儿童英语读物 The Ghost in the First Row CHAPTER 2 The Haunted Theater

The Aldens drew in their breath as they pulled up in front of the Trap-Door Theater.

“Oh, it looks wonderful!” said Violet, as they climbed out of the car. She gazed admiringly at the stone building with its marble columns.

Henry let out a low whistle. “Awesome.”

Aunt Jane looked pleased. “See those stone lions on either side of the ticket window? We thought they were lost forever,” she said.

“But then, one of the workmen came across them in a dark corner of the basement.”

“That was lucky,” said Benny.

“Yes, they were quite a find,” Aunt Jane said, with a big smile. “Now the theater looks just like it did when it was first built.”

“They really did a great job,” said Jessie.

Aunt Jane agreed. “It’s like stepping back in time,” she said. “In fact, the mayor’s planning to arrive by horse and buggy on opening night.”

Henry’s eyebrows¹ shot up. “Wow, he’s really getting into the spirit of things.”

“Oh, yes,” said Aunt Jane. “This is the biggest thing that’s happened to Elmford in a long time.”

Benny tilted² his head back to look up at the sign above the doorway³. “What does that say?” he wanted to know. The youngest Alden was just learning to read.

Jessie read the words on the billboard⁴ aloud. “Lady Chadwick’s Riddle⁵—Starring Fern Robson.”

“You’re not throwing your money away on tickets, are you?” Everyone whirled around as a middle-aged⁶ man with a mustache walked towards them. He was wearing a business suit, and his dark hair was slicked back.

“Hello, Gil,” Aunt Jane greeted him. “We were just checking out the theater.” She introduced the children to Gil Diggs, the owner of the local movie theater.

“If you ask me, Alice wasted her money on this place.”

Aunt Jane stared at Gil in surprise. “I think the Trap-Door Theater does the town proud.”

“It’s just a matter of time before they close it down again,” Gil said, shaking his head. As he walked away, he called back over his shoulder, “Mark my words!”

“He doesn’t seem very happy about the theater,” said Benny.

“Gil has a lot on his mind these days,” Aunt Jane explained. “It makes him seem a bit grumpy sometimes. You see, his movie theater hasn’t been doing well lately.”

Violet asked, “Why’s that, Aunt Jane?”

“They opened a huge movie complex on the highway, Violet. Some of Gil’s customers go there now. And on top of that, a lot of people would rather rent movies and watch them at home these days.”

“That’s true,” said Henry. “We do that, too.”

Aunt Jane nodded. “I imagine Gil thinks the Trap-Door Theater will take away even more business. He doesn’t seem to understand,” she said, “that a successful theater will bring tourists into town.”

“And that would be good for everyone’s business,” finished Henry, remembering what Grandfather had said.

“Exactly,” said Aunt Jane. “But it’ll take time for Gil to realize that, I’m afraid. Speaking of time,” she added, “I’d better take Uncle Andy’s watch to the jewelry⁷ store for repairs. I’ll be right back.”

While the children were waiting, they noticed a young woman in a hooded⁸ white top and track pants step out of the theater. She was wearing sunglasses, and her coppery red hair was pulled back into a ponytail. A tall man appeared seconds later, the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up above his elbows, and a pencil stuck behind his ear.

From where they were standing⁹, the Aldens couldn’t help overhearing their conversation.

“Hold on a minute,” the young man was saying. “You’re getting upset over nothing, Fern.”

“How can you call it nothing? I have a good mind to walk out on—”

The man broke in, “I’m sure it’s just somebody’s idea of a joke.”

“Well, if it’s a joke,” the woman shot back, “it’s not a very funny one!”

“Her name is Fern,” Henry whispered to the others. “She must be the actress starring in the play.”

Jessie felt uncomfortable listening to the conversation. “Maybe we should walk over to the jewelry store,” she suggested in a low voice. “It isn’t nice to eavesdrop¹⁰.”

“Oh, here comes Aunt Jane now,” said Violet.

“Jane Bean!” The young man waved a hand in the air as Aunt Jane approached. “You’re just the person I wanted to see.”

Aunt Jane introduced the children to Ray Shaw. He was the director of the Trap-Door Theater. Then she said, “What can I do for you, Ray?”

“I was hoping I could stop by tonight,” said Ray, “to pick up a few things from your shed.”

“Of course!” Aunt Jane nodded. Then she turned to the children. “Alice left most of her belongings¹¹ to the theater,” she explained. “We’re keeping them in the old shed out back.”

“The workmen should be finished in the basement soon,” said Ray. “Then we’ll have a dry place to keep all the stage props¹².”

“That’s good,” Aunt Jane told him. “As you know, the lock’s been broken on that shed for years.”

Ray laughed. “I don’t think anybody would be interested in stealing old furniture,” he told her.

“By the way,” Aunt Jane added, “how are rehearsals¹³ going?”

“Don’t ask!” The woman with the coppery red hair came over and joined their group. “I’m at the end of my rope.”

Ray introduced everyone to Fern Robson who was playing the lead in Lady Chadwick’s Riddle.

“This theater makes my hair stand on end,” Fern went on, shivering a little. “I’m a bundle of nerves!”

Henry and Jessie exchanged glances. Why was Fern so upset?

“I have an idea,” said Aunt Jane. “Why don’t you both join us for dinner this evening? How does a barbecue sound?”

“Sounds great!” said Ray. “Count me in.”

“Me, too,” said Fern. “I could use a break from the ghost world.” The actress shivered a little.

The Aldens looked at one another. The ghost world? What on earth was Fern Robson talking about?

1 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

2 tilted   

v. 倾斜的

参考例句：

• Suddenly the boat tilted to one side. 小船突然倾向一侧。
• She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。

3 doorway   

n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径

参考例句：

• They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
• Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。

4 billboard   

n.布告板，揭示栏，广告牌

参考例句：

• He ploughed his energies into his father's billboard business.他把精力投入到父亲的广告牌业务中。
• Billboard spreads will be simpler and more eye-catching.广告牌广告会比较简单且更引人注目。

5 riddle   

n.谜，谜语，粗筛；vt.解谜，给…出谜，筛，检查，鉴定，非难，充满于；vi.出谜

参考例句：

• The riddle couldn't be solved by the child.这个谜语孩子猜不出来。
• Her disappearance is a complete riddle.她的失踪完全是一个谜。

6 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

7 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

8 hooded   

adj.戴头巾的；有罩盖的；颈部因肋骨运动而膨胀的

参考例句：

• A hooded figure waited in the doorway. 一个戴兜帽的人在门口等候。
• Black-eyed gipsy girls, hooded in showy handkerchiefs, sallied forth to tell fortunes. 黑眼睛的吉卜赛姑娘，用华丽的手巾包着头，突然地闯了进来替人算命。 来自辞典例句

9 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

10 eavesdrop   

v.偷听，倾听

参考例句：

• He ensconced himself in the closet in order to eavesdrop.他藏在壁橱里，以便偷听。
• It is not polite to eavesdrop on the conversation of other people.偷听他人说话是很不礼貌的。

11 belongings   

n.私人物品，私人财物

参考例句：

• I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
• Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。

12 props   

小道具； 支柱( prop的名词复数 )； 支持者； 道具； （橄榄球中的）支柱前锋

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The government props up the prices of farm products to support farmers' incomes. 政府保持农产品价格不变以保障农民们的收入。

13 rehearsals   

n.练习( rehearsal的名词复数 )；排练；复述；重复

参考例句：

• The earlier protests had just been dress rehearsals for full-scale revolution. 早期的抗议仅仅是大革命开始前的预演。
• She worked like a demon all through rehearsals. 她每次排演时始终精力过人。 来自《简明英汉词典》