365个英语简短小故事-221. City Welcomes New Store

The city of Armada opened its arms to a new business on Huntington Drive at First Street. The store, called Turtle Dove¹, is a pet shop specializing in two kinds of animals. The owners are two brothers, Bill and Bob Pidgin. They moved here from the northern California town of Santa Rosa, where they owned an ant farm store called Antimal House. That store was such a success that after five years they sold it for a big profit.

They took it easy for a couple of years, traveling throughout the states. “We visited almost every zoo in the country, partly because we love animals and partly because we were looking for inspiration² for our next business,” said Bill. They finally decided³ on turtles and doves⁴. “They’re easy to feed and care for, and both animals live a long time,” said Bob.

The store will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. “We think those are hours that our customers will find very convenient. Plus, the three days off gives us a chance to go into the woods and find more critters. We never buy our animals; we always try to collect them from the wild. That way we can pass on huge savings⁵ to our customers. And, of course, by removing these animals from their natural habitat, we protect them from being devoured⁶ by their natural enemies. So our customers are happy, our animals are happy, and we’re happy. It’s a win-win for all of us.”

 

1 dove   

n.鸽，温和派人物，“鸽派”人物

参考例句：

• A dove is often used as a symbol of peace.鸽常作为和平的象征。
• Paul seemed more impressed by the dove.保尔似乎对鸽子更感兴趣。

2 inspiration   

n.灵感，鼓励者，吸气

参考例句：

• These events provided the inspiration for his first novel.这些事件给了他创作第一部小说的灵感。
• What an inspiration she was to all around her!她对于她周围所有的人是一种多么大的鼓舞！

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 doves   

n.菜包肉末饭（用卷心菜叶包肉末米饭，炖熟食用）；鸽( dove的名词复数 )；和平的象征

参考例句：

• The doves winged skyward. 鸽子向空中飞去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The doves were cooing in the trees. 鸽子在林中咕咕啼鸣。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

6 devoured   

吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光

参考例句：

• She devoured everything she could lay her hands on: books, magazines and newspapers. 无论是书、杂志，还是报纸，只要能弄得到，她都看得津津有味。
• The lions devoured a zebra in a short time. 狮子一会儿就吃掉了一匹斑马。