08年6.18第28期托福英语学习：托福词汇28

　　 Lesson 28 Starting Small 从小事做起

　　 Words:

　　 brim n. 边；边缘；n. 满溢

　　 brisk adj. 活泼的，轻快的；兴隆的，繁忙活跃的

　　 brittle adj. 易碎的

　　 broaden vt. 放宽，变阔，扩大

　　 brochure n. 小册子

　　 bronze n. 青铜，铜像；古铜

　　 Bronze Age 青铜器时代

　　 brook n. 小河

　　 brown n./adj. 褐色的，棕色的；vt. （使）成褐色，晒黑

　　 brownish adj. 呈褐色的

　　 brusque adj. (指人及人的举止等)粗暴和唐突，无礼的

　　 brutal adj. 野蛮的，残忍的，冷酷无情的

　　 bubble n. 气泡，水泡

　　 buckle n. 带扣；v. （使）变弯曲

　　 bud n. 芽，蓓蕾；vi. 发芽

　　 buddy n. 密友，伙伴

　　 budget n. 预算

　　 building block 积木；基础材料

　　 bulb n. (花)球茎，球形物

　　 bulk n. 大批；大部分；大小，体积

　　 bulky adj. 庞大的；笨重的

　　 They say it’s best to start with something small when you’re trying to build a business. So I started with belt buckles. It’s a good building block for a clothing business. Fortunately, I had a buddy already in the business so he helped me to set up a store.

　　 The buckles I sell are made out of bronze. Bronze is a brownish colored metal that matched every color of clothing including brown garments. They’re not at all brittle. In fact, they are strong and long lasting. My buckles are made in ffice:smarttags" Spain by the best craftsmen alive since the Bronze Age. I save a lot of money by exporting them in bulky contains that are filled to the brim.

　　 The clothing business is very competitive and it can be brutal at times. I suppose it’s better than selling light bulbs. Some customers are rather brusque and don’t seem to like conversation. It doesn’t bother me. I try to run a brisk business by selling most of my products in bulk at a discount. As long as I keep to my budget, I can make a profit,

　　 My goal is to broaden my business by the end of the year by adding belts and hats to my product line. I also want to publish a brochure of my goods. If I succeed at making a good profit, maybe I can buy that house by the brook that I’ve always wanted.

　　 Every time I feel exhausted by the demands of my business, I close my eyes and dream of that house. I think of the cool water coming from the nearby brook. I imagine the sweet smell of flower buds in the garden. And I picture myself sitting in a big bathtub full of bubbles.