“Lucky” Lord Lucan ----- Alive or Dead

　　On 8th November 1974 Lord Lucan，a British aristocrat，vanished. The day before，his children's nanny had been brutally murdered and his wife had been attacked too. To this day the British public are still interested in the murder case because Lucan has never been found. Now，over 30 years later，the police have reopened，the case，hoping that new DNA techniques will he1p solve this murder mystery.1

　　People suspected that“Lucky”，as he was called by friends，wanted to kill his wife he no longer lived with. They say that Lucan entered his old house and in the dark，killed the nanny by mistake. His estranged wife heard noises，came downstairs and was also attacked，but managed to escape. Seven months after the murder，a jury conc1uded that Lucan had ki1led the nanny.

　　What happened next is unc1ear，but there are several theories which fall into one of three categories：he may have killed himself，he could have escaped or he might have been killed. It appears that the night after the murder，“Lucky”borrowed a car and drove it，Lucan's friend Aspinall said in an interview that he thought Lucan had committed suicide by sinking his boat in the English Channel.

　　Another version of events says that “Lucky” left the blood-soaked car on the coast and took a ferry to France.2 He was met there by someone who drove him to safety in another country. However，after a time，his rescuers became worried that they would become involved in the murder too and so Lucan was killed.

　　A further fascinating theory was made in the book Dead Lucky by Duncan MacLaughlin，a former detective. He believes that Lucan travelled to Goa，India，where he assumed the identity of a Mr Barry Haplin. Lucan then lived in Goa till his death in 1996. In the end the c1aim turned out be a case of mistaken identity. The man who died in 1996 was real1y Haplin，an ex­schoolteacher turned hippy. So what is the truth about Lucky? DNA testing has solved many murder cases，but who knows if it can cIose the book on this one. 3

　　詞匯：

　　vanish  v. 消失

　　suicide   n. 自殺

　　case  n. 案件

　　detective  n. 偵探

　　nanny  n. 保姆

　　注釋：

　　1. Now，over 30 years later，the police have reopened the case，hoping that new DNA techniques will help solve this murder mystery. 30 多年后的今天，警察重新調(diào)查案件，希望新的 DNA技術(shù)幫助揭開這個謀殺之謎。

　　2. Another version of events says that “Lucky” left the blood-soaked car on the coast and took a ferry to France. 另一個版本是說“幸運的”把被血染了的車子扔在了海岸上，乘上了一艘開往法國的船。

　　3. DNA testing has solved many murder cases，but who knows if it can close the book on this one.

　　DNA 鑒定破了很多謀殺案件，但是不知它能否把這個案件做個了結(jié)。

　　練習(xí)：

　　1. The public are still interested in the investigation because______.

　　A) of the terrible murder

　　B) of the use of new DNA techniques

　　C) Lord Lucan has never been found

　　D) Loard Lucan was famous

　　2. It is thought that Lucan killed the nanny because______.

　　A) she was looking after the children

　　B) she was a friend of Lucan's

　　C) it was dark and he thought she was Lady Lucan

　　D) Loard Lucan thought the nanny stole his car

　　3. Aspinall thought Lucan killed himself by______.

　　A) jumping into water

　　B) jumping out of his house

　　C) sailing his boat

　　D) sinking his boat

　　4. Lucan could have been killed because people ______.

　　A) didn't want the police to catch him

　　B) thought he might talk to the police about them if he was caught

　　C) were unhappy with him

　　D) thought he was rich

　　5. Ex-detective MacLaughlin claimed that Mr Barry Haplin ______.

　　A) was an old schoolteacher

　　B) died in Goa，India

　　C) was really Lord Lucan in disguise

　　D) was a merchant

　　答案與題解：

　　1. C 本題問的是：公眾對這件謀殺的調(diào)查依舊很感興趣的原因是什么?根據(jù)第一段第二句 話：To this day the British public are still interested in the murder case because. Lucan has never been found. 可知 C 是正確的答案。

　　2. C 本題問的是：Lucan 被認(rèn)為是殺了保姆的兇手是因為什么? A 的意思是保姆正在照看孩子。B 的意思是她是 Lucan 的一個朋友。C 的意思是一片漆黑中 Lucan 以為她是自己的太太。D 的意思是Lucan 認(rèn)為保姆偷了他的車。根據(jù)原文意思，可知 C 是正確的答案。

　　3. D本題問的是：Aspinall 認(rèn)為 Lucan 是怎樣自殺的?根據(jù)第三段的最后一句話：他覺得Lucan 伯爵在英吉利海峽弄沉了自己坐的船，已經(jīng)自殺了。因此 D 是正確的答案。

　　4. B本題問的是：Lucan 可能已經(jīng)被殺了，原因是什么?根據(jù)第四段的最后一句話：他們擔(dān)心 自己也會被卷入到謀殺案件中，因此殺了 Lucan。最符合此意的選項為 B ，意思為他們覺得 如果 Lucan 被捕，他有可能跟警察提起這些人。

　　5. C 本題問的是：前偵探 MacLaughlin 聲稱Barry Haplin是什么?根據(jù)本文最后一段：MacLaughlin確信，Lucan 逃到了印度的果阿，在那里他換了個身份假裝 Barry Haplin 這個 人。C的意思是 Barry Haplin 是 Lucan 伯爵假裝的。因此C是正確的答案。