读者文摘:改变历史的意外时刻(3)

A DA’s slip about a glove flips¹ the trial of the century.

地方检察官关于一只手套的口误颠覆了世纪审判。

It was bound to be a case for the ages even before the suspect parked his white Ford² Bronco on that hot Los Angeles night in 1994.

甚至在1994年那个炎热的洛杉矶夜晚，嫌疑人把他的白色福特野马停在那里之前，这个案子就已经存在了很久。

OJ Simpson— football legend, rental³ car spokesperson, Naked Gun costar—was accused of killing⁴ his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson,

美式橄榄球传奇人物、汽车租赁代言人、白头神探参演者O·J·辛普森被控杀害妻子妮可·布朗·辛普森，

and a local waiter, Ron Goldman, on the steps of Nicole’s posh home in Brentwood, California.

还有一位当地的服务员罗恩·戈德曼，地点是在妮可位于加州布伦特伍德的豪华住宅的台阶上。

The evidence against OJ would appear to be damning, including blood in the Bronco and on a glove that matched one found near Goldman’s body.

对OJ不利的证据似乎是致命的，包括福特野马车里面的血和在戈德曼尸体附近发现的一只手套上的血。

“DNA evidence” became a household term with the OJ Simpson trial, and it was not his friend.

“DNA证据”在辛普森公诉案中成为一个家喻户晓的术语，而这对他并不友好。

Neither was a man named Kato Kaelin, who was living in OJ’s guesthouse

一个名叫卡托·凱林的人对他也不友好，住在OJ的客房的他出庭作证说，

and testified that he could not account for OJ’s whereabouts at the time of the murders.

他无法说明谋杀发生时OJ的下落。

OJ Simpson’s team had plenty of its own angles to work.

辛普森的团队有很多自己操作的角度。

The trial unfolded just a few years after the Los Angeles riots, and the racial polarization of the city was palpable.

这次审判发生在洛杉矶骚乱的几年之后，洛杉矶的种族分化是显而易见的。

In fact, the defense⁵ team took pains to label one of the LAPD officers investigating the case, Mark Fuhrman, as having a history of making racial statements.

实际上，辩护团队煞费苦心地给调查此案的一位洛杉矶警察局官员马克·福尔曼贴上了标签，因为他有发表种族言论的历史。

Still, many observers believed OJ would be convicted.

不过，很多的观察员都认为OJ会被定罪。

And then the prosecutor⁶ asked him to try on the bloody⁷ glove found at the crime scene.

然后，检察官让他戴上在犯罪现场发现的血手套。

The image of OJ Simpson attempting to squeeze his meaty hand into the snug⁸ leather fingers became a defining moment in the trial,

辛普森试图把他肥厚的手塞进舒适的皮革指套的画面成为了审判中的决定性时刻，

as did the way defense attorney Johnnie Cochran described it in his now-historic closing statement:

正如辩护律师约翰尼·科克伦在其历史性的结案陈词中所描述的那样：

“If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit⁹.” And the jury did.

“如果手套不合适，你必须宣告无罪。陪审团照做了。

1 flips   

轻弹( flip的第三人称单数 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥

参考例句：

• Larry flips on the TV while he is on vacation in Budapest. 赖瑞在布达佩斯渡假时，打开电视收看节目。
• He flips through a book before making a decision. 他在决定买下一本书前总要先草草翻阅一下。

2 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

3 rental   

n.租赁，出租，出租业

参考例句：

• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。
• We can organise car rental from Chicago O'Hare Airport.我们可以安排提供从芝加哥奥黑尔机场出发的租车服务。

4 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

5 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

6 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

7 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

8 snug   

adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房

参考例句：

• He showed us into a snug little sitting room.他领我们走进了一间温暖而舒适的小客厅。
• She had a small but snug home.她有个小小的但很舒适的家。

9 acquit   

vt.宣判无罪；(oneself)使(自己)表现出

参考例句：

• That fact decided the judge to acquit him.那个事实使法官判他无罪。
• They always acquit themselves of their duty very well.他们总是很好地履行自己的职责。