Wednesday morning. Six hours after leaving his office just after midnight, Robbie was back in the conference room preparing for another frantic¹ day. The night had not gone well. The drinking session with Fred Pryor and Joey Gamble produced nothing, except an admission by Gamble that Mr. Koffee had indeed called and reminded him of the penalties for perjury². Robbie had listened to the entire session. Pryor, who over the years had become masterful with his recording³ devices, had used the same pen mike and passed along their conversation through a cell phone. The sound quality was remarkable⁴. Robbie had enjoyed a few drinks along with them, in his office, with Martha Handler sipping⁶ bourbon and Carlos, the paralegal, drinking beer and monitoring the speakerphone. They all had enjoyed their booze for almost two hours, Joey and Fred in a fake saloon somewhere outside of Houston, and the Flak Law Firm hard at work at the office in the old train station. After two hours, though, Joey had had enough--even beers--and said he was tired of being pressured. He could not accept the reality that a last-minute affidavit⁷ signed by him would repudiate⁸ his testimony⁹ at trial. He did not want to call himself a liar¹⁰, though he stopped short of admitting he'd lied.

"Donte should not have confessed," he said several times, as if uttering a false confession¹¹ were grounds enough for a death sentence.

But Pryor would shadow him throughout Wednesday and Thursday, if necessary. He believed there was still a slight chance, one that increased as the hours went by.

点击收听单词发音  

1 frantic
adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的
参考例句：
I've had a frantic rush to get my work done.我急急忙忙地赶完工作。 He made frantic dash for the departing train.他发疯似地冲向正开出的火车。

2 perjury
n.伪证；伪证罪
参考例句：
You'll be punished if you procure the witness to commit perjury.如果你诱使证人作伪证，你要受罚的。 She appeared in court on a perjury charge.她因被指控做了伪证而出庭受审。

3 recording
n.录音，记录
参考例句：
How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？ I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

4 remarkable
adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的
参考例句：
She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。 These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

5 sip
v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量
参考例句：
She took a sip of the cocktail.她啜饮一口鸡尾酒。 Elizabeth took a sip of the hot coffee.伊丽莎白呷了一口热咖啡。

6 sipping
v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的现在分词 )
参考例句：
She sat in the sun, idly sipping a cool drink. 她坐在阳光下懒洋洋地抿着冷饮。 She sat there, sipping at her tea. 她坐在那儿抿着茶。

7 affidavit
n.宣誓书
参考例句：
I gave an affidavit to the judge about the accident I witnessed.我向法官提交了一份关于我目击的事故的证词。 The affidavit was formally read to the court.书面证词正式向出席法庭的人宣读了。

8 repudiate
v.拒绝，拒付，拒绝履行
参考例句：
He will indignantly repudiate the suggestion.他会气愤地拒绝接受这一意见。 He repudiate all debts incurred by his son.他拒绝偿还他儿子的一切债务。

9 testimony
n.证词；见证，证明
参考例句：
The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。 He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

10 liar
n.说谎的人
参考例句：
I know you for a thief and a liar!我算认识你了，一个又偷又骗的家伙！ She was wrongly labelled a liar.她被错误地扣上说谎者的帽子。

11 confession
n.自白，供认，承认
参考例句：
Her confession was simply tantamount to a casual explanation.她的自白简直等于一篇即席说明。 The police used torture to extort a confession from him.警察对他用刑逼供。

12 fatigued
adj. 疲乏的
参考例句：
The exercises fatigued her. 操练使她感到很疲乏。 The President smiled, with fatigued tolerance for a minor person's naivety. 总统笑了笑，疲惫地表现出对一个下级人员的天真想法的宽容。

13 briefly
adv.简单地，简短地
参考例句：
I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。 He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

14 pastries
n.面粉制的糕点
参考例句：
He gave a dry laugh, then sat down and started on the pastries. 杜新箨说着干笑一声，坐下去就吃点心。 来自子夜部分 Mike: So many! I like Xijiang raisins, beef jerky, and local pastries. 麦克：太多了。我最喜欢吃新疆葡萄干、牛肉干和风味点心。

15 gulped
v.狼吞虎咽地吃，吞咽( gulp的过去式和过去分词 )；大口地吸（气）；哽住
参考例句：
He gulped down the rest of his tea and went out. 他把剩下的茶一饮而尽便出去了。 She gulped nervously, as if the question bothered her. 她紧张地咽了一下，似乎那问题把她难住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 delusional
妄想的
参考例句：
You became delusional and attacked several people trying to escape. 你产生了错觉并攻击了许多人还试图逃走。 来自电影对白 He is incoherent, delusional, suffering auditory hallucinations. 他出现无逻辑的，妄想的，幻听的症状。 来自电影对白

17 depressed
adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的
参考例句：
When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。 His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

18 condemn
vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑
参考例句：
Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。 We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

19 solitary
adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士
参考例句：
I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。 The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。

20 confinement
n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限
参考例句：
He spent eleven years in solitary confinement.他度过了11年的单独监禁。 The date for my wife's confinement was approaching closer and closer.妻子分娩的日子越来越近了。

21 incarceration
n.监禁，禁闭；钳闭
参考例句：
He hadn't changed much in his nearly three years of incarceration. 在将近三年的监狱生活中，他变化不大。 来自辞典例句 Please, please set it free before it bursts from its long incarceration! 请你，请你将这颗心释放出来吧！否则它会因长期的禁闭而爆裂。 来自辞典例句

22 defender
n.保卫者，拥护者，辩护人
参考例句：
He shouldered off a defender and shot at goal.他用肩膀挡开防守队员，然后射门。 The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。

23 inmates
n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )
参考例句：
One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 expertise
n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长
参考例句：
We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。 You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

25 looming
n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近
参考例句：
The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望

26 coordinate
adj.同等的，协调的；n.同等者；vt.协作，协调
参考例句：
You must coordinate what you said with what you did.你必须使你的言行一致。 Maybe we can coordinate the relation of them.或许我们可以调和他们之间的关系。

27 reprieve
n.暂缓执行（死刑）；v.缓期执行；给…带来缓解
参考例句：
He was saved from the gallows by a lastminute reprieve.最后一刻的缓刑令把他从绞架上解救了下来。 The railway line, due for closure, has been granted a six-month reprieve.本应停运的铁路线获准多运行6 个月。

28 waned
v.衰落( wane的过去式和过去分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡
参考例句：
However,my enthusiasm waned.The time I spent at exercises gradually diminished. 然而，我的热情减退了。我在做操上花的时间逐渐减少了。 来自《用法词典》 The bicycle craze has waned. 自行车热已冷下去了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

29 frenzy
n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动
参考例句：
He was able to work the young students up into a frenzy.他能激起青年学生的狂热。 They were singing in a frenzy of joy.他们欣喜若狂地高声歌唱。

30 subside
vi.平静，平息；下沉，塌陷，沉降
参考例句：
The emotional reaction which results from a serious accident takes time to subside.严重事故所引起的情绪化的反应需要时间来平息。 The controversies surrounding population growth are unlikely to subside soon.围绕着人口增长问题的争论看来不会很快平息。

31 chamber
n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所
参考例句：
For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。 The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

32 compassion
n.同情，怜悯
参考例句：
He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。 Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

33 repented
对（自己的所为）感到懊悔或忏悔( repent的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He repented his thoughtlessness. 他后悔自己的轻率。 Darren repented having shot the bird. 达伦后悔射杀了那只鸟。

34 opposition
n.反对，敌对
参考例句：
The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。 The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

35 rumors
n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷
参考例句：
Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

36 spike
n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效
参考例句：
The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。 They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

37 chambers
n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅
参考例句：
The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

38 transcript
n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书
参考例句：
A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。 They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

39 coerced
v.迫使做( coerce的过去式和过去分词 )；强迫；（以武力、惩罚、威胁等手段）控制；支配
参考例句：
They were coerced into negotiating a settlement. 他们被迫通过谈判解决。 He was coerced into making a confession. 他被迫招供。 来自《简明英汉词典》

40 blatantly
ad.公开地
参考例句：
Safety guidelines had been blatantly ignored. 安全规章被公然置之不顾。 They walked grandly through the lobby, blatantly arm in arm, pretending they were not defeated. 他们大大方方地穿过门厅，故意炫耀地挎着胳膊，假装他们没有被打败。

41 credible
adj.可信任的，可靠的
参考例句：
The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。 Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

42 defendant
n.被告；adj.处于被告地位的
参考例句：
The judge rejected a bribe from the defendant's family.法官拒收被告家属的贿赂。 The defendant was borne down by the weight of evidence.有力的证据使被告认输了。

43 stomped
v.跺脚，践踏，重踏( stomp的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
She stomped angrily out of the office. 她怒气冲冲，重步走出办公室。 She slammed the door and stomped (off) out of the house. 她砰的一声关上了门，暮暮地走出了屋了。 来自辞典例句

44 strutted
趾高气扬地走，高视阔步( strut的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
The players strutted and posed for the cameras. 运动员昂首阔步，摆好姿势让记者拍照。 Peacocks strutted on the lawn. 孔雀在草坪上神气活现地走来走去。

45 killer
n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者
参考例句：
Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。 The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

46 pointed
adj.尖的，直截了当的
参考例句：
He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。 She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

47 moot
v.提出；adj.未决议的；n.大会；辩论会
参考例句：
The question mooted in the board meeting is still a moot point.那个在董事会上提出讨论的问题仍未决的。 The oil versus nuclear equation is largely moot.石油和核能之间的关系还很有争议。

48 retired
adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的
参考例句：
The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。 Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

49 guilt
n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责
参考例句：
She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。 Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

50 bent
n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的
参考例句：
He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。 We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

51 insanity
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。

52 alleging
断言，宣称，辩解( allege的现在分词 )
参考例句：
His reputation was blemished by a newspaper article alleging he'd evaded his taxes. 由于报上一篇文章声称他曾逃税，他的名誉受到损害。 This our Peeress declined as unnecessary, alleging that her cousin Thornhill's recommendation would be sufficient. 那位贵人不肯，还说不必，只要有她老表唐希尔保荐就够了。

53 defense
n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩
参考例句：
The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。 The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

54 DNA
(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸
参考例句：
DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。 Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

55 bastard
n.坏蛋，混蛋；私生子
参考例句：
He was never concerned about being born a bastard.他从不介意自己是私生子。 There was supposed to be no way to get at the bastard.据说没有办法买通那个混蛋。

56 awfully
adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地
参考例句：
Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。 I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。

57 donor
n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体
参考例句：
In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。 The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

58 machinery
n.(总称)机械，机器；机构
参考例句：
Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？ Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

59 nervously
adv.神情激动地，不安地
参考例句：
He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇，努力忍着不哭出来。 He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。

60 inciting
刺激的，煽动的
参考例句：
What are you up to inciting mutiny and insubordination? 你们干吗在这里煽动骚动的叛乱呀。 He was charged with inciting people to rebel. 他被控煽动民众起来叛乱。

61 troublemakers
n.惹是生非者，捣乱者( troublemaker的名词复数 )
参考例句：
He was employed to chuck out any troublemakers. 他受雇把捣乱者赶走。 来自《简明英汉词典》 She had automatically labelled the boys as troublemakers. 她不假思索地认定这些男孩子是捣蛋鬼。 来自《简明英汉词典》