ESL Podcast 931 – Solving a Mystery

 　　Jane: You have to watch this movie. It’s so good!

　　Hercule: I’m not really into mysteries.

　　Jane: But this is a really good whodunit¹.

　　Hercule: I prefer action movies.

　　Jane: Listen, the movie gives you plenty of clues, and the detective follows hunch² after hunch, lead after lead, but the movie is full of red herrings. Everybody seems to have an alibi³ and the witnesses aren’t reliable.

　　Hercule: I don’t know. It seems kind of confusing to me. I don’t really want to use my brain when I’m watching a movie.

　　Jane: But that’s the fun part of it. The true identity of the victim is a mystery, the suspects all have skeletons in their closets, and the detective isn’t what he seems.

　　Hercule: Yeah, well...

　　Jane: And just when you think you’re getting to the bottom of it, the rug gets pulled out from under you. It keeps you guessing until the very end. Hey, where are you going?

　　Hercule: I’m going to find an action movie where all my brain has to do is handle the sensory⁴ overload⁵!

　　Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

1 whodunit   

n.侦探小说（或剧本、影片等）

参考例句：

• It is not the most promising script for a whodunit.这并不是最有市场前景的侦探小说剧本。
• I always like the series "Whodunit" by Wei Sili.我一直很喜欢卫斯理系列的推理小说。

2 hunch   

n.预感，直觉

参考例句：

• I have a hunch that he didn't really want to go.我有这么一种感觉，他并不真正想去。
• I had a hunch that Susan and I would work well together.我有预感和苏珊共事会很融洽。

3 alibi   

n.某人当时不在犯罪现场的申辩或证明；借口

参考例句：

• Do you have any proof to substantiate your alibi? 你有证据表明你当时不在犯罪现场吗？
• The police are suspicious of his alibi because he already has a record.警方对他不在场的辩解表示怀疑，因为他已有前科。

4 sensory   

adj.知觉的，感觉的，知觉器官的

参考例句：

• Human powers of sensory discrimination are limited.人类感官分辨能力有限。
• The sensory system may undergo long-term adaptation in alien environments.感觉系统对陌生的环境可能经过长时期才能适应。

5 overload   

vt.使超载；n.超载

参考例句：

• Don't overload the boat or it will sink.别超载，否则船会沉。
• Large meals overload the digestive system.吃得太饱会加重消化系统的负担。