Lesson 87    A perfect alibi

What was wrong with the man’s story?

     ‘At the time the murder was committed, I was travelling on the 8 o’clock train to London’s,’ said the man.

     ‘Do you always catch such an early train?’ asked the inspector.

     ‘Of course I do,’ answered the man. ‘I must be at work at 10 o’clock. My employer will confirm that I was there on time.’

     ‘Would a later train get you to work on time? ’asked the inspector.

     ‘I suppose it would, but I never catch a later train.’

     ‘At what time did you arrive at the station?’

     ‘At ten to eight. I bought a paper and waited for the train.’

     ‘And you didn’t notice anything unusual?’

     ‘Of course not.’

     ‘I suggest,’ said the inspector, ‘that you are not telling the truth. I suggest that you did not catch the 8 o’clock train, but that you catch the 8.25 which would still get you to work on time. 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.’

Summary writing

In not more than 80 words show how the inspector proved that the man’s alibi was false伪造的. Write two different paragraphs using the points and connections given below.

At the time of the murder, the man claimed that he had been travelling on the 8 o’clock train to London and had arrived at work on time. When the inspector asked if a later train would get him to work on time, the man agreed it would but said that he always travelled early. The inspector suggested that he was lying because, that morning, the 8 o’clock train broke down, so the man must have caught the 8.25.           79 words

When the murder was committed, the man claimed that he was travelling on the 8 o’clock train to London. He said that he arrived at work on time. Then the inspector asked if a later train would get him to work on time. Though the man agreed it would, he said he always travelled early. In reply, the inspector suggested he was lying, as the 8 o’clock train broke down that morning and therefore the man must have caught the 8.25.                                      80 words

Composition

Continue the conversation begun in the passage. Write about 150 words using the ideas given below;

The man suddenly ‘remembered ’that he had caught the later train---didn’t he notice anything unusual?---not unusual for a train to be late---how did he spend the time?---waited on the platform for 25 minutes---read a newspaper---the inspector suggested that the man was lying---a neighbour saw him leave the house at 8.15, just after the murder---the man was arrested.

‘I’m sorry. I was mistaken. I remember now that I caught the later train, as the 8 o’clock train did not come at the usual time,’ said the man.

‘Did you notice anything unusual? ’asked the inspector.

‘I don’t think it unusual for a train to be late, ’answered the man.

‘Then how did you spend the time? ’asked the inspector.

‘I just waited on the platform for 25 minutes, reading a newspaper. ‘

‘I suggest,‘ said the inspector, ‘that you are lying again. A neighbour, one of the witnesses证人目击者, saw you leave the house at 8.15, just after the murder, so you are the one to be suspected有嫌疑的. Now come to the police station with us.’

Finally, the man proved to be the murderer, and was arrested.

Letter writing

The Signature签名. How you sign your name depends on how well you know the person you are writing to.你如何签名取决于你和收信人的熟悉程度。You may use your full name, your first name, or even a nickname绰号. It must come under the letter-ending

Exercise

Write suitable letter-ending and signature to the following;

Your sister: your wife or husband: your employer: a close friend

1.    I am looking forward to seeing you soon.

            Your love,

              Mary

2.    I miss you, dear.

       Yours ever,

         Tom

3.    I shall be looking forward to your answer.

             Yours respectfully尊敬的,

                Peter Lee

4.    I wish you a happy holiday.

                 Best regards,

                    Linda

Key structures

He said that…He told me…He asked…

Exercises

A Imagine that you are writing a newspaper report of the conversation that took place between the man and the inspector.

Answer these questions on the passage. Where necessary, use the words given in parentheses.

Lines 1-2    What did the man say he was doing at the time the murder was committed?

Line 3       What did the inspector ask him?

Lines 4-5    Did the man say that he did or that he didn’t?

             At what time did he have to be at work? (because)

             What would his employer confirm?

Lines 6-7    What did the inspector ask him then?

Line 8       What did the man suppose? Did he ever catch a later

             train? (but)

Line 9       What did the inspector ask?

Line 10      At what time did the man say he had arrived at the

             station? What did he do there? (He added that he…)

Line 11-12   What did the inspector ask him? Did the man say that he had or that he hadn’t? (When the inspector asked him…the man…)

Line 13      What did the inspector suggest?

Lines 13-16  What did the inspector point out?

The man said that he was travelling on the 8 o’clock train to

London at the time the murder was committed. The inspector asked him if he always caught such an early train. The man said that he did because he had to be at work at 10 o’clock, and that his employer would confirm that he was there on time. The inspector then asked him if a later train would get him to work on time. The man supposed that it would, but said that he never caught a later train. The inspector asked at what time he had arrived at the station. The man sid that he had arrived at the station at ten to eight. He added that he had bought a paper and waited for the train. When the inspector asked him if he had noticed anything unusual, the man said he hadn’t. The inspector suggested that he was not telling the truth and that he did not catch the eight o’clock train, but (caught) the eight twenty-five, which would still get him to work on time. The inspector pointed out that on the morning of the murder, the eight o’clock train did not run at all, as it had broken down at Ferngreen station and had been taken off the line.

Multiple choice questions

Comprehension

1 The man thought his alibi was perfect because_____.

A he caught the 8 o’clock train

B he was at the station

C he arrived at work on time

D his employer knew he always caught the 8 o’clock train

C

2 The 8 o’clock train broke down that morning____.

A when the man was on it

B and it arrived late

C and the man knew this very well

D so the inspector knew the man was lying

D

Structure

3 He was travelling to London. He works____London.

A at

B to

C in

D on

C

4 He catches an early train. He ___every day.

A uses to

B used to

C is accustomed to

D always does

D note; c后面一定要加宾语

5 The man wasn’t telling the truth. He was ___a lie.

A telling

B saying

C talking

D speaking

A note; tell the truth, tell a lie, 固定短语

6 He didn’t catch the train that leaves ___8 o’clock.

A on

B ---

C at

D in

C

7 It broke down so the man ___it.

A can’t catch

B mightn’t catch

C couldn’t have caught

D mightn’t have caught

C note; b 是对现在或将来的推测 d 不肯定

 Vocabulary

8‘Of course I do,’ ___the man.

A replied

B responded

C returned

D told

A

9 My employer will___that I was there on time.

A assure使信服

B be sure

C make sure

D certify证明

D

10 He didn’t notice anything unusual. He didn’t notice anything___.

A out of the ordinary寻常的           不寻常的特殊的

B unused不使用的

C unaccustomed不习惯的

D inquistive好奇的

A

11 ‘And you didn’t notice anything unusual?’‘___ not. ’

A Certainly

B Surely

C Doubtlessly无疑的

D Truly

A note; certainly 常单独使用，并与not连用

12 He didn’t catch the 8 o’clock train. He ___it.

A lost

B didn’t

C escaped

D missed

D

Sentence strcture

Rewrite this sentence, then check your answer against the text.

In my opinion意见主张 you are not telling the truth

I suggest that you are not telling the truth.