英语听力：自然百科 国家地理：钻石：黑暗的一面—21

 Drilling almost a kilometer down into the earth’s crust, the rocks they brought to the surface have been lying undisturbed for some 3 billion years. The cores were boxed and sent back to Canada for analysis.  It took 3 months to get the results. Sure enough, 7 of 15 samples contain diamonds.  They showed that one of the newly discovered comb-lined pipes was enormous.

 

This is the biggest pipe I ever discovered

 

Once again the prospective² made a huge finding in Canada hit another mother load in Africa.

 

A commercial mine could be worth millions earning huge revenues for the Angolan government and for himself.  But he doesn’t need the money.

 

I am a diamond hunter.  It is addictive³.  I hope I don’t have to go into rehab but ahaha….

 

For others, the search for diamonds is a desperate and dangerous bid to escape poverty and tyranny.  In 2006 the discovery in Zimbabwean Marange region sparked a new diamond rush. Thousands of people in the economically ruined country left their jobs to prospect¹ of diamonds. Desperate to control this mineral wealth, Robert Mugabe’s regime declared independent mining illegal.  Zimbabwean diamonds began to flood the market in Antwerp.  Once again it wasn’t the traders or buyers who suffered. 

 

In 2008 government soldiers opened fire on diggers in Marange. More than 200 people were killed. Thousands of others were arrested and bitten.  Its Zimbabwean diamonds didn’t lose their sparkle on the world market.

 

War is opportunity the places where you can make some profits.  It’s places that like where there is conflict. 

 

Diamond trade claims the 99% of stones on the world market for what it turns to conflict free sources.  But conflict free doesn’t always mean trouble free.  Marketed as a token of love and beauty, diamonds continue to exert their allure⁴.  But this brilliant most coveted⁵ stone can also represent all that is dark and ugly.

1 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

2 prospective   

adj.预期的，未来的，前瞻性的

参考例句：

• The story should act as a warning to other prospective buyers.这篇报道应该对其他潜在的购买者起到警示作用。
• They have all these great activities for prospective freshmen.这会举办各种各样的活动来招待未来的新人。

3 addictive   

adj.(吸毒等)使成瘾的，成为习惯的

参考例句：

• The problem with video game is that they're addictive.电子游戏机的问题在于它们会使人上瘾。
• Cigarettes are highly addictive.香烟很容易使人上瘾。

4 allure   

n.诱惑力，魅力；vt.诱惑，引诱，吸引

参考例句：

• The window displays allure customers to buy goods.橱窗陈列品吸引顾客购买货物。
• The book has a certain allure for which it is hard to find a reason.这本书有一种难以解释的魅力。

5 coveted   

adj.令人垂涎的；垂涎的，梦寐以求的v.贪求，觊觎(covet的过去分词)；垂涎；贪图

参考例句：

• He had long coveted the chance to work with a famous musician. 他一直渴望有机会与著名音乐家一起工作。
• Ther other boys coveted his new bat. 其他的男孩都想得到他的新球棒。 来自《简明英汉词典》