Lesson 87 A perfect alibi 极好的不在犯罪现场的证据
First listen and then answer the question.
听录音,然后回答以下问题。
What was wrong with the man's story
'At the time the murder was committed, I was travelling on the 8 o'clock train to London,' said the man.
'Do you always catch such an early train ' asked the inspector.
'Of course I do,' answered the man. 'I must be at work at 10 o'clock. My employer will confirm that I was there on time.'
'Would a later train get you to work on time ' asked the inspector.
'I suppose it would, but I never catch a later train.'
'At what time did you arrive at the station '
'At ten to eight. I bought a paper and waited for the train.'
'And you didn't notice anything unusual '
'Of course not.'
'I suggest,' said the inspector, 'that you are not telling the truth. I suggest that you did not catch the 8 o'clock train, but that you caught the 8.25 which would still get you to work on time. You see, on the morning of the murder, the 8 o'clock train did not run at all. It broke down at Ferngreen station and was taken off the line.'
参考译文
“在凶杀发生的时候,我正坐在8点钟开往伦敦的火车上。”那人说。
“您总是赶这样早的火车?”探长问。
“当然是的,”那人回答。“我必须在10点钟上班,我的雇主会证明我是按时到了那儿的。”
“晚一点儿的车也能送您按时上班吗?”
“我认为可以,但我从来不乘晚一点儿的车。”
“您几点钟到的火车站?”
“7点50分。我买了张报纸,等着车来。”
“您没有注意到有什么异常情况发生吗?”
“当然没有。”
“我提醒您,”探长说,“您讲的不是实话。您乘的不是8点钟的火车,而是8点25分的,这次车同样能使您按时上班。您看,在凶杀发生的那天早晨,8点钟的那次车根本没有发。它在芬格林车站出了故障而被取消了。”
自学导读
课文详注 Further notes on the text
1.A perfect alibi,(标题)极好的不在犯罪现场的证据。
alibi为法律用语,含义是“不在场证明”、“当时不在场的申辩”,是可数名词:
Ian had an alibi/alibis for that morning.
伊恩有那天上午不在场的证据/证明。
与它搭配的动词通常有offer,prove,set up等。
2.…I was there on time.……
我是按时到了那儿的。
on time为固定短语,表示“准时”、“按时”(注意它与in time的区别):
Can you arrive on time
你能准时到吗?
Tom is never on time. He always keeps other people waiting.
汤姆从来不准时。他总是让别人等。
3.And you didn't notice anything unusual 您没有注意到有什么异常情况发生吗?
这是一个陈述疑问句,即它具备与陈述句同样的基本语法结构,但用升调提问。这种句子在英语中不常用:
不定代词如anything,something等被形容词修饰时,形容词必须跟在不定代词之后:
This is something special.
这很特别。
This isn't anything important.
这并不重要。
I'd like something cheaper.
我想买点较为便宜的东西。
4.I suggest…that you are not telling the truth. 我提醒您……您讲的不是实话。
I suggest(that)…在这里用于提出质疑,译为“依我看……”、“恐怕……”:
I suggest that he is not so honest as he looks.
依我看他并不像他看上去那么诚实。
I suggest that the car crash was not accidental.
恐怕这起汽车撞车事故不是偶然的。
5.You see, on the morning of the murder, the 8 o'clock train did not run at all. 您看,在凶杀发生的那天早晨,8点钟的那次车根本没有发。
(1)you see在口语中经常作为插入语出现,句首、句中或句尾均可以,表示“你知道”、“事实上”等含义:
He was not really interested in the film, you see.
事实上,他对那部电影并不是真的感兴趣。
My leg isn't all right yet, you see, so I can't climb the hill with you.
你知道/你看,我的腿还没有完全好,所以我不能和你(们)一起爬山。
(2)run可以指火车、公共汽车、船等“定时/定期行驶”、“(在两地间)往来”:
Buses run every ten minutes here.
这里的公共汽车每10分钟一班。
This ship runs between Dover and Calais.
这条船来往于多佛与加来之间。
词汇学习 Word study
1.commit vt.
(1)犯(罪),做(错事、坏事等):
A murder was committed at 8 o'clock this morning.
今天早上8点钟发生了一起凶杀案。
He has never committed any crime before.
他以前从来没有犯过罪。
(2)承诺,使承担义务,卷入(经常与反身代词连用):
You should know each other better before committing yourselves to marriage.
在缔结婚姻以前,你们应该更好地互相了解。
He has committed his friend to taking part in the race.
他使他的朋友答应参加比赛。
2.confirm vt.
(1)证实,确定:
My employer will confirm that I was there on time.
我的雇主会证明我是按时到那儿的。
His words are confirmed.
他的话得到了证实。
(2)巩固,加强:
His experiences in that company confirmed his decision to have a factory of his own.
他在那家公司的经历坚定了他想自己拥有一个工厂的决心。
What he saw and heard that night confirmed his belief that the pub was haunted.
那天晚上的所见所闻使他更加坚信那个小酒店有鬼魂出没。
词汇讲解
1 alibi
n.某人当时不在犯罪现场的申辩或证明;借口
参考例句:
Do you have any proof to substantiate your alibi 你有证据表明你当时不在犯罪现场吗?
The police are suspicious of his alibi because he already has a record.警方对他不在场的辩解表示怀疑,因为他已有前科。
2 inspector
n.检查员,监察员,视察员
参考例句:
The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。
3 employer
n.雇用方,雇主
参考例句:
My employer deducted ten pounds from my wages this week.我的雇主从我本周的工钱中扣除了十英镑。
His monthly salary is paid into the bank by his employer.他的月薪由雇主替他存入银行。
4 accidental
adj.偶然的;意外的;无意中的
参考例句:
It was an accidental meeting.这完全是一次偶然的相会。
Our meeting in New York was quite accidental.我们在纽约的会见完全是偶然的。
5 pub
n.[英]旅馆,小店,酒馆
参考例句:
He is the landlord of this pub.他是这家酒店的店主。
They saw that four large men marched into the pub.他们看到四个彪形大汉走进了酒吧。
6 haunted
adj.闹鬼的;受到折磨的;令人烦恼的v.“haunt”的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
There was a haunted look in his eyes. 他眼中透露出忧虑的神色。
The country is haunted by the spectre of civil war. 内战仿佛一触即发,举国上下一片恐慌。
7 pointed
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。