| [00:00.00]She relished the novelty and thrill [00:03.71]of having been summoned [00:05.02]to this prestigious man's home. [00:06.88]The sheer beauty of the place [00:09.29]far surpassed her expectations. [00:11.37]However, she was becoming suspicious [00:14.54]about the reason for this visit. [00:16.73]Now that she had received [00:18.59]an orientation to his home, [00:20.23]and notwithstanding her first impressions [00:22.31]of the man, she was anxious [00:24.17]to learn why she was here. [00:26.24]What could a mere reporter [00:27.78]do for this rich, influential man? [00:30.62]He began to speak soberly, [00:33.03]contradicting his earlier spontaneity. [00:35.99]“I will tell you a story [00:37.74]you may have difficulty believing,” [00:39.71]he said, softly. “I was [00:42.33]not born into this lifestyle. [00:43.97]It is ironic that there is [00:45.72]such a discrepancy between [00:47.14]what I was and what I am. [00:48.67]My father left the United States [00:51.63]when I was about two years old. [00:54.04]He ran a junk store [00:55.57]in the slums of Winnipeg [00:57.21]when I was a kid. [00:58.74]He was a vulgar man [01:00.05]but he knew how to [01:01.59]fool people into thinking [01:02.90]they were buying something [01:04.11]rare or valuable. It was [01:05.52]under his tutelag that [01:07.17]I learned to be a fraud.” [01:09.35]I decided at an early age [01:11.65]that if there was [01:13.95]a shortcut to success, [01:15.26]I could bypass the complications [01:17.01]of getting there by [01:18.32]the conventional methods. I was [01:20.19]like a hurricane, rushing forward [01:22.70]without consideration for the rules. [01:24.78]If it's any consolation, [01:26.85]I didn't intentionally harm anyone [01:29.60]in the process. I was able [01:32.11]to stay within the parameters [01:33.42]of the law, but just barely. [01:36.16]I bought and sold used furniture [01:38.56]before going into the antique business. [01:40.64]When I bought, I always [01:42.39]paid a fraction of the potential [01:44.36]worth of the goods. [01:45.89]When I sold, I always [01:47.53]made a profit. I was able [01:50.27]to upgrade my stock with [01:51.69]almost every transaction. In time, [01:54.43]I had a warehouse full [01:56.07]of merchandise.I didn't [01:58.04]flatter myself by thinking [02:00.23]I hadn't muddied the waters a bit. [02:02.41]I knew I had probably [02:03.51]stepped on a few toes, but [02:05.04]I was on a roll. I had [02:06.68]the momentum and rejoiced [02:08.43]in my success. As long as [02:10.62]the money kept coming in, [02:12.04]anything was permissible. [02:14.23]One day, I received a visit [02:16.96]from a rather important patron [02:18.71]of the arts. He had an [02:21.12]interesting proposition for me. [02:23.20]He held the patent and trademark [02:25.71]for the prototype of [02:27.57]an innovative way to determine [02:29.22]the age of a painting [02:31.20]using ultraviolet light. He would [02:33.28]sell them to me for [02:34.70]the nominal fee of a nickel [02:36.01]if I would reciprocate by [02:37.99]doing him a favor. I was [02:41.04]to include one of his [02:42.25]personal paintings in my next shipment [02:44.22]of antiques going to New York. [02:46.19]At first, I thought he was [02:48.59]mocking me, but he gave [02:50.57]me his oath that he just [02:52.20]wanted to ensure the painting [02:53.85]would arrive at its destination safely, [02:56.04]and, because it would be [02:58.33]a part of an antique shipment, [03:00.19]it would be exempt from import duty. [03:03.26]It was a provocative offer, [03:05.01]and even though I remained skeptical, [03:07.30]I agreed.A few days later, [03:10.91]a crated painting arrived and [03:13.26]was added to my goods [03:14.46]ready for delivery to New York. [03:16.87]I had always subscribed to [03:18.73]the theory that if something appeared [03:20.48]to be too good to be true, [03:22.12]it probably was. However, [03:24.52]my greed prevailed and [03:27.59]the painting was on its way. [03:29.56]I was unaware at the time [03:31.86]that my fortunes were about [03:33.72]to go into a downward spiral. [03:35.57]My benefactor, it turned out, [03:38.42]was a man with a grudge [03:40.06]against me. Irrespective of the fact [03:43.78]that I felt a deal [03:44.98]we had made years before [03:46.30]had been fair, he felt [03:47.83]I had cheated him. [03:49.36]I was about to be [03:50.89]the recipient of his wrath. [03:52.64]When my agent in New York [03:54.94]went to customs to retrieve [03:56.36]the shipment, he was greeted [03:58.11]by a squad of police waiting [03:59.76]to detain him on [04:00.74]charges of smuggling cocaine. [04:02.71]It appeared there was a bit [04:04.79]of a discrepancy between [04:06.32]what I was told was in [04:07.41]the crate and the actual contents. [04:09.71]The drugs were in [04:11.24]a hidden compartment in the crate. [04:12.99]I admit it was naive [04:15.29]of me to believe [04:16.60]I had no enemies, [04:17.92]but I didn't know anyone [04:19.23]would go to this degree [04:20.54]to prove how much he despised me. [04:21.96]Hitherto, I had gone through [04:24.92]life thinking that when two people [04:27.10]agreed to a deal, if one of [04:28.64]them got the better of the other, [04:30.06]it was fair, because they did agree. [04:32.79]Now I was learning that if [04:35.21]you take advantage of some people, [04:37.06]even with their permission, [04:38.81]you aggravate them to seek revenge. [04:41.43]I can't refute my recklessness. [04:43.41]Almost seven years have [04:46.69]elapsed since that time. [04:48.77]My agent took responsibility [04:50.19]for the crime and went [04:51.61]to jail for five years. [04:53.03]I felt guilty as hell, [04:54.79]but I continued to pay him [04:56.86]by sending the money to his family. [04:58.40]I even withheld extra [05:00.69]in a bonus account to give [05:02.23]to him when he was released. [05:03.86]I also gave up my business [05:05.83]and began to help others [05:07.15]start their businesses. In time, [05:09.45]the guilt I felt subsided. [05:12.07]I put my energies into stepping [05:13.93]into the breach to help [05:15.13]those less fortunate than I. [05:16.99]To my amazement, my luck started [05:19.29]to fluctuate upward and I flourished. [05:21.81]All you see here today, [05:23.56]I have accumulated since that time. [05:25.63]Now, it seems, my enemy [05:28.48]has decided to reclaim [05:30.67]his power over me. [05:32.10]He has reported the crime [05:33.73]and the erroneous imprisonment of my [05:35.15]agent and named me as [05:36.80]the person responsible for the offence. [05:39.42]I had never changed my citizenship, [05:41.50]so the F.B.I. wants me [05:43.79]deported so they can [05:45.22]prosecute me in New York. [05:46.53]I hope I can induce you, [05:49.15]through your column, to tell my story. [05:51.24]Next week I have to appear before [05:54.08]a magistrate for the preliminary hearing. [05:57.14]If I'm not mistaken, public pressure [05:59.33]might enable me to [06:00.75]avoid deportation at least. [06:02.94]I am more likely to get [06:04.58]a fair trial here than there. [06:06.12]My record as a good citizen [06:08.31]may offset the perception that [06:09.94]I may be a criminal. [06:11.47]What do you think? Will you help? [06:13.23]Kate had listened to this synopsis [06:15.42]in silence but her outrage [06:17.27]was building. While his story [06:19.35]seemed plausible, this plea [06:21.21]for her assistance didn't quite fit. [06:23.51]With his financial resources, [06:25.70]he could hire the best [06:27.12]legal team in the country. [06:28.76]She realized she had to [06:30.51]detach herself from her first impressions [06:32.37]and extract fact from fiction. [06:35.43]Why didn't she believe him? [06:37.40]Suddenly, it came to her. [06:39.38]Exposition of this version [06:41.78]of Victor's tale would not only [06:43.86]gain him public sympathy, it would [06:46.38]invalidate any testimony against him. [06:48.68]Nothing could constrain her [06:51.16]when she realized she had literally [06:52.58]been taken in by his story. [06:55.31]“If you were innocent, [06:56.63]why weren't you the defendant? [06:57.94]If you were innocent [06:59.03]all those years ago, [07:00.02]why did your agent [07:01.22]go to prison for you? [07:02.53]Why did it take so long for [07:03.96]your enemy to turn you in? [07:05.82]The statute of limitations [07:07.46]for that offence has expired. [07:09.43]I believe this has been [07:11.18]a pathetic attempt to get me [07:12.60]to mediate your case in the press. [07:13.91]I think you have always been [07:15.55]an integral player in [07:17.08]the criminal world and your past [07:18.83]has caught up with you. [07:20.26]My cardinal sin was allowing myself [07:22.23]to be reeled in by your tales [07:24.74]of what a model citizen you are.” [07:26.28]Kate could feel herself [07:28.68]getting dizzy and light-headed, [07:30.11]surprised by the audacity she had, [07:32.52]talking to anyone in that manner. [07:33.93]Before she lost complete control, [07:36.67]she would have to [07:38.31]get out of there. [07:39.52]She stood, turned, and [07:41.38]marched toward the door. [07:42.79]As she began to open [07:44.33]the front door, she looked back. [07:45.97]Victor stood beside his chair, [07:47.61]pale and shaken. “You admitted [07:50.56]you were a fraud in your youth. [07:52.65]You are still a fraud! [07:53.74]I will write your story... [07:54.72]my version! My guess is that [07:57.46]the eventual verdict will be‘guilty’!” |
| 课程名称 | 老师 | 课时 | 试听 | 报名 | 学费 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 大学英语四级精讲班 | 严邵阳 | 56 | 试听 | 报名 | ￥200 |
| 四级425速成--听力 | 欧 文 | 8 | 试听 | 报名 | ￥80 |
| 四级425速成--阅读 | 欧 文 | 14 | 试听 | 报名 | ￥90 |
| 四级425速成--综合 | 欧 文 | 13 | 试听 | 报名 | ￥80 |
| 四级425速成--写作 | 欧 文 | 16 | 试听 | 报名 | ￥90 |
| 四级经典历年真题 | 欧 文 | 10 | 试听 | 报名 | ￥80 |
| 大学英语六级听力 | 齐方炜 | 7 | 试听 | 报名 | ￥100 |
| 大学英语六级阅读 | 齐方炜 | 7 | 试听 | 报名 | ￥100 |
| 大学英语六级写作 | 欧 文 | 14 | 试听 | 报名 | ￥100 |
| 大学英语六级新题型 | 欧 文 | 15 | 试听 | 报名 | ￥100 |
| 大学英语六级词汇 | 欧 文 | 15 | 试听 | 报名 | ￥100 |
| 大学英语六级模拟题 | 欧 文 | 5(赠) | 无 | 报名 | ￥50 |
| 热门资料下载： |
| 英语四六级考试论坛热贴: |
【责任编辑：苏婧 纠错】 |
|
|
