读故事
You can call me A.J., which is an abbreviation of my full name, Alexander Justice. I like to abbreviate my name because it's easier for people to remember. I work for a museum that collects aboriginal artifacts.

I would like to tell you why I have an abiding faith in the legal system. The story you're about to read has been abridged to reduce its length.

I used to live in an area where criminals abounded and where the legal system seemed powerless. One day, my daughter was abducted. Although I abided by the kidnapper's monetary demands, they refused to release her. I had no choice but to put my faith in the legal authorities. The police responded immediately and searched the area. Despited their lack of success, they refused to abandon their search or to call an abort to their mission. They knew that any abortive action would surely result in my daughter's death.

The investigation eventually led the police to conduct an abrupt search at the home of a local official who was abashed when he learned of the search. My daughter was found in his basement. She had abrasions to her wrists where the abrasive rope had scraped her. The official was arrested along with his bodyguard who abetted him in the kidnapping.

The official was forced to abdicate his position and was sent to prision for life. The judge told him that he was lucky that captial punishment had been abolished and that it was only due to this abolition that he would not be executed. The swift apprehension and strict punishment of these criminals helped to abate my lack of faith in the legal system. These days, I truly believe in "justice", and it's not because of my name!

记单词
abandon vt. 抛弃，放弃 n.放纵，沉溺于
abash vt.使羞愧
abate v.（数量、程度等）减少，减轻，缓解
abbreviate vt. 1.缩短 2. 缩写
abbreviation n.缩写，缩写词
abdicate v.1.让位，辞职 2. 放弃（权利或责任）
abduct vt.绑架，拐走
abet vt.帮助；唆使，教唆；煽动，怂恿
abide vi.遵守 vt.忍受
abiding adj.持久的
abolish vt.废除，取消
abolition n.废除，革除
aboriginal adj.土著的，原来的；土著居民的
abort n.中止计划（任务）
abortive adj.失败的，无结果的
abound vi. 充满；富于
abrasion n.表面磨损
abrasive adj.研磨的
abridge v.缩短，删节
abrupt adj.突然的，意外地