10篇文章帮你搞定4级词汇(4)The Man And This Castle (II)

　　This influential media giant was not without his fault. His prejudices were common knowledge. His career was blemished by his offensive remarks about Spaniards, Japanese, Filipinos, and Russians. He printed lies, forget documents, falsified stories of violence, wrote provocative editorial and published sensational cartoons and photographs to support his opinions.

　　William hated minorities. He took advantage of very opportunity to heighten racial tensions. His real motive for his hatred of Mexicans may have been the loss of 800 000 acres of prime timberland to the Mexican outlaw. Pancho Villa. His papers described them ad marijuana-smoking. Job-stealing, lazy, wicked, and violent degenerates. Some suggest be saw the Mexicans as a threat to his Empire.

　　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 the tour guides refer to as his friend or companion.

　　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 ad they were allowed to wander freely. Large, 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 lived 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 Earhart, 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 from the stable, swim in the pools, or play golf on the private course 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 rules guests had to follow: do not get drunk; do not swear or tell off-color jokes; sleep in separate bedrooms. 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 interests. No stranger to scandal, in November 1924, he found himself in the topic of headlines. The most enduing rumor was that, during a party on yacht, he had found Marion kissing Charlie Chaplin. In a fit of jealously he took a shot at Chaplin, missed, and accidentally hit Tomas 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 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 1927 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 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.