'Car boot sale' diamond set to fetch £350,000 at auction 旧货市场淘来的钻石拍卖价可能达35万英镑
一位女士在三十年前从旧货市场花了 10 英镑（约88.3元人民币）买到一颗钻石戒指，如今这枚钻石将有可能在拍卖场上以 35 万英镑（约 310 万人民币）的价格出手。在八十年代的一个周日，这枚钻石的主人在伦敦西部西米德尔塞克斯医院附近买下了这颗“大号”石头，那时她以为这只是一件普通的服装配饰。对这块石头的真实价值毫不知情的她这几十年来像 佩戴普通饰物 一样戴着这颗大约 在十九世纪就已被切割成形的 钻石。请听报道。
The large cushion-shaped stone caught the eye of the woman who bought it one Sunday at a car boot sale at the West Middlesex Hospital in London.
Unaware that it was a diamond, she treated the ring as everyday jewellery, wearing it to the shops and while doing the chores. Decades later, a jeweller persuaded her to get it tested. She took it to Sotheby’s, whose experts confirmed that it was a diamond.
They say it dates from the 19th Century, when diamonds were cut for size, rather than brilliance, which might explain why its true nature and value went unnoticed for so long.
词汇表 cushion-shaped 垫形的、枕形的（钻石切割术语）
caught the eye of 吸引了…的注意
car boot sale （把物品摆在汽车后备箱的）旧货市场
everyday 普通的
chores 日常琐事，家务事
jeweller 珠宝商
brilliance 光泽，明亮度
nature 本质，性质
unnoticed 未被注意到的
测验 请听报道并回答下列问题。
1. Where did the owner of the cushion-shaped stone buy it?
2. How did the woman who bought the stone treat it over the years?
3. True or false? Decades later, the owner realised it was a diamond by herself.
4. Which word in the text means ‘the amount of money something is worth’?
答案
1. Where did the owner of the stone buy it?
The owner bought the cushion-shaped stone at a car boot sale at the West Middlesex Hospital in London.
2. How did the woman who bought the stone treat it over the years?
Unaware that it was a diamond, the woman who bought the stone treated it as everyday jewellery, wearing it to the shops and while doing the chores.
3. True or false? Decades later, she realised it was a diamond by herself.
False. A jeweller persuaded the owner to get the stone tested. She took it to Sotheby’s, and the experts there confirmed it was a diamond.
4. Which word in the text means ‘the amount of money something is worth’?
Value.