大侦探波洛的旅途奇遇（英伦音原文朗读）
大侦探波洛乘飞机旅行，却无意中卷入一场命案。在数万英尺高空的机舱里，与波洛同机的一位夫人离奇死亡，脖子上留下疑似黄蜂蛰伤的痕迹。波洛在地上找到一枚南美土著人常用的飞镖，他怀疑这便是凶手所用的凶器。遗憾的是案发当时波洛刚好睡着了。
Chapter 2 Discovery
Henry Mitchell, the senior steward, walked past the tables in the rear cabin, collecting payment for the food and drinks that had been served to the passengers. The old woman at the back was asleep, and he decided not to wake her up until five minutes before they reached London. When that time arrived, he went and stood beside her. “Madam, your bill.” He shook her gently by the shoulder and her body slipped down in the seat.
* * *
Mitchell walked along the rear cabin, asking quietly at each table, “Excuse me, Sir, are you a doctor?”
Dr Bryant said, “Yes, I am. What’s the matter?”
“It’s the lady at the end, Sir.”
Dr Bryant got up and went with the senior steward to seat number two. Hercule Poirot, the little man with the moustache, followed them. Bryant bent over the body of the woman. “She’s been dead for at least half an hour,” he said. “When did you last see her alive?”
“When I brought her coffee, about three-quarters of an hour ago,” said Mitchell.
Their discussion was beginning to cause interest. The other passengers were turning round to listen.
“There is a mark on her neck,” said Monsieur Poirot.
The woman’s head had fallen sideways. There was a tiny mark on the side of her neck.
The two Duponts arrived beside them. “Pardon. The lady is dead, you say, and there is a mark on her neck?” said Jean. “There was a wasp flying about.” He showed them the dead insect in his saucer①. “Perhaps she has died of a wasp sting②?”
① saucer n. 茶托；小蝶
② sting n. （蜜蜂等昆虫的）蛰伤
“It is possible,” agreed Dr Bryant. “Especially if she had a weak heart.”
“Is there anything I should do?” asked Mitchell. “We’ll be landing in London in a minute.”
“There’s nothing that can be done. The body must not be moved.”
“Pardon. Something has been missed.” Monsieur Poirot pointed at a small yellow and black object lying on the floor.
“Another wasp?” asked the doctor, surprised.
Poirot knelt down and carefully picked up the object. “It is not a wasp!” He showed them a small dart①. It was made from a long thorn②, which was stained③ at its pointed end. Yellow and black silk thread④ was tied around the top.
“Good gracious me!” Mr Clancy was looking over the steward’s shoulder. “I don’t believe it! Gentlemen, this is the type of thorn shot from a blowpipe⑤, the kind that is used by various tribes⑥ in South America — and I suspect⑦ that on the tip...”
“Is the famous arrow⑧ poison of the South American Indians,” said Hercule Poirot.
① dart n. 飞镖
② thorn n. （植物的）刺
③ stained adj. 有污渍的
④ thread n. （棉、毛、丝等）线
⑤ blowpipe n. 吹管（参见文化注释）
⑥ tribe n. 部落
⑦ suspect v. 怀疑
⑧ arrow n. 箭
文化注释
Blowpipe
This is an ancient weapon used mainly to hunt and kill birds by aboriginal peoples living in jungle areas in South America, Africa and Asia. It looks like a long, narrow tube and is made from the hollow stem of a plant like bamboo. A dart with sharp point, sometimes dipped in poison to kill large animals, is blown out of the blowpipe. Because the tube is narrow, the air pressure can make the dart travel up to 30 to 40 metres.
吹管
这是一种古老的武器，居住在南美洲、非洲和亚洲热带丛林地区的原住民主要用来捕杀鸟类。它看上去像一根狭长的管子，通常用竹子类植物的空心杆制成。从吹管里吹出去的是一个尖头的飞镖，有时候上面涂有毒药，以射杀较大的动物。由于管道狭窄，里面的气压可使飞镖射到30至40米之外。
阿加莎•克里斯蒂是世界著名的推理小说女王，她的小说多次被搬上银幕，她在中国粉丝众多，被亲切地称为“阿婆”。
“阿加莎•克里斯蒂经典侦探作品集”丛书经英语专家改写，适当简化，既保留扣人心弦的故事，又使读者能轻松阅读，学习英语。
中文脚注，提示生词含义；文化注释，讲解背景知识。
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《怪屋》（Crooked House）
《密码》（N or M？）
《魔手》（The Moving Finger）
《地狱之旅》（Destination Unknown）
《古屋疑云》（Peril at End House）
《借镜杀人》（They Do It with Mirrors）
《罗杰疑案》（The Murder of Roger Ackroyd）
《寓所谜案》（The Murder at the Vicarage）
《云中奇案》（Death in the Cloud）
《死亡约会》（Appointment with Death）
《葬礼之后》（After the Funeral）
《鸽群中的猫》（Cat among the Pigeons）
《命案目睹记》（4.50 from Paddington）
《斯泰尔斯庄园奇案》（The Mysterious Affair at Styles）
《闪光的氰化物》（Sparkling Cyanide）
《穿棕色套装的人》（The Man in the Brown Suit）
《国际学舍谋杀案》（Hickory Dickory Dock）
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