【英语趣味课堂】犯罪-Crime

Rebecca: So, Gareth, is England a safe place to live?

Gareth: Um, to be honest, no. I don't think so, but I haven't lived in England for quite a few years now, so I don't know what it's like now. But when I left, no. I can remember like walking back at home, having bottles thrown at me from the ops - walking along the road, the opposite road. So, yeah, and being hassled. So there's one time, I was walking back from uni and I was going to my apartment. This guy was yelling¹ at me, and I had my headphones on, and I didn't really hear him. But he came close and he was still yelling at me, so I turned around, and he said, - Oh, I thought you're my mate². And I said, - No, no, no. I mean, you misunderstand. And he said, - Oh, okay, and he said, - Oh, I'll walk with you, I'll walk with you.

 

Well, so the road that led to my apartment was so secluded³, and I was a little bit wary⁴, kind of made me feel a little bit worried. So he said, - No, I'll walk with you. So we started walking and he said, - So, do you have a cellphone? I said, - Yeah, I have a cellphone. He said, - Oh, can I use it? Can I make a phone call on it? And I said, - No. I'm like, - That's all right. I don't want - yeah, I'm just going to go home. And he started getting to this whole conversation about why he needed to use my cellphone, so I said, - Okay, here's my cellphone, and he took my cellphone.

 

Then, he said, - Oh, so then, he asked me about my money, like he said, - How much money do you have on you? And I was like, - Oh, no, so I started to run. I had my big backpack on with like I had a camera in my backpack, and I was worried about him like stealing all of my stuff⁵, so I started to run. He chased⁶ after me, and he pulled me down to the ground. And at that moment, this lady started walking down this secluded road - and yeah, if it hadn't been -

 

Rebecca: Oh, the timing⁷!

 

Gareth: Yeah, if it hadn't been for her, like he would have stolen all of my stuff. And it was quite scary at the time. I was kind of shaken a little bit.

 

Rebecca: Yeah.

 

Gareth: But as soon as she came, he just dropped everything and walked in the other direction. So, after that, I went to the police. There was a police station very close to the apartment, and they were just sipping⁸ coffee, and not really like paperwork, not really minding the streets at all. So, I went there and I reported this. There wasn't much they could do because it was an attempt to mug me, but he didn't actually steal anything. So, they're like, - So what's the point? basically⁹. And I tried to tell them that it was maybe preventative, like if we acted now, we can prevent him from doing it again to some other poor boys -

 

Rebecca: Actually mugging someone, yeah.

 

Gareth: And yeah. So they didn't do much. And so, I don't really have much of a good impression of the police in England, and also, just crime in England.

 

重点词汇：

Learn Vocabulary from the lesson

hassled

 

I remember getting hassled.

 

When we are hassled, that means someone bothers or annoys us; sometimes dangerously. Notice the following:

 

When I was a kid, I always got hassled by my older brother.

Hey, stop hassling me!

misunderstand

 

I said, "No, you misunderstand."

 

When we misunderstand, that means we are confused or don't understand. Notice the following:

 

He misunderstood what I said.

I could see a look of misunderstanding on her face.

secluded

 

The road to my apartment was secluded.

 

Something that is secluded is away from roads, buildings or other people. Notice the following:

 

We relaxed on a secluded beach.

They camped next to a secluded lake in the forest.

shaken

 

I was kind of shaken.

 

When we are shaken, that means we are scared or very upset. Notice the following:

 

She was a little shaken by the news.

They were shaken but not injured.

minding

 

The police were not minding the streets.

 

Here, the word 'minding' means to take care of something. Notice the following:

 

Can you mind the kids while I'm out?

I'll be minding the shop for my dad this weekend.

 

1 yelling   

v.叫喊，号叫，叫着说( yell的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The coach stood on the sidelines yelling instructions to the players. 教练站在场外，大声指挥运动员。
• He let off steam by yelling at a clerk. 他对一个职员大喊大叫，借以发泄怒气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 mate   

n.伙伴，同事；配偶；大副；v.(使)交配

参考例句：

• Where is the mate to this glove?这副手套的另一只在哪儿？
• She has been a faithful mate to him.她一直是他忠实的配偶。

3 secluded   

adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• Some people like to strip themselves naked while they have a swim in a secluded place. 一些人当他们在隐蔽的地方游泳时，喜欢把衣服脱光。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This charming cottage dates back to the 15th century and is as pretty as a picture, with its thatched roof and secluded garden. 这所美丽的村舍是15世纪时的建筑，有茅草房顶和宁静的花园，漂亮极了，简直和画上一样。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

5 stuff   

n.原料，材料，东西；vt.填满；吃饱

参考例句：

• We could supply you with the stuff in the raw tomorrow.明天我们可以供应你原材料。
• He is not the stuff.他不是这个材料。

6 chased   

vt.追捕（chase的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The boy chased his sister in and out among the bushes. 那个男孩在灌木丛里跟着他姐姐追过来追过去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy chased the decoys down to the place of ambush. 敌人将诱骗者一直追到伏兵所在地。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

8 sipping   

v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She sat in the sun, idly sipping a cool drink. 她坐在阳光下懒洋洋地抿着冷饮。
• She sat there, sipping at her tea. 她坐在那儿抿着茶。

9 basically   

adv.基本上，从根本上说

参考例句：

• His heart is basically sound.他的心脏基本上健康。
• Basically I agree with your plan.我基本上同意你的计划。