Chapter 31 Hercule Poirot Asks Questions
It was a clear November day. Dr Thompson and Chief
Inspector1 Japp had come round to acquaint Poirot with the result of the police court
proceedings2 in the case of Rex v. Alexander Bonaparte Cust.
Poirot himself had had a slight bronchial chill which had prevented his attending. Fortunately he had not insisted on having my company.
‘Committed for trial,’ said Japp. ‘So that’s that.’
‘Isn’t it unusual?’ I asked, ‘for a defence to be offered at this stage? I thought prisoners always reserved their defence.’
‘It’s the usual course,’ said Japp. ‘I suppose young Lucas thought he might rush it through. He’s a trier, I will say.
Insanity3’s the only defence possible.’
Poirot
shrugged4 his shoulders.
‘With insanity there can be no acquittal.
Imprisonment5 during His Majesty’s pleasure is hardly preferableto death.’
‘I suppose Lucas thought there was a chance,’ said Japp. ‘With a first-class
alibi6 for the Bexhill murder, the whole case might be weakened. I don’t think he realized how strong our case is. Anyway, Lucas goes in for
originality7. He’s a young man, and he wants to hit the public eye.’
Poirot turned to Thompson.
‘What’s your opinion, doctor?’
‘Of Cust? Upon my soul, I don’t know what to say. He’s playing the
sane8 man
remarkably9 well. He’s an epileptic, of course.’
‘What an amazing dénouement that was,’ I said.
‘His falling into the Andover police station in a fit? Yes—it was a fitting dramatic curtain to the drama. A B C has always timed his effects well.’
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收听单词发音
1
inspector
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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。
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2
proceedings
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n.进程,过程,议程;诉讼(程序);公报 |
参考例句: |
- He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
- to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼
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3
insanity
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n.疯狂,精神错乱;极端的愚蠢,荒唐 |
参考例句: |
- In his defense he alleged temporary insanity.他伪称一时精神错乱,为自己辩解。
- He remained in his cell,and this visit only increased the belief in his insanity.他依旧还是住在他的地牢里,这次视察只是更加使人相信他是个疯子了。
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4
shrugged
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vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式) |
参考例句: |
- Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀,什么也没说。
- She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩,装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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5
imprisonment
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n.关押,监禁,坐牢 |
参考例句: |
- His sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment.他的判决由死刑减为无期徒刑。
- He was sentenced to one year's imprisonment for committing bigamy.他因为犯重婚罪被判入狱一年。
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6
alibi
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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。
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7
originality
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n.创造力,独创性;新颖 |
参考例句: |
- The name of the game in pop music is originality.流行音乐的本质是独创性。
- He displayed an originality amounting almost to genius.他显示出近乎天才的创造性。
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8
sane
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adj.心智健全的,神志清醒的,明智的,稳健的 |
参考例句: |
- He was sane at the time of the murder.在凶杀案发生时他的神志是清醒的。
- He is a very sane person.他是一个很有头脑的人。
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9
remarkably
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ad.不同寻常地,相当地 |
参考例句: |
- I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
- He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。
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10
unaware
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a.不知道的,未意识到的 |
参考例句: |
- They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
- I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。
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11
theatrical
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adj.剧场的,演戏的;做戏似的,做作的 |
参考例句: |
- The final scene was dismayingly lacking in theatrical effect.最后一场缺乏戏剧效果,叫人失望。
- She always makes some theatrical gesture.她老在做些夸张的手势。
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perfectly
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adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 |
参考例句: |
- The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
- Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
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13
fervent
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adj.热的,热烈的,热情的 |
参考例句: |
- It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。
- Austria was among the most fervent supporters of adolf hitler.奥地利是阿道夫希特勒最狂热的支持者之一。
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forth
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adv.向前;向外,往外 |
参考例句: |
- The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
- He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
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persistently
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ad.坚持地;固执地 |
参考例句: |
- He persistently asserted his right to a share in the heritage. 他始终声称他有分享那笔遗产的权利。
- She persistently asserted her opinions. 她果断地说出了自己的意见。
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apparently
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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。
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whim
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n.一时的兴致,突然的念头;奇想,幻想 |
参考例句: |
- I bought the encyclopedia on a whim.我凭一时的兴致买了这本百科全书。
- He had a sudden whim to go sailing today.今天他突然想要去航海。
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bombastic
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adj.夸夸其谈的,言过其实的 |
参考例句: |
- The candidate spoke in a bombastic way of all that he would do if elected.候选人大肆吹嘘,一旦他当选将要如何如何。
- The orator spoke in a bombastic manner.这位演说家的讲话言过其实。
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Christian
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adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒 |
参考例句: |
- They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
- His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。
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adversary
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adj.敌手,对手 |
参考例句: |
- He saw her as his main adversary within the company.他将她视为公司中主要的对手。
- They will do anything to undermine their adversary's reputation.他们会不择手段地去损害对手的名誉。
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obstinate
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adj.顽固的,倔强的,不易屈服的,较难治愈的 |
参考例句: |
- She's too obstinate to let anyone help her.她太倔强了,不会让任何人帮她的。
- The trader was obstinate in the negotiation.这个商人在谈判中拗强固执。
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accomplices
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从犯,帮凶,同谋( accomplice的名词复数 ) |
参考例句: |
- He was given away by one of his accomplices. 他被一个同伙出卖了。
- The chief criminals shall be punished without fail, those who are accomplices under duress shall go unpunished and those who perform deeds of merIt'shall be rewarded. 首恶必办, 胁从不问,立功受奖。
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strictly
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adv.严厉地,严格地;严密地 |
参考例句: |
- His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
- The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。
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acquitting
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宣判…无罪( acquit的现在分词 ); 使(自己)作出某种表现 |
参考例句: |
- Meanwhile Ms Sotomayor is acquitting herself well enough. 另一方面,Sotomayor女士正在完成自己的任务。
- It has the following characteristics: high speed of data acquitting and data processing. 固件程序具有较高的采集响应速度和数据处理速度。
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cellular
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adj.移动的;细胞的,由细胞组成的 |
参考例句: |
- She has a cellular telephone in her car.她的汽车里有一部无线通讯电话机。
- Many people use cellular materials as sensitive elements in hygrometers.很多人用蜂窝状的材料作为测量温度的传感元件。
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lodged
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v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 );暂住;埋入;(权利、权威等)归属 |
参考例句: |
- The certificate will have to be lodged at the registry. 证书必须存放在登记处。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Our neighbours lodged a complaint against us with the police. 我们的邻居向警方控告我们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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kindly
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adj.和蔼的,温和的,爽快的;adv.温和地,亲切地 |
参考例句: |
- Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
- A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。
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lust
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n.性(淫)欲;渴(欲)望;vi.对…有强烈的欲望 |
参考例句: |
- He was filled with lust for power.他内心充满了对权力的渴望。
- Sensing the explorer's lust for gold, the chief wisely presented gold ornaments as gifts.酋长觉察出探险者们垂涎黄金的欲念,就聪明地把金饰品作为礼物赠送给他们。
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esteem
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n.尊敬,尊重;vt.尊重,敬重;把…看作 |
参考例句: |
- I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
- The veteran worker ranks high in public love and esteem.那位老工人深受大伙的爱戴。
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shimmering
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v.闪闪发光,发微光( shimmer的现在分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- The sea was shimmering in the sunlight. 阳光下海水波光闪烁。
- The colours are delicate and shimmering. 这些颜色柔和且闪烁微光。 来自辞典例句
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supremely
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adv.无上地,崇高地 |
参考例句: |
- They managed it all supremely well. 这件事他们干得极其出色。
- I consider a supremely beautiful gesture. 我觉得这是非常优雅的姿态。
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adversaries
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n.对手,敌手( adversary的名词复数 ) |
参考例句: |
- That would cause potential adversaries to recoil from a challenge. 这会迫使潜在的敌人在挑战面前退缩。 来自辞典例句
- Every adversaries are more comfortable with a predictable, coherent America. 就连敌人也会因有可以预料的,始终一致的美国而感到舒服得多。 来自辞典例句
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