Lesson 58 A spot of bother

1. Lesson 58 A spot of bother

2. Part 1 Words and Expressions (1)lift n. = elevator (AmE) 电梯 vt. (also lift up) (to move something or someone upwards into the air) e.g. 铃声再次响起之前，苏菲拿起了电话。 Sophie lifted the phone before the second ring. vt. 偷窃 (to steal something) 派生词： shoplifting n. 商店行窃

3. (2) monstrous adj. 极大的，可怕的 (shockingly hideous or frightful) enormous tremendous gigantic fantastic immense

4. (3) negligence n. 疏忽，大意 (failure to take enough care over something that you are responsible for) 词组：medical negligence医疗事故 e.g. 这位桥梁工程师被起诉过失犯罪。 The bridge’s architect was sued for criminal negligence. 派生词： negligent adj. 忽视的，大意的 近义词 irresponsible neglect v. 忽略

5. (4) prudent adj. 谨慎的 (wise in handling practical matters) (5) composure n. 镇静，沉着 (a calm or tranquil state of mind) As calm as a cucumber 词组：keep / maintain composure = stay calm 保持冷静 recover / regain composure 恢复平静

6. (6) intruder n. 入侵者 (someone who is in a place or situation where they are not wanted) (7) lurk v. 潜藏 (to lie in wait, as in ambush)

7. (8) 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: 选择填空： His poor health prevented him from going to work. Drought hinders the growth of plants.

8. (9) fingerprint n. 指纹 (the pattern of curved lines on the end of a finger or thumb, which is different in every person, or a mark left by this pattern) It is used by the police to find out who has committed a crime. 派生词：fingerprint v. 提取指纹

9. (10)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) 搭配：完全混乱 complete / utter / absolute chaos 词组：in chaos 一片狼藉 e.g. 这个国家陷入经济危机。 The country was plunged into economic chaos.

10. (11)inconceivableadj. 不可思议的(too strange or unusual to be thought real or possible) 词汇变形：conceive v. – conceivable adj. – inconceivable 翻译：在几年前，一辆由solar energy 太阳能驱动的车是不现实的。 A few years ago a car fuelled by solar energy would have been inconceivable. 近义词： unbelievable, ridiculous, miraculous, incredible, marvelous

11. (12) veritable adj. 真正的，地地道道的 (real or genuine) (13) magpie n. 喜欢收藏物品的人 (someone who likes to collect many different types of objects, or use many different styles) 一词多义： magpie n. 喜鹊

12. (14) toss vt. 扔 (to throw something, especially something light, with a quick gentle movement of your hand) 把东西扔在一边 toss sth. aside / over 词组：toss a coin to decide 抛硬币决定 toss and turn 辗转反侧

13. (15) discard vt. 抛弃 (to throw away) 近义词：abandon; forsake; desert; 形近词：disregard 漠视 (16) constable n. 警察 (a police officer)

14. (17) ransack vt. 1. 洗劫 (to go through a place, stealing things and causing damage) e.g. Houses were wrecked and ransacked by wandering gangs of soldiers. 2. 彻底搜索 (to search a place very thoroughly, often making it untidy) e.g. She ransacked the wardrobe for something to wear. 联想和犯罪相关的动词： kidnap 绑架 robbery 抢劫

15. rape 强奸； smuggling 走私 tax fraud 偷税 bribery 贿赂; investigate 调查 charge 指控 sue 起诉

16. (18) balcony n. 阳台 (a platform that projects from the wall of a building and is surrounded by a railing, balustrade, or parapet) (19) fussy adj. 大惊小怪的，小题大作的 (very concerned about small, usually unimportant details, and difficult to please) comparative fussier, superlative fussiest

17. 词组：be fussy about挑剔…… 翻译：现在很多小孩都很挑食。 A lot of small children are fussy about foods / are fussy eaters. 一词多义： She patted her hair with small fussy movements. 谨慎的 They’ve got those curtains that tie up with big bows – they’re a bit fussy for my taste. 过分装饰的

18. Part 2 Text (1) (Ph1) 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  v. 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 扩展：every step of the way 每一刻，每一天（指时光） e.g. He decided to be by her side every step of the way after she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. 在她被诊断为乳腺癌之后，他决定一直陪在她在身边。

19. (2) 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 n. 想法 句型：one’s thoughts are on sth. 代替sb. is thinking about … e.g. 放学路上，她一直想着为妈妈准备生日礼物。 On her way home from school, her thoughts were on preparing a gift for her mother. 句型：in her sudden discovery that …名词性从句，代替when she suddenly found that …

20. 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。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. 阅读理解：The old lady’s thoughts were on lunch and a good rest ( ) (a) because she had done so much shopping on her way home (b) as she climbed the steps to the floor her flat was on (c) but the sight of the open front door put them both out of her mind (d) until she remembered she had gone shopping after the home help had left C

21. (3) 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. 词组：a monstrous piece of negligence 疏忽大意 follow her regular practice 按照惯例 a scene of confusion 一片狼藉 单词：when翻译为：这时

22. (4) It was as clear as daylight then that burglars had forced an entry during her absence. 词组：as clear as daylight 显而易见 force and entry = break into 强行闯入 during her absence = when she was out

23. (5) 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. 冲动 句型：her first impulse is to do ... 第一反应就是做某事 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。 词组：go round四处查看

24. (6) 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 any intruders who might still be lurking in her flat. 阅读理解：her legs were beginning to tremble原因是：常见的“后怕”。

25. (7) (Ph2) They went 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 语法：being careful to touch nothing: 现在分词作方式状语

26. 阅读理解：When the old lady and the porter got back to the scene of the crime, (a) he made her a cup of strong tea and then telephoned the police (b) they searched the rooms for any burglars who might not have escaped (c) they took care not to touch anything the burglars had touched (d) they waited for the police before going into every room in the flat B

27. (8) 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.

28. 文化：第一个划线处体现了英国人的sick-humor精神~文化：第一个划线处体现了英国人的sick-humor精神~ 句型：she told them of her discovery of sth. 代替了宾从：she told them that she discovered sth. 词组：skeleton keys 万能钥匙

29. (9) 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. 阅读理解：What made the police think the burglars had been disturbed? (a) They had been forced to leave the front door open (b) There was no trace of their fingerprints (c) They had made no attempt to disguise the fact they had been there (d) They had left behind some jewellery which did not belong to the lady D

30. 根据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. must have been disturbed 又一次体现英式幽默

31. (10) 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. 词组：a fussy creature = a fussy person 扩展用法：a creature of habit 墨守成规的人 语法：in和help搭配，表示在……方面，what引导的从句做in的宾语。