Lesson 58 A spot of bother Sarah

words and Expressions Lift vt. (also lift up) (to move something or someone upwards into the air) Sophie lifted the phone before the second ring. 铃声再次响起之前， 苏菲拿起了电话。

vt. to steal something lift something from somebody/somethi ng 翻译：他们从商店 里偷走了一打 CD 。 They had lifted dozens of CDs from the store.

Shoplifting n. （ the crime of stealing things from shops, for example by hiding them in a bag or under your clothes ） 翻译：她之前曾被冤枉在一家服装店里偷 窃。 She had been falsely accused of shoplifting in a clothing store.

Monstrous adj. 极大的，可怕的 Negligence n. 疏忽，大意 （ failure to take enough care over something that you are responsible for ） 翻译：这位桥梁工程师被起诉过失犯罪。 The bridge's architect was sued for criminal negligence.

词性联想： Negligent adj 忽视的，大意的 相似词 irresponsible 结构： negligent in (doing) something 翻译： The report stated that Dr Brady had been negligent in not giving the patient a full examination. 报告说 Dr. Brady 玩忽职守，没有给这位病 人做全面的检查。

Prudent adj. 谨慎的 Composure n. 镇静，沉着 Intruder n. 入侵者， Lurk v. 潜藏

Hinder v. 妨碍 (to make it difficult for something to develop or succeed) 辨析： hinder VS prevent Hinder means to make the progress or development of something slow down or stop. Prevent means to make it impossible for someone to do something:

干旱让树木不能生长。 Drought hinders the growth of plants.

Fingerprint n. 指纹 It is used by the police to find out who has committed a crime: 翻译：他很小心没有留下任何指纹。 He was careful not to leave any fingerprints.

Chaos n. 混乱，无秩序 （ a situation in which everything is happening in a confused way and nothing is organized or arranged in order ） 和这个词搭配的词，表示完全混乱 complete/utter/absolute chaos 词组： in chaos 一片狼藉 e.g. The kitchen was in chaos.

Inconceivable （ too strange or unusual to be thought real or possible ） 翻译：一个如此身居要职的人能表现的如此不明 智，让人不敢想象。 It is inconceivable that a man in such a powerful position could act so unwisely. 近义词联想： Unbelievable, ridiculous, miraculous, incredible, marvelous

Veritable adj. 真正的，地地道道的 Magpie n. 喜欢收藏物品的人

Toss vt. 扔 翻译：把东西扔在一边 toss something aside/over 不及物动词： toss and turn （ to keep changing your position in bed because you cannot sleep ） 翻译：我一整夜辗转难眠。 I’ve been turning and tossing all night.

Discard vt. 不顾，漠视 = ignore / pay no attention to Constable v. 警察 Ransack

联想和犯罪相关的动词： Kidnap kidnapper 绑架 rob robber 抢劫 arrest 逮捕 commit a crime 犯罪 investigate 调查 charge 指控 smuggle(drugs) 走私 rape 强奸 tax fraud 偷税 murder 谋杀 bribe scandal 贿赂丑闻； 买通

Balcony v. 阳台 Fussy fussy about 大惊小怪的 翻译：她总是对自己的相貌特别在意。 Sue was fussy about her looks.

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The old lady was glad to be back at the block of flats where she lived. Her shopping had tired her and her basket had grown heavier with every step of the way home. 单词： tire = exhaust 使某人筋疲力尽 词组： with every step of the way home 随着往 家走的每一步。 Every step of the way 每一刻，每一天（指时光）

In the lift her thoughts were on lunch and a good rest; but when she got out at her own floor, both were forgotten in her sudden discovery that her front door was open. 单词： thoughts ：想法，正思考的东西

语法： Both were forgotten in her sudden discovery that… 名词性从句 句型模仿：得到自己男朋友战死沙场的悲惨消息 时，她把对生活的美好愿景忘得一干二净。 Her beautiful vision for the future was forgotten in the terrible news that her boyfriend died in the war.

She was thinking that she must reprimand her home help the next morning for such a monstrous piece of negligence, when she remembered that she had gone shopping after the home help had left and she knew that she had turned both keys in their locks. She walked slowly into the hall and at once noticed that all the room doors were open, yet following her regular practice she had shut them before going out. Looking into the drawing room, she saw a scene of confusion over by her writing desk.

It was as clear as daylight then that burglars had forced an entry during her absence. 句型： as clear as daylight, 显而易见，后面具体 是什么事情接 that 引导的定语从句。 单词： then, 指的是看到眼前的情景，翻译成 ‘ 那 么 ’

句型模仿：那么显而易见，日本正式向美国 宣战了。 Flocks of aircrafts flew over the US Pearl Harbor Navel Base and dropped numerous bombs, damaging all eight battleships on the morning of December 7, It was as clear as daylight then that Japan officially declared war on the United States.

Her first impulse was to go round all the rooms looking for the thieves, but then she decided that at her age it might be more prudent to have someone with her, so she went to fetch the porter from his basement. 单词： impulse: n. 心血来潮，冲动 prudent: adj. 谨慎的，稳妥的 fetch v. 找来，取得 词组： go round: 四处查看 be known to…as 被大家所熟知是

句型： her first impulse is to do…. 第一反 应就是做某事 句型模仿： His first impulse after he regained consciousness in the car crash was to get his wife. 在撞车事故中，他恢复了意识之后第一反 应就是去找他的妻子。

By this time her legs were beginning to tremble, so she sat down and accepted a cup of very strong tea, while he telephoned the police. Then, her composure regained, she was ready to set off with the porter's assistance to search for nay intruders who might still be lurking in her flat.

They went to through the rooms, being careful to touch nothing, as they did not want to hinder the police in their search for fingerprints. 词组： in the search for 去搜寻某人或者某物

The chaos was inconceivable. She had lived in the flat for thirty years and was a veritable magpie at hoarding; and it seemed as though everything she possessed had been tossed out and turned over and over. At least sorting out the things she should have discarded years ago was now being made easier for her. Then a police inspector arrived with a constable and she told them of her discovery of the ransacked flat. The inspector began to look for fingerprints, while the constable checked that the front door locks had not been forced, thereby proving that the burglars had either used skeleton keys or entered over the balcony. There was no trace of fingerprints, but the inspector found a dirty red bundle that contained jewellery which the old lady said was not hers.

So their entry into this flat was apparently not the burglars’ first job that day and they must have been disturbed. 篇章： must have been disturbed 表示对过去的肯定推断， 另外情态动词 could, might, should 后接 have been 和虚拟 语气连用，表示 ‘ 本有可能做什么，或者应该做什么，但是 没有实现 ’

The inspector then asked the old lady to try to check what was missing by the next day and advised her not to stay alone in the flat for a few nights. The old lady thought he was a fussy creature, but since the porter agreed with him, she rang up her daughter and asked for her help in what she described as a little spot of bother.