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儿童英语读物 The Spy Game CHAPTER 10 A Surprise Twist

时间:2017-12-08 03:24来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)

“Ah, here you are!” said Amanda, balancing on her crutches1. She came into the kitchen with Steve close behind. “I hope Mrs. Dawson fixed2 you a nice dinner.”

“Yes, it was delicious,” Violet said.

Amanda looked around at each of the Aldens in turn. “What’s up?” she asked, as she sat down at the table. “Everybody looks so serious.”

Steve sat down beside Amanda. “Well, detective work is serious business,” he said. “Right, kids?”

Henry squared his shoulders. “Well, it’s not just a game to us,” he said, looking Steve straight in the eye.

Steve smiled a little. “You kids really don’t give up, do you?”

“No, we don’t,” said Jessie. “Actually, we’ve been wondering about something.”

“Fire away, Jessie,” Amanda told her. “Ask me anything.”

Jessie hesitated for a moment, then she said, “Was there ever an Abigail in your family?”

“What …?” The question seemed to catch Amanda off guard. But she pulled herself together quickly. “Hmm, let me just think about that.” She tapped a finger against her chin thoughtfully. “Now that you mention it,” she said at last, “I believe there was an Abigail … somewhere in the family.”

“Hard to keep track of everybody, isn’t it?” Steve put in, smiling over at Amanda.

“That’s for sure!” Amanda said with a nod. “I think there’s chocolate cake in the refrigerator,” she added, changing the subject. “Anybody have a sweet tooth?”

But the Aldens weren’t going to be put off so easily “The thing is,” Henry said, picking up where Jessie had left off, “Grandfather seemed very sure that Brandon Penner had married somebody named Abigail—not Dora.”

“And there’s a plaque3 at the library,” added Benny, “with Abigail’s name on it.”

“Plus, we found a photograph taken on Brandon’s wedding day,” Violet said in a quiet voice. “The bride didn’t look at all like Dora.”

Amanda was so startled she needed a few moments to collect her thoughts.

“Well … isn’t that strange,” she said.

Violet caught a knowing look pass between Amanda and Steve.

“But there can’t be two brides,” said Benny. “Can there?”

“You wouldn’t think so,” said Amanda. She forced a laugh as if trying to make light of everything. “If Dora isn’t Brandon’s bride, I’d sure like to know who she is.”

“Carly Boyd,” Benny blurted4 out. “That’s who!”

Amanda stared at the youngest Alden in surprise. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. Finally, she let out a sigh. “Oh, dear.” She glanced over at Steve. “Things aren’t going the way we planned, are they?”

The Aldens looked at each other in surprise. Were Steve and Amanda working together?

“The photograph in the hallway,” Henry asked. “Is it really Carly Boyd?”

Amanda nodded. “It is.”

“But why?” Jessie said. “Why would you try to fool us?”

“It’s not what you think.” Amanda said quickly.

Violet’s mind raced. Hadn’t Steve said something on the phone about a partner in crime—and a plot? And weren’t those the very words used to describe the next book in the Detective Club series? Everything suddenly fell into place: Amanda winning awards at school for writing … the set of Detective Club books tucked away in the dining room … the way the plot of The Jigsaw5 Puzzle Mystery sounded familiar.

Jessie looked over at her sister. “Is something wrong?”

Violet looked from Amanda to Steve and back again. Then, in a voice scarcely above a whisper, she said, “You’re Mila Jones and Jake Winston!”

Amanda and Steve looked at each other in surprise. Then Amanda slowly smiled.

“I guess you found us out,” she said.

“Didn’t I tell you they were top-notch detectives?” said Mrs. Dawson, chuckling6 to herself as she came into the room.

“Yes, you did.” Steve waved a finger at her. “But you didn’t tell us they’d figure out so much, Mrs. Dawson.”

“Is it true?” Jessie asked, her eyes huge. “Are you really the authors of the Detective Club books?”

“Yes, we are,” said Amanda.

The Aldens looked at one another. For a moment, they were too amazed to speak.

“I can’t believe it!” Henry said at last. “We’re sitting with our favorite authors!”

“We’ve read every book in the Detective Club series!” added Jessie. She sounded just as excited as her older brother.

“I don’t get it.” Benny looked puzzled. “You mean, you’re not really Amanda Penner?”

“Oh, I am Amanda Penner, Benny,” she assured him. “Mila Jones is my pen name.”

“And Jake Winston is my pen name,” added Steve.

“Sometimes authors use a different name on their books,” Henry explained to his younger brother. “It’s called a pen name.”

“I’m sorry for keeping you in the dark,” Amanda said sheepishly. “You see, Steve had his doubts about our latest plot.”

“The Jigsaw Puzzle Mystery?” guessed Violet.

“Exactly,” said Steve, looking surprised that Violet knew that. “I thought some of the clues were too hard for kids to figure out—especially the one about the rings of time.”

Amanda added, “When Mrs. Dawson mentioned that you children had solved quite a few mysteries, it got me thinking.”

“You decided7 to test it out,” Henry concluded. “The plot, I mean.”

Amanda nodded. She explained how they’d needed a photograph of Dora to fit the clues, so they hired Carly Boyd to pose for it. Next, Steve carved the riddle8 into the stones. The only hitch9 was finding a good reason for removing the stones from the walkway.

“I twisted my ankle when I was out jogging in Fudge Hollow,” Amanda told them. “Why not pretend I tripped over a loose stone in the walkway?”

“I didn’t think you kids could solve this mystery,” Steve admitted. “But then I saw you at the library today, and I knew you’d figure everything out.”

“You were following us, weren’t you?” Jessie realized.

“I’m sorry if I frightened you,” said Steve. “I just happened to be passing by and I saw you go inside. I was curious to see how you were making out with the mystery. When I saw you browsing10 through books on Greek myths, I knew you were doing just fine.” Then he turned to Mrs. Dawson. “You were right about these kids,” he said. “They don’t miss a thing.”

“So you were in on this, too, Mrs. Dawson?” asked Jessie.

“Yes, that’s why I went out to your house the other day,” Mrs. Dawson confessed. “I knew if I mentioned the loose stones, you would offer to help.”

“Grandfather thought it was a coincidence,” said Henry, “that the kids you hired happened to be detectives.”

Jessie had a sudden thought. “When you were visiting with Mrs. McGregor the other day, you spilled the cream on purpose, didn’t you, Mrs. Dawson?”

“Yes, I did,” said Mrs. Dawson. “I didn’t want to talk about Amanda’s writing, so …”

“You tried to distract everyone,” finished Henry.

Mrs. Dawson nodded. “I knew what good detectives you were. I was afraid you’d have everything figured out in no time if I said too much.”

Benny looked confused. “There’s one thing I don’t understand, Mrs. Dawson,” he said. “If you were in on everything, why were you tracking down clues?”

“Me?” Mrs. Dawson pointed11 to herself. Then she began to laugh. “Why would you think I was tracking down clues?”

“You said if you opened Pandora’s box,” Benny told her, “then all your dreams would come true.”

“Oh, you heard that, did you?” said Mrs. Dawson. Then she turned to Steve. “That must have been when you phoned.”

“Neither Amanda nor I could stand the suspense,” Steve said with a laugh. “We just had to find out if the bank had approved Mrs. Dawson’s business loan.”

“Well, guess what?” Mrs. Dawson’s face broke into a big smile. “The bank manager just called and gave me the thumbs up! Looks like my dream really will come true.” Turning to the youngest Alden, she added, “When you heard me on the phone, Benny, I was talking about opening my bookstore. You see, I decided to call it Pandora’s Box.”

“Oh!” The children looked at each other in sudden understanding.

As everyone congratulated Mrs. Dawson, Henry noticed the game of checkers on top of the refrigerator. He suddenly thought of something. In a flash, he was on his feet. Reaching the box of checkers down, he came back to the table.

Jessie could tell by the look on her older brother’s face that something was up. “What’s going on, Henry?”

“We missed something,” Henry said. “There was a clue in the first riddle, but we didn’t pick up on it.”

“What?” asked Benny.

Curious, Jessie tugged13 her notebook from her pocket. After flipping14 through the pages, she recited, “Follow the clues/ both night and day;/ leave no stone unturned/ the game’s in play.”

Violet slapped a hand against her forehead. “Oh, the game’s in play!”

“The game of checkers,” Jessie realized. “How could we miss that?”

“Open it, Henry!” Benny inched his chair closer.

As Henry lifted the lid from the box of checkers, Amanda and Steve seemed to be holding their breath. Even Mrs. Dawson was standing12 as still as a statue.

Inside the box, they found a folded checker board and a cloth bag. Henry gave the bag a shake, but there weren’t many checkers inside.

“That’s odd,” said Jessie.

Henry held the bag upside down and gave it a shake. When Amanda caught a glimpse of what tumbled out, her jaw15 dropped.

“What in the world …?” she cried out in astonishment16.

“Oooh!” cried Violet. “It’s a diamond ring.”

Sure enough, a sparkling diamond on a gold band came to rest in the middle of the checker board.

It was clear Amanda couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing.

“But we put chocolate coins in that bag—wrapped in gold foil,” she said in bewilderment. “Do you know anything about this, Steve?”

Jessie couldn’t help noticing that beads17 of perspiration18 had popped up on Steve’s forehead. He was mopping at his face with a handkerchief.

“Steve?” Amanda repeated.

To everyone’s astonishment, Steve suddenly knelt down on one knee beside Amanda’s chair. Reaching for her hand, he said, “Will you marry me?”

For a long moment, Amanda stared at Steve. Then her face broke into a smile. “Of course, I’ll marry you!”

The Aldens let out a cheer as Steve slipped the engagement ring onto Amanda’s finger.

“Oh, how romantic!” gushed19 Mrs. Dawson, wiping away a tear of joy.

“You planned this all along, didn’t you, Steve?” Amanda said, admiring her ring.

Beaming happily, Steve got to his feet. “I wanted to propose in a special way,” he said. “I thought—what would be better than to make it part of a mystery.”

Violet smiled to herself. Steve hadn’t been looking for the “rings of time”—he was looking for an engagement ring for Amanda!

Benny had a question. “Did your grandfather really play the spy game with you, Amanda?” he wanted to know. “Or did you make that part up, too?”

“Oh, that was true, Benny,” Amanda assured him. “In fact, that’s how I got the idea for The Jigsaw Puzzle Mystery. It’s because of my grandfather,” she added, “that I love mysteries so much.”

Jessie was wondering about something, too. “The day you surprised us with that picnic lunch,” she said, “you were trying to give us a hint, weren’t you, Amanda?”

Amanda didn’t deny it. “I wanted to point you towards Fudge Hollow.”

“You gave us another hint, too,” Violet realized, “when you said there might be family photos in the hope chest.”

“Right again,” said Amanda.

This made Mrs. Dawson laugh. “I don’t think these children needed any hints,” she said. “They figured everything out—and more!”

Steve was quick to agree. “The kids in the Detective Club books couldn’t have done it better. And thanks to the Aldens,” he added, “we can send The Jigsaw Puzzle Mystery off to the publishers.”

“I can’t wait till it comes out!” said Benny.

Amanda looked over at Steve. With a quick nod, Steve hurried out of the room. He came back a moment later holding a stack of typed pages tied together with string.

“You won’t have to wait, Benny,” Steve said, placing the bundle on the table. “We made an extra copy of The Jigsaw Puzzle Mystery.”

“You mean, we can read it?” Benny asked in disbelief.

“Before it’s even published?” added Jessie.

“You sure can,” said Amanda. “But first, it needs a dedication20.” Fishing a pen from her purse, she wrote something on the first page. Then she passed the manuscript to the Aldens.

When Jessie took a closer look, her eyes widened and she gasped21.

“What is it?” asked Benny. “What does it say?”

Jessie read the dedication aloud:

To Henry, Violet, Benny, and Jessie, the world’s greatest detectives!

“Yippee!” cried Benny. “We’ll be famous.”

“I think this calls for a celebration,” said Mrs. Dawson, as everyone laughed. “Anybody for chocolate cake?”

Benny raised his hand high in the air. “My two favorite things,” he said with a grin. “Food and a mystery!”


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 crutches crutches     
n.拐杖, 支柱 v.支撑
参考例句:
  • After the accident I spent six months on crutches . 事故后我用了六个月的腋杖。
  • When he broke his leg he had to walk on crutches. 他腿摔断了以后,不得不靠拐杖走路。
2 fixed JsKzzj     
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的
参考例句:
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
3 plaque v25zB     
n.饰板,匾,(医)血小板
参考例句:
  • There is a commemorative plaque to the artist in the village hall.村公所里有一块纪念该艺术家的牌匾。
  • Some Latin words were engraved on the plaque. 牌匾上刻着些拉丁文。
4 blurted fa8352b3313c0b88e537aab1fcd30988     
v.突然说出,脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She blurted it out before I could stop her. 我还没来得及制止,她已脱口而出。
  • He blurted out the truth, that he committed the crime. 他不慎说出了真相,说是他犯了那个罪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 jigsaw q3Gxa     
n.缕花锯,竖锯,拼图游戏;vt.用竖锯锯,使互相交错搭接
参考例句:
  • A jigsaw puzzle can keep me absorbed for hours.一副拼图就能让我沉醉几个小时。
  • Tom likes to work on jigsaw puzzles,too.汤姆也喜欢玩拼图游戏。
6 chuckling e8dcb29f754603afc12d2f97771139ab     
轻声地笑( chuckle的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • I could hear him chuckling to himself as he read his book. 他看书时,我能听见他的轻声发笑。
  • He couldn't help chuckling aloud. 他忍不住的笑了出来。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
7 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。
8 riddle WCfzw     
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。
9 hitch UcGxu     
v.免费搭(车旅行);系住;急提;n.故障;急拉
参考例句:
  • They had an eighty-mile journey and decided to hitch hike.他们要走80英里的路程,最后决定搭便车。
  • All the candidates are able to answer the questions without any hitch.所有报考者都能对答如流。
10 browsing 509387f2f01ecf46843ec18c927f7822     
v.吃草( browse的现在分词 );随意翻阅;(在商店里)随便看看;(在计算机上)浏览信息
参考例句:
  • He sits browsing over[through] a book. 他坐着翻阅书籍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Cattle is browsing in the field. 牛正在田里吃草。 来自《简明英汉词典》
11 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。
12 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。
13 tugged 8a37eb349f3c6615c56706726966d38e     
v.用力拉,使劲拉,猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She tugged at his sleeve to get his attention. 她拽了拽他的袖子引起他的注意。
  • A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. 他的嘴角带一丝苦笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
14 flipping b69cb8e0c44ab7550c47eaf7c01557e4     
讨厌之极的
参考例句:
  • I hate this flipping hotel! 我讨厌这个该死的旅馆!
  • Don't go flipping your lid. 别发火。
15 jaw 5xgy9     
n.颚,颌,说教,流言蜚语;v.喋喋不休,教训
参考例句:
  • He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
  • A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。
16 astonishment VvjzR     
n.惊奇,惊异
参考例句:
  • They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
  • I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。
17 beads 894701f6859a9d5c3c045fd6f355dbf5     
n.(空心)小珠子( bead的名词复数 );水珠;珠子项链
参考例句:
  • a necklace of wooden beads 一条木珠项链
  • Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead. 他的前额上挂着汗珠。
18 perspiration c3UzD     
n.汗水;出汗
参考例句:
  • It is so hot that my clothes are wet with perspiration.天太热了,我的衣服被汗水湿透了。
  • The perspiration was running down my back.汗从我背上淌下来。
19 gushed de5babf66f69bac96b526188524783de     
v.喷,涌( gush的过去式和过去分词 );滔滔不绝地说话
参考例句:
  • Oil gushed from the well. 石油从井口喷了出来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • Clear water gushed into the irrigational channel. 清澈的水涌进了灌溉渠道。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
20 dedication pxMx9     
n.奉献,献身,致力,题献,献辞
参考例句:
  • We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
  • Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。
21 gasped e6af294d8a7477229d6749fa9e8f5b80     
v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 );喘息;倒抽气;很想要
参考例句:
  • She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
  • People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
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