Lesson 26 Tom’s Search 汤姆的探索 Words:
boiling point 沸点
boisterous adj. 喧闹的，欢闹的
bold adj. 大胆的；放肆无礼的
bolster n. 垫子，枕垫；vt. 支持
bombastic adj. 夸大的，言过其实的
bonanza n. 富矿带；兴旺发达；带来好运之事
bond n. 联结，联系；粘连；化学键；公债
bondage n. 奴役，束缚
bonus n. 红利，奖金
boom n. 繁荣；vi. 急速发展
boon n. 恩惠，恩赐；神益，非常有用的东西
boost vt. 增加，提高，促进
bore vt. 钻孔
boredom n. 烦恼，无聊
boring adj. 令人厌烦的
boulder n. 巨石
bounce vi. 跳起，弹回
bound adj. 被束缚的；负有义务的；深切的爱；注定的，必然的；n.范围，限定
boundary n. 分界线，边界
boundless adj. 无限的，无边无际的
Tom was a product of the baby boom generation. He had a bold personality. His passion for adventure seemed boundless.
He worked as a supervisor at a mining company, boring holes in boulders to extract mineral samples. To measure the mineral content, the samples were heated to a temperature that was nearly 100 times the boiling point of the water. A certain percentage of gold content would indicate the presence of a new gold mine. Although the long hours sometimes made Tom feel like he was in bondage, Tom was bound to his job. Mining was not at all boring to him. The prospect of finding a bonanza was exciting and he felt a special bond with his workers. They bolstered his confidence that he would someday find gold.
In the early years, the mining company’s stock had b
oomed in value. However, it had recently decreased in worth. The company desperately needed to find a new source of gold to
boost its profits and to
bounce back from its losses. Tom knew this. So he spent most of his time collecting mineral samples from the western
boundary line of the new frontier. It was a dangerous area, but he knew that finding gold there would save the company and could earn him a
bonus. It would also be a
boon to his future with the company.
Tom was right. He found a huge gold source that year. The company promoted him to general manager, doubled his salary and held a grand celebration. Tom’s increase in importance did not lead him to make
bombastic speeches at the party. Tom was not like that and it certainly would have created
boredom at the gathering. Instead, he praise his men and yelled, “Let’s get
boisterous tonight!
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汤姆是婴儿潮时代的产物。他的性格大胆，对冒险似乎拥有永无止境的热情。
他是一家矿业公司的主管，他的工作是在巨石上钻洞以获取矿物标本。为检验矿物成分，标本又被加热到水的沸点的近100倍。如果其中含有一定比例的金将意味着存在新的金矿。尽管有时长时间的工作让汤姆感觉身处桎梏，但他还是深爱自己的工作。采矿对他而言一点也不无聊。找到富矿带的希望令人兴奋，他感到有一种特殊的纽带链接着他和他的工人。他们使他鼓起信心，坚信总有一天会找到金矿。
早年，这家矿业公司的股票一度暴涨，但最近股价已经下跌。公司急于找到新的金矿，以提高利润，扭亏为盈。这些汤姆都知道。所以他大部分时间都在新矿带的西边界采集矿物标本。这是个危险地带，但他知道在这里找到金矿不仅能挽救公司，还能为自己挣得奖金。这还将有利于他今后在公司的发展。
汤姆是对的，那一年他找到了富含大量金矿的矿源。公司将他晋升为总经理，给他加了双倍的薪水，还举行了隆重的庆典。汤姆的荣升并未导致他在聚会上夸夸其谈。汤姆不是那种人，如果真是那样，聚会岂不乏味之极。相反，汤姆将手下的工人称赞了一番，然后喊道：“今晚让我们尽情欢闹吧！