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听故事练听力 unit 30

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(单词翻译)

Lesson 30

                                  Who Did It?

                                        Text A

    Inspector1 Chester of Scotland Yard soon arrived on the scene of the crime. When the newspapermen saw him getting out of the car they immediately realised that matters were serious. Inspector Chester had a fine reputation. He had solved many difficult and complicated crimes during the last few years. Most of them were robberies. This one concerned the theft of jewels belonging to a famous film actress. She was reputed to be a millionairess. So it was not surprising that the missing jewels were valued at a quarter of a million pounds.

    The newspapermen were eager to question the detective. He stood on the pavement outside the house and smiled at the photographers. "Have you a statement to make?" somebody asked. The detective - tall, thick-set, middle-aged2, clean-shaven pushed his way through the crowd, climbed a few steps to the front door, turned round and said in a cool, clear voice: "I have no statement to make.

As soon as there is anything fresh to tell you, I'll let you know. " He beckoned3 to a policeman, whispered a few words in his ear and went into the house. After a "Move along, please" from the policeman, the crowd gradually dispersed4.


    Upstairs , Inspector Chester walked over to the French windows. It was probably through these that the~thieves had come.They had left no clues, no finger-prints. It had apparently5 not been difficult for them to break into the safe. Just as the detective was about to examine this once again, the telephone rang.


    "Hullo, Inspector", a soft, monotonous6 voice said. "If you want a clue, why don't you talk to the servant? The one with a small scar7 on the right cheek. "
    Was this a trick? Would it put the Inspector on the right track?


                                       Text B

    Inspector Robinson was swearing aloud when he arrived at the fine, old house at the top of the hill. The past few weeks had heen rough for him, and it looked as if there was more trouble ahead. It was raining hard , and Carruthers , his assistant, who was waiting for him at the gate, was wet to the skin. As they walked up the path together, Carruthers explained what had happened.


    The woman, Sylvia Fortagne, a daughter of Lord Arthrington, had been found dead in the sitting-room8 by one of the servants that evening. The police doctor, who had examined the body, was sure that it was a clear case of poisoning. They had not moved the body; it still lay face upwards9, where it had fallen.Underneath10 her body they had found the photograph of an unknown young man.

There had been no signs of a struggle. The woman's husband had not been seen since lunchtime. According to the cook he had left the house "in anger", as she put it, after a quarrel with his wife, and had gone for a ride on one of his favourite horses.
    Carruthers pushed open the front door, and the two men entered the hall.Inspector Robinson took off his hat and went into the sitting-room.


    -We'll have to wait, said Carruthers wiping his glasses. -It's no use waiting, said the Inspector. I don't think he'll dare to come back. It's pretty obvious he did it.
    Saying this , he put on his hat. They were about to leave the house when they saw a dark figure approaching them from out of the shadows. It was Nigel Fortagne.

    Nigel Fortagne's story
    -Yes, it's true that I knew that my wife was in love with another man, but I trusted her and believed that she would forget about him sooner or later. But when she returned from a weekend in Paris this morning, she told me that she wanted a divorce and threatened to do something terrible if I didn't agree to it. I refused, of course.

 She drank heavily at lunchtime and even opened the bottle which she had brought as a present for me. She insisted that I should join her for a drink, but I didn't, because I had taken my medicine. I'm not supposed to take it, with alcohol. I suffer from a weak heart , you see. She was in a terrible state, so I put some of my pills into my glass when she wasn't looking. Then I exchanged the glasses.

 It was not really rriuch, but, of course, I should have known how dangerous these pills can be. But at that moment I was so angry that I didn't care. I was sic'k and tired of the argument and left the house.She was so drunk she wouldn't have noticed any difference in the taste of the sherry. I came back to see how she was. And , besides, there's no point in running away, because life doesn't mean anything to me without her.

    James Highsmith's story
    Afterwards, James Highsmith, the young man in the photograph, was questioned by Inspector Robinson. When he was told what had happened he broke down.


    -Yes, I'm not ashamed to admit that we were in love. We had a wonderful time in Paris, but I was afraid of losing her. Sylvia often talked about killing11 him because he would never agree to a divorce. I begged her not to do it, but she said that one of us had to. Then I found one of his prescriptions12 in her hand-bag. I bought the medicine, put some of it into a bottle of sherry and told Sylvia to give it to him as a present.

 It was him or me. I wasn't anxious about her drinking from the bottle because I was fairly sure that it wasn't really enough to kill a normal, healthy grown-up. I must have killed her, though, and the only comfort I can find in her death is that I don't have to share her with him any longer.

    Sylvia Fortagne's story
    James Highsmith did not know that the police had found a message on a slip of paper in Sylvia Fortagne's hand-bag.
  
    Dear James,
    Please forgive me for the terrible thing I am going to do, but it's the only way out. I have considered everything carefully, and I know it's very selfish, but W. has destroyed my life and made me thoroughly13 unhappy.When you receive this letter he will have been found dead after a heart attack with a glass of sherry in his hand. I tried to phone you earlier this morning, but couldn't reach you. In case they examine the body they will think that he took an overdose of his medicine by mistake. His family will come over to comfort me and will probably stay for a few weeks, so, please,don't try to get in touch. It will all be worth it in the end.
       All my love,
          Yours ever,
               S.

 

                           Additional Information
                           Crime and Punishment

                       From the court notes of a local reporter

    In court at 9 0' clock.Apart from me there are a few old ladies who have come to sit in the warm and a class of 14-15 year-old with their teacher. 9:00 Court starts. First case: Henry P. , 47, divorced, charged with being  
 drunk. He refused to leave a pub at closing time and caused a bit of
 damage when the police tried to arrest him. P. said he had had an
 argument with his boss.and could not face going home to an empty flat.
 
 
9:20 Mrs F. , 72, shoplifting. Apparently Mrs F. had stolen a frozen14 chicken,  
 which she had hidden under her hat (At this the school children burst
 out laughing and even the magistrates15 have difficulty keeping a straight
 face). The chicken was so cold that she fell unconscious. otherwise she
 would probably not have been caught. Mrs F, in tears, says she had not
 eaten meat for three weeks. It torns out that, although she has the
 old-age pension, she does not know about other forms of support.
 
 
9:40 James S. , 42, a teacher, charged with beating his wife and two young
 children. Mrs S. is in hospital in bad shape; the mother-inlaw
 is taking care of the children. The neighbours sent for the police-one
 case, thank heavens, where neighbours did not "mind their own business".
 Mrs S. had already run away twice, but S. had promised to change and she
 had gone home again. S. said that he was ashamed of what he had done,
 but that he often lost his temper with his wife, who was quarrelsome and
 had no sense of duty. The school children looked thoughtful;they
 probably thought that teachers do not do that sort of thing.
 
 
10:30 Peter D. , 19. D. stole , or rather"borrowed"a motorcycle , intending,
 he said, to give it back to the owner after trying it out. D.'s father
 is at sea and the mother is left to bring up four children , of whom
 Peter is the eldest16, by herself:
 
 
11: 00 Mrs A. , 45 , a doctor's wife , president of a local ladies' club , was  
 caught leaving a fashion shop wearing two dresses , only one of which
 belonged to her. Admitting that'she had wanted to steal the dress, she
 could not explain why.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 inspector q6kxH     
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。
2 middle-aged UopzSS     
adj.中年的
参考例句:
  • I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
  • The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。
3 beckoned b70f83e57673dfe30be1c577dd8520bc     
v.(用头或手的动作)示意,召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He beckoned to the waiter to bring the bill. 他招手示意服务生把账单送过来。
  • The seated figure in the corner beckoned me over. 那个坐在角落里的人向我招手让我过去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 dispersed b24c637ca8e58669bce3496236c839fa     
adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的
参考例句:
  • The clouds dispersed themselves. 云散了。
  • After school the children dispersed to their homes. 放学后,孩子们四散回家了。
5 apparently tMmyQ     
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎
参考例句:
  • An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽,豁然开朗。
  • He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。
6 monotonous FwQyJ     
adj.单调的,一成不变的,使人厌倦的
参考例句:
  • She thought life in the small town was monotonous.她觉得小镇上的生活单调而乏味。
  • His articles are fixed in form and monotonous in content.他的文章千篇一律,一个调调儿。
7 scar 5Dhzw     
n.伤疤,伤痕,创伤
参考例句:
  • This scar is from the bite of a dog.这是狗咬后留下的伤疤。
  • The tragedy left a scar on her mind.这个悲剧给她造成精神上的创伤。
8 sitting-room sitting-room     
n.(BrE)客厅,起居室
参考例句:
  • The sitting-room is clean.起居室很清洁。
  • Each villa has a separate sitting-room.每栋别墅都有一间独立的起居室。
9 upwards lj5wR     
adv.向上,在更高处...以上
参考例句:
  • The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
  • The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。
10 underneath VKRz2     
adj.在...下面,在...底下;adv.在下面
参考例句:
  • Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
  • She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣,里面套着一条连衣裙。
11 killing kpBziQ     
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财
参考例句:
  • Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
  • Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。
12 prescriptions f0b231c0bb45f8e500f32e91ec1ae602     
药( prescription的名词复数 ); 处方; 开处方; 计划
参考例句:
  • The hospital of traditional Chinese medicine installed a computer to fill prescriptions. 中医医院装上了电子计算机来抓药。
  • Her main job was filling the doctor's prescriptions. 她的主要工作就是给大夫开的药方配药。
13 thoroughly sgmz0J     
adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地
参考例句:
  • The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
  • The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。
14 frozen 2sVz6q     
adj.冻结的,冰冻的
参考例句:
  • He was frozen to death on a snowing night.在一个风雪的晚上,他被冻死了。
  • The weather is cold and the ground is frozen.天寒地冻。
15 magistrates bbe4eeb7cda0f8fbf52949bebe84eb3e     
地方法官,治安官( magistrate的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • to come up before the magistrates 在地方法院出庭
  • He was summoned to appear before the magistrates. 他被传唤在地方法院出庭。
16 eldest bqkx6     
adj.最年长的,最年老的
参考例句:
  • The King's eldest son is the heir to the throne.国王的长子是王位的继承人。
  • The castle and the land are entailed on the eldest son.城堡和土地限定由长子继承。

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