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儿童英语读物 The Cupcake Caper CHAPTER 10 Back at Mama Tova’s

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“Alicia!” Henry said. “She’s the recipe thief.”

“Alicia? Alicia, who works for me at Sweets?” Mama Tova said, surprised.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Jessie said. “Alicia stole the recipe. We need to talk to her.”

“It should be easy to find her.” Mama Tova looked around. “Alicia told me that she’d be here today.” She looked at Gretchen. “Do you know where she is?”

Gretchen had not yet let go of her necklace and was looking very upset about everything. She shook her head then looked quickly toward the front of the tent.

“Oh, here she comes now,” Violet said, as Alicia headed their way.

“Hi!” Alicia came up to where the group was standing1. “I’m late. Did I miss the announcement of the winner?”

“Not yet, “Jessie said, “But …”

“Look!” Benny said. He pointed2 his finger at the glittery3 letter G around Alicia’s neck. “Why’d you do it, Alicia?”

“Do what?” Alicia looked confused.

Benny stomped4 his foot. “I want to know why you tried to steal Mama Tova’s secret cupcake recipe!”

Henry looked straight at Alicia and said, “We all know it was you who took the recipe from Mama Tova’s garden.”

Jessie explained how she’d added chili5 powder to the recipe so they could find the thief.

Suddenly Alicia looked scared. “I—” she began, then stopped.

A tear rolled down her face. Alicia softly touched the gold letter G around her neck, then started over. “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. Really. Gretchen can’t afford to go to college and I was trying to help her get the money she needs.” She paused to wipe away her tears.

“I was out of ideas when Mr. Kandinsky announced the contest and that there was going to be prize money.” Alicia stared at her feet as she went on. “I remembered hearing Mama Tova say that the recipe was ‘under the flower,’ and then I realized how I could help my friend. I knew it was wrong, but Mama Tova’s cupcakes are so good. Gretchen would win for sure with the recipe.”

“But I don’t understand why you left Sweets such a mess that first night. You could have cleaned up after you searched around for the recipe and no one would have ever known you were even looking,” Jessie said.

“I was going to clean up,” Alicia said. “But I didn’t have enough time because I was on my way to Gretchen’s birthday party and after Mrs. Waldman left, Gretchen called to say she was on her way to pick me up early.”

“What about the flower box?” Henry wondered, “I bet you weren’t really headed to the bookstore, were you?”

“No,” Alicia admitted. “I was using the shovel6 to dig when you all showed up. I didn’t know anyone would be coming to the shop so early. I thought I’d have enough time to search in the flowerbox and clean it up before anyone came to Sweets.”

Gretchen then turned to Alicia and said, “You told me the recipe was your mom’s. I would have never used it if I knew you’d stolen it!”

A fresh tear rolled down Alicia’s cheek. “I am so sorry I lied to you.”

Jessie shut her notebook, saying, “Stealing is a bad thing to do, even if you were doing it for a good reason, Alicia.”

“I know,” Alicia said, hanging her head. “I’ll do whatever it takes to make things right,” Alicia looked at Mama Tova through her tears.

While Mama Tova thought about what to do, Mr. Kandinsky spoke7 up.

“Jessie told me everything and I have an idea of how Alicia can make up for the trouble she’s caused,” he said. “Mama Tova, can I talk to you?” Mr. Kandinsky looked around at everyone and added, “In private?”

“I’d like to hear your idea,” Mama Tova said.

The two of them stepped aside and when they returned a few minutes later, Mama Tova announced, “Alicia can make up for the trouble she’s caused by helping8 Mr. Kandinsky with his new cupcake business.”

“Really?” Alicia asked, looking up at Mr. Kandinsky. “How?”

“It’s not going to be an easy job,” Mr. Kandinsky said. “You are going to clean up the factory every evening after the cupcakes are made. It seems the fairest punishment for the mess you made at Mama Tova’s.”

“You can’t work at Sweets again,” Mama Tova told Alicia. Then, she stepped closer to Mr. Kandinsky. “But I think working at the factory is a good idea.”

“I promise I’ll make the factory shine. I’ll be the hardest worker you ever had,” Alicia told Mr. Kandinsky, who smiled slightly, making the corners of his moustache rise.

“I don’t understand. Why are you letting Mr. Kandinsky decide Alicia’s punishment?” Jessie asked Mama Tova. “Aren’t you mad at him? He wanted to put you out of business.”

“From now on, Mama Tova and I are going to be friends. I want Mama Tova and her shop to stay just the way they are,” Mr. Kandinsky explained. “Instead of sweet dessert cupcakes, like Mama Tova’s, BakeMart is going to make spicy9 ones to be eaten with dinner!”

“Spicy?” Henry said.

Mr. Kandinsky pulled a blue first place ribbon out of his pocket and pinned it on Gretchen’s shirt. “Your unique cupcakes won the contest.”

He straightened the ribbon then added, “We are going to put a little less chili powder in the final recipe, cut down the sugar, then I think that we can sell them to every restaurant in town. They’d be great with chicken, or steak, or Mexican food. The possibilities are endless.”

Gretchen took the ribbon off her shirt and handed it to Jessie saying, “Mr. Kandinsky, Jessie made up that recipe. I didn’t. The prize money should be hers.”

“No thanks,” Jessie gave the ribbon back to Gretchen. “Take the money. You need it. I have a long time before I’m going to college.”

“Really?” Gretchen asked. “You really mean it?” After Jessie nodded, Gretchen took back the first place bow and shook hands with Jessie. “Thanks.”

As the Alden children were preparing to leave the shop and head back home, Mr. Kandinsky stopped Benny. “How did you happen to taste Gretchen’s cupcake?” Mr. Kandinsky asked. “Only the judges were allowed to eat the cupcakes.”

Benny shrugged10. “Honestly, I tasted them all.” He quickly added, “I had to. It was the only way we could find the thief.” Mr. Kandinsky nodded, asking “And?”

“And what?” Benny asked, a little afraid he was in trouble for sneaking11 cupcakes.

Mr. Kandinsky wasn’t upset. He broke into a slow smile, asking, “Which one did you like the best?” Mr. Kandinsky pressed. “Which would you pick? Would it have been yours?

Pauly’s? Which ones?”

Benny considered it a moment and said, “All the cupcakes at the contest are second place to Mama Tova’s.”

“That’s just what I thought, too,”

Mr. Kandinsky said, patting Benny on the head. “That’s why I decided12 it would be better to change the way we at BakeMart think about cupcakes.”

“Cupcakes for dinner,” Benny said, grinning big. “That’s the best idea I’ve ever heard!”

In the boxcar later that night, Benny had an important question to ask. “Jessie,” he said to his sister as she worked on her laptop.

“What’s sasparilla?”

“I’m not sure,” Jessie said. “I’ll look it up.” She opened up a new web page.

“Why do you want to know?” Violet said. She looked up from the book she’d been reading.

Benny replied, “There were all those crates13 of it in Mama Tova’s kitchen. I don’t know what it is.”

“The crates you were jumping off of?” Henry asked.

“Yes,” Benny replied. “I was wondering what was inside those.”

“Sasparilla,” Jessie read from the internet. “It’s root beer.”

“Delicious,” Benny said. “But Mama Tova only serves milk and lemonade to drink. Why does she have all that root beer in her kitchen?”

“Do you think root beer could be the secret ingredient in Mama Tova’s cupcakes?” Jessie asked, swirling14 quickly around in her chair.

“The crates were right under the bags of flour on the shelf. Under the flower … under the flour …” Henry said. “We might have figured out more than one mystery today.”

“We’ll never know for sure,” Jessie said.

“But just in case we’re right, we better keep this one quiet,” Violet added.

Even though he trusted his siblings15, Benny made everyone pinky promise not to tell.

They all linked pinkies in a circle in the middle of the boxcar, and Benny declared, “Jessie, Henry, Violet and me—we are the protectors of Mama Tova’s secret. For now and ever more.”

They all shook fingers.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 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。
2 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。
3 glittery 16d6bc60efb32e6caaa24454cd10240a     
闪光的,闪烁的
参考例句:
  • The evening of concert Mom wore glittery earrings and more makeup than I could remember. 音乐会那天晚上,妈妈戴上亮晶晶的耳环,脸上没见她这么打扮过。 来自名作英译部分
  • The train bowls along the valley of the Elbe by the glittery river. 列车在易北河流域沿着闪闪发光的河流疾驰。
4 stomped 0884b29fb612cae5a9e4eb0d1a257b4a     
v.跺脚,践踏,重踏( stomp的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She stomped angrily out of the office. 她怒气冲冲,重步走出办公室。
  • She slammed the door and stomped (off) out of the house. 她砰的一声关上了门,暮暮地走出了屋了。 来自辞典例句
5 chili JOlzm     
n.辣椒
参考例句:
  • He helped himself to another two small spoonfuls of chili oil.他自己下手又加了两小勺辣椒油。
  • It has chocolate,chili,and other spices.有巧克力粉,辣椒,和其他的调味品。
6 shovel cELzg     
n.铁锨,铲子,一铲之量;v.铲,铲出
参考例句:
  • He was working with a pick and shovel.他在用镐和铲干活。
  • He seized a shovel and set to.他拿起一把铲就干上了。
7 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
8 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。
9 spicy zhvzrC     
adj.加香料的;辛辣的,有风味的
参考例句:
  • The soup tasted mildly spicy.汤尝起来略有点辣。
  • Very spicy food doesn't suit her stomach.太辣的东西她吃了胃不舒服。
10 shrugged 497904474a48f991a3d1961b0476ebce     
vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀,什么也没说。
  • She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩,装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
11 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。
12 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。
13 crates crates     
n. 板条箱, 篓子, 旧汽车 vt. 装进纸条箱
参考例句:
  • We were using crates as seats. 我们用大木箱作为座位。
  • Thousands of crates compacted in a warehouse. 数以千计的板条箱堆放在仓库里。
14 swirling Ngazzr     
v.旋转,打旋( swirl的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • Snowflakes were swirling in the air. 天空飘洒着雪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • She smiled, swirling the wine in her glass. 她微笑着,旋动着杯子里的葡萄酒。 来自辞典例句
15 siblings 709961e45d6808c7c9131573b3a8874b     
n.兄弟,姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分
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