35_Justice_was_Done

35 Justice was Done¶

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 firemen 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.

Words¶

courts /kɔrts/ 法院
innocence /ˈɪnəsəns/ 无辜
guilt /ɡɪlt/ 有罪
undertake /ˈʌndɚˌtek/ 承担
arduous /ˈɑrdʒuəs/ 艰难地
Judges /ˈdʒʌdʒɪz/ 法官
ceases /ˈsisɪz/ 停止
meted /ˈmitɪd/ out /aʊt/ 处置
interference /ˌɪntɚˈfɪrəns/ 干涉
circumstances /ˈsɝkəmˌstænsəz/ 环境
premises /ˈprɛməsəz/ 房屋
fireplaces /ˈfaɪɚˌplesəz/ 壁炉
muffled /ˈmʌfəld/ 捂住
chipping /ˈtʃɪpɪŋ/ 砍
narrow /ˈnɛro/ 狭窄
emerged /ɪˈmɝdʒd/ 出现

Expressions¶

justice has been done/served 正义得到伸张
court of law; courts of law 法庭
prove sb’s innocence 证明某人清白
undertake a task/a project/research/a study/a journey 承担任务/项目/研究/旅程
arduous task of doing sth. / arduous journey 艰巨的任务/艰难的旅程
go through/embark on/begin arduous journey 经历/踏上艰难的旅程
understand + abstract concept 理解抽象概念
interference in sth. 干涉某事
Sorry for the interference, ... 抱歉打扰了
I hope you don't mind the interference, but... 希望你不介意我打扰，但是……
of somebody’s/something’s own accord 出于某人、某事的自愿
on the premises of a. 在a的前提下。
convert a. to/into b. 把 A 转变成 B
emerge from 从……中出现
beyond doubt 无容置疑，确实地
make mistakes 犯错
There are rare instances when 很少有……的情况
cease to do 停止做某事
be independent of 独立于，不依赖于
in part 部分地
run to tell sb. 跑去告诉某人
ring up 打电话
tap at sth. 轻敲某物
listen for… 留神听……
be unable to do sth. 不能做某事
break into 闯入；突然开始
be handed over to 被移交给