英语听力文摘 English Digest 480、如何破无头绪凶杀案？

Forensics

辩论术/ 法医学

A murder has been committed. The scene of the crime is a secluded area. There were no witnesses, and the body is considerably decayed.

As the chief investigator², you have a suspect who was in town a week ago. But to convict him, you'll need to know the date and time that the victim was murdered. How can you tell? And besides, what’s that annoying buzzing in your ear? Wait, don’t swat that fly! He’s your star witness. In fact, that little fly just told you the date of the crime!

 

Flies don’t carry pocket calendars, and they can’t testify³ before a jury. How can a crime-scene insect help a police investigation⁴? By doing what it naturally does–eating and laying eggs.

When someone dies outdoors, the first investigators⁵ on the scene are usually bright greenbottle blowflies. Attracted by the smell of decaying flesh, these usually arrive within ten minutes of the death. While this smell might make us retch, for the blowfly it’s as savory as grandma’s apple pie. The blowfly’s scientific name is “Sarcophagi,” which means “corpse eater.”

 

While they eat, the blowflies lay eggs in the softer parts of the body, and these hatch into maggots twenty-four hours later. These maggots attract other insects, like the predatory rove beetle（隐翅虫）, who feast⁶ on them. And so on. Wave after wave of hungry insects arrive, marking time as accurately⁷ as a clock.

Meanwhile, the blowflies follow their natural life cycle. Maggots become pupae, the pupae become adults. By surveying the insects in and around a corpse, forensic¹ scientists can help a police investigator determine how long ago a victim was murdered.

 

 

 

有一场凶手案。凶案现场是一个隐蔽的地方，没有目击证人，尸体也严重腐烂了。

 

身为首席侦查员，你在一周前就在镇子里有一个怀疑对象。但是要证明其有罪，你需要知道受害人被害的日期和时间。你要怎么说呢？除此之外，你耳朵里那些恼人的嘈杂声又是什么呢？等等，不要拍打这只“苍蝇”，它就是你的重要目击证人。事实上，这只小苍蝇就告知了你犯罪日期。

 

苍蝇并没有在兜里自带日历，它们也不能在陪审团面前作证。那一只在犯罪现场的虫子是怎样帮助警察调查的呢？通过它们正常的方式—— 食用（尸体）并产卵。

当一个人死于户外时，到现场的第一批侦查员通常都是亮亮的绿头苍蝇。他们被正在腐烂的肉味所吸引，通常在死亡后十分钟内就到来了。这些（腐肉）气味或许会令我们作呕，但对于绿头苍蝇来说他们就像是外婆做的苹果派一样可口。绿头苍蝇的学名是“Sarcophagi（中文意思为“石棺”）”，意思是“尸体食用者”。

这些苍蝇一边嗜（尸体），一边在尸体较软的地方产卵，然后这些卵又会在24小时后会孵化称蛆。蛆又会引来其它的昆虫，比如说以蛆为食的肉食型隐翅虫等。饥饿的昆虫们一波接一波的到来，时间精准的跟时钟一样。

 

与此同时，绿头苍蝇们继续这它们的正常生命循环。蛆变成蛹，蛹再长大。通过调查尸体周围的昆虫，法医可以帮助警方调查人员确定受害者遇害的时间。

 

1 forensic   

adj.法庭的，雄辩的

参考例句：

• The report included his interpretation of the forensic evidence.该报告包括他对法庭证据的诠释。
• The judge concluded the proceeding on 10:30 Am after one hour of forensic debate.经过近一个小时的法庭辩论后，法官于10时30分宣布休庭。

2 investigator   

n.研究者，调查者，审查者

参考例句：

• He was a special investigator for the FBI.他是联邦调查局的特别调查员。
• The investigator was able to deduce the crime and find the criminal.调查者能够推出犯罪过程并锁定罪犯。

3 testify   

v.证明，证实，作证

参考例句：

• The fingerprint expert was asked to testify at the trial.指纹专家应邀出庭作证。
• I can testify to this man's veracity and good character.我可以作证，此人诚实可靠，品德良好。

4 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

5 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 feast   

n.盛宴，筵席，节日

参考例句：

• After the feast she spent a week dieting to salve her conscience.大吃了一顿之后，她花了一周时间节食以安慰自己。
• You shouldn't have troubled yourself to prepare such a feast!你不该准备这样丰盛的饭菜，这样太麻烦你了！

7 accurately   

adv.准确地，精确地

参考例句：

• It is hard to hit the ball accurately.准确地击中球很难。
• Now scientists can forecast the weather accurately.现在科学家们能准确地预报天气。