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儿童英语读物 The Mystery of the Hidden Beach CHAPTER 7 A Trip to the Coral Reef

时间:2017-08-07 06:23来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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“You’re going to see some beautiful coral out at the reef,” Melanie said, as they boarded a glass-bottom boat later that morning. They had driven into Key West after breakfast and were taking their seats on the upper deck of a large white boat called the Fury.

“And fish, too?” Benny asked. He had already learned to identify several kinds of tropical fish, and wanted to see more.

Melanie laughed. “Over six hundred varieties. That’s enough to satisfy any fish lover!”

As soon as the boat got under way, Melanie asked the children what they knew about the coral reef.

“I know it’s over a hundred miles long,” Violet said. “And it runs just offshore1 of the Florida Keys.”

“That’s right,” Melanie agreed.

“Why don’t we have any coral reefs up near Greenfield?” Benny asked.

“Because the reef is made up of coral polyps, and they need warm water to survive. They die if you put them in water that’s cooler than seventy degrees.”

An hour later, they dropped anchor over a large coral bed, and everyone went below to the observation deck. “Wow, now I see why they call this a glass-bottom boat!” Benny dashed along the narrow walkways dividing glass panels that revealed the ocean floor.

“The fish are so close we could touch them,” Violet said, watching as a midnight-blue parrot fish glided2 by.

“I think this fish had too much to eat,” Benny said, dropping to his knees to get a better look. He pointed3 to a large tan fish that looked almost round.

“That’s a Southern puffer,” Melanie said. “He’s not really fat, Benny. He sucks in a bellyfull of water and makes himself look three times as big. That way, he scares off other fish who might bother him.”

Jessie admired some beautiful elkhorn, staghorn, and branch coral, and Melanie reminded her that they grow only two or three inches a year.

“It’s seems funny that coral is actually alive,” Violet pointed out.

“But it’s true. The coral reef is constantly growing new colonies of polyps on top of the skeletons of older ones. Coral can live for centuries. The reef is thousands of years old.”

As Melanie talked about the reef, Henry’s mind went back to the coral theft on the island. Would the Coast Guard be able to catch the thief? he wondered. He went over the list of suspects that they had come up with, and felt confused. That was the whole problem, he decided4. There were plenty of suspects, but no real clues. And worst of all, no proof!

After lunch, the group headed to the Mel Fisher Museum to see the riches of the famous Spanish ship, the Atocha. Benny was thrilled to touch a genuine gold bar, and Jessie admired a beautiful belt studded with rubies5 and diamonds. “Do you know dolphins were trained to bring up some of the emeralds from the wreck6?” a museum guide asked.

“Emeralds? Why would dolphins be interested in emeralds?” Violet asked, puzzled.

“Because we rewarded them with their favorite treat — mackerel!”

That evening, at bedtime, Benny thought about his own treasure — the bent7 coin he had found at the dock. He had seen a picture of Mel Fisher wearing a gold coin on a chain around his neck. Benny wanted to do the same thing. “Henry, can you drill a hole in my coin tomorrow?”

“Sure, Benny, I’ll be glad to.” Henry tucked the covers around his little brother, and within minutes, both boys fell fast asleep.

It was nearly midnight when Benny awoke with a start. He heard a faint rustling8 noise, but he couldn’t pinpoint9 exactly where it was coming from. And he was too scared to open his eyes.

“Henry, is that you?” he whispered. There was no answer. He strained to listen, as goosebumps rose on his arms. Should he scramble10 out of bed and wake his brother? He decided to wait a couple of more minutes.

He was completely awake now, and he knew he wasn’t imagining what he heard.

Something was brushing against the lampshade on his night table. Something was jiggling the brush and comb on his dresser top. Something was bumping into his bed.

“Henry?” Benny said softly, his voice trembling.

Just then he heard the door creak open. Benny lay very still, listening. But the cabin was quiet now.

Benny couldn’t stay still another minute. He jumped out of bed and raced across the room to flip11 on the light switch.

“What’s going on?” Henry sat straight up in bed, rubbing his eyes.

The cabin was flooded with light, and Benny pointed to the door. It was open!

“Someone was in here,” Benny stammered12. “Someone was here, in our cabin.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m positive.” He jumped back in bed and pulled his knees up to his chest. Even though the danger was over, he still felt scared, and his teeth were chattering13.

Henry crossed the floor and checked the solid pine door. “It could have been the wind,” he said hesitantly. “But this is a pretty heavy door.”

“It’s not just the door!” Benny protested. “Something was moving all around the room. I heard it!” He looked around the room nervously14. “Maybe it was a . . . ghost.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Do you think that’s possible?”

Henry peered around the open door and laughed. “Here’s your ghost.” Bingo darted15 into the room, barking happily.

“Bingo?” Benny said doubtfully. “Do you think that’s what I heard?”

“It must have been.” Henry reached down to pat the furry16 collie who immediately jumped onto the bed. “Maybe he was lonely and just wanted some company.”

Benny wasn’t convinced. “But how did he get the door open? And what was he doing under my bed?”

Henry watched as Benny scrambled17 under the bed and dragged out the cookie tin.

The top was half off, but his coin was safe. “Why would he be sniffing18 around a metal box?”

Henry shrugged19. “I don’t know. Maybe he remembered when it held cookies.” Bingo jumped down and began nosing the tin. “See? It probably still smells like food to him.”

“If you say so,” Benny said, climbing back into bed.

Henry ushered20 Bingo out of the cabin and closed the door firmly behind him. “Let’s get some sleep,” he said, returning to his own bed.

“Okay, but I’m going to leave my light on,” Benny said in a little voice. “Just in case.”

The next morning, Henry went to the craft room after breakfast to drill a hole in Benny’s coin. “How’s that?” Henry said, holding it up. Soo Lee had given Benny a piece of jute to use as a cord, and Benny fastened the coin around his neck.

“Now I look like a real treasure hunter!” he said proudly.

Meanwhile, Jessie, Violet, and Soo Lee were sitting in the darkroom, watching as Melanie explained how to develop black-and-white photographs.

“After you put the prints in the final bath,” she said, “you carefully lift them out of the solution with tongs21 and hang them to dry.” She pointed to a long line that ran the length of the room. “You might want to take a look at the work that my advanced students have done. There’s some beautiful underwater photography there.”

“Oh, look at this one,” Soo Lee said, pointing to a pretty sunset scene.

“That one was done by a professional,” Melanie said. “Katherine Kelly took that photograph.”

Violet walked over to the picture and stared at it for several seconds.

“What’s the matter?” Jessie asked, noticing the serious expression on her face. “Don’t you like it?”

“Oh, yes, it’s beautiful,” Violet said. “But . . . ”

“But what?” Soo Lee interrupted.

Violet shrugged. “I don’t know. There’s something about that picture. It looks so familiar.”

“Maybe you saw it on a postcard,” Jessie teased her. “You know, sunset, water, palm trees. Everywhere you look in Key West, you see the same scene.”

Violet shook her head. “No, it’s something else. It’s more than that.” Everyone left to have lunch then, but Violet couldn’t resist taking a last look at the photograph. Why was the picture so disturbing? Where had she seen it before? She knew it was going to bother her until she remembered. She would just have to think.

Jessie came back to drag her out of the darkroom. “Hey, we’re going to be last in the cafeteria line, if we don’t get a move on. And they’re having pizza today. They might run out!”

“I’m coming,” Violet said reluctantly.

Jessie looked at the picture and shrugged. She wondered why Violet was so troubled by it. Jessie nudged her sister playfully. “Come on, Violet. You worry too much. Let’s go eat!”
 


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 offshore FIux8     
adj.海面的,吹向海面的;adv.向海面
参考例句:
  • A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
  • A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。
2 glided dc24e51e27cfc17f7f45752acf858ed1     
v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 );掠过;(鸟或飞机 ) 滑翔
参考例句:
  • The President's motorcade glided by. 总统的车队一溜烟开了过去。
  • They glided along the wall until they were out of sight. 他们沿着墙壁溜得无影无踪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
3 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。
4 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。
5 rubies 534be3a5d4dab7c1e30149143213b88f     
红宝石( ruby的名词复数 ); 红宝石色,深红色
参考例句:
  • a necklace of rubies intertwined with pearls 缠着珍珠的红宝石项链
  • The crown was set with precious jewels—diamonds, rubies and emeralds. 王冠上镶嵌着稀世珍宝—有钻石、红宝石、绿宝石。
6 wreck QMjzE     
n.失事,遇难;沉船;vt.(船等)失事,遇难
参考例句:
  • Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
  • No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。
7 bent QQ8yD     
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的
参考例句:
  • He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
  • We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
8 rustling c6f5c8086fbaf68296f60e8adb292798     
n. 瑟瑟声,沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的
参考例句:
  • the sound of the trees rustling in the breeze 树木在微风中发出的沙沙声
  • the soft rustling of leaves 树叶柔和的沙沙声
9 pinpoint xNExL     
vt.准确地确定;用针标出…的精确位置
参考例句:
  • It is difficult to pinpoint when water problems of the modern age began.很难准确地指出,现代用水的问题是什么时候出现的。
  • I could pinpoint his precise location on a map.我能在地图上指明他的准确位置。
10 scramble JDwzg     
v.爬行,攀爬,杂乱蔓延,碎片,片段,废料
参考例句:
  • He broke his leg in his scramble down the wall.他爬墙摔断了腿。
  • It was a long scramble to the top of the hill.到山顶须要爬登一段长路。
11 flip Vjwx6     
vt.快速翻动;轻抛;轻拍;n.轻抛;adj.轻浮的
参考例句:
  • I had a quick flip through the book and it looked very interesting.我很快翻阅了一下那本书,看来似乎很有趣。
  • Let's flip a coin to see who pays the bill.咱们来抛硬币决定谁付钱。
12 stammered 76088bc9384c91d5745fd550a9d81721     
v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He stammered most when he was nervous. 他一紧张往往口吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • Barsad leaned back in his chair, and stammered, \"What do you mean?\" 巴萨往椅背上一靠,结结巴巴地说,“你是什么意思?” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
13 chattering chattering     
n. (机器振动发出的)咔嗒声,(鸟等)鸣,啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的,啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • The teacher told the children to stop chattering in class. 老师叫孩子们在课堂上不要叽叽喳喳讲话。
  • I was so cold that my teeth were chattering. 我冷得牙齿直打战。
14 nervously tn6zFp     
adv.神情激动地,不安地
参考例句:
  • He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇,努力忍着不哭出来。
  • He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。
15 darted d83f9716cd75da6af48046d29f4dd248     
v.投掷,投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 );向前冲,飞奔
参考例句:
  • The lizard darted out its tongue at the insect. 蜥蜴伸出舌头去吃小昆虫。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The old man was displeased and darted an angry look at me. 老人不高兴了,瞪了我一眼。 来自《简明英汉词典》
16 furry Rssz2D     
adj.毛皮的;似毛皮的;毛皮制的
参考例句:
  • This furry material will make a warm coat for the winter.这件毛皮料在冬天会是一件保暖的大衣。
  • Mugsy is a big furry brown dog,who wiggles when she is happy.马格斯是一只棕色大长毛狗,当她高兴得时候她会摇尾巴。
17 scrambled 2e4a1c533c25a82f8e80e696225a73f2     
v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 );攀登;争夺;(军事飞机)紧急起飞
参考例句:
  • Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
18 sniffing 50b6416c50a7d3793e6172a8514a0576     
n.探查法v.以鼻吸气,嗅,闻( sniff的现在分词 );抽鼻子(尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气);抱怨,不以为然地说
参考例句:
  • We all had colds and couldn't stop sniffing and sneezing. 我们都感冒了,一个劲地抽鼻子,打喷嚏。
  • They all had colds and were sniffing and sneezing. 他们都伤风了,呼呼喘气而且打喷嚏。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
19 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》
20 ushered d337b3442ea0cc4312a5950ae8911282     
v.引,领,陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The secretary ushered me into his office. 秘书把我领进他的办公室。
  • A round of parties ushered in the New Year. 一系列的晚会迎来了新年。 来自《简明英汉词典》
21 tongs ugmzMt     
n.钳;夹子
参考例句:
  • She used tongs to put some more coal on the fire.她用火钳再夹一些煤放进炉子里。
  • He picked up the hot metal with a pair of tongs.他用一把钳子夹起这块热金属。
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