By the time the police found Tom in the warehouse, his body was decomposed beyond recognition. His clothing had the decorous appearance of someone who was going to attend a card game. The coroner said he was obviously in the advanced stages of decomposition. The coroner said that Tom defecated in his pants before dying. Tom also had defensive wounds on his hands. His body was covered with a deck of cards. The police deduced that a card game was used as a decoy to lure Tom to the warehouse. There, he was assaulted then stabbed to death with a knife.
警方在倉(cāng)庫(kù)里發(fā)現(xiàn)湯姆時(shí),他的尸體已腐爛得難以辨認(rèn)了。他的裝束端莊得體,像是準(zhǔn)備去參加一個(gè)紙牌賭博活動(dòng)。驗(yàn)尸官宣布他在案發(fā)現(xiàn)場(chǎng)死亡。這個(gè)驗(yàn)尸報(bào)告似乎很沒(méi)說(shuō)服力,因?yàn)楹苊黠@他的尸體已經(jīng)腐爛到了較嚴(yán)重的地步。驗(yàn)尸官宣稱湯姆臨死前大便失禁在褲子里,而且由于自衛(wèi)而手部受傷。尸體上蓋著一副紙牌。于是,警方推斷說(shuō)有人利用紙牌賭博做誘餌把湯姆引進(jìn)倉(cāng)庫(kù),然后乘機(jī)攻擊,用刀刺死了他。
The decorations at Tom’s funeral were beautiful. His family had decorated the church. A decorative wood podium was placed behind Tom’s coffin.
湯姆葬禮上的裝飾品很美。他的家人還裝飾了教堂。湯姆的棺木后面放著一個(gè)裝飾性的木質(zhì)講臺(tái)。
I was hoping that everyone at the funeral would behave with decorum. However, Tom was despised by many of his relatives. Their trust in Tom had declined over the years. His defection from the church also decreased his popularity. Everyone decried his life of gambling. Some declaimed that Tom’s death was, in fact, a relief and a good lesson for everyone. One relative defamed Tom by claiming that he stole money from his own family. Someone even defaced Tom’s headstone. Nobody dared to defend him. I felt compelled to say something in his defense. I nervously inched my way to the podium and began to speak.
我希望所有參加葬禮的人都行為得體。然而,湯姆的許多親戚都鄙視他。這幾年他們對(duì)湯姆的信任已經(jīng)減弱。他脫離教會(huì)更使他聲譽(yù)下降。每個(gè)人都譴責(zé)他的賭博生涯。一些人在慷慨陳詞,稱湯姆的死事實(shí)上對(duì)大家來(lái)說(shuō)是一種解脫和一個(gè)很好的教訓(xùn)。一個(gè)親戚誹謗湯姆說(shuō)他曾偷自家人的錢(qián)。甚至有人毀壞了墓碑的外表。但沒(méi)人站出來(lái)為他辯護(hù)。我想我不得不說(shuō)幾句作為對(duì)他的辯護(hù)。于是,我緊張地一步一步地走到講臺(tái)旁就開(kāi)始講話。
“Tom wasn’t perfect,” I said. “He had his share of defects. Nevertheless, a defective soul is the kind of soul who is most in need of our prayers. So let us pray for Tom.”
“湯姆并非完人,”我說(shuō),“他有他的缺點(diǎn),可是一個(gè)有缺陷的靈魂是最需要我們?yōu)橹矶\的。所以讓我們?yōu)闇菲矶\吧。”
Words:
deck n. 一副(紙牌)
declaim v. 高談闊論,慷慨陳詞
declaration n. 宣布,宣言
declare vt. 宣布,聲明
decline vi./n. 衰退,下降,減退;vt. 婉言謝絕
decompose v. 分解,(使)腐爛
decomposition n. 腐爛,分解
decorate vt. 裝飾,裝潢,修飾
decoration n. 裝飾,裝飾品
decorative adj. 裝飾的,可作裝飾的
decorous adj. 端莊得體的
decorum n. 正派得體,穩(wěn)重大方
decoy n. 誘餌,引誘物
decrease v. 減少
decry v. 非難,譴責(zé)
deduce v. 演繹,推斷
deface v. 損壞外表
defame v. 誹謗,損壞名譽(yù)
defecate vi. 排糞;通大便
defect n. 缺點(diǎn),瑕疵
defection n. 缺陷;脫黨,變節(jié)
defective adj. 有缺陷的
defend vt. 防護(hù);辯護(hù)
defense n. 防衛(wèi),防衛(wèi)物
defensive adj. 自衛(wèi)的