A happy discovery

happy ^{lucky; fortunate 幸运的}

• a happy coincidence ^{幸运的巧合}
• the happy few  ^{幸运的少数人NCE4-33}
• The sad truth is that most of us have been brought up to eat certain foods and we stick to them all our lives.
• He made a sad mistake. ^{遗憾的错误}

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

exert ... on ... ^{对...施加...} 

• Much as we may pride ourselves on our good taste, we are no longer free to choose the things we want, for advertising exerts a subtle influence on us.

fascination ^{n.入迷，着迷；魅力}

• Cats never fail to fascinate human beings.
• charm / attraction / appeal ^替换 §
• In spite of national differences, certain funny situations have a universal appeal.

sth. exert a peculiar fascination on sb. ^{本句的中心结构}

• The ancient ruins exert a peculiar fascination on historians. ^{古代遗迹对历史学家有一种独特的吸引力。}

造句： Korean TV dramas exert a peculiar fascination on a great many Chinese young people.^{很多中国年轻人非常喜欢韩国的电视剧。}

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.

expensive ^{adj.高档的、豪华的}

• The expensive shops in a famous arcade near Piccadilly were just opening.

kind of + 单数^{(无论可数与否)}

• a new kind of machine ^{可数名词当成不可数来使用}
• machines of a new kind ^{反之要还原成复数}
• an antique shops of a more expensive kind ^{后面的谓语动词要改为are}

(be) free from ... ^{没有…的没有免于不受}

• He may never be sure where the next meal is coming from, but he is free from the thousands of anxieties which afflict other people.
• The composition is free from errors. ^{without 没有}
• Organic produce is free from harmful chemicals.

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

pretentious ^adj.装B的

• He's so pretentious! ^{瞧他那副装B的样儿！}
• That's a pretentious name for a dog! ^{狗叫这个名字真够炫的！}
• That young man is extremely pretentious. ^{那个年轻人非常自命不凡。}
• They may come across as conceited or pretentious. ^{他们给人以自负或装腔作势的印象。}

造句：No one has to muster up courage to approach a less pretentious girl. ^{谁也不用壮着胆子去接近一个不那么装腔作势的女孩子。}

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.

there be + 无灵主语 

• There is little hope of any improvement in his condition.
• There's still a faint hope that the two sides will reach an agreement.
• It was rush hour, and there was no hope of getting a seat.
• Is there any hope of getting financial support for the project?
• Is there any hope that she will change her mind?

labyrinth of musty, dark, disordered rooms ^{of 这里引出的是比喻}

• genius of a son ^{天才般的儿子}
• a boy of a girl ^{一个男孩似的女孩（像男孩的女孩）} 
• a fool of a man ^{一个呆子样的男人 ...}
• an angel of a wife ^{天使般的老婆（家有仙妻）}
• a wife of an angel ^{像妻子一样的天使}
• a garden of Switzerland ^{花园般的瑞士}
• a palace of a house ^{宫殿般的房子}
• Jane is a submissive lamb of a girl. ^{简是个听话的乖女孩。}

amongst ^{among 书面语}

• I found the letter amongst his papers. ^{我在他的文件中找到这封信。}
• Morale amongst the players is very high at the moment. ^{此刻各选手士气高昂。}
• There are signs of growing disaffection amongst voters. ^{选民中出现日渐不满的迹象。}
• This here'll take a minute. Y'all just talk amongst yourselves. ^{马上就好，你们先聊着。}
• The children were arguing amongst themselves. ^{孩子们在互相争论。}

whilst ^{while 与…同时；然而...}

• He gained valuable experience whilst working on the project. ^{从事这项工程使他获得了宝贵的经验。}
• You will play decoy whilst I beg. ^{我去乞讨，你来当诱饵。}
• My mother died whilst I was yet a boy. ^{我母亲在我还是个孩子的时候就去世了。}
• All the ladies stood round her, whilst the kissing was going on. ^{当接吻正在进行的时候，所有的女士都围绕着她站着。}
• So he went on, for an hour, whilst the poor little King sat and suffered. ^{他就这样一直说了一个小时，而可怜的小国王则坐在那儿受罪。}

midst ^{middle 在...中间、中部，中间、在……之中（=amidst）}

• There is a traitor in our midst. ^{我们中间有个叛徒。}
• She stood preening in their midst, delighted with the attention. ^{她得意洋洋地站在他们中间，为受人瞩目而高兴。}
• Many were surprised to see him exposed like this in the midst of a large crowd. ^{很多人看到他这样暴露在一大群人当中，都感到很意外。}
• Down from the heights came one goat after another, with Peter in their midst. ^{一只接一只的山羊从山上跑下来，彼得夹在它们中间。}
• Heidi ran into their midst, for she loved to see them leaping and playing about. ^{海蒂跑到他们中间，因为她喜欢看他们跳跃和玩耍。}
• She ran into the midst of her beloved friends, who had not forgotten her either. ^{她跑到她亲爱的朋友们中间，它们也没有忘记她。}