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儿童英语读物 The Mystery of the Missing Cat Is This Spotzie?

时间:2017-08-08 06:43来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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The Aldens had just finished dinner. Jessie and Grandfather were playing checkers, while Henry read one of Benny’s favorite stories to him. Violet had been listening, too, when the phone rang.

“I’ll get it,” she said. “Maybe it’s another phone call about the signs we put up for Spotzie.”

Grandfather Alden nodded. “Too bad those other phone calls weren’t helpful.”

Violet picked up the receiver. “Hello?”

“This the missing cat number?” growled1 a husky voice at the other end.

“Yes, it is,” said Violet.

“Did you find her?”

“Not yet,” Violet answered.

The husky voice went on, “Well, I’m missing a cat, too, see? And it looks like yours, see? So if you find my cat, like if someone calls you and says they’ve found a cat like mine, I’ll give a reward. A big reward.”

“What kind of cat?” asked Violet.

“You just let me know about any lost cats you hear about, okay? Write to, uh, Mr., uh, Jones, post office box ninety-three, Greenfield. Got that?”

“But . . .” Violet didn’t get to finish. Mr. Jones had hung up the phone!

“Who was it, Violet?” asked Grandfather Alden.

Violet told the Aldens about the strange phone call. Everyone was puzzled.

“It sounded as if Mr. Jones wasn’t his real name,” said Violet. “Something about the way he said it sounded funny.”

“But why would anyone call about a lost cat and use a phony name?” asked Jessie.

“It’s another mystery!” exclaimed Benny.

“Or part of the same mystery, Benny,” said Jessie.

Just then, the phone rang again. This time when Violet answered it, a brisk voice said, “I believe I’ve found your cat.”

“You have?” said Violet. Quickly she explained that they didn’t know exactly what Spotzie looked like. “We never met her. We’re helping2 find her for someone.”

“Oh,” said the woman. “Well, I’m Professor Madison. You should come to my house tomorrow morning and get your cat.”

Violet took Professor Madison’s address and told her that the Aldens would be over to see her as soon as possible the next morning.

“Hillside Drive,” said Henry. “That’s a long way from where Spotzie and Mr. Woods live. How could a cat have gone so far?”

Violet clasped her hands. “Do you think it’s Spotzie? I hope so.”

“We’ll find out tomorrow, first thing,” Henry promised.

The next morning, the Aldens rode their bicycles to the other side of Greenfield, where Professor Madison lived. She had a low, rambling3 house set back from the road in an old pecan orchard4. The house was painted blue, with lots of windows that had dark blue shutters5. The front yard was neatly6 trimmed, but in the orchard, wildflowers grew beneath the trees and the grass was tall.

“I like this place,” said Benny as the Aldens walked up the brick walk to Professor Madison’s front door. “Look.”

He pointed7. In the window next to the door, a fat silver tabby cat sat, staring out at them.

Professor Madison opened the door immediately. “You must be the Aldens,” she said quickly, before they could introduce themselves. She was a small, wiry woman wearing big silver hoop8 earrings9 and a big shirt over jeans. Her long dark hair was in a single braid down her back. “Come in.”

She led the way down a wide hall to a sunny room at the back of the house. Behind them, the silver cat jumped down from the windowsill with a thump10 and followed.

When the Aldens reached the back room, they stopped and stared in amazement11. Cats were everywhere. Cats were sleeping in the sun in the windows, cats were playing with toys on the floor, cats were sitting on bookshelves and chairs and on tops of cabinets. There seemed to be dozens of them.

“Wow,” gasped12 Violet.

“My cat collection,” said Professor Madison. She walked over to a big armchair and reached down and picked up a cat. “Here’s your cat. I found her hiding in the bushes by my door a few days ago.”

The Aldens looked at the cat in Professor Madison’s arms. She was a little cat with a white stomach and feet. She had a blanket of orange and black spots on her back and her face was orange and black, too, with one orange ear and one black ear. She gazed up at the Aldens with golden green eyes and began to purr.

“What a nice cat,” said Violet. “Spotzie?” Violet reached out and petted the cat’s head, and the cat purred even more loudly.

“Take her,” said Professor Madison. “Here. I have a cardboard cat carrier you can have.”

“But we’re not sure she’s the right cat,” said Jessie.

“Has anyone else found a spotted13 cat and called you?” demanded Professor Madison.

“No,” said Jessie.

“Then this is your cat.” Before anyone could answer, Professor Madison marched out. She returned a few minutes later with a small cardboard cat carrier with handles on top and airholes in the side.

“Here,” said the professor and thrust the carrier into Henry’s arms.

“But what if it isn’t Spotzie?” asked Benny.

The professor didn’t answer. Instead, she led them back down the hall. “Thank you for coming,” she said, and opened the front door.

The Aldens all looked at one another in surprise. At last Henry said, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” said Professor Madison, still holding the door open.

The Aldens walked out and the professor closed the door firmly behind them.

“That was strange,” said Jessie.

“Maybe she was just very busy and didn’t want to waste any time,” Violet suggested.

“Spotzie?” asked Benny, bending down to look through one of the airholes in the cat carrier. The little cat inside meowed.

“Do you think it’s her?” asked Violet. “Do you think she knows her name?”

“There’s only one way to find out. We have to take her to Mr. Woods,” said Henry.

Henry put the cat carrier in the large basket on his bike and carefully held it with one hand as he and the others rode back to Mr. Woods’s house. As they walked up the front steps, Henry said softly, “Look! That curtain moved again.”

They stopped in front of the door. Violet stepped back shyly. Henry raised his hand to knock. But he didn’t get a chance. The door opened.

“Oh!” said Violet in surprise.

A man with shaggy brown hair, wearing wire-rimmed glasses, loose khaki pants, and a rumbled14 blue shirt stood there.

“Who are you?” he asked harshly.

The Aldens introduced themselves and explained that they had been looking for Spotzie. Mr. Woods listened without smiling.

Then Henry held up the cat carrier. “We think we might have found Spotzie,” he said.

For one moment, Mr. Woods’s whole face changed. He looked like a different person. A happy person. He grabbed the box from Henry and opened it.

His face changed back to its grumpy look. “No! That’s not Spotzie! Spotzie is much, much prettier! How could you make such a stupid mistake?”

Suddenly Violet spoke15. “We didn’t know,” she told Mr. Woods. “How could we know if we don’t know what Spotzie looks like?”

“Much prettier!” Mr. Woods was almost shouting.

But Violet answered bravely, “If you could give us a picture of Spotzie, that would help.”

Mr. Woods looked at Violet and frowned. “Wait here,” he ordered rudely. Then he turned and walked back in the house.

He came back holding a small photograph. For a moment, he stood staring down at it. His grumpy expression changed to a sad one. “Smart,” he said softly. “A smart little cat.”

He looked up. “You know she could open any door, any latch16? It was amazing to watch. And when I talked to her, she’d answer, just like she could understand what I was saying. She was special. Anyone could tell. Why, one day, when we were sitting on the porch, a complete stranger walked by and offered to buy her!”

Then Mr. Woods seemed to remember where he was. He shoved the photograph into Violet’s hand. “Here,” he said. “Not that I think it’ll help. And you had better give that photograph back unharmed!”

Without even saying good-bye, Mr. Woods turned and walked back into his house and slammed the door.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 growled 65a0c9cac661e85023a63631d6dab8a3     
v.(动物)发狺狺声, (雷)作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 );低声咆哮着说
参考例句:
  • \"They ought to be birched, \" growled the old man. 老人咆哮道:“他们应受到鞭打。” 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He growled out an answer. 他低声威胁着回答。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 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。
3 rambling MTfxg     
adj.[建]凌乱的,杂乱的
参考例句:
  • We spent the summer rambling in Ireland. 我们花了一个夏天漫游爱尔兰。
  • It was easy to get lost in the rambling house. 在布局凌乱的大房子里容易迷路。
4 orchard UJzxu     
n.果园,果园里的全部果树,(美俚)棒球场
参考例句:
  • My orchard is bearing well this year.今年我的果园果实累累。
  • Each bamboo house was surrounded by a thriving orchard.每座竹楼周围都是茂密的果园。
5 shutters 74d48a88b636ca064333022eb3458e1f     
百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 ); (照相机的)快门
参考例句:
  • The shop-front is fitted with rolling shutters. 那商店的店门装有卷门。
  • The shutters thumped the wall in the wind. 在风中百叶窗砰砰地碰在墙上。
6 neatly ynZzBp     
adv.整洁地,干净地,灵巧地,熟练地
参考例句:
  • Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
  • The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。
7 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。
8 hoop wcFx9     
n.(篮球)篮圈,篮
参考例句:
  • The child was rolling a hoop.那个孩子在滚铁环。
  • The wooden tub is fitted with the iron hoop.木盆都用铁箍箍紧。
9 earrings 9ukzSs     
n.耳环( earring的名词复数 );耳坠子
参考例句:
  • a pair of earrings 一对耳环
  • These earrings snap on with special fastener. 这付耳环是用特制的按扣扣上去的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
10 thump sq2yM     
v.重击,砰然地响;n.重击,重击声
参考例句:
  • The thief hit him a thump on the head.贼在他的头上重击一下。
  • The excitement made her heart thump.她兴奋得心怦怦地跳。
11 amazement 7zlzBK     
n.惊奇,惊讶
参考例句:
  • All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
  • He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。
12 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》
13 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。
14 rumbled e155775f10a34eef1cb1235a085c6253     
发出隆隆声,发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 ); 轰鸣着缓慢行进; 发现…的真相; 看穿(阴谋)
参考例句:
  • The machine rumbled as it started up. 机器轰鸣着发动起来。
  • Things rapidly became calm, though beneath the surface the argument rumbled on. 事情迅速平静下来了,然而,在这种平静的表面背后争论如隆隆雷声,持续不断。
15 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。
16 latch g2wxS     
n.门闩,窗闩;弹簧锁
参考例句:
  • She laid her hand on the latch of the door.她把手放在门闩上。
  • The repairman installed an iron latch on the door.修理工在门上安了铁门闩。
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