开口ABC 之 目击证人

Be brave! Hurry up to ABC Happy Express!

　　勇敢点！快来"开口ABC"快乐快车吧！

　　First One: I witnessed a kidnapping.

　　This is very serious. It means that someone saw another person being forcefully taken away, usually in a car or van. Often a kidnapper¹ will hold someone hostage² and demand a ransom³ in exchange for the return of the kidnapped person.

　　我目睹了一起绑架!这是一件非常严重的事情。它意味着某个人看见别人被硬塞进小汽车或货车，接着车便呼啸而去。常常，绑架者会扣留人质并索取赎金。

　　Second One: Calm down.

　　You may have noticed that foreigners tend to outwardly express their emotions more than Chinese. If a foreigner becomes very angry or nervous, he or she might start gesturing wildly or shouting. When this happens, the best thing to do is to politely say, "Please calm down sir/miss" and offer to try and help him/her.

　　请镇定!你可能注意到外国人比中国人更倾向于表达他们的情感。如果一个外国人非常生气或非常紧张，他/她就会做出疯狂的动作或者大喊大叫。这个时候，你最好的举措就是有礼貌地说："请镇静，先生/女士"，并尽量帮助他/她。

　　Third One: What happened?

　　This is a great phrase to use when someone seems upset. Psychologists use this question a lot to help upset people relax. Allowing someone to vent⁴ a little and feel listened to is a great way to deal with tension and anxiety.

　　出了什么事?当某个人看起来很难过的时候，你就可以抛出这个一流的句子了。心理学家常常使用这个句子来帮助不安的人们放松下来。允许某人发泄一下，并让他感觉到有人在倾听，是消除紧张和焦虑的一个好方法。

　　Fourth One: What do they look like?

　　Creating a "profile" or description of the criminals involved in a crime can help police track down and arrest them. In America special sketch⁵ artists are trained to draw pictures based on a witnesses recollection of a criminal's face and broadcast on nationwide TV.他们是什么样子的?针对犯案的罪犯勾画出的"面部轮廓图"或进行的描述，有利于警察追踪并缉拿罪犯。在美国，经受过专门训练的素描画家，能够根据目击者对罪犯脸部特征的描述还原图像，并通过全国的电视播出通缉。

　　Fifth One: Can you recognize him/her?

　　In criminal cases this question is very important because having a witness that can correctly recognize the criminal helps convict⁶ the offender⁷. However, witnesses often think they recognize the criminal when in fact they are looking at an innocent man. Sometimes witnesses will confuse movie characters with real events and describe the criminal as a famous movie star!

　　你能认出他/她来吗?在犯罪案件中，这个问题非常得重要。因为有一个能够正确认出罪犯的人，可以帮助判定犯罪者是谁。然而，目击者常常认为他们认出了罪犯，但事实上，他们看到的是无辜的人。有时候，目击者也会把电影中的角色和现实事件中的人物搞混，把罪犯描述成一个著名的电影明星。

1 kidnapper   

n.绑架者，拐骗者

参考例句：

• The kidnapper was shot dead then and there by the armed policeman.绑架者被武装警察当时当地击毙。
• The kidnapper strangled the child with a piece of string.绑票的人用一根绳子把这孩子勒死了。

2 hostage   

n.人质，抵押品

参考例句：

• One group claimed to have executed the American hostage.一个组织声称已经处决了那名美国人质。
• Have you read the article about the rescue of the hostage?你看了关于营救人质的文章了吗？

3 ransom   

n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救

参考例句：

• We'd better arrange the ransom right away.我们最好马上把索取赎金的事安排好。
• The kidnappers exacted a ransom of 10000 from the family.绑架者向这家人家勒索10000英镑的赎金。

4 vent   

n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄

参考例句：

• He gave vent to his anger by swearing loudly.他高声咒骂以发泄他的愤怒。
• When the vent became plugged,the engine would stop.当通风口被堵塞时，发动机就会停转。

5 sketch   

n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述

参考例句：

• My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。
• I will send you a slight sketch of the house.我将给你寄去房屋的草图。

6 convict   

n.囚犯，罪犯；v.使...确信自己犯错，宣告...有罪，使...知罪

参考例句：

• I have all the evidence necessary to convict this young criminal now.我掌握一切必要的证据来给这个年轻犯人定罪。
• It was difficult to convict him of the falsity of his beliefs.难以使他认识到他信仰的虚假性。

7 offender   

n.冒犯者，违反者，犯罪者

参考例句：

• They all sued out a pardon for an offender.他们请求法院赦免一名罪犯。
• The authorities often know that sex offenders will attack again when they are released.当局一般都知道性犯罪者在获释后往往会再次犯案。