365个英语简短小故事-231.Gets Booked, Writes a Book

A man convicted of writing bad checks to casinos has written a book that he predicts will become a national bestseller. Entitled A Casino Is Born Every Minute, the 250-page book details James Duncan’s successful and unsuccessful attempts to beat casinos. Duncan is serving a five-year sentence for grand larceny¹ in the Las Vegas city jail. He wrote 18 bogus checks, ranging in value from $3,000 to $10,000, at 17 different casinos. “My only mistake was cashing that last check at the same casino I had cashed the first check at,” said Duncan. “They were waiting for me.”

Duncan only has a few months left before he is released from the jail. During his incarceration², he used the library facilities and computers to write his book. He completed the book two months ago and is now shopping it around to various publishers.

Books about gambling³ and casinos are very popular. People like to read about gangsters⁴, beautiful women, flashy cars, posh hotels, and the exciting possibilities of winning it all and losing it all. Duncan says he was the first card-counter in Las Vegas. He claims that he made almost $1 million at blackjack. Then, other card sharks started copying his technique.

“They abused the system,” said Duncan. “They got greedy. If they’d been like me, and just won some here and there, different places, and different nights, the casinos wouldn’t have gotten suspicious so fast.” When the casinos realized what was going on, they started using two or more decks at the blackjack tables to thwart⁵ the counters. They escorted out anyone they suspected of counting cards.

 

1 larceny   

n.盗窃（罪）

参考例句：

• The man was put in jail for grand larceny.人因重大盗窃案而被监禁。
• It was an essential of the common law crime of larceny.它是构成普通法中的盗窃罪的必要条件。

2 incarceration   

n.监禁，禁闭；钳闭

参考例句：

• He hadn't changed much in his nearly three years of incarceration. 在将近三年的监狱生活中，他变化不大。 来自辞典例句
• Please, please set it free before it bursts from its long incarceration! 请你，请你将这颗心释放出来吧！否则它会因长期的禁闭而爆裂。 来自辞典例句

3 gambling   

n.赌博；投机

参考例句：

• They have won a lot of money through gambling.他们赌博赢了很多钱。
• The men have been gambling away all night.那些人赌了整整一夜。

4 gangsters   

匪徒，歹徒( gangster的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gangsters offered him a sum equivalent to a whole year's earnings. 歹徒提出要给他一笔相当于他一年收入的钱。
• One of the gangsters was caught by the police. 歹徒之一被警察逮捕。

5 thwart   

v.阻挠，妨碍，反对；adj.横(断的)

参考例句：

• We must thwart his malevolent schemes.我们决不能让他的恶毒阴谋得逞。
• I don't think that will thwart our purposes.我认为那不会使我们的目的受到挫折。