“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 ex-schoolteacher 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

　　词汇：

　　vanish / 'v rnf / v. 消失 suicide /'sjvisaid/ n. 自杀

　　case / keis / n. 案件 detective / d’ tekt iv/ n. 侦探

　　nanny /'n ni/ n. 保姆

　　注释：

　　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，警察重新调查案件，希望新的 DNA技术帮助揭开这个谋杀之谜。

　　2. Another version of events says that “Lucky” left the blood-soaked car on the coast and took a ferry to France. 另一个版本是说“幸运的”把被血染了的车子扔在了海岸上，乘上了一艘开往法国的船。

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

　　DNA 鉴定破了很多谋杀案件，但是不知它能否把这个案件做个了结。