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儿童英语读物 The Mystery of the Hidden Beach CHAPTER 6 Benny Finds an Unusual Coin

时间:2017-08-07 06:22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)

The camp was quiet when the Aldens gathered at a picnic table down by the dock later that evening. Many of the campers used their free time to read and relax in their cabins, while others worked on their craft projects like painting, macrame, and pottery1.

Violet told everyone her suspicions of Katherine Kelly, Joshua Slade, and Nick Simon. When she finished, no one said anything for a moment.

“Does anyone have any ideas?” she asked, watching as Benny skimmed a flat rock over the water.

Henry looked thoughtful. “I wonder if there could be a logical explanation for some of the things we’ve noticed.”

“There’s something else funny about Joshua Slade,” Benny said. “Remember, I saw him stuff a fish in his shirt.”

Jessie laughed. “We’re not sure it was a fish, Benny, but you’re right,” she said. “It sounds like he was hiding something that day we were all out collecting specimens2 together.”

“That’s true,” Soo Lee agreed. “But what about Katherine Kelly? I can’t believe that Horace really scratched her legs.”

“You’re right, that does seem strange,” Jessie offered. “But why would she lie about it?” Suddenly she remembered the first day they had visited Melanie’s island. They had wrapped beach towels around their legs to protect themselves from the dense3 underbrush. “The mangrove4 trees!” she exclaimed.

“If Katherine Kelly scratched her legs when she was stealing coral on Melanie’s island, she wouldn’t want anyone to know about it. She had to explain the scratches somehow, so she blamed Horace.”

“But how would she get to the island?” Henry asked. “Only counselors5 are allowed to use the boats.”

“She could go out very quietly at night when everyone was asleep,” Soo Lee suggested.

“I saw lights on the water one night!” Benny said, turning back to the group. “Do you think that’s a clue?”

Jessie smiled. Benny always loved to solve a mystery. “There are probably a lot of boats on the water at night, Benny, and they all have lights.” When she saw the disappointed look on his face, she added, “That could be a good clue, though, Benny. We’ll have to remember that.”

Henry was leaning against a palm tree, staring out at the darkening sky. “You know, I just thought of something else important. Remember that chisel6 I found the first day at the island? That could have been left there by the thief.”

“That’s a good point,” Jessie said. “We need to mention that to Mr. Larson from the Coast Guard. I’m sure he’ll be back tomorrow — ”

Suddenly a slim figure stepped out from the shadows. “A lovely evening, isn’t it?” Hilary Slade smiled at Benny and skimmed a stone across the water, just as he had done a few minutes earlier. “I used to love to do this, too, when I was a kid,” she said in a friendly way.

Had she been standing7 there all the time? Violet wondered. Had she been eavesdropping8 on their conversation?

Henry was puzzled too. Why was she making such an effort to be nice? She rarely bothered to talk to the children at dinner and had only spoken a few words to them during their whole time at camp.

Hilary turned her attention to Soo Lee. “That’s beautiful,” she said, touching9 the bright yellow jute. “It’s macrame, isn’t it? How did you ever learn to do that?”

“I’m taking a craft class,” Soo Lee explained. “It’s not very hard,” she added, holding up the bright yellow band. “I picked an easy pattern. It has only two different kinds of knots.”

“Two kinds of knots?” Hilary looked impressed. “I could never do that. I’m all thumbs.”

“No, it’s easy, really,” Soo Lee insisted. She handed her the strip of macrame. “All you have to know is a square knot and a half-hitch.” She pronounced these new words carefully.

“Never heard of them,” Hilary said with a laugh. “I guess I’ll take your word for it, though.”

Soo Lee looked surprised. “But my teacher said they are the same knots sailors use,” she said. “Don’t you use them on your boats?”

“Oh, well . . . ” Hilary’s face was flushed and she looked embarrassed. “I leave all that up to my husband.” She quickly thrust the macrame into Soo Lee’s hands. “Well,” she said briskly, “look how dark the sky is getting. I must be getting back to the cabin. See you tomorrow!” Before anyone could say a word, she turned away and hurried down the path.

“She certainly wanted to leave in a hurry,” Violet said.

“I think she didn’t want us to know that she didn’t recognize those sailing knots,” Jessie added.

“So now there are four people who are suspects,” Soo Lee said.

“Four?” Benny asked. “I thought we had three — Joshua and Hilary Slade, and Katherine Kelly.”

“Don’t forget about Nick Simon,” Henry said grimly. “Every time anyone asks him a question about fish, he seems to draw a blank.”

“And he’s supposed to be a marine10 biologist!” Jessie exclaimed.

“And there’s something else about him,” Henry said. “He seemed worried when we spotted11 him in Key West talking to that fisherman friend of his.”

“Who might not be a fisherman at all.” Jessie stood up. “Remember how pale he was?”

Henry nodded. “I don’t think he’s telling the truth about his friend, but I can’t imagine why he would lie.”

Benny yawned, and Jessie took him by the hand. “I think we should all get a good night’s sleep, and maybe we can figure out some answers tomorrow.”

When Benny started to get up, he noticed an old coin wedged between the wooden slats of the picnic table.

“Look!” said Benny, showing the coin to Henry and Jessie. “I’m going to keep this!” The coin was dented12 and uneven13 around the edges, but Benny didn’t mind. He loved to collect things, and he stuck it in his pocket.

The next morning at breakfast, the Aldens sat at a long table by the window, discussing the mystery. They stopped talking abruptly14 when Joshua and Hilary Slade joined them.

“Good morning!” Hilary said cheerily to the Aldens.

Everyone greeted her politely, but Henry was more suspicious than ever. Why was she being so friendly?

“What are your plans for the day?” Joshua asked.

“We’re going on a glass-bottom boat ride over the coral reef this morning,” Jessie told him. “And then we’re going back to Key West in the afternoon to visit a treasure museum.”

“A treasure museum! That certainly sounds like fun,” Hilary said. “Wouldn’t it be just wonderful to find some real buried treasure?”

“That’s what Mel Fisher did,” Henry told her. “He and his wife discovered a famous ship called the Atocha. It was a Spanish galleon15 that went down in a hurricane in the 1600s off the coast of Florida.”

“I read about it,” Jessie said. “It had been lying on the ocean floor all that time, and was full of treasure — gold bars, coins, and jewels. People had been looking for it for years, but it was Mel Fisher who finally found it.”

“Did he bring it up?” Benny asked excitedly. “Can we go see it?”

“The Atocha is still on the ocean floor, but he brought up all the treasure. He has a lot of it on display in his museum,” Henry told his brother.

“And that’s where we’re going today!” Benny said. “Yippee!”

“You seem to be really interested in treasure,” Joshua said.

“I am! I collect coins,” Benny said proudly. “I found a really interesting one last night.”

“Really? What’s it like?” Joshua stopped eating, his fork in midair.

“Well, it’s really old, and it’s hard to read what it says on it.” He paused, surprised at their interest.

“Do you have it with you?” Hilary asked sharply.

“No, it’s back in my room.” Benny looked a little uncertain. Hilary suddenly seemed irritated with him.

“What else did you notice about the coin?” her husband persisted.

Benny shrugged16. “It’s uneven around the edges.” He grinned. “That’s what I like about it. That’s what makes it special.”

“Does it have any markings on it?” Hilary leaned close to him, her eyes piercing. “Try to remember.”

Benny scrunched17 his forehead in thought.

“It has a coat of arms on it, doesn’t it?” Violet said.

“A coat of arms!” Hilary was so excited she jiggled her cup, and her coffee flooded the saucer. She pushed it away and looked at her husband. “I don’t feel very hungry. Why don’t we head back to the cabin?”

“Good idea.” Joshua pushed back his chair. “See you later,” he said briefly18 to the children.

“Those two are acting19 really suspicious lately,” Jessie said quietly to the others. “I think we should keep an eye on them.”

Jessie nodded and swallowed a forkful of pancakes. “So do I. Right now, there are four suspects, and the Slades are at the top of the list.”


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 pottery OPFxi     
n.陶器,陶器场
参考例句:
  • My sister likes to learn art pottery in her spare time.我妹妹喜欢在空余时间学习陶艺。
  • The pottery was left to bake in the hot sun.陶器放在外面让炎热的太阳烘晒焙干。
2 specimens 91fc365099a256001af897127174fcce     
n.样品( specimen的名词复数 );范例;(化验的)抽样;某种类型的人
参考例句:
  • Astronauts have brought back specimens of rock from the moon. 宇航员从月球带回了岩石标本。
  • The traveler brought back some specimens of the rocks from the mountains. 那位旅行者从山上带回了一些岩石标本。 来自《简明英汉词典》
3 dense aONzX     
a.密集的,稠密的,浓密的;密度大的
参考例句:
  • The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
  • The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。
4 mangrove 4oFzc2     
n.(植物)红树,红树林
参考例句:
  • It is the world's largest tidal mangrove forest.它是世界上最大的红树林沼泽地。
  • Many consider this the most beautiful mangrove forest in all Thailand.许多人认为这里是全泰国最美丽的红树林了。
5 counselors f6ff4c2b4bd3716024922a76236b3c79     
n.顾问( counselor的名词复数 );律师;(使馆等的)参赞;(协助学生解决问题的)指导老师
参考例句:
  • Counselors began an inquiry into industrial needs. 顾问们开始调查工业方面的需要。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • We have experienced counselors available day and night. ) 这里有经验的法律顾问全天候值班。) 来自超越目标英语 第4册
6 chisel mr8zU     
n.凿子;v.用凿子刻,雕,凿
参考例句:
  • This chisel is useful for getting into awkward spaces.这凿子在要伸入到犄角儿里时十分有用。
  • Camille used a hammer and chisel to carve out a figure from the marble.卡米尔用锤子和凿子将大理石雕刻出一个人像。
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 eavesdropping 4a826293c077353641ee3f86da957082     
n. 偷听
参考例句:
  • We caught him eavesdropping outside the window. 我们撞见他正在窗外偷听。
  • Suddenly the kids,who had been eavesdropping,flew into the room. 突然间,一直在偷听的孩子们飞进屋来。
9 touching sg6zQ9     
adj.动人的,使人感伤的
参考例句:
  • It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
  • His letter was touching.他的信很感人。
10 marine 77Izo     
adj.海的;海生的;航海的;海事的;n.水兵
参考例句:
  • Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
  • When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时,他自愿参加了海军陆战队。
11 spotted 7FEyj     
adj.有斑点的,斑纹的,弄污了的
参考例句:
  • The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
  • Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。
12 dented dented     
v.使产生凹痕( dent的过去式和过去分词 );损害;伤害;挫伤(信心、名誉等)
参考例句:
  • The back of the car was badly dented in the collision. 汽车尾部被撞后严重凹陷。
  • I'm afraid I've dented the car. 恐怕我把车子撞瘪了一些。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 uneven akwwb     
adj.不平坦的,不规则的,不均匀的
参考例句:
  • The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
  • The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。
14 abruptly iINyJ     
adv.突然地,出其不意地
参考例句:
  • He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
  • I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。
15 galleon GhdxC     
n.大帆船
参考例句:
  • The story of a galleon that sank at the start of her maiden voyage in 1628 must be one of the strangest tales of the sea.在1628年,有一艘大帆船在处女航开始时就沉没了,这个沉船故事一定是最神奇的海上轶事之一。
  • In 1620 the English galleon Mayfolwer set out from the port of Southampton with 102 pilgrims on board.1620年,英国的“五月花”号西班牙式大帆船载着102名
16 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》
17 scrunched c0664d844856bef433bce5850de659f2     
v.发出喀嚓声( scrunch的过去式和过去分词 );蜷缩;压;挤压
参考例句:
  • The snow scrunched underfoot. 雪在脚下发出嘎吱嘎吱的声音。
  • He scrunched up the piece of paper and threw it at me. 他把那张纸揉成一个小团,朝我扔过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
18 briefly 9Styo     
adv.简单地,简短地
参考例句:
  • I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
  • He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。
19 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。
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