十五篇文章贯通大学英语四级CET4词汇第四篇

　　During this period, William met and fell in love with a young actress, Marion Davies. Millicent, his wife and the mother of his five sons, including a set of twins, refused to dissolve the marriage, which obliged William to live in sin with the woman whom the tour guides refer to as his friend or companion.

　　With the death of his mother in 1919, William inherited the beloved quarter-million-acre ranch. At first, he planned to build modest ranch house on his favorite campsite but as he became more involved in the project, his vision of a monument to display his collections gained momentum. Working closely with family architect, Julia Morgan, William created a glorious and extraordinary castle-like structure, blending Spanish, European, and Californian architectural styles. Huge warehouses were built in San Simeon to store the shiploads of splendid antiques, including entire carved ceilings and walls hung with enormous tapestries. They could be installed in the completed rooms. Landscaping integrated exotic plants, hedges, and trees with native flora. As William was in his 60s, he had the insight to know he couldnt wait for them to grow, but he was optimistic. He ordered tons of fertile topsoil to cover the grounds to a depth of five feet and full-grown specimens of the plants were trucked up the mountain for planting.

　　With thousands of acres of land covered with grassland, trees, natural ponds, and man-made reservoirs available for use, William stocked the estate with herds of rare oxen and deer, and flocks of sheep and lambs. These animals flourished as they were allowed to wander freely. Larger, more dangerous beasts, including tigers, ostriches, buffalo, yaks, emus, kangaroos, llamas, zebras and giraffes were enclosed in the largest private zoo in the world.

　　The complex was ready for occupancy in 1927, but additions continued until 1947. Eventually it comprised the main house and three cottages, all of which are furnished with a variety of valuable antiques. Even the lavatories were specially equipped. Williams favorite room was said to be the library with its collections of more than 5,000 books, ancient Greek vases, and an antique Spanish ceiling suspended by cables so it will sway in the event of an earthquake .

　　In the 20s, 30s, and 40s, William loved part-time at the estate with his mistress, Marion Davies. They entertained to an excessive extent. To be invited to the castle was a privilege. Movie stars, politicians, businessmen, and even royalty were frequent guests. Many of these guests, including a British lord, Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith, Amelia Ear hart, and Charles Lindbergh, flew to the ranch, landing on the private airstrip.

　　Life on the hill was never dull. The visitors stayed in the main house or the cottages, depending on their prominence or their intimacy with the family and were free to roam the grounds, go riding on their choice of horses on the property. Company was expected, however, to meet in the main drawing room at 7:30 p.m. sharp, principally to amuse their host. Dinner was a formal affair beginning at 9:00 p.m. this meal was held in the immense dining room, the walls of which are lined with priceless panels from ancient European cathedrals . Following dinner, movies were shown in the private theater, starting at 11:00.

　　There were, however, three rules guests had to follow: do not get drunk; do not swear or tell off-color jokes; sleep in separate bedrooms if an unmarried couple. Food was not allowed in the rooms. If you wanted to eat, you could visit the kitchen if you could find it.

　　Although William was closely involved in all aspects of the construction and decoration of the mansion, he continued his business and social interest. No stranger to scandal, in November 1924, he found himself in the topic of headlines. The most enduring rumor was that, during a party on his yacht, he had found Marion kissing Charlie Chaplin. In a fit of jealousy he took a shot at Chaplin, missed, and accidentally his Thomas Ince, killing him. However, even though the morning papers carried the story, the evening paper and successive editions printed that Ince had died of acute indigestion.

　　In 1945, William initiated the Hearst Foundation and created the California Charities Foundation in 1948 . The Great Depression took its toll on even the wealthiest and William Randolph Hearst was no exception. His fantastically decadent lifestyle couldnt last forever, and gradually his finances began to suffer, beginning the next chapter in the saga of excesses. He came close to being bankrupt but Marion rescued him from debt, unselfishly selling her jewels and some other property to raise over a million dollars.

　　In 1947, due to his poor health, he was forced to move permanently to Beverly Hills. Marion looked after him during this time, seldom leaving his side. When he died in 1951 at the age of 88, she was shunned by his family and forbidden to attend his funeral.

　　The castle, its furnishings, the artworks in the gallery, and 127 acres of land were given to the state of California in 1957. Since that time, the California Department of Parks and Recreation has kept the castle open to tourists.

　　Today a visit to the estate begins near the site of the old airstrip. Guests are transported to the top of the hill via bus. One can still see the signs giving wandering animals the right-of-way on the lanes. Deer, cattle, and sheep often halt the buses progress up or down the mountain as they meander to the salt licks.

　　Depending on the tour one chooses, guides escort the public through a variety of rooms, gardens, cottages, and pools. The luxury of a bygone era is evident at every turn. From the moment you arrive at the stairway to the Neptune Pool until you bid farewell to your guides at the magnificent, golden and blue Roman Pool, you are reminded that a man had a dream. He had power and influence. Furthermore, he was prosperous enough to achieve his objectives and implement his dream.

　　在这个时期，威廉遇见了年轻的女演员马里恩戴维斯并爱上了她。他的妻子，他5个儿子其中有一对双胞胎的母亲米莉森特，拒绝解除婚姻，迫使威廉与那个女人过着姘居的生活，导游提到她时就说是他的朋友或同伴。

　　1919年，他母亲去世，威廉继承了那个他深爱着的25万英亩的牧场。起初，他计划在他最喜欢的宿营地建一所普通的低矮平房，但当他更多地介入这个工程时，建一个纪念馆来展示他的收藏品的想法占了上风。威廉与家庭建筑师朱莉亚摩根进一步密切协作，创造了一种气派显赫的像城堡一样的结构，整合了西班牙、欧洲和加利福尼亚的建筑风格。在圣西蒙创造了巨大的仓库存放成船的贵重古董，全部雕花的天花板以及用巨大挂毯装饰的墙壁。它们可以安置到已完工的房间里来。把外来的植物、灌木和树木结合进当地的植物种群，进一步美化景观。威廉已经60多岁了，他清楚地知道他可能等不到它们长大，但他是乐观的。他定购了成吨肥沃的表层土，覆盖地面达5英尺深，把这些植物长好的样品用卡车运到山上种植。

　　在可以利用的数千英亩的土地上，有草地、树林、天然水池和人工水库，威廉在庄园里放养了珍稀的牛群和鹿群，还有一群群的绵羊和小羊羔。因为允许它们自由漫游，这些动物健壮而活跃。那些大家伙，比较危险的野兽，包括老虎、鸵鸟、水牛、牦牛、鸸鹋、袋鼠、骆驼、斑马和长颈鹿，则被关在这个世界上最大的私人动物园里。

　　那座综合性建筑在1927年就已经可以使用，但扩建工程一直持续到1947年。最后，它包含了一幢主楼和三栋别墅，每一座的家具配备都使用各种贵重的古董。连厕所的设施都很特别。威廉最喜欢的房间据说是图书室，里面有收藏的5，000多本书籍，古希腊的花瓶，以及一个用缆索悬吊起来的古代西班牙吊顶，一旦发生地震，吊顶就会摇摆。

　　20年代到40年代，威廉时常与他的情人马里恩戴维斯居住于此。他们待客极尽奢华。被邀请到城堡是一种殊荣。电影明星、政治家、商人，还有皇室成员都是他们的常客。这些客人当中的很多人，包括一名英国的勋爵、查尔斯金福特史密斯先生、阿梅莉亚埃尔哈特、查尔斯林德伯格，曾直接飞到这个庄园，降落在这里的私人飞机跑道上。

　　山上的生活从来都不乏味。来访者按他们的显赫程度或与这个家庭的亲密关系，或住在主楼里，或住在别墅中，在园子里自由散步，去马厩里挑匹马来骑，到水池里去游泳，或者在这块领地上的私人球场上玩高尔夫球。不过，大家还是急切期盼着晚上7点30分在主画室里同主人相见，显然主要是想让他们的主人高兴。宴会是一项正式的活动，在晚上9点开始。这顿饭在巨大的餐厅进行，餐厅墙壁是用来自古代欧洲天主教堂的珍贵的镶板拼成的。饭后，在私人影院上映电影，11点开始。

　　不过，有三条规矩客人必须遵守：不能醉酒;不能赌咒或开伤风败俗的玩笑;还没结婚的一对恋人要睡在不同的卧室。食物不能带进房间。如果你想吃东西，可以到厨房去只要你找得到。

　　尽管威廉积极参与了这所豪宅的建设和装饰的各个方向，他仍然在继续他的商业和社交活动。对流言蜚语习以为常的他，1924年11月，发现自己上了头条资讯。那是一个流行已久的谣言：在游艇上的一次聚会上，他发现马里恩在亲吻查里卓别林，他妒火中烧，于是向卓别林开了一枪，偏了，却意外地击中了托马斯因斯，杀死了他。不过，尽管早上的报纸登载了这个故事，但晚上的报纸和更多的版面就登出因斯死于急性消化不良。

　　1945年，威廉建立赫斯特基金会。1948年创立加利福尼亚慈善基金会。大萧条对即使是最富有的人都会带来损失，威廉伦道夫也不例外。他那种荒诞放纵的生活方式不能再继续下去了，他的财政开始逐渐吃紧。这种放荡生活的下一篇章开始了。就在他行将破产的时候，马里恩在把他从债务中挽救出来。她无私地卖掉了她的珠宝和一些其他的地产，筹集了100多万美元。

　　1947年，由于健康状况恶化，他被迫永久地住在贝弗莉山上。马里恩在此期间一直照顾他，几乎没有离开过他的身边。当他于1951年88岁去世时，她却被他的家庭有意避开，并被禁止参加葬礼。

　　这座城堡，连同里面的家具设施，走廊里的艺术品，以及127英亩的土地在1957年给了加利福尼亚政府。从那时起，加利福尼亚公园和娱乐部一直把这座城堡向游人开放。

　　今天游览到这个庄园，起点就在旧飞机跑道所在位置附近。客人们乘巴士到山顶。路上，仍然可以看见让放养的动物们优先通行的标示牌。鹿、牛和羊悠闲地在盐渍地舔食时，常常迫使正在行驶的上下山巴士停下来。

　　根据你选好的路线，导游会陪你经过各种房间、花园、别墅和水池。处处显现出昔日的奢华。从到达通向尼普顿水池楼梯的那一刻起，到在金碧辉煌的罗马水池边对导游说再见，你会一直想起一个有梦想的人。他有才能和影响力。而且他曾经飞黄腾达，能够达到他的目的并实现他的梦想。