
最后这几篇小文章,颇有早期新概念的风格了。篇章短小,冷幽默,就好像英语的初学者和学了很多年的人都记得最初学习新概念时候的一个故事
大概意思是说电影院里有两个人不好好看电影,窃窃私语,影响到了其他人观看,别人来阻止他的时候,他还很生气的说,我们聊什么跟你没关系(It's none of your business)
但是今天学到的这篇文章就没有这么轻松。丈夫因为金钱利益,而找到古老又神秘的杀人方法杀死妻子。读起来确实让人谴责他的冷血。但这样的故事桥段又好像不是什么新闻……结局是坏人被绳之以法……
A Sly Murder 一宗狡猾的谋杀案
When giving a lecture about the significance of punctuation, the academic professor was interrupted and arrested by the police for murdering his wife, a receptionist of a kindergarten. The police foundsome photos he deleted from their e-album showing that they used to have a gay life. But, fed up withher wrinkled face, he murdered her instead of divorcing her to avoid fortune division.
那位学院的教授在发表关于标点符号重要意义的演讲时被警察打断了,他因谋杀自己的妻子——一位幼儿园的接待员——而被逮捕。警察找到了一些被他从电子相册里删除的照片,照片表明,他们曾经有过快乐的生活,但是,因为厌烦了妻子长了皱纹的脸,为了避免离婚时的财产分割,他杀了她而不是和她离婚。
重点词汇解析:
1. significance n. 意义;重要性;
significant:adj. 重大的;
2. punctuation n. 标点;标点符号
3. academic adj. 学术的;理论的;n. 大学教师;学者
academic performance 学习成绩;学业表现;学术成就
4. interrupt vt. 中断;打断;
5. arrest vt. 逮捕;吸引 n. 逮捕;
6. receptionist n. 接待员;传达员
7. kindergarten n. 幼儿园;幼稚园
8. delete vt. 删除
9. album n. 相簿;唱片集;集邮簿;
10. gay adj. 快乐的; n. 同性恋者
11. fed up with 受够了;极厌恶;对……厌倦
12. wrinkle n. 皱纹 vi. 起皱
13. division n. 部门;分割;
He cut up a kind of seashell with a sharpened knife, and hammered it into powder on a skateboard, and made at most one gram, which was enough to accelerate one's pulse until he or she dies. This kind of poison can dateback to 10,000 BC when people rubbed it on spear's to kill beasts. The professor mixed the poison with onion, watermelon and yogurt for his wife. Howling and scratching her chest, she felt dizzy and died soon.
他用一把磨利的小刀切碎一种贝壳,然后在滑板上锤打成粉末,最多1克就足以加速人的脉搏直到其死亡。这种毒药可以追溯到公元前10,000年,当时它就被涂抹在长予上杀死野兽。教授把这种毒药混合在洋葱、西瓜和酸奶里给他的妻子,后者叫喊、抓挠胸口、头晕目眩,很快就死了。
重点词汇解析:
14. cut up 切碎;抨击;
15. seashell n. 海贝,贝壳
16. sharpen vt. 削尖;磨快;
17. hammer vi. 锤击;n. 铁锤;
18. skateboard n. 溜冰板 vi. 用滑板滑行
19. at most 至多
20. accelerate vt. 使……加快;vi. 加速;
21. pulse n. [电子] 脉冲;脉搏; vi. 跳动,脉跳
22. date back 追溯到;回溯至
23. BC abbr. 公元前(Before Christ)
24. spear n. 矛,枪 vt. 用矛刺
25. beast n. 野兽;畜生
26. onion n. 洋葱;洋葱头
27. melon n. 瓜;甜瓜;
28. yogurt n. 酸奶酪;酸奶
29. howl vi. 咆哮;怒吼;vt. 狂喊着说;
30. scratch n. 擦伤;抓痕;
31. dizzy adj. 晕眩的;使人头晕的;昏乱的;
After tentative examination, the police assumed she died of heart disease. But systematic botanica analyses showed that the watermelon spit on the messy mat and the quilt was poisonous. Regardless of exhaustion and starvation, the acute and skilful policemen used radioactive equipment to make sure the category of the poison. Primitive and not ample as their alternative equipment was, they got perfect accuracy somehow. People applauded the police and the woman's family can look ahead with relief now,
在初步检査之后,警察设想她是死于心脏病。但是系统的植物学分析却表明,吐在凌乱的席子和被子上的西瓜有毒。敏锐而又技术娴熟的警察不顾疲劳和饥饿,用放射性的设备确定了毒素的种类。尽管可供选择的设备原始,且数量不足,他们还是设法取得了完美的准确度。人们都为警察欢呼鼓掌,而那位女人的家人现在也可以带着欣慰为将来打算了。
重点词汇解析:32. tentative adj. 试验性的;踌躇的 n. 假设,试验33. assume vi. 假定;设想;34. systematic adj. 系统的;体系的;35. botanical adj. 植物学的 n. 植物性药材36. analysis n. 分析;分解;37. spit vi. 吐痰;vt. 吐,吐出;38. messy adj. 凌乱的,散乱的;39. mat n. 垫;垫子40. quilt n. 被子;棉被 vi. 缝被子41. regardless of 不顾,不管42. starvation n. 饿死;饿;43. acute adj. 严重的,[医] 急性的;敏锐的;44. skilful adj. (英)熟练的;灵巧的;45. radioactive adj. [核] 放射性的;有辐射的46. category n. 种类,分类;47. primitive adj. 原始的,远古的;简单的48. ample adj. 丰富的;足够的;49. alternative adj. 供选择的;选择性的;50. accuracy n. [数] 精确度,准确性51. somehow adv. 以某种方法;52. applaud vt. 赞同;称赞;53. look ahead 预测未来,计划未来
