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儿童英语读物 The Outer Space Mystery CHAPTER 5 Where Is Rachel?

时间:2017-09-01 07:07来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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“What do you mean you can’t find her?” Violet asked.

“She’s not in her room,” Hazel said. “I just went in there to thank her for singing for us tonight. Her bed is still made up. She’s nowhere to be seen, and it’s getting very late.”

“Maybe she’s taking a walk,” Violet suggested. “She’ll probably come in later.”

Hazel shook her head. “Rachel is usually in her room studying as soon as the evening meal is over. This isn’t like her at all.”

“We’ll probably find out tomorrow where she went,” Jessie said reassuringly1. But she was concerned, too. Rachel had seemed so upset earlier.

When Hazel left, Jessie went over to the window. A thick canopy2 of trees blocked most of the stars, but a thin, silver moon rose in the east. Was Rachel Cunningham out there somewhere?

Violet always knew when her big sister was worried. “Rachel’s from these mountains,” she said. “She’ll be all right. I’m sure she’ll show up tomorrow.”

“I hope so,” said Jessie, turning away from the window.

The next morning, Rachel had not returned, and the whole campus knew she was missing.

Grandfather spoke3 briefly4 to the children just outside the dining hall. “I’m running the entire conference now,” he told them. “Able Porter has his hands full with the disappearance5 of that young woman.”

At that moment a sheriff’s car wheeled into the circular driveway. A stocky man in a brown uniform and hat climbed out and went inside the administration building.

“Able is probably giving the sheriff a full report,” Grandfather said. He checked his watch. “I’d better run. The seminar starts in four minutes.”

Benny walked over to the sheriff’s car. He admired the golden badge painted on the side. When he grew up, he wanted a car just like this.

“I wonder what’s going to happen,” Violet said. “How will they ever find one person in these mountains?” She waved at the vast territory surrounding the campus.

The sheriff came outside again, followed by Able Porter and Randy Merchant. The men looked worried.

Mark Jacobs saw the group as he crossed the campus and ran over. He, too, looked concerned.

From where the children were standing6, they could hear the men talking.

“I hear you’re forming a search party,” Mark said to the sheriff.

“That’s right,” said the officer. “We’re afraid she might be lost in these woods. We need all the help we can get if we want to cover these woods by nightfall.”

Jessie shuddered7. She remembered the wild animals Randy had mentioned that lived in the woods.

“We can help,” Henry said.

The sheriff looked at him dubiously8. “We’re grateful for your offer, young man, but we need people who know these hills. We don’t need someone else getting lost.”

“We can do other things,” Benny said. “Like talk on walkie-talkies.” Next to owning a car with a gold badge on it, Benny longed to have a set of walkie-talkies.

“Benny is right,” said Mark. “We’ll need radio contact here. If we’re all out searching, who will we report in to? Dr. Porter has enough on his hands, running this college. I trust these children.”

“Okay!” the sheriff said, happy to have a few more helpers.

The seminar was dismissed for the day and a search party was organized. The people would work in teams so no one would get lost. Team leaders were issued walkie-talkies, maps, water, and food.

Randy Merchant showed the Aldens how to use the radio equipment in the main office. Then they all went back outside again to see the search party off.

As the teams were about to leave, Mark looked around.

“Where’s Eugene Scott?” he asked. “I haven’t seen him all day.”

“I bet I know where he is,” Randy answered in disgust. “In the kitchen.”

Mark suddenly looked furious. He stalked into the dining hall and came out a moment later with Eugene.

“What do you need me for?” Eugene was saying defensively. “You have plenty of people to search.”

“Everyone has volunteered,” Mark said, tight-lipped. “Even the children. The Aldens are manning the radios.”

Reluctantly, Eugene loaded up with gear. When the searchers finally headed into the deep woods, Eugene trailed behind. He clearly did not want to go.

“What’s with him?” Violet wondered. “You’d think he’d want to help.”

“Maybe he’s afraid of bears and wildcats,” said Benny, as they walked back into the main office.

They settled at the desk in front of the radio equipment. Jessie flipped9 on the switches. Static crackled from the speakers, so they knew the system was operating.

Henry stationed himself in front of the microphone, ready to receive the first message.

“I wonder if there’s any good food in the kitchen,” Benny wondered wistfully. “We didn’t have much to eat this morning.”

It was true. Everyone on the college staff was upset over Rachel’s disappearance. Breakfast had been a skimpy meal of cereal and fruit.

As if she heard his comment, Hazel Watson came to the door. She looked worried. “Have you heard anything yet?” she asked the children.

Henry shook his head. “Nothing. But the searchers only left a little while ago.”

Hazel heaved a sigh. “I have a problem,” she said. “I’m hoping you children can help me.”

“We’ll be glad to, if we can,” said Violet.

“I’m short-handed in the dining room,” Hazel said. “With Rachel gone, I have no waitress.”

Jessie guessed what was coming next. “You want us to fill in for Rachel?”

“Only during breakfast,” Hazel explained. “I’ve arranged to have buffet10-style lunches and dinners. But the conference people expect a hot, served breakfast. I’ll be happy to pay you. What do you think?”

“Do I get to carry one of those big trays?” Benny asked eagerly.

Hazel laughed. “No, I have a special job for you, Benny. Rolling silverware into napkins. Can you do that?”

“You bet!” Anything that put him closer to the kitchen was fine with him.

Jessie and Henry looked at each other.

Violet grinned. “We’ll do it!” she said.

“And you don’t have to pay us,” Henry told Hazel.

“Except a snack once in a while,” Benny put in.

Hazel laughed. “It’s only for one day, the final day of the conference. After that, Rachel — ” Her blue eyes were suddenly sad.

Violet patted the older woman on the knee. “Don’t worry. They’ll find Rachel soon.”

But the radio was silent the rest of the morning. At noon, Able Porter came in to relieve the Aldens.

“Go have lunch,” he told them. “And then go outside for a walk. It’s a beautiful day. You shouldn’t let our problems ruin your vacation.”

“We don’t mind,” Jessie told him. “We like Rachel a lot. We want to do anything we can to help find her.”

Dr. Porter smiled ruefully. “I’m sure Rachel would be glad to know she has such loyal friends.”

As Hazel had promised, lunch was a buffet, with a choice of cold salads, meats, cheeses, and relishes11. Everybody served themselves.

The dining room was nearly empty. Most of the conference attendees and all of the summer students were out searching the woods.

Grandfather stopped by the children’s table. Violet begged him to eat with them.

He held up a tray filled with sandwiches. “I’m afraid I have to entertain the guest speakers over there. They understand why the seminars are being postponed12, but I still can’t leave them alone.”

“We’re manning the radios,” said Benny proudly.

“We’re on a break right now because Dr. Porter is handling the radios,” Jessie explained. “I wonder if he’s had any calls.”

“I’m sure the searchers are doing everything they can,” said Grandfather. “Let’s hope they find that young woman before nightfall.”

When he left, Violet stared at Jessie. “I never thought of that! Rachel might be in the woods again tonight. It must be so scary!”

“Then what are we sitting here for?” Henry asked. “Instead of taking a walk, let’s go look for her!”

The children cleared their table and rushed outside.

Jessie pointed13 toward the main trails. “Most of the team went that way.”

“And some others went up there,” Henry said, nodding toward the observatory14 above them.

“What about that trail we found?” Violet suggested. “The one that’s not on the map.”

“Good idea,” Henry said. “Well head in that direction.”

Today the woods were hot and muggy15. Not a leaf stirred. But gnats16 and mosquitoes provided plenty of activity.

“Next time, bring bug17 spray,” Benny said, slapping his neck.

Violet was in the lead. “Here’s where we lost the trail before.”

Sure enough, the faint path seemed to disappear into the woods. But the children had broken enough branches the last time to mark the way.

“Look, there’s the stone chimney,” said Henry. “Let’s go check out that cabin.”

Jessie led the way down the twisting path. “Maybe Rachel is in there!”

Going down the steep mountainside was hard. Branches smacked18 them. Benny tripped over a root. Once Jessie thought she saw a snake, but it was only a thick vine.

At last they stumbled into a clearing.

The log cabin was cloaked in shadows. The sky was scraps19 of blue between tall trees.

The stone chimney jutted20 crookedly21 upward. One of the porch posts was broken. The porch roof sagged22 and seemed ready to fall down.

The children cautiously stepped on the rickety porch. Henry pushed on the front door. It creaked open on rusty23 hinges.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 reassuringly YTqxW     
ad.安心,可靠
参考例句:
  • He patted her knee reassuringly. 他轻拍她的膝盖让她放心。
  • The doctor smiled reassuringly. 医生笑了笑,让人心里很踏实。
2 canopy Rczya     
n.天篷,遮篷
参考例句:
  • The trees formed a leafy canopy above their heads.树木在他们头顶上空形成了一个枝叶茂盛的遮篷。
  • They lay down under a canopy of stars.他们躺在繁星点点的天幕下。
3 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。
4 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。
5 disappearance ouEx5     
n.消失,消散,失踪
参考例句:
  • He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
  • Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。
6 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。
7 shuddered 70137c95ff493fbfede89987ee46ab86     
v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 );发抖;(机器、车辆等)突然震动;颤动
参考例句:
  • He slammed on the brakes and the car shuddered to a halt. 他猛踩刹车,车颤抖着停住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I shuddered at the sight of the dead body. 我一看见那尸体就战栗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
8 dubiously dubiously     
adv.可疑地,怀疑地
参考例句:
  • "What does he have to do?" queried Chin dubiously. “他有什么心事?”琴向觉民问道,她的脸上现出疑惑不解的神情。 来自汉英文学 - 家(1-26) - 家(1-26)
  • He walked out fast, leaving the head waiter staring dubiously at the flimsy blue paper. 他很快地走出去,撇下侍者头儿半信半疑地瞪着这张薄薄的蓝纸。 来自辞典例句
9 flipped 5bef9da31993fe26a832c7d4b9630147     
轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 ); 按(开关); 快速翻转; 急挥
参考例句:
  • The plane flipped and crashed. 飞机猛地翻转,撞毁了。
  • The carter flipped at the horse with his whip. 赶大车的人扬鞭朝着马轻轻地抽打。
10 buffet 8sXzg     
n.自助餐;饮食柜台;餐台
参考例句:
  • Are you having a sit-down meal or a buffet at the wedding?你想在婚礼中摆桌宴还是搞自助餐?
  • Could you tell me what specialties you have for the buffet?你能告诉我你们的自助餐有什么特色菜吗?
11 relishes 47fa2c27f5386f301d941b3f19d03eba     
n.滋味( relish的名词复数 );乐趣;(大量的)享受;快乐v.欣赏( relish的第三人称单数 );从…获得乐趣;渴望
参考例句:
  • The meat relishes of pork. 这肉有猪肉味。 来自辞典例句
  • The biography relishes too much of romance. 这篇传记中传奇色彩太浓。 来自辞典例句
12 postponed 9dc016075e0da542aaa70e9f01bf4ab1     
vt.& vi.延期,缓办,(使)延迟vt.把…放在次要地位;[语]把…放在后面(或句尾)vi.(疟疾等)延缓发作(或复发)
参考例句:
  • The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
  • The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。
13 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。
14 observatory hRgzP     
n.天文台,气象台,瞭望台,观测台
参考例句:
  • Guy's house was close to the observatory.盖伊的房子离天文台很近。
  • Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.格林威治天文台的职员们每天对大钟检查两次。
15 muggy wFDxl     
adj.闷热的;adv.(天气)闷热而潮湿地;n.(天气)闷热而潮湿
参考例句:
  • We may expect muggy weather when the rainy season begins.雨季开始时,我们预料有闷热的天气。
  • It was muggy and overcast.天气闷热潮湿,而且天色阴沉。
16 gnats e62a9272689055f936a8d55ef289d2fb     
n.叮人小虫( gnat的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • He decided that he might fire at all gnats. 他决定索性把鸡毛蒜皮都摊出来。 来自辞典例句
  • The air seemed to grow thick with fine white gnats. 空气似乎由于许多白色的小虫子而变得浑浊不堪。 来自辞典例句
17 bug 5skzf     
n.虫子;故障;窃听器;vt.纠缠;装窃听器
参考例句:
  • There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。
  • The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。
18 smacked bb7869468e11f63a1506d730c1d2219e     
拍,打,掴( smack的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He smacked his lips but did not utter a word. 他吧嗒两下嘴,一声也不言语。
  • She smacked a child's bottom. 她打孩子的屁股。
19 scraps 737e4017931b7285cdd1fa3eb9dd77a3     
油渣
参考例句:
  • Don't litter up the floor with scraps of paper. 不要在地板上乱扔纸屑。
  • A patchwork quilt is a good way of using up scraps of material. 做杂拼花布棉被是利用零碎布料的好办法。
20 jutted 24c546c23e927de0beca5ea56f7fb23f     
v.(使)突出( jut的过去式和过去分词 );伸出;(从…)突出;高出
参考例句:
  • A row of small windows jutted out from the roof. 有一排小窗户从房顶上突出来。
  • His jaw jutted stubbornly forward; he would not be denied. 他固执地扬起下巴,一副不肯罢休的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
21 crookedly crookedly     
adv. 弯曲地,不诚实地
参考例句:
  • A crow flew crookedly like a shadow over the end of the salt lake. 一只乌鸦像个影子般地在盐湖的另一边鬼鬼祟祟地飞来飞去的。
22 sagged 4efd2c4ac7fe572508b0252e448a38d0     
下垂的
参考例句:
  • The black reticule sagged under the weight of shapeless objects. 黑色的拎包由于装了各种形状的东西而中间下陷。
  • He sagged wearily back in his chair. 他疲倦地瘫坐到椅子上。
23 rusty hYlxq     
adj.生锈的;锈色的;荒废了的
参考例句:
  • The lock on the door is rusty and won't open.门上的锁锈住了。
  • I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty.几个月不用,我的法语又荒疏了。
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