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儿童英语读物 The Mystery of the Lost Village CHAPTER 10 A Day in Court

时间:2017-08-01 06:35来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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Benny woke up after everyone else the next morning, and the aroma1 of sizzling bacon lured2 him downstairs. Mrs. Lightfeather smiled when she saw his rumpled3 hair and motioned him to a seat at the breakfast table.

“Don’t worry, Benny,” she assured him. “We saved plenty of hotcakes for you.”

“But eat fast,” Joe said, draining his glass of orange juice. “Dad’s already loading the artifacts into the truck. The council meeting starts in half an hour.”

The phone rang, and Mrs. Lightfeather hurried to answer it. After a brief conversation, she looked very happy and took Violet’s hand in hers. “I have a wonderful surprise for you, Violet. The police found your bowl. It’s going to be part of the evidence this morning.”

“They found my bowl?” Violet was thrilled. She knew she couldn’t keep it, but she was glad it would help prove their case.

“Rita Neville had it stashed4 away in her motel room. It’s in perfect condition, and one of the elders says it looks like it was made a long time ago. It’s priceless.”

“Are they going to look at my arrowheads?” Benny asked.

“Sure they are,” Joe told him. “And they may even let you keep one, right, Mom?”

“Maybe,” Mrs. Lightfeather answered. “That’s for the elders to decide.”

“Is this going to be like a real trial?” Violet asked. She felt a little nervous and wondered if she would have to tell her story in front of a room full of people.

“No, it’s more like a hearing. All the elders will be there, and they’ve invited a local judge to attend. He’s the only one who can order the developer to stop.”

“The site will be preserved,” said Amy.

“If he agrees it’s worth saving,” Henry said.

“Everybody ready?” Mr. Lightfeather suddenly appeared in the doorway5.

“We’re on our way!” Benny grabbed a piece of bacon and scooted off his chair. He hoped he could show off his arrowheads.

The council meeting was held in the main lodge6. Dozens of people were already seated in the large, airy hall when the Aldens trooped in with the Lightfeathers.

Mr. Lightfeather and the others carefully placed the artifacts on a long wooden table in the front of the room. As soon as they were finished, Kinowok rapped his gavel and called the meeting to order. Joe noticed that a gray-haired woman in a dark suit was standing7 next to Kinowok at the podium.

“Please be seated,” he said, pointing to a row of folding chairs. “I’d like the Aldens and the Lightfeathers to sit up front, so they can testify, if need be.”

Kinowok waited until everyone had sat down, and then introduced his guest. “This is Judge Tompkins, from Superior Court,” he said. There was a low murmur8 of approval from the crowd when the gray-haired woman nodded. “I think most of you know her, and know that she is a fair woman. She is here today to hear our story, to see our evidence, and to decide the fate of our forest.” Kinowok paused. I turn this meeting over to the judge.” He handed the gavel to Judge Tompkins and took his seat with the tribal9 elders.

“What happens now?” Benny whispered to Amy.

“I guess we’ll have a chance to tell her about the artifacts — ” she began, when a noise at the back of the room distracted her.

“Look who’s here!” Violet said in a low voice. She watched in surprise as Michael Running Deer walked swiftly up the center aisle10 and took a seat in the front row. “I wonder why he showed up?”

“Probably to hurt our case,” Amy said glumly11. “Don’t forget, he works for the developer.”

“I’d like to start by examining the evidence,” Judge Tompkins said. She motioned to Mr. Lightfeather. “Please hold up the items one at a time.” She smiled at the six children in the front row. “I understand that you found all of these items in the forest that borders the reservation?”

“We sure did!” Benny blurted12 out. “We dug up every single one of them. I found the arrowheads,” he added proudly, and a ripple13 of laughter went through the room.

“Kinowok tells me that this is strong evidence that a village once existed on the site,” the judge said. “It’s very fortunate that you found these objects.”

After all the artifacts had been described and examined, the tribal elders met privately14 with the judge in a small anteroom.

“What do you think they’ll decide?” Henry asked Mr. Lightfeather.

“I think Judge Tompkins was impressed, but you never know how these things will go,” Mr. Lightfeather told him. “After all, the developer will tell his side of the story. If he builds homes on the site, it will bring a lot of new jobs into the area.”

“Sssh, they’re coming back,” said Mrs. Lightfeather.

“The elders are smiling,” Joe said. “Do you think that’s good news?”

“I hope so,” his mother answered.

Judge Tompkins returned to the podium and looked over the crowd. “I’ve seen some very convincing evidence this morning, and there isn’t much doubt that the forest is an important site. Is it worth preserving, worth protecting? According to my young friends” — she gestured to the six children— “the answer is yes. But I must be fair. I must consider all sides of the issue.”

Judge Tompkins adjusted her glasses and looked over a document in front of her on the podium. “And so in the interest of fairness, I had to ask myself a very important question: Is it important for the Navajo people to know how their ancestors lived? How they hunted, and gathered food, and played with their children?” She paused, and then folded her hands. “The answer is yes. It is very important that this knowledge not be lost for all time. The ancient village — if it really exists — could answer many of these questions. The village must be saved!”

A gasp15 went up from the audience, and Benny was so excited he almost jumped out of his chair. Judge Tompkins rapped the gavel to restore order. “I am hereby declaring the forest an historic site. It is protected by law from development, and you may continue your excavations16.” She turned over the gavel to Kinowok. “Good luck,” she said to the old man. “Let me know when you find the village and I will celebrate with you.”

Kinowok took his place in front of the podium. “I thank all of you for coming today,” he said, his voice strong. “And I thank our new friends, the Aldens, for their help. You have added much to our lives, and you have our friendship. The council meeting is over.”

“Is that it?” Violet asked. The elders left the lodge first, and then everyone began filing down the center aisle.

“Not quite,” Joe said. “Michael Running Deer is heading straight for us!”

“I wonder what he wants?” Amy said.

The Lightfeathers and the Aldens had just reached the door when Michael Running Deer intercepted17 them. He stood in front of them, barring their way. “Wait a minute, please,” he said. “I need to talk to you.”

“If you want to ruin the forest, it’s too late,” Joe said. “We won. You’ll have to build your vacation homes someplace else.”

Michael looked embarrassed. “No, that’s not what I want to say at all. I don’t work for the developer anymore.”

“You don’t? What happened?” Mrs. Light-feather looked surprised.

He shrugged18. “I’m a full-blooded Navajo, just like you, and I suddenly realized that I couldn’t hurt my own people.” He looked at the children. “When I saw all of you working at the dig, it reminded me of a dream I had. I wanted to be an archaeologist once. I even studied archaeology19 in college, but then I got sidetracked.” He held open the front door, and they all stepped out into the bright sunlight. “Now I see that I can still go after my dream. I’m going to help with the dig.”

“Michael’s decision was certainly a surprise,” Mrs. Lightfeather said later when they were in their truck, heading home.

“A nice one!” Amy said with a laugh.

“What happens now?” Henry asked.

Mrs. Lightfeather glanced at her watch. “We just have time to have a quick lunch at home before your grandfather comes to pick you up.”

Grandfather! Violet thought. She was looking forward so much to seeing him, but she knew she would miss the Lightfeathers. Amy and Joe promised to write and tell her what was happening at the dig, but it wouldn’t be the same as being there.

It was early afternoon when a taxi pulled into the Lightfeathers’ driveway and Grandfather got out.

“Grandfather’s here!” Violet cried, running to meet him.

“It’s been a long two weeks without you, children,” he said, hugging each of the Aldens in turn.

“We missed you, too, Grandfather,” Jessie said. “But so much has happened!”

“You’ll have to tell me all about it on the plane,” Grandfather said. “We just have time to get to the airport.”

Violet and Amy looked at each other. “How can we say good-bye?” Violet said, giving her a hug.

“We’ll keep in touch. We’ll write lots of letters,” Amy promised.

“Thanks for taking care of the children,” Grandfather said to the Lightfeathers. “I know it was a wonderful experience for them.”

“It was quite an experience for us!” Mrs. Lightfeather said, smiling. “In fact, I’d say it was absolutely amazing.”

“Really?” Grandfather looked puzzled. “Did something interesting happen here?”

The Aldens and the Lightfeathers laughed. “Interesting? Just wait until you hear the whole story!” Benny said.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 aroma Nvfz9     
n.香气,芬芳,芳香
参考例句:
  • The whole house was filled with the aroma of coffee.满屋子都是咖啡的香味。
  • The air was heavy with the aroma of the paddy fields.稻花飘香。
2 lured 77df5632bf83c9c64fb09403ae21e649     
吸引,引诱(lure的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • The child was lured into a car but managed to escape. 那小孩被诱骗上了车,但又设法逃掉了。
  • Lured by the lust of gold,the pioneers pushed onward. 开拓者在黄金的诱惑下,继续奋力向前。
3 rumpled 86d497fd85370afd8a55db59ea16ef4a     
v.弄皱,使凌乱( rumple的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She rumpled his hair playfully. 她顽皮地弄乱他的头发。
  • The bed was rumpled and strewn with phonograph records. 那张床上凌乱不堪,散放着一些唱片。 来自辞典例句
4 stashed 07562c5864f6b713d22604f8e1e43dae     
v.贮藏( stash的过去式和过去分词 );隐藏;藏匿;藏起
参考例句:
  • She has a fortune stashed away in various bank accounts. 她有一大笔钱存在几个不同的银行账户下。
  • She has a fortune stashed away in various bank accounts. 她在不同的银行账户上秘密储存了一大笔钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 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。
6 lodge q8nzj     
v.临时住宿,寄宿,寄存,容纳;n.传达室,小旅馆
参考例句:
  • Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗?
  • I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。
7 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。
8 murmur EjtyD     
n.低语,低声的怨言;v.低语,低声而言
参考例句:
  • They paid the extra taxes without a murmur.他们毫无怨言地交了附加税。
  • There was a low murmur of conversation in the hall.大厅里有窃窃私语声。
9 tribal ifwzzw     
adj.部族的,种族的
参考例句:
  • He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
  • The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。
10 aisle qxPz3     
n.(教堂、教室、戏院等里的)过道,通道
参考例句:
  • The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
  • The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。
11 glumly glumly     
adv.忧郁地,闷闷不乐地;阴郁地
参考例句:
  • He stared at it glumly, and soon became lost in thought. 他惘然沉入了瞑想。 来自子夜部分
  • The President sat glumly rubbing his upper molar, saying nothing. 总统愁眉苦脸地坐在那里,磨着他的上牙,一句话也没有说。 来自辞典例句
12 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》
13 ripple isLyh     
n.涟波,涟漪,波纹,粗钢梳;vt.使...起涟漪,使起波纹; vi.呈波浪状,起伏前进
参考例句:
  • The pebble made a ripple on the surface of the lake.石子在湖面上激起一个涟漪。
  • The small ripple split upon the beach.小小的涟漪卷来,碎在沙滩上。
14 privately IkpzwT     
adv.以私人的身份,悄悄地,私下地
参考例句:
  • Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
  • The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。
15 gasp UfxzL     
n.喘息,气喘;v.喘息;气吁吁他说
参考例句:
  • She gave a gasp of surprise.她吃惊得大口喘气。
  • The enemy are at their last gasp.敌人在做垂死的挣扎。
16 excavations 185c90d3198bc18760370b8a86c53f51     
n.挖掘( excavation的名词复数 );开凿;开凿的洞穴(或山路等);(发掘出来的)古迹
参考例句:
  • The excavations are open to the public. 发掘现场对公众开放。
  • This year's excavations may reveal ancient artifacts. 今年的挖掘可能会发现史前古器物。 来自辞典例句
17 intercepted 970326ac9f606b6dc4c2550a417e081e     
拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 ); 截住; 截击; 拦阻
参考例句:
  • Reporters intercepted him as he tried to leave the hotel. 他正要离开旅馆,记者们把他拦截住了。
  • Reporters intercepted him as he tried to leave by the rear entrance. 他想从后门溜走,记者把他截住了。
18 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》
19 archaeology 0v2zi     
n.考古学
参考例句:
  • She teaches archaeology at the university.她在大学里教考古学。
  • He displayed interest in archaeology.他对考古学有兴趣。
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