【CET3】【音標欄目】A spot of bother

來自專欄英語聽譯學習

關注微信號：英語聽譯學習，第一發布，語音朗讀

每日一句

I always like walking in the rain, so no one can see me crying.

【a? ???lwe?z la?k ?w??k?? ?n e? re?n, s?? n?? w?n k?n si? mi? ?kra???.】

我願行走在雨中，那樣我的眼淚就無人看見。

lesson 58 A spot of bother

【?l?sn 58 ? sp?t ?v ?b?e?】

一點兒小麻煩

The old lady was glad to be back at the block of flats where she lived.

【ei ??ld ?le?di w?z gl?d tu? bi? b?k ?t e? bl?k ?v fl?ts we? ?i? l?vd.】

老婦人回到了她居住的公寓樓，心裡很高興。

Her shopping had tired her and her basket had grown heavier with every step of the way home.

【h?? ???p?? h?d ?ta??d h??r ?nd h?? ?bɑ?sk?t h?d gr??n ?h?v?? w?e ??vri st?p ?v e? we? h??m.】

去商店買東西把她搞得筋疲力盡；在回家的路上，她每走一步，就感到手裡的籃子又重了一點。

In the lift her thoughts were on lunch and a good rest;

【?n e? l?ft h?? θ??ts w??r ?n l?n? ?nd ? g?d r?st;】

她乘上電梯後，只想著午餐和好好休息一下。

but when she got out at her own floor, both were forgotten in her sudden discovery that her front door was open.

【b?t w?n ?i? g?t a?t ?t h??r ??n fl??, b??θ w?? f??g?tn ?n h?? ?s?dn d?s?k?v?ri e?t h?? fr?nt d?? w?z ???p?n.】

但她到了自己的樓層走出電梯後，就把這兩件事忘了個乾淨，因為她突然發現她家的大門開著。

She was thinking that she must reprimand her home help the next morning for such a monstrous piece of negligence,

【?i? w?z ?θ??k?? e?t ?i? m?st ?r?pr?mɑ?nd h?? h??m h?lp e? n?kst ?m??n?? f?? s?? ? ?m?nstr?s pi?s ?v ?n?gl???ns,】

她心想明天上午一定要好好訓斥那個幹家務的幫手，她竟如此疏忽大意。

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.

【w?n ?i? r??m?mb?d e?t ?i? h?d g?n ???p?? ?ɑ?ft? e? h??m h?lp h?d l?ft ?nd ?i? nju? e?t ?i? h?d t??nd b??θ ki?z ?n ee? l?ks.】

但突然記起來了，幫手是在她出去買東西之前走的，她還記得曾用了兩把鑰匙把大門鎖上了。

She walked slowly into the hall and at once noticed that all the room doors were open,

【?i? w??kt ?sl??li ??ntu? e? h??l ?nd ?t w?ns ?n??t?st e?t ??l e? ru?m d??z w??r ???p?n,】

她慢慢地走進前廳，立即發現所有的房門都敞開著，

yet following her regular practice she had shut them before going out.

【j?t ?f?l???? h?? ?r?gj?l? ?pr?kt?s ?i? h?d ??t e?m b??f?? ?g???? a?t.】

而她記得在出門買東西前，她按老規矩是把房門一一鎖上的。

Looking into the drawing room, she saw a scene of confusion over by her writing desk.

【?l?k?? ??ntu? e? ?dr???? ru?m, ?i? s?? ? si?n ?v k?n?fju???n ???v? ba? h?? ?ra?t?? d?sk.】

她往起居室里看去，寫字檯邊一片狼籍。

It was as clear as daylight then that burglars had forced an entry during her absence.

【?t w?z ?z kl??r ?z ?de?la?t e?n e?t ?b??gl?z h?d f??st ?n ??ntri ?dj??r?? h??r ??bs?ns.】

事情很清楚，在她外出時，竊賊曾闖進家門。

Her first impulse was to go round all the rooms looking for the thieves,

【h?? f??st ??mp?ls w?z tu? g?? ra?nd ??l e? ru?mz ?l?k?? f?? e? θi?vz,】

她第一個條件反射是到各個房間里搜尋一下竊賊，

but then she decided that at her age it might be more prudent to have someone with her,

【b?t e?n ?i? d??sa?d?d e?t ?t h??r e?? ?t ma?t bi? m?? ?pru?d?nt tu? h?v ?s?mw?n w?e h??,】

但轉念一想，像她這個年紀，最好是找個人一起去。

so she went to fetch the porter from his basement.

【s?? ?i? w?nt tu? f?? e? ?p??t? fr?m h?z ?be?sm?nt.】

於是她到地下室去找看門的人。

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.

【ba? e?s ta?m h?? l?gz w?? b??g?n?? tu? ?tr?mbl, s?? ?i? s?t da?n ?nd ?k?s?pt?d ? k?p ?v ?v?ri str?? ti?, wa?l hi? ?t?l?f??nd e? p??li?s.】

這時她兩腿累得開始發抖，於是坐了下來，喝了一杯濃茶。與此同時，看門的人給警察掛了電話。

Then, her composure regained, she was ready to set off with the porters assistance to search for any intruders who might still be lurking in her flat.

【e?n, h?? k?m?p???? r??ge?nd, ?i? w?z ?r?di tu? s?t ?f w?e e? ?p??t?z ??s?st?ns tu? s??? f??r ??ni ?n?tru?d?z hu? ma?t st?l bi? ?l??k?? ?n h?? fl?t.】

此刻老婦人也鎮定了下來，準備在看門人的協助下搜尋可能仍躲藏在她房裡的竅賊。

They went through the rooms, being careful to touch nothing,

【ee? w?nt θru? e? ru?mz, ?bi??? ?ke?f?l tu? t?? ?n?θ??,】

他倆搜遍這每一個房間，小心翼翼地不接觸任何東西，

as they did not want to hinder the police in their search for fingerprints.

【?z ee? d?d n?t w?nt tu? ?ha?nd? e? p??li?s ?n ee? s??? f?? ?f??g?pr?nts.】

因為他們怕妨礙警察尋找指紋。

The chaos was inconceivable.

【e? ?ke??s w?z ??nk?n?si?v?bl.】

房間里的紊亂狀況是無法想像的。

She had lived in the flat for thirty years and was a veritable magpie at hoarding;

【?i? h?d l?vd ?n e? fl?t f?? ?θ??ti j??z ?nd w?z ? ?v?r?t?bl ?m?gpa? ?t ?h??d??;】

老婦人在這套公寓里住了30年，她又是個名副其實的收藏家。

and it seemed as though everything she possessed had been tossed out and turned over and over.

【?nd ?t si?md ?z e?? ??vr?θ?? ?i? p??z?st h?d bi?n t?st a?t ?nd t??nd ???v?r ?nd ???v?.】

看來她的每一件東西都被翻了出來，並且被裡里外外看了遍。

At least sorting out the things she should have discarded years ago was now being made easier for her.

【?t li?st ?s??t?? a?t e? θ??z ?i? ??d h?v d?s?kɑ?d?d j??z ??g?? w?z na? ?bi??? me?d ?i?z?? f?? h??.】

這樣一來，她倒是容易將那些幾年前就該扔掉的東西找出來了。

Then a police inspector arrived with a constable and she told them of her discovery of the ransacked flat.

【e?n ? p??li?s ?n?sp?kt?r ??ra?vd w?e ? ?k?nst?bl ?nd ?i? t??ld e?m ?v h?? d?s?k?v?ri ?v e? ?r?ns?kt fl?t.】

過了一會兒，一位巡官帶著一名警察來了。她向他們講述了發現公寓遭劫的經過。

The inspector began to look for fingerprints, while the constable checked that the front door locks had not been forced,

【ei ?n?sp?kt? b??g?n tu? l?k f?? ?f??g?pr?nts, wa?l e? ?k?nst?bl ??kt e?t e? fr?nt d?? l?ks h?d n?t bi?n f??st,】

巡官開始搜尋指紋，警察經檢查發現大門鎖頭並無撬過的跡象。

thereby proving that the burglars had either used skeleton keys or entered over the balcony.

【?ee??ba? ?pru?v?? e?t e? ?b??gl?z h?d ?a?e? ju?zd ?sk?l?tn ki?z ??r ??nt?d ???v? e? ?b?lk?ni.】

由此可以證明，竅賊或者是用了萬能鑰匙，或者是翻越陽台進來的。

There was no trace of fingerprints,

【ee? w?z n?? tre?s ?v ?f??g?pr?nts,】

巡官沒有發現指紋，

but the inspector found a dirty red bundle that contained jewellery which the old lady said was not hers.

【b?t ei ?n?sp?kt? fa?nd ? ?d??ti r?d ?b?ndl e?t k?n?te?nd ??u??lri w?? ei ??ld ?le?di s?d w?z n?t h??z.】

卻發現了一個裝有珠寶的、骯髒的紅包袱。老婦人說那不是她的。

So their entry into this flat was apparently not the burglars first job that day and they must have been disturbed.

【s?? ee?r ??ntri ??ntu? e?s fl?t w?z ??p?r?ntli n?t e? ?b??gl?z f??st ??b e?t de? ?nd ee? m?st h?v bi?n d?s?t??bd.】

很明顯，闖進這套公寓的竊賊那天並不是首次作案，而且他一定是受了驚嚇。

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.

【ei ?n?sp?kt? e?n ɑ?skt ei ??ld ?le?di tu? tra? tu? ??k w?t w?z ?m?s?? ba? e? n?kst de? ?nd ?d?va?zd h?? n?t tu? ste? ??l??n ?n e? fl?t f??r ? fju? na?ts.】

巡官請老婦人在次日之前設法查清丟了些什麼，並勸她幾夜之內不要獨自一人在公寓過夜。

The old lady thought he was a fussy creature,

【ei ??ld ?le?di θ??t hi? w?z ? ?f?si ?kri???,】

老婦人覺得巡官大驚小怪，

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.

【b?t s?ns e? ?p??t?r ??gri?d w?e h?m, ?i? r?? ?p h?? ?d??t?r ?nd ɑ?skt f?? h?? h?lp ?n w?t ?i? d?s?kra?bd ?z ? ?l?tl sp?t ?v ?b?e?.】

然看門人也同意他的意見，她只得打電話向女兒求援，說她碰到了一點兒小麻煩。