At the start of a cross-subject（语境补充词）/cross-subject/ challenge, Leo's team received a real case rather than a textbook（教科书）/'tekstbuk/ exercise. The opening evidence connected appropriate（合适的）/əˈproʊpriˌeɪt/, arch（拱门、拱形）/ɑ:tʃ/, architect（建筑师、设计者）/'ɑ:kitekt/, argue（争论）/ˈɑːɡjuːd/, arise（出现；发生）/əraɪz/, arrest（逮捕、监禁）/ә'rest/, arrow（箭、箭状物）/'ærәu/, ashamed（惭愧的、羞耻的）/ә'ʃeimd/, aside（小声说的话、旁白）/ә'said/, assume（假定；认为）/əˈsum/, astonish（使惊讶）/ә'stɒniʃ/, astronaut（太空旅行者、宇航员）/'æstrәnɒ:t/, astronomer（天文学家）/ә'strɒnәmә/, and athlete（运动员、运动选手）/'æθli:t/. The links looked unusual, but each detail came from a witness, label, form, or measurement（尺寸、度量）/'meʒәdmәnt/ in the case file. The team has already reviewed the complete plan.

A second folder added atlantic（大西洋的）/əˈtlæntɪk/, attack（攻击）/əˈtæk/, attract（吸引、诱惑）/ә'trækt/, author（作者）/ˈɔθər/, autonomous（自治的）/ɒ:'tɒnәmәs/, average（平均、平均数）/'ævәridʒ/, aware（知道的；意识到的）/əˈweə/, awesome（引起敬畏的、可怕的）/'ɒ:sәm/, awkward（笨拙的、棘手的）/'ɒ:kwәd/, backward（向后的、相反的）/'bækwәd/, bacon（熏猪肉）/'beikәn/, badminton（羽毛球运动）/'bædmintәn/, bakery（面包店）/'beikәri/, and ballet（芭蕾舞）/'bælei/. Some entries described people and places; others recorded objects, actions, or changing conditions. The students sorted each clue by time and source instead of forcing an early answer. The final choice was explained to everyone at the meeting.

The hardest set included ban（禁令）/bæn/, band（乐队）/bænd/, bar（条；酒吧）/bɑr/, barbecue（烤肉）/'bɑ:bikju:/, barely（几乎不）/'bєәli/, bark（树皮、吠声）/bɑ:k/, barrier（障碍、栅栏）/'bæriә/, base（基础）/beɪs/, basis（基础；依据）/ˈbeɪsɪs/, bat（蝙蝠、球棒）/bæt/, bath（沐浴、浴室）/bæθ.bɑ:θ/, battle（战斗）/ˈbætəl/, bay（海湾、狗吠声）/bei/, and bc（公元前）/bc/. Leo checked spelling and context while a partner marked facts that could be tested. Mina, who led（lead的过去式和过去分词）/led/ the discussion（讨论）/dɪˈskʌʃn/, asked for clear evidence. Then the supervisor（管理者、监督者）/.sju:pә'vaizә/ said, “Do not hide an awkward clue merely because it weakens（削弱、减弱）/'wi:kәn/ your first idea.”

The last working board brought together bean curd（豆腐）/bin kərd/, beard（胡须）/biәd/, beauty（美、美人）/'bju:ti/, beer（啤酒）/biә/, behalf（利益、方面）/bi'hɑ:f/, behave（举止端正、行为规矩）/bi'heiv/, being（存在、性质）/'bi:iŋ/, belief（信念、相信）/bi'li:f/, belong（属于、合适）/bi'lɒŋ/, belt（带子、地带）/belt/, bend（弯曲）/bend/, beneath（在...下方）/bi'ni:θ/, bet（打赌、赌注）/bet/, and beyond（超出；在……之外）/bɪɔnd/. The group compared the four boards, removed repeated claims, and wrote（写下）/roʊt/ a short reason beside every decision（决定）/dɪˈsɪʒn/. If the first method fails, we can try another one. That rule helped them correct two mistakes without blaming a teammate（队友）/'ti:mmeit/.

They would carry out（开展；执行）/ˈkɛri aʊt/ a careful review before they could draw a conclusion（得出结论）/drɔ ə kənˈkluʒən/. The answer must be based on（以……为依据）/bi beɪst ɔn/ evidence. Everyone would have access to（有机会使用；可获取）/hæv ˈækˌsɛs tɪ/ the same file, focus on（集中于）/ˈfoʊkɪs ɔn/ the task, and refer to（查阅；提到）/rɪˈfər tɪ/ original notes. In contrast（相比之下）/ɪn ˈkɑntræst/, guesses would be rejected; in addition（此外）/ɪn əˈdɪʃən/, every change needed a reason. The completed record told（告诉）/toʊld/ a clearer story than the first draft. It did not pretend that every clue was equally important; it showed how disciplined reading, calm cooperation（合作、协力）/kәu.ɒpә'reiʃәn/, and a checkable（语境补充词）/checkable/ decision could turn a crowded case into useful（有用的）/ˈjuːsfəl/ action.