Lesson 87 A perfect alibi
First listen and then answer the question.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,' 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?''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 caught 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.'New words and expressions生词和短语
alibi [ˈæləbaɪ] n.托辞;借口;托词;不在犯罪现场证明词源：18世纪时，英语单词alibi是一个法律术语，意为“以犯罪发生时身处其他地方为由进行无罪辩解”。它源自拉丁语alibi，字面意思是somewhere else（在其他地方），是拉丁语alius（other）的位置格。英语单词alias（别名）、alien（外国的）都源自拉丁语alius。后来，alibi的词义得到扩展，用来泛指任何的借口、托辞。The suspects all had alibis for the day of the robbery.嫌疑人均有证据证明抢劫当天不在犯罪现场。
参考译文
“在凶杀发生的时候，我正坐在8点钟开往伦敦的火车上。”那人说。“当然是的，”那人回答。“我必须在10点钟上班，我的雇主会证明我是按时到了那儿的。”“我提醒您，”探长说，“您讲的不是实话。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。您看，在凶杀发生的那天早晨，8点钟的那次车根本没有发。它在芬格林车站出了故障而被取消了。”
Journey to the West（西游记）全108集
往期回顾
第79集：By air
第80集：The Crystal Palace
第81集：Escape
第82集：Monster or fish?
第83集：After the elections
第84集：On strike
第85集：Never too old to learn