Matthew Burns joined the Schroeder family for a late breakfast of pancakes and sausage. The boys ate quickly and returned to their video games. Dana made more coffee and began clearing the table. They discussed the press conference, Robbie's brilliant presentation of the case, and Roberta's poignant¹ remarks. Matthew was curious about Slone, the fires and violence, but Keith had seen little of it. He had felt the tension, smelled the smoke, heard the police helicopter hovering² overhead, but he had not seen much of the town.

With fresh coffee, the three sat at the table and talked about Keith's improbable journey and the whereabouts of Travis Boyette. Keith, though, was growing weary of the details. He had other issues, and Matthew was prepared for the conversation.

"So, Counselor³, how much trouble could I be in?" Keith asked.

"The law is not real clear. There is no specific prohibition⁴ against aiding a convicted felon⁵ in his efforts to violate the terms of his parole. But it's still against the law. The applicable code section deals with obstruction⁶ of justice, which is a huge net for a lot of behavior that would otherwise be difficult to classify. By driving Boyette out of this jurisdiction⁷, and with the knowledge that it was a violation⁸ of his parole, you violated the law."

"How serious?"

Matthew shrugged⁹, grimaced¹⁰, stirred his coffee with a spoon. "It's a felony, but not a serious one. And it's not the type of violation that we get excited about."

点击收听单词发音  

1 poignant
adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的
参考例句：
His lyrics are as acerbic and poignant as they ever have been.他的歌词一如既往的犀利辛辣。 It is especially poignant that he died on the day before his wedding.他在婚礼前一天去世了，这尤其令人悲恸。

2 hovering
鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫
参考例句：
The helicopter was hovering about 100 metres above the pad. 直升机在离发射台一百米的上空盘旋。 I'm hovering between the concert and the play tonight. 我犹豫不决今晚是听音乐会还是看戏。

3 counselor
n.顾问，法律顾问
参考例句：
The counselor gave us some disinterested advice.顾问给了我们一些无私的忠告。 Chinese commercial counselor's office in foreign countries.中国驻国外商务参赞处。

4 prohibition
n.禁止；禁令，禁律
参考例句：
The prohibition against drunken driving will save many lives.禁止酒后开车将会减少许多死亡事故。 They voted in favour of the prohibition of smoking in public areas.他们投票赞成禁止在公共场所吸烟。

5 felon
n.重罪犯；adj.残忍的
参考例句：
He's a convicted felon.他是个已定罪的重犯。 Hitler's early "successes" were only the startling depredations of a resolute felon.希特勒的早期“胜利 ”，只不过是一个死心塌地的恶棍出人意料地抢掠得手而已。

6 obstruction
n.阻塞，堵塞；障碍物
参考例句：
She was charged with obstruction of a police officer in the execution of his duty.她被指控妨碍警察执行任务。 The road was cleared from obstruction.那条路已被清除了障碍。

7 jurisdiction
n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权
参考例句：
It doesn't lie within my jurisdiction to set you free.我无权将你释放。 Changzhou is under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province.常州隶属江苏省。

8 violation
n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯
参考例句：
He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。 He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

9 shrugged
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》

10 grimaced
v.扮鬼相，做鬼脸( grimace的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He grimaced at the bitter taste. 他一尝那苦味，做了个怪相。 She grimaced at the sight of all the work. 她一看到这么多的工作就皱起了眉头。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 prosecutors
检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人
参考例句：
In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句 You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

12 prosecutor
n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人
参考例句：
The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。 The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

13 technically
adv.专门地，技术上地
参考例句：
Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。 The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

14 halfway
adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途
参考例句：
We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。 In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

15 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。

16 frankly
adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说
参考例句：
To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。 Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

17 scenario
n.剧本，脚本；概要
参考例句：
But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。 This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

18 coverage
n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖
参考例句：
There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。 This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

19 rapes
n.芸苔( rape的名词复数 )；强奸罪；强奸案；肆意损坏v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的第三人称单数 )；强奸
参考例句：
The man who had committed several rapes was arrested. 那个犯了多起强奸案的男人被抓起来了。 来自辞典例句 The incidence of reported rapes rose 0.8 percent. 美国联邦调查局还发布了两份特别报告。 来自互联网

20 probation
n.缓刑(期)，(以观后效的)察看；试用(期)
参考例句：
The judge did not jail the young man,but put him on probation for a year.法官没有把那个年轻人关进监狱，而且将他缓刑察看一年。 His salary was raised by 800 yuan after his probation.试用期满以后，他的工资增加了800元。

21 rental
n.租赁，出租，出租业
参考例句：
The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。 We can organise car rental from Chicago O'Hare Airport.我们可以安排提供从芝加哥奥黑尔机场出发的租车服务。

22 hustled
催促（hustle的过去式与过去分词形式）
参考例句：
He grabbed her arm and hustled her out of the room. 他抓住她的胳膊把她推出房间。 The secret service agents hustled the speaker out of the amphitheater. 特务机关的代理人把演讲者驱逐出竞技场。

23 anthem
n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌
参考例句：
All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。 As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

24 slaughter
n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀
参考例句：
I couldn't stand to watch them slaughter the cattle.我不忍看他们宰牛。 Wholesale slaughter was carried out in the name of progress.大规模的屠杀在维护进步的名义下进行。

25 roster
n.值勤表，花名册
参考例句：
The teacher checked the roster to see whom he would teach this year.老师查看花名册，想了解今年要教的学生。 The next day he put himself first on the new roster for domestic chores.第二天，他把自己排在了新的家务值日表的第一位。

26 warriors
武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )
参考例句：
I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。 The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。

27 referees
n.裁判员( referee的名词复数 )；证明人；公断人；（专业性强的文章的）审阅人
参考例句：
The fiery player has had numerous run-ins with referees. 这位脾气暴躁的队员曾和裁判员发生过无数次争吵。 If you want to appeal, the Court of Referees will decide. 如果你要上诉，可以由仲裁法庭去判决。 来自辞典例句

28 jersey
n.运动衫
参考例句：
He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。 They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

29 jerseys
n.运动衫( jersey的名词复数 )
参考例句：
The maximum quantity of cotton jerseys this year is about DM25,000. 平方米的羊毛地毯超过了以往的订货。 来自口语例句 The NBA is mulling the prospect of stitching advertising logos onto jerseys. 大意：NBA官方正在酝酿一个大煞风景的计划——把广告标志绣上球服！ 来自互联网

30 huddled
挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式）
参考例句：
We huddled together for warmth. 我们挤在一块取暖。 We huddled together to keep warm. 我们挤在一起来保暖。

31 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。

32 forfeit
vt.丧失；n.罚金，罚款，没收物
参考例句：
If you continue to tell lies,you will forfeit the good opinion of everyone.你如果继续撒谎，就会失掉大家对你的好感。 Please pay for the forfeit before you borrow book.在你借书之前请先付清罚款。

33 unison
n.步调一致，行动一致
参考例句：
The governments acted in unison to combat terrorism.这些国家的政府一致行动对付恐怖主义。 My feelings are in unison with yours.我的感情与你的感情是一致的。

34 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。

35 alleged
a.被指控的，嫌疑的
参考例句：
It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。 alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

36 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。

37 impromptu
adj.即席的，即兴的；adv.即兴的(地)，无准备的(地)
参考例句：
The announcement was made in an impromptu press conference at the airport.这一宣布是在机场举行的临时新闻发布会上作出的。 The children put on an impromptu concert for the visitors.孩子们为来访者即兴献上了一场音乐会。

38 spouses
n.配偶，夫或妻( spouse的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Jobs are available for spouses on campus and in the community. 校园里和社区里有配偶可做的工作。 来自辞典例句 An astonishing number of spouses-most particularly in the upper-income brackets-have no close notion of their husbands'paychecks. 相当大一部分妇女——特别在高收入阶层——并不很了解他们丈夫的薪金。 来自辞典例句

39 caterer
n. 备办食物者，备办宴席者
参考例句：
My wife went to a lot of trouble; she called a caterer. 我太太花了很多心血，她找了专办派对的人来。 The wedding reception has been organized by an outside caterer. 婚宴由外界的饮食公司承办。

40 specialized
adj.专门的，专业化的
参考例句：
There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。 These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

41 ribs
n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹
参考例句：
He suffered cracked ribs and bruising. 他断了肋骨还有挫伤。 Make a small incision below the ribs. 在肋骨下方切开一个小口。

42 grill
n.烤架，铁格子，烤肉；v.烧，烤，严加盘问
参考例句：
Put it under the grill for a minute to brown the top.放在烤架下烤一分钟把上面烤成金黄色。 I'll grill you some mutton.我来给你烤一些羊肉吃。

43 wafted
v.吹送，飘送，（使）浮动( waft的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
The sound of their voices wafted across the lake. 他们的声音飘过湖面传到了另一边。 A delicious smell of freshly baked bread wafted across the garden. 花园中飘过一股刚出炉面包的香味。 来自《简明英汉词典》

44 patio
n.庭院，平台
参考例句：
Suddenly, the thought of my beautiful patio came to mind. I can be quiet out there,I thought.我又忽然想到家里漂亮的院子，我能够在这里宁静地呆会。 They had a barbecue on their patio on Sunday.星期天他们在院子里进行烧烤。

45 exhausted
adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的
参考例句：
It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。 Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

46 chatter
vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战
参考例句：
Her continuous chatter vexes me.她的喋喋不休使我烦透了。 I've had enough of their continual chatter.我已厌烦了他们喋喋不休的闲谈。

47 remarkably
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。

48 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。

49 decided
adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的
参考例句：
This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。 There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。