# 第三册 Lesson 35 Justice was done 伸张正义

## 一、课文原文

The word 'justice' is usually associated with courts of law. We might say that justice has been done when a man's innocence or guilt has been proved beyond doubt. Justice is part of the complex machinery of the law. Those who seek it undertake an arduous journey and can never be sure that they will find it. Judges, however wise or eminent, are human and can make mistakes.

There are rare instances when justice almost ceases to be an abstract concept. Reward or punishment are meted out quite independent of human interference. At such times, justice acts like a living force. When we use a phrase like 'it serves him right', we are, in part, admitting that a certain set of circumstances has enabled justice to act of its own accord.

When a thief was caught on the premises of a large jewellery store one morning, the shop assistants must have found it impossible to resist the temptation to say 'it serves him right'. The shop was an old converted house with many large, disused fireplaces and tall, narrow chimneys. Towards midday, a girl heard a muffled cry coming from behind one of the walls. As the cry was repeated several times, she ran to tell the manager who promptly rang up the fire brigade. The cry had certainly come from one of the chimneys, but as there were so many of them, the fire fighters could not be certain which one it was. They located the right chimney by tapping at the walls and listening for the man's cries. After chipping through a wall which was eighteen inches thick, they found that a man had been trapped in the chimney. As it was extremely narrow, the man was unable to move, but the fire fighters were eventually able to free him by cutting a huge hole in the wall. The sorry-looking, blackened figure that emerged, admitted at once that he had tried to break into the shop during the night but had got stuck in the chimney. He had been there for nearly ten hours. Justice had been done even before the man was handed over to the police.

## 二、重点词汇详解

| 单词 | 音标 | 词性 | 释义 | 用法说明 |
|------|------|------|------|----------|
| justice | /ˈdʒʌstɪs/ | n. | 正义，司法 | justice was done 伸张正义 |
| arduous | /ˈɑːdjuəs/ | adj. | 艰苦的，艰难的 | an arduous journey 艰难的旅程 |
| eminent | /ˈemɪnənt/ | adj. | 杰出的，著名的 | an eminent judge 杰出的法官 |
| mete out | /miːt aʊt/ | phr.v. | 给予（惩罚/奖赏） | mete out punishment 施以惩罚 |
| abstract | /ˈæbstrækt/ | adj. | 抽象的 | abstract concept 抽象概念 |
| accord | /əˈkɔːd/ | n. | 一致 | of its own accord 自动地 |
| premises | /ˈpremɪsɪz/ | n. | 房屋，经营场所 | on the premises 在经营场所内 |
| convert | /kənˈvɜːt/ | v. | 改造，转换 | a converted house 改造过的房子 |
| disused | /dɪsˈjuːzd/ | adj. | 废弃的 | disused fireplaces 废弃的壁炉 |
| muffled | /ˈmʌfld/ | adj. | 压低的，沉闷的 | a muffled cry 压低的叫声 |
| chip | /tʃɪp/ | v. | 凿，削 | chip through a wall 凿穿墙壁 |
| trap | /træp/ | v. | 困住 | be trapped in 被困在…… |
| blackened | /ˈblækənd/ | adj. | 变黑的 | 烟熏后变黑的样子 |

## 三、语法知识点

### 1. however + adj./adv. 让步状语

> Judges, **however wise or eminent**, are human and can make mistakes.

= No matter how wise or eminent judges are...

| 结构 | 例句 |
|------|------|
| however + adj. + S + V | However difficult it is, we must try. |
| no matter how + adj. + S + V | No matter how difficult it is, we must try. |

### 2. of one's own accord 自动地，自愿地

> Justice acts **of its own accord**.

= without being forced or prompted; spontaneously

### 3. must have done 推测

> The shop assistants **must have found** it impossible to resist the temptation.

must have done表示对过去事实的肯定推测。

### 4. 现在分词作后置定语/状语

> A girl heard a muffled cry **coming from behind one of the walls**.（后置定语）
> The **sorry-looking, blackened figure** that emerged...（形容词作前置定语）

## 四、重点句型分析

### 1. beyond doubt 毫无疑问地
> A man's innocence or guilt has been proved **beyond doubt**.

同义：without doubt; undoubtedly

### 2. it serves sb. right 某人活该
> It **serves him right**.

这是英语中表示"活该"的地道表达，常用于口语。

### 3. resist the temptation to do 抵抗做……的诱惑
> The shop assistants must have found it impossible to **resist the temptation to say** 'it serves him right'.

### 4. 长难句分析
> When we use a phrase like 'it serves him right', we are, in part, admitting that a certain set of circumstances has enabled justice to act of its own accord.

when引导时间状语从句；主句为we are admitting；that引导宾语从句；in part为插入语，意为"在某种程度上"。

## 五、课文翻译

"正义"这个词通常与法庭联系在一起。当一个人的无辜或罪行被毫无疑问地证实时，我们可以说正义得到了伸张。正义是复杂的法律机器的一部分。寻求正义的人要经历一段艰苦的旅程，而且永远无法确定是否能找到正义。法官无论多么英明杰出，终究是人，也会犯错误。

在某些罕见的情形下，正义几乎不再是一个抽象概念。奖赏或惩罚完全不受人为干预地施予。在这种时候，正义就像一种活的力量在起作用。当我们使用"他活该"这样的说法时，我们在某种程度上承认了某种环境使正义能够自行发挥作用。

一天早上，一个小偷在一家大型珠宝店的营业场所被抓住时，店员们一定觉得不可能忍住不说"他活该"。这家商店是由一栋旧房子改建的，有许多大型废弃的壁炉和又高又窄的烟囱。将近中午时，一个女孩听到从一面墙后传来沉闷的叫声。由于叫声重复了好几次，她跑去告诉经理，经理立刻给消防队打了电话。叫声肯定是从某个烟囱里传出来的，但由于烟囱太多，消防队员无法确定是哪一个。他们通过敲击墙壁和倾听那人的叫声找到了正确的烟囱。在凿穿一堵十八英寸厚的墙后，他们发现有一个人被困在了烟囱里。由于烟囱极窄，那人无法动弹，但消防队员最终在墙上挖了一个大洞把他救了出来。那个灰头土脸、浑身漆黑的人一出来就承认他试图在夜间闯入商店，但被卡在了烟囱里。他已经在那里困了将近十个小时。正义甚至在这个人被移交警方之前就已经得到了伸张。

## 六、语言点精讲

### 写作手法
1. **由抽象到具体**：先讨论"正义"的概念，再以具体故事说明
2. **反讽幽默**：小偷被困烟囱十小时，"正义自行伸张"
3. **叙述节奏**：从概念论述→发现叫声→救援→真相揭露，节奏紧凑

### 文化背景
- "It serves him right"是英语中常见的道德评判表达
- 英国许多旧建筑有大型壁炉和烟囱，珠宝店常由旧宅改建
- 消防队（fire brigade）在英国既负责灭火也负责救援

## 七、课后练习要点

1. **让步表达**：however + adj. vs. no matter how + adj.
2. **推测表达**：must have done 的用法
3. **词汇搭配**：mete out, of its own accord, beyond doubt
4. **写作练习**：用一个具体事例阐述一个抽象概念

## 八、本课小结

本课通过小偷被困烟囱的故事阐述了"正义有时会自行伸张"的观点。语法重点是however引导的让步状语和must have done表示推测。词汇方面掌握justice、arduous、mete out、of its own accord等核心表达。写作上学习从抽象到具体的论述方法。