studying Spanish.

(蓋兒開始學(xué)西班牙文后，就一直渴望去西班牙。)

2.beam vi. 高興地微笑

例：The grandmother was beaming at her newborn grandson.

(祖母正對著剛出生的孫子微笑。)

3.nestle vt. 安置;使依靠(常用被動式)

例：The baby bird was nestled beneath her mother's wing.

(雛鳥依偎在母鳥的羽翼下。)

4.exaggerated a. 夸張的

exaggerate vt. 夸張，夸大

例：The exaggerated report claimed that 15,000 people became sick because of the sour milk.

(那份夸張的報告聲稱有一萬五千人因臭酸的牛奶而生病。)

5.be the cradle of...　　為……的搖籃∕發(fā)源地

from the cradle to the grave　　從生到死，一輩子

例：The insurance company says that they will be with their customers from the cradle to the grave.

(那家保險公司表示會終生陪伴他們的客戶。)

6.conflict n. 沖突;抵觸

in conflict with...　　與……沖突∕抵觸

例：The two countries have been in conflict with each other since the beginning of the century.

(那兩國自本世紀初以來就沖突不斷。)

7.come to an end　　結(jié)束

例：The dictator's rule came to an end on the day of his death.

(那名獨裁者的統(tǒng)治在他死亡那天終告結(jié)束。)

8.break out　　(戰(zhàn)爭、疫情等)爆發(fā)

例：After a fight broke out at the nightclub, most of the guests quickly departed.

(那家夜店爆發(fā)打斗后，大多數(shù)顧客都快速離開了。)

9.stain vt. 玷污;弄臟

例：The child spilled juice on the floor and stained his mother's new white carpet.

(那小孩將果汁打翻在地上，把媽媽全新的白地毯弄臟了。)

10.sanction n. 制裁(常用復(fù)數(shù))

impose sanctions on/against...　　對……實施制裁

例：The UN will impose sanctions against that country if they don't halt their nuclear program.

(該國若不停止核子計劃，聯(lián)合國將對其實施制裁。)

11.make a difference　　有影響;使有所差別

例：Nothing you said made a difference in his decision. Tom will always do whatever he wants to do.

(你所說的話對他的決定沒有任何影響。湯姆總是會為所欲為。)

12.resolve vt. 解決;下定決心

resolve to V　　下定決心做……

例：I've resolved to lose 10 kilos by the end of May.

(我下定決心要在五月底前瘦十公斤。)

13.demonstrate vt. 說明;展現(xiàn)

例：The computer company demonstrated its human side when it donated money to build a hospital.

(那家計算機公司捐錢興建醫(yī)院，展現(xiàn)它人性化的一面。)

中文翻譯&標準答案

晚餐進行到一半，維克特單膝跪下。他牽起克萊兒的手，說出了她期待已久的話：『妳愿意嫁給我嗎?』當維克特將手伸進口袋掏出絲絨珠寶盒時，克萊兒眉開眼笑。盒子里放著一枚兩克拉的鉆石戒指。當他幫她戴上戒指，她臉上的喜悅因為戒指流出的鮮血而變成恐懼。這不是她流出的血，而是來自上千名因她手上戴的鉆戒而喪生的男男女女。

這個例子夸張地說明了血鉆石交易。血鉆石不是紅色的，也不會流出鮮血，而是從被視為戰(zhàn)區(qū)的國家中開采出來的寶石。它們被暗中賣掉后，所得利益被用來資助恐怖分子或不正當?shù)能娛抡w從事戰(zhàn)爭活動。

非洲也許是文明的搖籃，但其中卻蘊育了奪走無數(shù)人性命的長期斗爭。世界大多數(shù)鉆石都產(chǎn)自非洲。大家都知道安哥拉、獅子山和科特迪瓦等國家出產(chǎn)部分世上最純的鉆石，這些地區(qū)也以血腥的戰(zhàn)爭與沖突聞名。

1974 年，葡萄牙對安哥拉的統(tǒng)治告終。獨立后不久，不同政黨間的沖突爆發(fā)。內(nèi)戰(zhàn)持續(xù)了二十七年，超過五十萬人因此喪生。許多用來殺戮的炸彈、子彈和手榴彈都是藉由鉆石交易所得而購得。這些鉆石就出現(xiàn)在全球有錢人的手指、手腕和脖子上。

多年來，鉆石交易因這樣的內(nèi)幕蒙上血腥污點。然而，全球大眾與世界政府最終得知這樣的暴力特質(zhì)后，針對這些國家鉆石業(yè)實施的制裁產(chǎn)生了效果，如今這些沖突都已解決，鉆石交易再次閃閃發(fā)光。

1. 本文第一段的用意為何?

(A) 展現(xiàn)求婚的恰當方式。

(B) 限制一個人可以佩戴鉆石的時間。

(C) 建議向人求婚的時機與地點。

(D) 說明我們購買的鉆石可能擁有可怕的故事。

題解：本文第二段開頭即點明上一段的例子夸張地說明了血鉆石交易，可知(D) 為正選。

2. 下列何者并非血鉆石交易的過程之一?

(A) 開采鉆石。

(B) 購買武器。

(C) 國家達成和平協(xié)議。

(D) 消費者購買鉆石。

題解：血鉆石交易指的是暗中賣掉鉆石后，將所得利益用來資助恐怖分子或不正當?shù)能娛抡w從事戰(zhàn)爭，可知(C) 并非過程之一。

3. 鉆石如何在安哥拉奪走人命?

(A) 恐怖分子用鉆石當作武器。

(B) 不同團體利用賣鉆石賺的錢購買武器。

(C) 鉆石常被用來制造某些最精密的武器。

(D) 寶石能為任何尋求獨立的國家增值。

題解：根據(jù)第四段，許多用來殺人的炸彈、子彈和手榴彈都是藉由鉆石交易的所得而購得，故知(B) 為正選。

4. 何者幫助削減血鉆石交易?

(A) 對于在沖突中走失親戚的搜尋行動。

(B) 參與鉆石交易者所做的研究。

(C) 不允許這些鉆石買賣的官員。

(D) 對其他寶石需求的增加。

題解：根據(jù)最末段，針對這些國家鉆石業(yè)實施的制裁產(chǎn)生了效果，使鉆石不再蒙上血腥的色彩，可知(C) 為正選。

標準答案：

1. (D)　2. (C)　3. (B)　4. (C)