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'At the time the murder was committed, I was travelling on the 8 o'clock train to London,' said the man.
“谋杀发生时，我正在坐 8 点钟去伦敦的火车。”那人说。
开头直接抛出所谓 alibi。
'Do you always catch such an early train?'
那人说。
asked the inspector.
“您总是赶这样早的火车？”
'Of course I do,' answered the man.
“我当然总是坐这趟车。”那人回答。
嫌疑人先把说法说死，后面就更容易暴露破绽。
'I must be at work at 10 o'clock.
“我必须在 10 点钟到单位上班。”
must be at work 是他为早班车辩护的理由。
My employer will confirm that I was there on time.'
“我的雇主会证实我按时到岗。”
嫌疑人试图让证词显得很扎实。
'Would a later train get you to work on time?'
“晚一点儿的车也能送您按时上班吗？”
asked the inspector.
“我认为可以，但我从来不乘晚一点儿的车。”
'I suppose it would, but I never catch a later train.'
“我想也可以，但我从来不坐晚一点的车。”
I suppose it would 这句实际上削弱了他前面那种“非坐 8 点不可”的必要性。
'At what time did you arrive at the station?'
“你几点到车站的？”
探长开始把问题缩到更具体的时间细节上。
'At ten to eight.
我买了张报纸，等着车来。”
I bought a paper and waited for the train.'
“您没有注意到有什么异常情况发生吗？”
'And you didn't notice anything unusual?'
“那你没注意到任何异常吗？”
侦探的问题开始逼近关键破绽。
'Of course not.'
“当然没有。”
这句看似干脆，其实正把他自己逼进死角。
'I suggest,' said the inspector, 'that you are not telling the truth.
您乘的不是8点钟的火车，而是8点25分的，这次车同样能使您按时上班。
I suggest that you did not catch the 8 o'clock train, but that you caught the 8.
您看，在凶杀发生的那天早晨，8点钟的那次车根本没有发。
25 which would still get you to work on time.
它在芬格林车站出了故障而被取消了。”
You see, on the morning of the murder, the 8 o'clock train did not run at all.
It broke down at Ferngreen station and was taken off the line.'
它在 Ferngreen 车站出故障，被取消了。
具体事实让侦探的推理具备无法反驳的证据基础。
单元概要
本课是一段侦探式问答：嫌疑人自认为提供了完美不在场证明，却忽略了一个致命事实，8 点那班车当天根本没开。重点在于 suggest 的语气、问答推进和 alibi 破绽的形成。
精读导图 1. 先写嫌疑人自信提供不在场证明。 2. 再写探长一步步问出细节。 3. 最后用“那趟车根本没开”彻底推翻证词。 精读关注 - suggest 的不同语义 - 细节越多未必越安全
单词表
| 单词 | 音标 | 释义 | 精讲 |
|---|---|---|---|
| alibi | /ˈæləbaɪ/ | 不在场证明 |
|
| commit | /kəˈmɪt/ | 犯（罪） |
|
| inspector | /ɪnˈspektə(r)/ | 探长 |
|
| employer | /ɪmˈplɔɪə(r)/ | 雇主 |
|
| confirm | /kənˈfɜːm/ | 证实 |
|
| suggest | /səˈdʒest/ | 提出；认为 |
|
| truth | /truːθ/ | 真相 |
|
短语
| 短语 | 意思 |
|---|---|
| at the time | 在……的时候 |
| on time | 准时 |
| tell the truth | 说实话 |
| did not run at all | 根本没有开行 |
| be taken off the line | 停止运行；取消班次 |
语法点
suggest 的语义区分
本课的 I suggest that... 不是“建议你……”，而是“我认为/我指出……”。
相似句：
- I suggest that he is mistaken.
- She suggested that the story was false.
过去进行时作不在场描述
I was travelling on the 8 o'clock train 是嫌疑人的核心辩词。
相似句：
- I was waiting at home at that time.
- He was sleeping when it happened.
but that... 的对比推断
did not catch..., but that you caught... 让侦探的判断更精确。
相似句：
- He did not leave at six, but at half past six.
- She was not in Paris, but in London.
读写提示
- 推理短文概括要抓“辩词 - 追问 - 破绽 - 证据”。
- 这课最妙的是破绽来自常识细节，而不是高深技术。
- 对话里每一句时间信息都很重要。
- suggest 的意义别机械理解成建议。
考点
4
考点
4第 1 / 4 题
这个 alibi 的致命漏洞是什么？