A happy discovery 幸運的發現

Antique shops exert a peculiar fascination on a great many people. The more expensive kind of antique shop where rare objects are beautifully displayed in glass cases to keep them free from dust is usually a forbidding place. But no one has to muster up courage to enter a less pretentious antique shop. There is always hope that in its labyrinth of musty, dark, disordered rooms a real rarity will be found amongst the piles of assorted junk that litter the floors.
No one discovers a rarity by chance. A truly dedicated bargain hunter must have patience, and above all, the ability to recognize the worth of something when he sees it. To do this, he must be at least as knowledgeable as the dealer. Like a scientist bent on making a discovery, he must cherish the hope that one day he will be amply rewarded.
My old friend, Frank Halliday, is just such a person. He has often described to me how he picked up a masterpiece for a mere 50. One Saturday morning, Frank visited an antique shop in my neighbourhood. As he had never been there before, he found a great deal to interest him. The morning passed rapidly and Frank was about to leave when he noticed a large packing case lying on the floor. The dealer told him that it had just come in, but that he could not be bothered to open it. Frank begged him to do so and the dealer reluctantly prised it open. The contents were disappointing. Apart from an interesting looking carved dagger, the box was full of crockery, much of it broken. Frank gently lifted the crockery out of the box and suddenly noticed a miniature Painting at the bottom of the packing case. As its composition and line reminded him of an Italian painting he knew well, he decided to buy it. Glancing at it briefly, the dealer told him that it was worth ￡50. Frank could hardly conceal his excitement, for he knew that he had made a real discovery. The tiny painting proved to be an unknown masterpiece by Correggio and was worth thousands of pounds.

1.Antique shops exert a peculiar fascination on a great many people.

古玩店對許多人來說有一種特殊的魅力。

語言點:句子結構分析:這句話的主體結構非常簡單，exert…on…的本意是“對…施加…”，在本句中引申為“對某人具有吸引力”。

2.The more expensive kind of antique shop where rare objects are beautifully displayed in glass cases to keep them free from dust is usually a forbidding place.

高檔一點的古玩店為了防塵，把文物漂亮地陳列在玻璃柜子里，那里往往令人望而卻步。

語言點1:句子結構分析:where引導定語從句，修飾antique shop,即“…的古董店”。To keep them free from dust是動詞不定式短語，作目的狀語，即“放在玻璃柜子里的目的是防塵”。

語言點2:keep sth.free from…的意思是“使某物避免…”

3.But no one has to muster up courage to enter a less pretentious antique shop.

而對不太裝腔作勢的古玩店，無論是誰都不用壯著膽子才敢往里進。

語言點1:句子結構分析:to enter a less pretentious antique shop作目的狀語，意思是“為了進不太裝腔作勢的古玩店”。

語言點2:muster up courage to do sth.的意思是“鼓起勇氣做某事”。