英式新闻英语第 7 课：Art Auction Anticipates Anxious Buyers 艺术品拍卖

The US Art Auctionhouse Sotheby's is gearing up for one of its biggest sales of the year, an auction of impressionist and modern art to be held this week. It's expected to fetch a total of around $180 million. 美国苏富比艺术拍卖行正在准备本周举行今年最大的拍卖会之一，标的是印象派和现代艺术品。此次拍卖的总收入预计为大约1亿8千万美元。

Sotheby's may hold an auction twice a year but this time there's a real buzz about proceedings. 苏富比每年将举行两次此类拍卖会，但这次活动却被炒得沸沸扬扬。

There are 55 major works up for grabs but all the attention is on this one- Claude Monet's Jeune File Dan Le Jardin painted in 1880. 竞拍的主要有55件艺术品，但最受瞩目的还是这件克劳德·莫奈1880年创作的《花园里的年轻女人》，

It's expected to fetch some $30 million. The organizers said it's one of the last great paintings of Monet that's every likely to come onto the market. Not just painting, but sculpture is also on offer. 预计它将拍得3000万美元。拍卖组织者称这是市场上可能见到的最后几幅莫奈杰作之一。这次被拍卖的除了绘画，还有雕塑。

David Norman, Sotheby's Director of Impressionist Art: My feelings now are very positive based on the number of collectors who have come to see the art works who have been calling in advance of this exhibition which opens today. 戴维·诺曼（苏富比拍卖行的印象派艺术主任）：从到这里参观这些艺术品的收藏者人数和今天展览开幕前打来的电话看，我感觉非常好。

I don't think people are shaken by the changes in the stock market. The presidential elections are not affecting people's desire to buy the art works. 我认为大家都没有受到股市波动的影响，总统大选也没有影响到大家购买艺术品的意愿。

I think there's still great wealth I believe Americans will continue to be the dominant majority bidder and buyers at the sale so I'm feeling very optimistic but always cautiously so for the sale. 我相信大家还是有钱的，我相信在拍卖会上美国人还将是竞买的主体，我对此非常乐观。对于拍卖成交我也一直是谨慎乐观的。

But the Americans may have a run for their money. All the works going under the hammer have already been exhibited in Paris, Zurich, Los Angeles and Tokyo. 但美国人将会受到一定的竞争压力。所有将拍卖的艺术品都曾在巴黎、苏黎士、洛杉矶及东京进行过展览。

Bidders from all over the world are expected to compete for a piece of art history. 预计到时将有来自世界各地的买家竞买艺术史上的某一块瑰宝。