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儿童英语读物 The Ghost at the Drive-In Movie CHAPTER 3 Strange Intermission

时间:2017-12-06 06:07来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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“Uncle Flick1, is there anything we can do to help out while we’re here?” Henry asked. “Besides fixing breakfast, I mean.”

They were eating breakfast with Uncle Flick in the kitchen of the Fletcher house. Grandfather had brought back muffins from a bakery in town, and the children had helped wash and cut fresh fruit.

“Yes, we can lend a hand around the theater,” Jessie added.

It was true—the Aldens always liked being helpful. But they also hoped that by helping2 out around the theater, they could figure out why so many odd things were happening.

“Why, thank you,” said Uncle Flick. “There are plenty of things you can do before the theater opens tonight. Pick up litter, check to make sure the car speakers are working, stuff like that.”

“I can test popcorn3!” Benny said. “I can taste it to make sure there’s enough butter!”

Uncle Flick laughed at this. “No need to do that, Benny! But we’ll figure out a job for you.”

After lunch, the children got right to work. Henry carefully checked the cords on all the speakers. Jessie and Violet picked up litter with special spiked4 poles. And Benny’s job was to bring everyone water and supplies. Uncle Flick found Joey’s old dirt bike for Benny to ride. They filled the front basket with water bottles and trash bags.

“You can ride over to the projection5 booth and see if Amy needs anything,” said Uncle Flick.

“I’ll head right over!” said Benny. He pedaled off across the lot.

But when he got to the booth, Amy wasn’t there. So he got back on the bike to find Jessie and Violet.

Meanwhile, Henry had finished checking the speakers. He went to the snack bar to ask Joey if he needed any help. When he walked inside the lights were on, but the place was empty.

“Hello?” he called. But there was no answer.

Jessie and Violet had picked up all the litter they could find on the lot. They had nearly filled a whole bag of garbage.

“I’m getting thirsty,” Violet said. “I think I saw Benny riding his bike over by the snack bar. I’ll go find him and get some water for us.”

“Good idea,” said Jessie. “It’s getting hot out!”

Violet walked off across the lot. Jessie looked up at the movie screen, which was shining brightly in the sun. She realized there would be shade on the other side of the screen, so she walked behind it.

It was nice and cool behind the screen. Jessie picked up a few pieces of litter and looked around. She noticed a large bundle near the back of the screen—it was something rolled up, like a tent. She would be sure to ask Uncle Flick what it was. Just then, she heard Henry calling her name, and she went out to the front of the theater.

“Have you seen Joey?” Henry asked. “He was supposed to be at the snack bar, but he’s not there.”

“No,” Jessie said. “What about Benny? Violet’s looking for him. He’s got the water, and we’re thirsty!”

“So am I,” said Henry. He turned and looked around the lot. “Look, there he is now!”

They both saw Benny riding his bike near the front gate.

“Benny! Over here!” Jessie called. But Benny wasn’t paying attention. He liked the bike very much.

Henry groaned6. “We’ll have to go over there to get our water,” he said. So he and Jessie ran across the lot to Benny.

Over on the other side of the theater, Violet hadn’t seen Benny at all. She was still looking for him by the snack bar. She was walking along the edge of the building when she heard a voice around the corner. “Benny?” she said.

But it wasn’t Benny. Amy and Joey were there, and they had been talking. They both jumped a little when they saw Violet. Violet jumped, too.

“Gosh! I didn’t mean to surprise you,” said Violet.

Joey stood up straighter and pushed the hair out of his eyes. “Uh, what do you mean, ‘surprise?’”

“Oh … well … I thought I interrupted you while you were talking,” Violet replied.

“We weren’t talking!” said Amy. “I mean, we weren’t talking about anything important.”

“Like, why would we be?” said Joey.

Violet thought they were acting7 oddly. “I’m sorry. Never mind,” she said. She was turning to leave when suddenly Amy said, “Wait!” and ran up to Violet.

“What is it?” Violet asked.

Amy’s voice was sharp. “Do you see that storage shed over there?” she asked. She pointed8 to a long low building on the far edge of the theater grounds.

“Y-yes,” said Violet.

“You and your sister and brothers need to stay away from there. If any of you go in there you’ll … you’ll be in trouble. Do you understand?” Amy sounded very serious.

Violet nodded.

“You be sure to tell them,” said Amy. She marched off towards the projection booth. Joey went back inside the snack bar. And Violet took a deep breath. She was glad to see Jessie and Henry walking back across the lot.

“What was that all about?” Jessie asked her.

Violet told her sister and Henry what had just happened.

“There’s something strange about Amy,” Jessie remarked. “She always acts like we’ve caught her at something.”

“Well, she’s never where she’s supposed to be,” Violet said. “Come to think of it, neither is Joey.”

“And neither is Benny!” said Henry, looking around. “Did he ride off on his bike again?”

Benny had indeed ridden off again. After he’d given Henry and Jessie their water bottles he’d decided9 to find Violet, too. He wondered if she was on the other side of the theater, so he rode along the edge of the lot until he saw something he hadn’t noticed before. It was an old storage shed. Benny got off his bike and walked up to the open door to peek10 inside.

What he saw inside made his eyes widen. He couldn’t believe what he saw. “I have to tell Henry and Jessie and Violet about this!” he whispered.

He ran back to his bike and rode off across the theater lot. Soon he saw Jessie running up to him.

“There you are!” said Jessie. “You shouldn’t ride off like that without telling anyone where you’re going,” she said firmly Jessie often acted like a mother to Benny

“I’m sorry” Benny said.

“It’s important,” she added. “Because there are places where you’re not supposed to go. Like the storage shed. Amy told Violet that if any of us go in there we’ll all be in trouble. Okay?”

“O-okay,” said Benny. He did not want anyone to be in trouble. So he did not tell Jessie that he’d been to the shed. He would not tell anyone what he’d seen inside.

Evening came, and the drive-in theater opened for the night.

“Are you sure you don’t mind seeing Island of the Horses and Pirate Spy again?” Grandfather asked the children.

“We don’t mind,” said Jessie. Sometimes the children liked watching the same movie more than once. But they also wanted to find out more about the pranks11 at the drive-in—and the ghost, too.

“Let’s find a spot for the car,” Grandfather said. “And then I’ll walk back over to the Fletcher house and read my book on the porch. You can call me on my cell phone if you need anything.”

Soon the minivan was in a good spot in the third row of the drive-in. It was still twilight12, and the Alden children decided to walk around to look for anything unusual. Henry walked with Violet and Benny. They saw Dan Brinker in the second row. Tonight he had a shiny silver car decorated with green and blue balloons.

“Maybe he can tell us more about the ghost,” Violet replied.

“Let’s talk to him at intermission,” Henry said.

“What’s in-ter-mish-un?” Benny asked.

“That’s the break in the middle of a show,” Henry said. “Here at the theater, it’s the break between the first movie and the second one.”

Meanwhile, Jessie was walking Watch. They were near the projection booth when she heard a voice call, “Jessie?”

It was Amy Castella. She was standing13 in the doorway14 of the booth. “Hi. Er … could you do me a favor?” Amy asked. “Could you just keep an eye on the booth while I run and get a soda15?”

Jessie didn’t know what to say for a moment. Amy hadn’t been very friendly.

“Listen,” Amy went on. “I’m sorry about today. I guess I wasn’t very nice to your sister. It’s just that things have been crazy around here lately.”

“What happened with the sound last night?” Jessie asked.

Amy looked sheepish. “I wish I knew,” she said. “But I know it wasn’t an accident. There’s no way the sound could have just switched like that! I need to be truthful16 with Uncle Flick and tell him …”

“Tell him what?” asked Jessie.

“That someone must have played a trick last night. Someone was in the booth when I was out.”

“Oh, no,” said Jessie.

“So will you please stay here for a moment while I get a soda?” Amy begged.

Jessie nodded.

“Thank you so much. I’ll be right back!” Amy ran off towards the snack bar.

Jessie sat on the front steps of the booth with Watch. “Amy’s being friendlier,” she told Watch. “But why does it seem like she’s still hiding something?”

After Amy returned to the booth, Jessie and Watch went back to the minivan. As the first movie began, Jessie told Henry, Violet, and Benny what had happened.

“Perhaps Amy is behind the pranks,” said Henry. “After all, she lied to Uncle Flick yesterday. She said the sound problem was an accident when it wasn’t.”

“Or maybe she feels guilty about leaving the booth,” Violet said.

“Both she and Joey keep sneaking17 off for some reason,” Jessie pointed out.

“And what about the ghost?” Benny asked.

“Benny, there’s no such thing as ghosts,” Henry reminded him. “But … maybe someone is trying to make the place look haunted.”

“They are!” Benny said. “I mean, maybe whoever is doing the pranks is making the ghost, too.”

“That’s true,” said Jessie. “When the movie is over, let’s find Dan Brinker and ask him about the ghost.”

Violet started giggling18. “Oh my gosh! I almost forgot we were watching a movie! With people all around!”

Henry laughed, too. “But since we’re in a car, nobody else can hear us. So nobody is saying ‘sshhhhh!’”

“Drive-in movies are the best kind!” said Benny.

An hour later, Island of the Horses had ended. Jessie and Violet thought it was even better the second time around. As soon as the lights came up over the theater lot, they set out towards Dan Brinker’s car to talk to him about the “ghost” he had seen the night before.

The balloon-covered car was still in the second row. But Dan wasn’t there.

“Maybe he went to the snack bar,” said Jessie. “Let’s go see if he’s waiting in line.”

As the children walked towards the snack bar they heard a funny sound behind them. Zzzzt-zzzzt-zzzzt! It sounded like a bug19 zapper. Zzzzt! Zzzzzzzt! Watch heard it, too, and started barking.

Everyone in the theater was looking and pointing towards something in the sky near the screen. The children turned around and saw what it was. It was the neon sign for Duke’s Dogs. Something was very wrong with it. Zzzz, zzzt, it went, as it flickered20 and sputtered21.

And then it went dark!
 


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 flick mgZz1     
n.快速的轻打,轻打声,弹开;v.轻弹,轻轻拂去,忽然摇动
参考例句:
  • He gave a flick of the whip.他轻抽一下鞭子。
  • By a flick of his whip,he drove the fly from the horse's head.他用鞭子轻抽了一下,将马头上的苍蝇驱走。
2 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
3 popcorn 8lUzJI     
n.爆米花
参考例句:
  • I like to eat popcorn when I am watching TV play at home.当我在家观看电视剧时,喜欢吃爆米花。
  • He still stood behind his cash register stuffing his mouth with popcorn.他仍站在收银机后,嘴里塞满了爆米花。
4 spiked 5fab019f3e0b17ceef04e9d1198b8619     
adj.有穗的;成锥形的;有尖顶的
参考例句:
  • The editor spiked the story. 编辑删去了这篇报道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • They wondered whether their drinks had been spiked. 他们有些疑惑自己的饮料里是否被偷偷搀了烈性酒。 来自辞典例句
5 projection 9Rzxu     
n.发射,计划,突出部分
参考例句:
  • Projection takes place with a minimum of awareness or conscious control.投射在最少的知觉或意识控制下发生。
  • The projection of increases in number of house-holds is correct.对户数增加的推算是正确的。
6 groaned 1a076da0ddbd778a674301b2b29dff71     
v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 );发牢骚;抱怨;受苦
参考例句:
  • He groaned in anguish. 他痛苦地呻吟。
  • The cart groaned under the weight of the piano. 大车在钢琴的重压下嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 acting czRzoc     
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的
参考例句:
  • Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她,她只是假装的。
  • During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代,她的表演生涯黯然失色。
8 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
9 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
10 peek ULZxW     
vi.偷看,窥视;n.偷偷的一看,一瞥
参考例句:
  • Larry takes a peek out of the window.赖瑞往窗外偷看了一下。
  • Cover your eyes and don't peek.捂上眼睛,别偷看。
11 pranks cba7670310bdd53033e32d6c01506817     
n.玩笑,恶作剧( prank的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Frank's errancy consisted mostly of pranks. 法兰克错在老喜欢恶作剧。 来自辞典例句
  • He always leads in pranks and capers. 他老是带头胡闹和开玩笑。 来自辞典例句
12 twilight gKizf     
n.暮光,黄昏;暮年,晚期,衰落时期
参考例句:
  • Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。
  • Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。
13 standing 2hCzgo     
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。
14 doorway 2s0xK     
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。
15 soda cr3ye     
n.苏打水;汽水
参考例句:
  • She doesn't enjoy drinking chocolate soda.她不喜欢喝巧克力汽水。
  • I will freshen your drink with more soda and ice cubes.我给你的饮料重加一些苏打水和冰块。
16 truthful OmpwN     
adj.真实的,说实话的,诚实的
参考例句:
  • You can count on him for a truthful report of the accident.你放心,他会对事故作出如实的报告的。
  • I don't think you are being entirely truthful.我认为你并没全讲真话。
17 sneaking iibzMu     
a.秘密的,不公开的
参考例句:
  • She had always had a sneaking affection for him. 以前她一直暗暗倾心于他。
  • She ducked the interviewers by sneaking out the back door. 她从后门偷偷溜走,躲开采访者。
18 giggling 2712674ae81ec7e853724ef7e8c53df1     
v.咯咯地笑( giggle的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • We just sat there giggling like naughty schoolchildren. 我们只是坐在那儿像调皮的小学生一样的咯咯地傻笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I can't stand her giggling, she's so silly. 她吃吃地笑,叫我真受不了,那样子傻透了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
19 bug 5skzf     
n.虫子;故障;窃听器;vt.纠缠;装窃听器
参考例句:
  • There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。
  • The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。
20 flickered 93ec527d68268e88777d6ca26683cc82     
(通常指灯光)闪烁,摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The lights flickered and went out. 灯光闪了闪就熄了。
  • These lights flickered continuously like traffic lights which have gone mad. 这些灯象发狂的交通灯一样不停地闪动着。
21 sputtered 96f0fd50429fb7be8aafa0ca161be0b6     
v.唾沫飞溅( sputter的过去式和过去分词 );发劈啪声;喷出;飞溅出
参考例句:
  • The candle sputtered out. 蜡烛噼啪爆响着熄灭了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • The balky engine sputtered and stopped. 不听使唤的发动机劈啪作响地停了下来。 来自辞典例句
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