André Vernet—president of the Paris branch of the Depository Bank of Zurich—lived in a lavishflat above the bank. Despite his plush accommodations, he had always dreamed of owning ariverside apartment on L'lle Saint-Louis, where he could rub shoulders with the true cognoscenti,rather than here, where he simply met the filthy¹ rich.

　　When I retire, Vernet told himself, I will fill my cellar with rare Bordeaux, adorn² my salon³ with aFragonard and perhaps a Boucher, and spend my days hunting for antique furniture and rarebooks in the Quartier Latin.

　　Tonight, Vernet had been awake only six and a half minutes. Even so, as he hurried through thebank's underground corridor, he looked as if his personal tailor and hairdresser had polished him toa fine sheen. Impeccably dressed in a silk suit, Vernet sprayed some breath spray in his mouth andtightened his tie as he walked. No stranger to being awoken to attend to his international clientsarriving from different time zones, Vernet modeled his sleep habits after the Maasai warriors—theAfrican tribe famous for their ability to rise from the deepest sleep to a state of total battlereadiness in a matter of seconds.

　　Battle ready, Vernet thought, fearing the comparison might be uncharacteristically apt tonight. Thearrival of a gold key client always required an extra flurry of attention, but the arrival of a gold keyclient who was wanted by the Judicial⁴ Police would be an extremely delicate matter. The bank hadenough battles with law enforcement over the privacy rights of their clients without proof thatsome of them were criminals.

　　Five minutes, Vernet told himself. I need these people out of my bank before the police arrive.

　　If he moved quickly, this impending⁵ disaster could be deftly⁶ sidestepped. Vernet could tell thepolice that the fugitives⁷ in question had indeed walked into his bank as reported, but because theywere not clients and had no account number, they were turned away. He wished the damnedwatchman had not called Interpol.

点击收听单词发音  

1 filthy
adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的
参考例句：
The whole river has been fouled up with filthy waste from factories.整条河都被工厂的污秽废物污染了。 You really should throw out that filthy old sofa and get a new one.你真的应该扔掉那张肮脏的旧沙发，然后再去买张新的。

2 adorn
vt.使美化，装饰
参考例句：
She loved to adorn herself with finery.她喜欢穿戴华丽的服饰。 His watercolour designs adorn a wide range of books.他的水彩设计使许多图书大为生色。

3 salon
n.[法]沙龙；客厅；营业性的高级服务室
参考例句：
Do you go to the hairdresser or beauty salon more than twice a week?你每周去美容院或美容沙龙多过两次吗？ You can hear a lot of dirt at a salon.你在沙龙上会听到很多流言蜚语。

4 judicial
adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的
参考例句：
He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。 Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

5 impending
a.imminent, about to come or happen
参考例句：
Against a background of impending famine, heavy fighting took place. 即将发生饥荒之时，严重的战乱爆发了。 The king convoke parliament to cope with the impending danger. 国王召开国会以应付迫近眉睫的危险。

6 deftly
adv.灵巧地，熟练地，敏捷地
参考例句：
He deftly folded the typed sheets and replaced them in the envelope. 他灵巧地将打有字的纸折好重新放回信封。 来自《简明英汉词典》 At last he had a clew to her interest, and followed it deftly. 这一下终于让他发现了她的兴趣所在，于是他熟练地继续谈这个话题。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

7 fugitives
n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Three fugitives from the prison are still at large. 三名逃犯仍然未被抓获。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Members of the provisional government were prisoners or fugitives. 临时政府的成员或被捕或逃亡。 来自演讲部分

8 numb
adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木
参考例句：
His fingers were numb with cold.他的手冻得发麻。 Numb with cold,we urged the weary horses forward.我们冻得发僵，催着疲惫的马继续往前走。

9 discretion
n.谨慎；随意处理
参考例句：
You must show discretion in choosing your friend.你择友时必须慎重。 Please use your best discretion to handle the matter.请慎重处理此事。

10 apparently
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。

11 doorway
n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径
参考例句：
They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。 Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。

12 swirled
v.旋转，打旋( swirl的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
The waves swirled and eddied around the rocks. 波浪翻滚着在岩石周围打旋。 The water swirled down the drain. 水打着旋流进了下水道。

13 lodged
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》

14 fumbled
（笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下
参考例句：
She fumbled in her pocket for a handkerchief. 她在她口袋里胡乱摸找手帕。 He fumbled about in his pockets for the ticket. 他（瞎）摸着衣兜找票。

15 anonymous
adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的
参考例句：
Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。 The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

16 astounded
v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词)；愕然；愕；惊讶
参考例句：
His arrogance astounded her. 他的傲慢使她震惊。 How can you say that? I'm absolutely astounded. 你怎么能说出那种话？我感到大为震惊。

17 slumped
大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]
参考例句：
Sales have slumped this year. 今年销售量锐减。 The driver was slumped exhausted over the wheel. 司机伏在方向盘上，疲惫得睡着了。

18 digits
n.数字( digit的名词复数 )；手指，足趾
参考例句：
The number 1000 contains four digits. 1000是四位数。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The number 410 contains three digits. 数字 410 中包括三个数目字。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

19 odds
n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别
参考例句：
The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。 Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

20 whatsoever
adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么
参考例句：
There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。 All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

21 flipped
轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥
参考例句：
The plane flipped and crashed. 飞机猛地翻转，撞毁了。 The carter flipped at the horse with his whip. 赶大车的人扬鞭朝着马轻轻地抽打。

22 corporate
adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的
参考例句：
This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。 His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

23 premises
n.建筑物，房屋
参考例句：
According to the rules,no alcohol can be consumed on the premises.按照规定，场内不准饮酒。 All repairs are done on the premises and not put out.全部修缮都在家里进行，不用送到外面去做。

24 countless
adj.无数的，多得不计其数的
参考例句：
In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。 I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

25 glimmer
v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光
参考例句：
I looked at her and felt a glimmer of hope.我注视她，感到了一线希望。 A glimmer of amusement showed in her eyes.她的眼中露出一丝笑意。

26 draconian
adj.严苛的；苛刻的；严酷的；龙一样的
参考例句：
You can't expect the people to obey such draconian regulations.你不能指望人民服从如此严苛的规定。 The city needs a draconian way of dealing with robbers.这个城市需要一个严苛的办法来对付强盗。

27 lame
adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的
参考例句：
The lame man needs a stick when he walks.那跛脚男子走路时需借助拐棍。 I don't believe his story.It'sounds a bit lame.我不信他讲的那一套。他的话听起来有些靠不住。