赖世雄高级美国英语 lesson 17

　　Lesson 17， Precious and Semi-precious Stones 宝石和半宝石

　　"My！ What a beautiful ring you're wearing！" This compliment never fails to flatter and honor the lucky wearer of the ring or other pieces of fewelry bedcked with precious or semi-precious stones. Most people know the names of only some of these natural treasures. Many people are surprised to learn that all semi-precious stones can be bought inexpensively， not to mention that the precious stones can also be had for far less than one imagined. However， as with everything else in life， you have to pay for the best quality. This lesson will give the reader both information and tips on gem¹ stones and their purchase.

　　Just what are precious and semi-precious stones？ The word semi refers to anything which is half or only partial； this， semi-precious stones are not precious， by definition. Actually， some high-quality semi-precious stones are far more expensive than some low-grade precious stones， so the terms "precious" and "semi-precious" when applied² to stones do not refer necessarily to their cost.

　　All authorities on gems³ agree that the diamond， ruby⁴， sapphire⁵， and emerald are precious stones. Some of these experts include the opal as a fifth precious stone while others consider the pearl in this class. The latter may surprise the reader， but on reflection， pearl are also a kind of stone， though organically produced by certain shellfish rather than by geologic⁶ forces.

　　Semi-precious stones include all other stones considered worthy⁷ of use in jewelry⁸. The list of these stones is very long； suffice it to say that there are several hundred such stones， though most people are aware of only a couple of dozen of their names， and few people can readily recognize more than a couple of any type of stone at all.

　　Diamonds and the colored stones ruby， sapphire， and emerald are often considered the most expensive among all stones. This is generally true， though qualityis more important than stone type on price. One can buy a "real sapphire" for US $10， but it would be considered not much better than junk to a feweler. These professionals consider several features of stones before assessing their value. Carat size， or the weight of the stone （one carat= 200 miligrams） is one such feature. The cut of the stone is another. Some styles of cuts are considered more costly⁹ than others； besides， in the technical cutting of the gem form the rough stone， great care must be taken not to cut into or scratch the surface of the finished stone. The color is also important. Rubies¹⁰， sapphires¹¹， and emeralds， for instance， in order to fetch the highest prices， must be solid colored throughout. Finally， clarity or translucence¹²， with neither streaking¹³ nor a "cloudy" inner appearance， also determines the final price. Gems with these qualities are far and few between， commanding nearly astronomical¹⁴ prices. A good fewleler will advise you of these characteristics and how to look for and evaluate them yourself. Also remember that for a gem ring or pendant， roughly 70% of the value of the piece of jewelry is in the primary stone（s）， with the rest in labor¹⁵ and metal.

　　Specific names of semi-precious stones are too numerous to mention， but jade¹⁶ is well known to Chinese. The finest jade （apple agree in color） commands very high bids at auction¹⁷. The trouble with semi-precious stones is that they are not so hard as precious stones so they far more easily scratch， crack， or chip. If this happens， the value of the semi-precious stones plummets¹⁸. Diamonds， the hardest natural stone， and rubies and sapphires， the second hardest， are actually rather hard to deface.

　　Don't let anyone well you a "good deal on a gem" on the street. Go to several professional jewelers before committing yourself——and your money ——to a piece of jewelry with precious or semi-precious stones. Part of the value of that good piece of fewelry is the fact that it can be handed down generation after generation with increasing value. People in all cultures never seem to tire of the brilliance¹⁹ of gems.

 

1 gem   

n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel

参考例句：

• The gem is beyond my pocket.这颗宝石我可买不起。
• The little gem is worth two thousand dollars.这块小宝石价值两千美元。

2 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

3 gems   

growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长

参考例句：

• a crown studded with gems 镶有宝石的皇冠
• The apt citations and poetic gems have adorned his speeches. 贴切的引语和珠玑般的诗句为他的演说词增添文采。

4 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

5 sapphire   

n.青玉，蓝宝石；adj.天蓝色的

参考例句：

• Now let us consider crystals such as diamond or sapphire.现在让我们考虑象钻石和蓝宝石这样的晶体。
• He left a sapphire ring to her.他留给她一枚蓝宝石戒指。

6 geologic   

adj.地质的

参考例句：

• The Red Sea is a geologic continuation of the valley.红海就是一个峡谷在地质上的继续发展。
• Delineation of channels is the first step of geologic evaluation.勾划河道的轮廓是地质解译的第一步。

7 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

8 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。

9 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

10 rubies   

红宝石( ruby的名词复数 )； 红宝石色，深红色

参考例句：

• a necklace of rubies intertwined with pearls 缠着珍珠的红宝石项链
• The crown was set with precious jewels—diamonds, rubies and emeralds. 王冠上镶嵌着稀世珍宝—有钻石、红宝石、绿宝石。

11 sapphires   

n.蓝宝石，钢玉宝石( sapphire的名词复数 )；蔚蓝色

参考例句：

• Again there was that moment of splintered sapphires before the lids, dropping like scales, extinguished it. 她眼眶中又闪烁出蓝宝石的光彩，接着眼睑象鱼鳞般地垂落下来，双目又黯然失色了。 来自辞典例句
• She also sported a somewhat gawdy gold watch set with diamonds and sapphires. 她还收到一块镶着钻石和蓝宝石的金表。 来自辞典例句

12 translucence   

n.半透明

参考例句：

• Translucence gives the material the ability to transmit and diffuse light. 半透明给予材质以传送和散播光的能力。
• Our factory's new products are a series of good quality plastic household utensils with spotless translucence. 洁白透明，质量上乘的家用塑料系列是本厂的新产品。

13 streaking   

n.裸奔（指在公共场所裸体飞跑）v.快速移动( streak的现在分词 )；使布满条纹

参考例句：

• Their only thought was of the fiery harbingers of death streaking through the sky above them. 那个不断地在空中飞翔的死的恐怖把一切别的感觉都赶走了。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
• Streaking is one of the oldest tricks in the book. 裸奔是有书面记载的最古老的玩笑之一。 来自互联网

14 astronomical   

adj.天文学的，（数字）极大的

参考例句：

• He was an expert on ancient Chinese astronomical literature.他是研究中国古代天文学文献的专家。
• Houses in the village are selling for astronomical prices.乡村的房价正在飙升。

15 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

16 jade   

n.玉石；碧玉；翡翠

参考例句：

• The statue was carved out of jade.这座塑像是玉雕的。
• He presented us with a couple of jade lions.他送给我们一对玉狮子。

17 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

18 plummets   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• As a result, blood sugar plummets, sometimes even going below the baseline. 结果，血糖浓度迅速掉落，有时甚至落于基线之下。 来自互联网
• State and local governments could continue to back as tax revenue plummets. 由于税收的直线下降，州和地方政府可能继续削减支出。 来自互联网

19 brilliance   

n.光辉，辉煌，壮丽，（卓越的）才华，才智

参考例句：

• I was totally amazed by the brilliance of her paintings.她的绘画才能令我惊歎不已。
• The gorgeous costume added to the brilliance of the dance.华丽的服装使舞蹈更加光彩夺目。