读英文 | The Naked Face 02

The Naked Face is the first novel (1970) written by Sidney Sheldon. It was nominated by the Mystery Writers of America for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel by an American Author.
——Wikipedia

▍Chapter Three & Four

Ⅰ. 词汇、表达：

And now Judd was here to tell her that her husband had been senselessly murdered. She looked up at him, unable to believe what he had just said, sure that it was some kind of macabre joke. And then realization set in. “He’s never coming back to me!” she screamed. “He’s never coming back to me!” She started tearing at her clothes in anguish, like a wounded animal. The six-year-old twins walked in. And from that moment on, there was bedlam.

• set in（不好的事情）产生，开始，到来，恶化 If something unpleasant sets in, it begins and seems likely to continue or develop.
  e.g. Then disappointment sets in as they see the magic is no longer there... 当他们发现魔力已失的时候，失望的情绪开始蔓延。
  Winter is setting in and the population is facing food and fuel shortages. 冬天即将到来，人们将面临食物和燃料的短缺。
• tear at sth.（人、动物）撕扯，撕咬 If a person or animal tears at something, they pull it violently and try to break it into pieces.

He asked Mike to have the car sent down to the garage.
“Right, Dr. Stevens.” Mike seemed about to add something, then thought better of it.

• think better of it / of doing sth to decide not to do sth after thinking further about it 深思熟虑后决定不做；一想又改变主意 [SYN reconsider]
  e.g. Rosie was about to protest but thought better of it. 罗西刚要抗议，但又一想决定作罢。

Angeli shrugged. “I’ll take your word for it, Doctor.”

• take at (one's) word To be convinced of another's sincerity and act in accord with his or her statement 相信某人说的是真话，被另外一个人的真诚所说服并按他或她说的做
  e.g. We had to take them at their word that the job would be done on time. 我们不得不听他们的话，工作必须按时完成

There was no question of sleep.

• there is / was no question of (sth happening / sb doing sth) there is / was no possibility of sth（某事）是不可能的
  e.g. There was no question of his / him cancelling the trip so near the departure date. 离出发日期这么近，他不可能取消行程。

Angeli looked after him thoughtfully. If he did nothing, there was a good chance that McGreavy would try to railroad Dr. Stevens. He could not let that happen. He made a mental note to speak to Captain Bertelli in the morning.

• mental note [n] make a mental note of sth 记在脑子里；把……牢记在心 to make an effort to remember something
  e.g. I made a mental note of her address.

Two years ago, when the company had needed a new president, they had passed over Harrison Burke and had hired an outsider. A year later the post of executive vice-president had opened up, and a man was given the job over Burke’s head.

• pass over（任命或晋升时）跳过，不考虑

And each time she had looked at him with her thoughtful, intelligent eyes and had merely shaken her head. Whenever he tried to pin her down, she would head him off with, “Please be patient with me. Let me do it my own way.”

• pin sb ↔ down (to sth / doing sth) to make sb make a decision or say clearly what they think or what they intend to do 使决定；使说明意向
  e.g. It's difficult to pin her down to fixing a date for a meeting. 让她确定个开会日期实在是难。
• head off 拦截；拦住 If you head off a person, animal, or vehicle, you move to a place in front of them in order to capture them or make them change the direction they are moving in.

She was standing there, watching him. He nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

• trust someone (to do something) [spoken] [phrase] used for saying that someone has done something that you think is typical of them, especially something that annoys you
  e.g. Trust Tim to forget about our meeting!
  ‘Pete left the kitchen in a real mess.’ ‘Trust him!’

Ⅱ. 段落摘录：

▏“You don’t have to answer them,” interjected Angeli,“without benefit of legal counsel. Also, you should know that anything you say can be used as evidence against you.”

▏Burke walked over to the door leading to the corridor. He opened it a crack and peered up and down the corridor. Then he swiftly sidled out.

▏With all the sickness and aberration and misery that he had seen, having Anne here was like a breath of April freshness.

▏“Please don’t,” Judd said. He found that his voice was husky. She was walking out on him. But of course she couldn’t know that. He was being infantile. His mind told him this clinically while his stomach ached with the physical hurt of her going away. Forever.

— END —