VOA慢速英语2014 开膛手杰克终于被抓住了,也许

 

Jack¹ the Ripper Finally Caught, Maybe 开膛手杰克终于被抓住了,也许

After more than a century, one of world’s most infamous² killers⁴ is finally caught. Maybe. Perhaps.   

A British writer says he has uncovered the true identity of Jack the Ripper.  The writer calls himself an armchair detective. For those who do not know about Jack the Ripper, he is one of history's most terrible serial⁵ killers – a person who kills again and again. “Jack” terrorized a poor part of London in the year 1888. 

Here are more details – or in this case, evidence. All you armchair detectives listening at home can play Sherlock Holmes and come to your own judgment⁶.

Few killers in history have become as well-known as Jack the Ripper. His murders were rare in their violence. And for 126 years, police have been unable to put a name to the crimes.

What is the new evidence?

That is why it made international news recently when writer and armchair detective Russell Edwards named the man he says is Jack the Ripper. Mr. Edwards says new DNA⁷ evidence points the finger of guilt⁸ at one man, a Polish immigrant named Aaron Kosminski.

Tests of DNA – deoxyribonucleic acid – are often used today for identification purposes. Russell Edwards says experts used bloodstains taken from a never-cleaned shawl, or long scarf, of Jack the Ripper’s fourth victim. The victim is a woman named Catherine Eddowes. Her shawl reportedly was found by her body. These experts compared the DNA from this blood to that of a living descendant, a living relative, of Aaron Kosminski.

Mr. Edwards is not the only one to have suspected Mr. Kosminski. In 1888, London police also suspected him. But no witness stepped forward to give police the evidence they needed. So, he walked free. 

Mr. Kosminski worked as a barber, a hair-cutter, in London.  He surely knew how to use a sharp-edged blade. He died of gangrene from a leg wound in an insane asylum⁹, a hospital for the mentally ill.

But the killer³ named “Jack the Ripper” lives on. Stories about his notorious, or infamous, killings¹⁰ have appeared in many books, newspaper articles and movies. 

The stories led Russell Edwards to investigate the murders.  He decided¹¹ to write about them after seeing a movie about the Ripper called From Hell. Johnny Depp and Heather Graham starred in the 2001 film.

The era of Jack the Ripper

Jack the Ripper’s murders took place in 1888 in an area of London’s East End called Whitechapel. The known victims were five sex workers. But some believe he was responsible for many other killings in that area at that time.

In 1888, Whitechapel was a poor part of town where many traded sex for money. And that is who Jack-the-Ripper targeted. His victims were poor female prostitutes who drank too much. He murdered them violently, cutting their throats and cutting up their bodies. In most of the killings, he removed internal organs.    

Everyone agrees that Jack the Ripper was a terrible man. But not everyone believes that Aaron Kosminski was really Jack the Ripper.

Some other armchair detectives do not buy the accusation¹² against Kosminski. They do not believe it. They say the DNA found on the shawl is not believable evidence. They say too much time has passed and too many hands have touched it. And Aaron Kosminski is no longer around to defend himself. 

But for at least one armchair detective, this mystery can finally be buried.

1 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

2 infamous   

adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的

参考例句：

• He was infamous for his anti-feminist attitudes.他因反对女性主义而声名狼藉。
• I was shocked by her infamous behaviour.她的无耻行径令我震惊。

3 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

4 killers   

凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事

参考例句：

• He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
• They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。

5 serial   

n.连本影片，连本电视节目；adj.连续的

参考例句：

• A new serial is starting on television tonight.今晚电视开播一部新的电视连续剧。
• Can you account for the serial failures in our experiment?你能解释我们实验屡屡失败的原因吗？

6 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

7 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

8 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

9 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

10 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

11 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

12 accusation   

n.控告，指责，谴责

参考例句：

• I was furious at his making such an accusation.我对他的这种责备非常气愤。
• She knew that no one would believe her accusation.她知道没人会相信她的指控。