作者：(英)维卡里
出版社：外语教学与研究出版社
格式: AZW3, DOCX, EPUB, MOBI, PDF, TXT
查尔斯·布拉沃的死亡之谜(3级)试读：
内容简介
在19世纪的英格兰，维多利亚女王统治时期的妇女们日子过得很艰难。已婚妇女必须对丈夫言听计从，自己不能作任何决定。只有男人可以替她拿主意。如果她嫁得不好，丈夫对她拳脚相加，她也无可奈何。
弗洛伦丝·布拉沃年轻漂亮又富有，但她却时运不济，嫁的两任丈夫都不如意。她的第一任丈夫酗酒，还常常打她。她离他而去，找到了一位善良又温和的情人，但这位情人已是有妇之夫。后来她嫁给了查尔斯·布拉沃……
五个月后，查尔斯·布拉沃因锑中毒而死。是谁给他下的毒？是谁想要他的命？还是说这只是一场意外，根本就不是谋杀？
这是一个真实的故事，讲述了1876年发生的一桩凶案。这个案子非常出名。当时大小报纸对这个案子的报道铺天盖地，英格兰里人人都在谈论此案。但是，凶手却一直没有找到……
THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF CHARLES BRAVO
In England in the 1800s, during the time of Queen Victoria, women did not have an easy time. A married woman had to obey her husband in everything; she could not decide things for herself. Only a man could do that for her. And if she had a bad husband, who beat her, she could do nothing about it.
Florence Bravo was young, beautiful, and rich, but she was not lucky in her husbands. Her first husband drank too much, and beat her. She left him and took a lover, who was kind and gentle, but he was already married. Then she married Charles Bravo ...
Five months later, Charles Bravo was dead, killed by antimony poisoning. But who gave him the antimony? Who wanted him dead? Or was it an accident, and not murder at all?
This is a true story about a murder in 1876. It was a very famous case. The newspapers at the time were full of it, and everybody in England was talking about it. But no murderer was ever found ...
PEOPLE IN THIS STORY
Florence Bravo, wife of Charles Bravo;
previously, Florence Ricardo, wife of Alexander Ricardo Charles Bravo, second husband of Florence Bravo;
died April 1876
Joseph Bravo, stepfather of Charles Bravo
Alexander Ricardo, first husband of Florence Bravo;
died April 1871
Dr James Gully, famous doctor, and lover of Florence Bravo
Mrs Jane Cox, friend and companion of Florence Bravo
George Griffiths, Florence Bravo's coachman
Mary Ann Keeber, Florence Bravo's maidservant
Doctors who saw Charles Bravo during his illness:
Dr Harrison, a doctor from Streatham
Dr Moore, a doctor from Balham
Dr Royes Bell, a doctor and cousin to Charles Bravo
Dr George Johnson, a well-known London doctor, and a friend of Royes Bell
Dr William Gull, doctor to Queen Victoria, and the most famous doctor in England at that time
人物介绍
弗洛伦丝·布拉沃，查尔斯·布拉沃的妻子；前为弗洛伦丝·里卡多，亚历山大·里卡多的妻子
查尔斯·布拉沃，弗洛伦丝·布拉沃的第二任丈夫，1876年4月去世
约瑟夫·布拉沃，查尔斯·布拉沃的继父
亚历山大·里卡多，弗洛伦丝·布拉沃的第一任丈夫，1871年4月去世
詹姆斯·格利医生，著名医生，弗洛伦丝·布拉沃的情人
简·考克斯太太，弗洛伦丝·布拉沃的朋友兼陪护
乔治·格里菲思，弗洛伦丝·布拉沃的马车夫
玛丽·安·基伯，弗洛伦丝·布拉沃的女仆
查尔斯·布拉沃生病期间前去诊治的医生：
哈里森医生，来自斯特雷特姆
穆尔医生，来自巴勒姆
罗伊斯·贝尔医生，查尔斯·布拉沃的堂兄
乔治·约翰逊医生，伦敦著名医生，罗伊斯·贝尔的朋友
威廉·古尔医生，维多利亚女王的御医，当时英格兰最著名的医生
1．A true story
his is a true story. But although it is true, no one knows exactly what happened. That's why it is so interesting.TOn Friday 21st April 1876 a young lawyer, Charles Bravo, died at his home in Balham, which at that time was a village just south of London.
But why did Charles Bravo die? Did he kill himself? Was he murdered? Or was his death just a terrible accident?
At first, the doctors thought Mr Bravo had killed himself. But then his family started asking questions. 'I met him on Tuesday afternoon,' said his cousin, Dr Royes Bell. 'He was healthy and happy then. I want to know what happened.'
'I'm sure Charles didn't kill himself,' said his stepfather, Joseph Bravo. 'He was a strong, brave young man. I think he was murdered.'
Charles Bravo was killed by a poison, antimony. But how did the poison get into his body? Did he take it himself, or did someone give it to him? If so, how? And where did the antimony come from?
During July and August 1876, the London Coroner held an enquiry to answer these questions. At the enquiry, the police told their story, and so did Charles Bravo's friends, and the servants in his house. Famous lawyers asked questions. All over England, people read the story in their morning newspapers.
'Who killed Charles Bravo?' they asked. 'Or did he kill himself?'
The longest newspaper stories were about three people: Charles's wife, Florence; Florence's friend, Jane Cox; and Florence's lover, Dr James Gully.
These three people told their stories, but there are differences between the stories. So were they all telling the truth – or only some of the truth? And if one of them told a few lies, which one was it? And why did he or she lie?
What really happened to Charles Bravo?
Here are the three most important stories. First, Charles's wife, Florence ...stepfather n. a man who has married your mother but is not your father 继父poison n. something that can kill you or make you very ill if you eat or drink it 毒药，毒物antimony n. a poisonous chemical used in the past as a medicine 锑enquiry n. an official meeting to find out the truth about something 研讯会
1．一个真实的故事
这是一个真实的故事。不过虽然真实，却没有人知道到底发生了什么。这就是人们对它如此感兴趣的原因。
1876年4月21日，星期五，一位年轻的律师，查尔斯·布拉沃，在他巴勒姆的家中死亡。当时的巴勒姆还只是伦敦南面的一个小村子。
但是查尔斯·布拉沃的死因是什么？是自杀吗？还是他杀？又或者说他的死亡只是一场可怕的意外？
一开始，医生们认为布拉沃先生是自杀，但他的家人提出了质疑。“我周二下午还见过他。”他的堂兄罗伊斯·贝尔医生说，“他当时挺健康的，心情也不错。我想知道后来发生了什么事。”“我敢肯定查尔斯不是自杀。”他的继父约瑟夫·布拉沃说，“他是个坚强勇敢的年轻人。我认为他是被别人害死的。”
查尔斯·布拉沃是锑中毒身亡的。但他是如何中的毒？是他自己吃下去的，还是别人给他吃的？如果是别人给他吃的，那又是怎么让他吃下去的？锑又是从哪里来的？
1876年七八月间，伦敦的验尸官针对这些问题举行了研讯会。在研讯会上，警方讲述了他们所掌握的情况，查尔斯·布拉沃的朋友及家里的仆人也讲述了各自了解的情况。著名律师们进行了提问。全英格兰的人都在早报上读到了相关报道。“谁是杀害查尔斯·布拉沃的凶手？”人们问道，“还是说他是自杀的？”
报纸上登载的篇幅最长的报道涉及下面三个人：查尔斯的妻子弗洛伦丝、弗洛伦丝的朋友简·考克斯，以及弗洛伦丝的情人詹姆斯·格利医生。
这三个人都有自己的说法，但他们的说法也不完全相同。那么他们都说实话了吗？还是只说了部分实话？如果其中一个说了些假话，那么是谁在撒谎？他或她为什么要撒谎？
查尔斯·布拉沃到底出了什么事？
下面就是这最重要的三种说法。首先听听查尔斯的妻子弗洛伦丝的说法……
2．Florence Bravo's story
PART 1My name is Mrs Florence Bravo. I am 31 years old. I live at The Priory, in Balham. At the time of his death, my husband, Charles Bravo, lived there too. My friend and companion, Jane Cox, was also living in the house ...y husband Charles and I were very happy together. Of course, we argued sometimes, but that's normal, isn't it? All husbands Mand wives argue sometimes. But Charles was a good man – a lawyer – and I loved him very much. He loved me too – everyone will tell you that. In fact, that was the last thing he said, before he died. 'You've been the best of wives,' he said. Then I kissed him, and he died.Charles Bravo was my second husband. I married him at the end of last year, December 1875. My first husband, Alexander Ricardo, died in 1871. I was only nineteen when I married Alexander. He was a soldier in the British army. He looked very tall and handsome in his red coat.Florence Ricardo – later, Florence Bravo
Both our families were very rich, and my parents liked him. All the most important people in London came to our wedding – it was wonderful! We danced late into the night. He was the most beautiful man I had ever seen. I fell in love with him, and I thought he loved me too.
But I was wrong. Alexander was a terrible husband. He didn't love me; he spent most of his time visiting girls and drinking. He drank two or three bottles of wine every night. Sometimes, when he came home, he couldn't stand up. And when I argued with him, he hit me.
That's right – my tall beautiful soldier husband hit me! One day he hit me hard, in the face, three times. Then he laughed.
I left him then and ran home, to my parents. 'I can't live with this man,' I told them. 'He's stupid and dangerous. I don't want to be married any more!'
'But Alexander is your husband,' my father said. 'A wife can't leave her husband. It's against the law. You must go back to him and do what he says.'
'No!' I screamed. 'I can't, I won't! You don't understand! I don't want to see him again, ever! I wish he was dead!'
I cried so much that my parents thought I was ill. So my mother took me to a doctor, Dr James Gully.
I'll never forget that day. We arrived at Dr Gully's hospital in Malvern after a long journey. I was very tired, frightened, and unhappy. Dr Gully was a man, of course. But he didn't shout at me, like my father and my husband. He just looked at me, and listened. He was quiet and friendly and kind. In fact, I thought he was the kindest man I had ever met.
He was the only man who really liked me and understood me. But after a while, I saw that it was more than that. Dr Gully didn't just like me and understand me. He fell in love with me, too.
He can tell you about that.companion n. a person (often a woman) whose job is to live with and help somebody 陪护（指受雇的职业伴侣，常为女性）handsome adj. good-looking (usually of a boy or man) 英俊的
2．弗洛伦丝·布拉沃的讲述
第一部分我是弗洛伦丝·布拉沃夫人，今年31岁。我住在巴勒姆的普里奥里。我丈夫查尔斯·布拉沃去世时也住在那儿。我的朋友兼陪护简·考克斯当时也和我们住在一起……
我和丈夫查尔斯生活得非常幸福。当然，我们有时也会吵架，但这太正常不过了，是不是？哪有夫妻不吵架的呀？但查尔斯人很不错，是一名律师，我非常爱他。他也爱我——这一点大家都知道。事实上，他临死前的最后一句话就是这么说的。“你是天底下最好的妻子。”他说。然后我亲吻了他，他就闭上了眼睛。
查尔斯·布拉沃是我的第二任丈夫。我是去年年底，也就是1875年12月和他结婚的。我的第一任丈夫亚历山大·里卡多是1871年去世的。我和亚历山大结婚时只有19岁。他当时在英国军队服役。亚历山大个子高高的，穿红军装非常帅。
我们两家家境都很好，我父母也喜欢他。伦敦所有的头面人物都参加了我们的婚礼——一场盛大华美的婚礼！我们跳舞跳到深夜。他是我见过的最英俊的男子。我爱上了他，以为他也爱我。
但是我错了，亚历山大是个很糟糕的丈夫。他并不爱我，他大多数时间都在寻花问柳，饮酒作乐。他每天晚上都要喝上两三瓶酒，有时回到家都站不起来了。我一跟他理论，他就打我。
没错——我那高大英俊的军人丈夫打我！有一天，他狠狠地打了我的脸三次，然后他还笑。
之后我就离开他，跑回了娘家。“我没法跟这个男的过了。”我跟我爸妈说，“他是个危险的蠢货。我不想再维持这场婚姻了！”“但亚历山大是你的丈夫。”我爸爸说，“做妻子的不能离开丈夫。这是违法的。你必须回到他身边，照他说的办。”“不！”我尖叫道，“我不能回去，我也不会回去！你们根本不理解！我不想再见到他，永远也不见！我希望他死掉！”
我哭得稀里哗啦，以至于我爸妈以为我病了。于是妈妈带我去看医生，詹姆斯·格利医生。
我永远也不会忘记那一天。在长途跋涉之后，我们来到了格利医生那家位于莫尔文的医院。我又累又怕，闷闷不乐。当然，格利医生是位男性。但他并未对我大喊大叫，不像我爸爸和我丈夫。他只是看着我，倾听我的诉说。他话不多，友好而体贴。实际上，我认为他是我见过的最体贴的男人。
他是唯一真心喜欢我、理解我的男人。但是不久之后，我发现事情不止如此。格利医生不只是喜欢我、理解我，他还爱上了我。
你们可以听听他是怎么说的。
3．Dr James Gully's story
PART 1My name is Dr James Gully. I am 68 years old. I live at Orwell Lodge, in Balham. In January 1871 I was living in Malvern, near W ales. That's where I first met Florence – Florence Ricardo, as she was called then ...Dr James Gully remember the day when I first met Florence. It was a cold January morning. There was snow on the hills, but the sun was shining. IFlorence's mother brought her to my hospital in Malvern. Florence was not ill, but she was very unhappy. She had run away from her husband, Alexander Ricardo. Her father had told her to go back to him.'But I won't go!' she said. 'I'm never going back to him, never!'
I looked at her carefully. She was crying, and there was a dark bruise on her face. She was a young woman, twenty-five years old, and she had been married for six years.
'Does your husband hit you, my dear?' I asked.
'Yes, he does. He often hits me. I hate him!'
'But you're his wife, Florence,' her mother said. 'So you have to live with him. That's what wives do.'
'No!' Florence screamed at her mother. 'You don't understand. When he's drunk, he's dangerous, he hurts me! I'll kill myself if you make me go back!'
She got up and hit her hand against the window.
'This young woman is ill,' I told her mother. 'She needs a quiet, safe place where she can rest and be calm. We have a small house in the hospital gardens. She can stay there until she is better.'
So Florence stayed, and I visited her every day. We walked in the hospital gardens, and she told me about her husband, Alexander.
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