08年6.16第26期托福英语学习：托福词汇26

　　 Lesson 26 Tom’s Search 汤姆的探索　　

　　 Words:

　　 boiling point 沸点

　　 boisterous adj. 喧闹的，欢闹的

　　 bold adj. 大胆的；放肆无礼的

　　 bolster n. 垫子，枕垫；vt. 支持

　　 bombastic adj. 夸大的，言过其实的

　　 bonanza n. 富矿带；兴旺发达；带来好运之事

　　 bond n. 联结，联系；粘连；化学键；公债

　　 bondage n. 奴役，束缚

　　 bonus n. 红利，奖金

　　 boom n. 繁荣；vi. 急速发展

　　 boon n. 恩惠，恩赐；神益，非常有用的东西

　　 boost vt. 增加，提高，促进

　　 bore vt. 钻孔

　　 boredom n. 烦恼，无聊

　　 boring adj. 令人厌烦的

　　 boulder n. 巨石

　　 bounce vi. 跳起，弹回

　　 bound adj. 被束缚的；负有义务的；深切的爱；注定的，必然的；n.范围，限定

　　 boundary n. 分界线，边界

　　 boundless adj. 无限的，无边无际的

　　 Tom was a product of the baby boom generation. He had a bold personality. His passion for adventure seemed boundless.

　　 He worked as a supervisor at a mining company, boring holes in boulders to extract mineral samples. To measure the mineral content, the samples were heated to a temperature that was nearly 100 times the boiling point of the water. A certain percentage of gold content would indicate the presence of a new gold mine. Although the long hours sometimes made Tom feel like he was in bondage, Tom was bound to his job. Mining was not at all boring to him. The prospect of finding a bonanza was exciting and he felt a special bond with his workers. They bolstered his confidence that he would someday find gold.

　　 In the early years, the mining company’s stock had boomed in value. However, it had recently decreased in worth. The company desperately needed to find a new source of gold to boost its profits and to bounce back from its losses. Tom knew this. So he spent most of his time collecting mineral samples from the western boundary line of the new frontier. It was a dangerous area, but he knew that finding gold there would save the company and could earn him a bonus. It would also be a boon to his future with the company.

　　 Tom was right. He found a huge gold source that year. The company promoted him to general manager, doubled his salary and held a grand celebration. Tom’s increase in importance did not lead him to make bombastic speeches at the party. Tom was not like that and it certainly would have created boredom at the gathering. Instead, he praise his men and yelled, “Let’s get boisterous tonight!