09年4月1日4月5日托福词汇复习托福考试(TOEFL)
文章作者 100test 发表时间 2009:07:08 04:17:53
来源 100Test.Com百考试题网
The New Laundry
Bruno Pirelli proudly took a lease on premises for his new laundry last week. It had required a big leap of faith to get this project completed. A rival had leaked Bruno’s plans to the press. This had led to noisy demonstrations by opponents on the lawn in front of his residence. It had required a great deal of maneuvering to get those demonstrators leashed in and to lay those protests to rest. Then came the lawsuit to try to stop him. Bruno was forced to spend a great deal of time in court, defending the proposed layout of the laundry. Next there was the compromise that had to be reached with the leading opponent of his plans. Then it turned out that the hot water pipes were leaking. Bruno had to negotiate hard with the landlord—a leading Hollywood actor---to get those leaky pipes replaced. Only when that matter had been settled, had Bruno finally decided to lease those premises. The premises were magnificent. The walls consisted of alternative layers of granite and lava from Mount Etna (to remind him of his native Sicily). This layering produced a striking effect and had been commented on favorably in the press. Now it was time for the inaugural party, a lavish affair. Just to make sure nothing would go wrong, several of Bruno’s assistants stood at a discreet distance, each with a pit bull terrier on leash. Bruno was proud to have become a leading member of San Francisco’s Italian community, having recently been elected to a position of a leadership in the Italian Chamber of Commerce. This clearly put him in the big league. Still, Bruno was fully aware that he would not be able to rest on his laurels.