2022_심화영어독해와작문

attendant upon dictator leash assemblage striking slender reluctant conceive reform neck of the woods Find a word which means: • interesting and unusual enough to attract attention: Figurative Language Q3 Match the following metaphors to the corresponding aspects: (1) a four-walled tower in business (2) as dust and ashes in his mouth ⓐ feeling empty and meaningless to him ⓑ an extremely strong and unyielding person in his business dealings Billy McMahan had a wife, and upon her visiting cards * was engraved the name “Mrs. William Darragh McMahan.” And there was a certain irritation attendant upon these cards; for, small as they were, there were houses in which they could not be inserted. Billy McMahan was a dictator in politics, a four- walled tower in business, dreaded, loved and obeyed among his own people. He was growing rich; the daily papers had a dozen men on his trail to capture his every word of wisdom; he had been honored in caricature holding the Tiger on a leash. But the heart of Billy was sometimes sore within him. There was a race of men from which he stood apart but that he viewed with the eye of Moses looking over into the promised land. He, too, had ideals, even as had Ikey Snigglefritz; and sometimes, hopeless of attaining them, his own solid success was as dust and ashes in his mouth. And Mrs. William Darragh McMahan wore a look of discontent upon her plump but pretty face, and even her silks seemed to sigh as she moved. There was a brave and prominent assemblage in the restaurant of a noted hotel where Fashion loves to display her charms. At one table sat Billy McMahan and his wife. Mostly silent they were, but the accessories they enjoyed little needed the approval of speech. Mrs. McMahan’s diamonds were outshone by few in the room. The waiter bore the costliest brands of wine to their table. In evening dress, with an expression of gloom upon his smooth and massive face, you would look in vain for a more striking figure than Billy’s. Four tables away sat alone a tall, slender man, about thirty, with thoughtful, melancholy eyes, a Van Dyke beard and peculiarly white, thin hands. He was dining on steak, dry toast and sparkling water. That man was Cortlandt Van Duyckink, a man worth eighty million, who inherited and held a sacred seat in the exclusive inner circle of society. Billy McMahan spoke to no one around him, because he knew no one. Van Duyckink kept his eyes on his plate because he knew that everyone present was hungry to catch his. He could bestow knighthood and prestige by a nod, and he was reluctant to create a too extensive nobility. And then Billy McMahan conceived and accomplished the most startling and audacious act of his life. He rose deliberately and walked over to Cortlandt Van Duyckink’s table and held out his hand. “Say, Mr. Van Duyckink,” he said, “I’ve heard you were talking about starting some reforms among the poor people down in my district. I’m McMahan, you know. Well, if that’s straight, I’ll do all I can to help you. And what I say goes in that neck of the woods, doesn’t it? Oh, I’d say it certainly does.” Note * visiting card : an early form of a business card for social introductions or leaving contact information 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 94 I Unit 4