生活英语对话 Episode 85: Talking to the police

本单元是关于警察询问的对话

Police 1: So sir: a number of fake watches have been handed in to us over the last few months, and almost all of them have been traced to this establishment. Can you explain this?
Tim: Err¹, I'm not sure. We do use a reputable supplier.
Police 1: Indeed. Your supplier wrote to you to tell you that some of the broken watches that you returned to them were fakes, didn't they?
Tim: Well yes, they did, but... look officer, I'm only the assistant manager.
Police 1: And your point is?
Tim: Well, like I said, I think you need to speak to my boss.
Police 2: And like I said sir, we have talked to your boss. Apparently², you are in charge of all the watches that come through this department.
Tim: Well, technically³, yes, that's true.
Police 2: So, enlighten me: where did all these fake watches come from?


Vocabulary 词汇

traced 踪迹,去向
discovered where something originally came from, or discovered the course of events which caused something to be in its present state or location

establishment 机构
place of business

reputable 有信誉的
with a good reputation; reliable and trustworthy

supplier 供应商
a person or business which provides or supplies goods or services

indeed 确实(加强语气)
'indeed' is used here as an interjection which expresses disbelief, scepticism, irony⁴ or doubt

apparently (adv) 很显然
according to the information which is available

technically (adv) 从技术上说
according to strict obedience⁵ to laws, rules, or principles

本单元的语言点是关于评论和观点的副词，有些副词告诉我们事情是怎么发生的。请看下面的解释和例句。

Comment and viewpoint adverbs

Adverbs (副词) - background (表达背景)
Adverbs are often used to give more information about verbs. In other words, adverbs often tell us how things happen.

Examples:
He swims fast. How does he swim? -fast
She sings beautifully. How does she sing? -beautifully
I opened the door wide. How did I open the door? -wide
She quickly finished her dinner. How did she finish? –quickly


Comment & viewpoint adverbs (表达评论及观点的副词)
Comment and viewpoint adverbs add information about the speaker's opinion of events. They do not usually give information about how something happened. Comment & viewpoint adverbs often modify the complete sentence, not just the verb.

Compare these sentences:
1. She started singing happily. (adverb of manner)
2. Happily, she started singing. (comment adverb)

In sentence 1, the adverb - happily - gives more information about how she was singing. In sentence 2, the adverb - happily -gives the speaker's comment/opinion of the event. In this case, the speaker thinks that her starting to sing was a happy event.

Comment and viewpoint adverbs - position (表达评论及观点的副词 - 句中的位置)
Comment adverbs usually go at the beginning of a sentence or clause. They can also be placed after the subject, or at the end of the sentence/clause.

Clearly, Paul had no idea what he was doing.
Paul had no idea what he was doing, clearly.
Paul clearly had no idea what he was doing.

When the comment adverb is placed after the subject, commas are often used around the adverb:

Paul, clearly, had no idea what he was doing.

Common comment & viewpoint adverbs (常用的表达评论及观点的副词)

1 err   

vi.犯错误，出差错

参考例句：

• He did not err by a hair's breadth in his calculation.他的计算结果一丝不差。
• The arrows err not from their aim.箭无虚发。

2 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

3 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

4 irony   

n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄

参考例句：

• She said to him with slight irony.她略带嘲讽地对他说。
• In her voice we could sense a certain tinge of irony.从她的声音里我们可以感到某种讥讽的意味。

5 obedience   

n.服从，顺从

参考例句：

• Society has a right to expect obedience of the law.社会有权要求人人遵守法律。
• Soldiers act in obedience to the orders of their superior officers.士兵们遵照上级军官的命令行动。