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.'

New words and expressions 生词和短语

alibi  n. 不在犯罪现场
commit  v. 犯（罪、错）
inspector  n. 探长
employer  n. 雇主
confirm  v. 确认，证实
suggest  v. 提醒
truth  n. 真相

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。”

               Lesson 88
           Trapped in a mine
              困在矿井里
       

    First listen and then answer the question.
    听录音，然后回答以下问题。
    Why is the rescue taking so long?

    Six men have been trapped in a mine for seventeen hours. If they are not brought to the surface soon they may lose their lives. However, rescue operations are proving difficult. If explosives are used, vibrations will cause the roof of the mine to collapse. Rescue workers are therefore drilling a hole on the north side of the mine. They intend to bring the men up in a special capsule. If there had not been a hard layer of rock beneath the soil, they would have completed the job in a few hours. As it is, they have been drilling for sixteen hours and they still have a long way to go. Meanwhile, a microphone, which was lowered into the mine two hours ago, has enabled the men to keep in touch with their closest relatives. Though they are running out of food and drink, the men are cheerful and confident that they will get out soon. They have been told that rescue operations are progressing smoothly. If they knew how difficult it was to drill through the hard rock, they would lose heart.

New words and expressions 生词和短语

trap  v. 陷入，使陷于困境
surface  n. 地面，表面
explosive  n. 炸药
vibration  n. 震动
collapse  v. 坍塌
drill  v. 钻孔
capsule  n. 容器
layer  n. 层
beneath  prep. 在......之下
lower  v. 放下，降低
progress  v. 进展，进行
smoothly  adv. 顺利地

参考译文

    6个人被困在矿井里已有17个小时了。如果不把他们尽快救到地面上来，他们就有可能丧生。然而，事实证明营救工作非常困难。如果用炸药爆破，震动会引起矿顶塌落。因此，营救人员在矿井的北侧钻了一个洞。他们准备用一种特制的容器把这6个人救上来。如果不是因为土壤下面有一层坚硬的岩石，他们的营救工作仅用几个小时就可以完成了。实际情况是，他们已连续钻了16个小时了，但离钻透还早着呢。与此同时，两个小时以前放下井去的一只麦克风使井下的人可以与其亲属保持联系。虽然他们的食物和饮料都快消耗尽了，但这些人的心情很好，坚信他们很快就会出去。他们一直被告知营救工作进行得非常顺利。如果他们知道了钻透那坚硬的岩石有多么困难，他们会丧失信心的。