Lesson 23 Man’s Best Friend 人类最好的朋友

　　Words:

　　beneath prep./adv. 在……之下

　　benefactor n. 行善者，捐助者

　　beneficial adj. 有益的，有利的

　　beneficiary n. （礼物、馈赠等的）受益者，（遗产的）受益人

　　benefit n. 利益，好处；vt. 得意，得到好处

　　benevolent adj. 慈善的，仁义的

　　benign adj. （人）亲切和蔼的；（病）良性的

　　bequeath n. 遗赠，遗留

　　bequest n. 遗产，遗物

　　berate v. 猛烈责骂

　　bereave v. 剥夺，夺去

　　beseech v. 恳求，祈求

　　besides adv. 除了…..还有

　　besiege vt. 围攻；拥在…周围；围住；困扰

　　bestow vt. 给予，赐赠（祝福、奖励、荣誉等）

　　betray vt. 背叛；（非故意地）暴露，显露

　　beverage n. (除水之外的)饮料

　　bias n. 偏见，偏好

　　bicameral adj. 两院制的，有两个议院的

　　bicker vi. 口角，斗嘴

　　Mr. Rich was a wealthy man and a great benefactor to the community. During his lifetime, he bestowed many gifts upon the poor and disabled. His sudden death bereaved us all of his unique wisdom and benign sense of humor. He would always be remembered for being a kind and benevolent man. Besides that, he would also be remembered for trying to keep peace among his relatives.

　　However, it wasn’t long before Mr. Rich relatives began to bicker over who should inherit his money. The fighting was not beneficial to anyone. They berated each other for being selfish and beseeched the court to grant a reading of the will. The bicameral court assigned the reading of the will to its superior branch and scheduled the reading for Monday. On Monday morning, the horde of people besieged the superior courthouse. The relatives who believed they would be beneficiaries gathered in front of the judge’s bench. They were anxious to hear what benefits of bequest they would receive. Beverages were served to keep everyone cool and comfortable.

　　Finally, the judge entered the room and sat down. The will, which had been sealed, lay beneath him. Reaching down, he picked up the will and unsealed it. The he read it along.

　　“Greeting to everyone. I know that all of you are probably arguing over how much money you should receive from me. Please don’t feel betrayed when I say, among you, there isn’t a single selfless person without a bias. For this reason, I have decided to bequeath my entire fortune to the only loyal friend that I have, Ralph. Ralph, you’re the finest friend and pet dog a man could ever have!”