儿童英语读物 The Outer Space Mystery CHAPTER 10 Benny’s Discovery

Grandfather’s eyebrows¹ raised in surprise as he watched his grandchildren and Rachel Cunningham climb onto the stage. They stood beside the podium.

“I hope this interruption is important,” James Alden said.

“It’s about Mark’s paper,” Henry said.

Mark sat up straight.

“We’re aware Mark’s paper is missing,” said Grandfather. “What do you children know about it?”

This time Rachel spoke². “Everything, sir. I told them. You see, I helped steal it. Eugene Scott paid me to take Mark’s notes. We copied Mark’s paper. Eugene was going to present it as his own work.”

Mark leaped up. “What? Where is Eugene?”

“He’s gone,” Jessie replied. “We chased him, but he took off in his car. He took your paper with him,” she added ruefully.

Rachel pulled an envelope from inside her sweater. “Not all of it,” she said. “I still have Mark’s original notes. Eugene forgot to ask me for them.”

“That’s why you weren’t behind us,” Jessie said. “You were getting Mark’s notes.”

By now everyone in the audience was straining to hear the onstage discussion.

James Alden spoke into the microphone. “I think we could all use a short recess³.” To Rachel and his grandchildren he said, “Let’s go see Dr. Porter. This is a serious matter.”

Silently, they filed out of the auditorium⁴ and down the hall. Dr. Porter’s secretary ushered⁵ them immediately into his office.

 

“Now,” said Dr. Porter. “What’s this all about?”

Though she was clearly frightened, Rachel explained. She didn’t make it sound like it was all Eugene Scott’s fault. Jessie admired her for that.

“I know it was wrong,” she said at the end of her story. “But I needed the money.”

Dr. Porter frowned. “I’m sure something else could have been worked out.”

“What’s going to happen, sir?” Rachel asked.

“This college does not condone⁶ plagiarism,” Dr. Porter said solemnly. “We cannot tolerate this kind of behavior.”

Benny didn’t understand everything the president was saying, but it didn’t sound very good.

“We will find Eugene. If what you say is true, he will be expelled immediately,” Able Porter pronounced. “What he did will remain on his records, no matter which other schools he applies to.”

“And me, sir?” Rachel’s voice wavered.

Dr. Porter shook his head with a sigh. “I’m sorry, Rachel. You must be dismissed also. You were a part of Eugene’s crime.”

Rachel lifted her chin. “I understand, sir. I’ll pack and be out of my dorm room as soon as possible.”

“I’m sorry,” the president told her sincerely. “I wish you had come to me. I would have helped your financial situation.”

Jessie reached out and grabbed Rachel’s hand. The young woman was trembling.

The meeting was over. The Aldens and Rachel left Dr. Porter’s office.

Violet saw Rachel bite her lip to keep from crying. Violet felt like crying herself. She knew Rachel had done a bad thing, but the punishment seemed so harsh.

“Grandfather,” she whispered, touching⁷ his sleeve, “can’t you do something?”

“You mean to help Rachel?” He thought a moment. “Yes, I believe I can. Able Porter and I go back a long way. I’m sure he will work with me to help Rachel get a new start.”

Rachel stared at him with huge eyes. “You mean I won’t have to give up my dream of becoming a scientist?”

“You will have to leave Mountvale College,” James Alden told her. “But I’m sure I can help you finish your schooling⁸. The world needs young scientists.”

Rachel threw her arms around him. “Thank you, Mr. Alden! I’ll work harder than ever! I promise!”

“I know you will,” Grandfather said. “Now, I’d better get back to the conference.”

“Can I come, too?” Rachel asked. “There’s something I have to do.”

“All right,” Grandfather relented. “Everyone might as well come. The conference is nearly over anyway.”

Back inside the auditorium, Rachel went directly to Mark Jacobs. She handed him the envelope.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I hope you don’t hate me, but I don’t blame you if you do. Here are your notes.”

Mark seemed overjoyed to get his notes back.

“I can rewrite my paper,” he said. “And mail it to the conference committee. It’ll be submitted late, but it won’t be a total loss.” Then he said to Rachel, “No, I don’t hate you.”

Now James Alden stepped up to the podium. “Since you have your notes, Mark, why don’t you give us an overview⁹ of your discovery.”

Mark jumped up. “I can do that! I even have slides.”

Henry poked¹⁰ Jessie. “We’re finally going to find out Mark’s discovery!”

The lights were dimmed and the projector¹¹ was turned on. Everyone stared at the white screen onstage.

Mark took over the microphone. When he spoke, his voice vibrated with energy.

“In this great universe of ours,” he said, “there are many wonders. Astronomers¹² have always searched for those wonders, like the discovery of our own solar system. But lately astronomers are looking beyond our solar system. They are finding other solar systems, other galaxies¹³.”

He paused to click the button on the slide projector. A dark picture with a lot of dots came into focus.

“What is that?” Benny whispered to Violet.

“Shhh,” she said. “He’ll tell us.”

Mark continued. “But I believe there are many wonders in our own solar system we haven’t yet found. You all know about the asteroid¹⁴ belt that lies between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars. These tiny fragments orbit the sun just as the other planets make that journey.”

Now Benny scratched his head. “What’s an asteroid?”

Mark smiled at the youngest members of his audience. “Asteroids¹⁵ are pieces of old moons or planets. They may have come from a single planet that blew up long ago.”

“Neat!” said Benny.

“They are only a few hundred miles wide. Some are only fifty miles across,” Mark explained. “Most people find the asteroids boring. Chunks¹⁶ of rock that go around and around. Big deal!”

He clicked the projector button and a new slide came into view.

Now the audience stared at a picture of dark space. Among the stars, there was a single fuzzy dot.

Mark used a pointer to tap the dot on the screen. “That, gentlemen, is my discovery. A new asteroid. It orbits outside the belt between Jupiter and Mars. It has a wobbly path. I think it’s influenced by the orbit of our own planet, Earth. It’s not the biggest asteroid, but it’s not so small, either!”

There was a brief silence. Then the applause started.

The men at the table got up to shake Mark’s hand. Grandfather clapped Mark on the back.

Mark stepped up to the microphone again. “I have one more thing to add. As you know, the International Astronomical¹⁷ Union oversees¹⁸ the naming of celestial¹⁹ objects. If I can get their approval, my discovery will be named the Alden Asteroid.”

Violet bounced in her seat. This was incredible!

Jessie was overcome with excitement. “Did you hear that, Benny? We have our very own asteroid!”

“Terrific,” he said, flatly.

The conference was adjourned²⁰.

Everyone walked outside.

Randy Merchant caught up to the Aldens. “Hey, guys!” he cried. “I can tell you my secret now! A science magazine has agreed to publish my article about young astronomers.”

“That’s great!” said Henry. Then he noticed a small device inside Randy’s left ear. Randy Merchant had trouble hearing, he realized. No wonder Randy didn’t answer his questions about the old trail. Henry was probably speaking into the wrong ear.

James Alden turned to Mark. “Thank you very much for naming your discovery after my family. It’s a great honor.”

“Your grandchildren deserve it,” Mark said warmly. “Without their help, I wouldn’t have been on that stage today.”

“Now when we look up at the sky,” Henry said, “we will know a little piece of it is named after us.”

“Rachel,” said Grandfather, “let’s go talk to Dr. Porter about your future.”

Rachel grasped Jessie’s hand. “Thanks for being such a dear friend.”

Jessie smiled back. She knew Rachel was a good person.

Mark and the children strolled down to the creek²¹.

Benny squatted²² on the sandbar. His fleet of leaf boats was still docked. He launched one into the swirling²³ water.

Mark knelt beside him. “You seem quiet, Benny. Aren’t you excited about the Alden Asteroid?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Benny pushed another boat into the current.

“Didn’t you learn a lot about outer space this week?” Violet asked her little brother. It wasn’t like him to be so unenthusiastic.

He sat back on his heels. “Well, I learned stars make pictures. But I really wanted to find one of those meteor-things. You know, to go with my snakeskin.”

“A meteorite²⁴.” Mark nodded, understanding. “You’d like an outer-space souvenir.”

“Yes!” Then Benny’s face fell. “But I didn’t find one. I don’t even know what one looks like.”

Mark picked up a white pebble²⁵ washed smooth by the water. He put it in Benny’s hand.

“There,” he said, “is your outer-space souvenir.”

Benny stared at the rock. “Is this a meteorite?”

“No, it’s just an ordinary Earth rock,” Mark replied. “A piece of our planet.”

Henry helped explain. “You see, Benny, our earth is part of the universe. We’re in outer space ourselves.”

“It doesn’t feel like it,” said Benny.

“That’s because it seems like we’re not moving,” Mark said. “But we are. The earth is always spinning around its axis²⁶.”

“You remember, that’s what makes day and night,” Jessie said to Benny. “When our part of the Earth turns away from the sun, it’s night.”

“And when it faces the sun, it’s day,” added Violet. “We’re moving right this instant, only we can’t feel it.”

Benny’s face lit up. “I get it! We’re in outer space!” he said in triumph.

“Exactly.” Mark grinned.

Now Benny pulled the rolled-up snakeskin from his pocket. He smoothed it flat and set the white pebble next to it.

“My Earth outer-space souvenirs,” he said proudly. “Aren’t they great?”

Violet frowned. She wished Benny would get rid of that snakeskin. But in the dappled sunlight, the gray, papery strip revealed a pretty pattern. It really wasn’t so ugly, after all.

Benny had figured that out all by himself.

Violet tipped her head back. Tonight, she would look up at Benny’s “outer space” for star-pictures and orbiting planets.

And if she was lucky, she might even see the Alden Asteroid.

1 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

2 spoke   

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。

3 recess   

n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处）

参考例句：

• The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
• Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。

4 auditorium   

n.观众席，听众席；会堂，礼堂

参考例句：

• The teacher gathered all the pupils in the auditorium.老师把全体同学集合在礼堂内。
• The stage is thrust forward into the auditorium.舞台向前突出，伸入观众席。

5 ushered   

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》

6 condone   

v.宽恕；原谅

参考例句：

• I cannot condone the use of violence.我不能宽恕使用暴力的行为。
• I will not condone a course of action that will lead us to war.我绝不允许任何导致战争的行为。

7 touching   

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。

8 schooling   

n.教育；正规学校教育

参考例句：

• A child's access to schooling varies greatly from area to area.孩子获得学校教育的机会因地区不同而大相径庭。
• Backward children need a special kind of schooling.天赋差的孩子需要特殊的教育。

9 overview   

n.概观，概述

参考例句：

• The opening chapter gives a brief historical overview of transport.第一章是运输史的简要回顾。
• The seminar aims to provide an overview on new media publishing.研讨会旨在综览新兴的媒体出版。

10 poked   

v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交

参考例句：

• She poked him in the ribs with her elbow. 她用胳膊肘顶他的肋部。
• His elbow poked out through his torn shirt sleeve. 他的胳膊从衬衫的破袖子中露了出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 projector   

n.投影机，放映机，幻灯机

参考例句：

• There is a new projector in my office.我的办公室里有一架新的幻灯机。
• How long will it take to set up the projector?把这个放映机安放好需要多长时间？

12 astronomers   

n.天文学者，天文学家( astronomer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Astronomers can accurately foretell the date,time,and length of future eclipses. 天文学家能精确地预告未来日食月食的日期、时刻和时长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Astronomers used to ask why only Saturn has rings. 天文学家们过去一直感到奇怪，为什么只有土星有光环。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 galaxies   

星系( galaxy的名词复数 )； 银河系； 一群（杰出或著名的人物）

参考例句：

• Quasars are the highly energetic cores of distant galaxies. 类星体是遥远星系的极为活跃的核心体。
• We still don't know how many galaxies there are in the universe. 我们还不知道宇宙中有多少个星系。

14 asteroid   

n.小行星；海盘车(动物)

参考例句：

• Astronomers have yet to witness an asteroid impact with another planet.天文学家还没有目击过小行星撞击其它行星。
• It's very unlikely that an asteroid will crash into Earth but the danger exists.小行星撞地球的可能性很小，但这样的危险还是存在的。

15 asteroids   

n.小行星( asteroid的名词复数 )；海盘车，海星

参考例句：

• Asteroids,also known as "minor planets",are numerous in the outer space. 小行星，亦称为“小型行星”，在外太空中不计其数。
• Most stars probably have their quota of planets, meteorids, comets, and asteroids. 多数恒星也许还拥有若干行星、流星、彗星和小行星。

16 chunks   

厚厚的一块( chunk的名词复数 )； （某物）相当大的数量或部分

参考例句：

• a tin of pineapple chunks 一罐菠萝块
• Those chunks of meat are rather large—could you chop them up a bIt'smaller? 这些肉块相当大，还能再切小一点吗？

17 astronomical   

adj.天文学的，（数字）极大的

参考例句：

• He was an expert on ancient Chinese astronomical literature.他是研究中国古代天文学文献的专家。
• Houses in the village are selling for astronomical prices.乡村的房价正在飙升。

18 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

19 celestial   

adj.天体的；天上的

参考例句：

• The rosy light yet beamed like a celestial dawn.玫瑰色的红光依然象天上的朝霞一样绚丽。
• Gravity governs the motions of celestial bodies.万有引力控制着天体的运动。

20 adjourned   

（使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The court adjourned for lunch. 午餐时间法庭休庭。
• The trial was adjourned following the presentation of new evidence to the court. 新证据呈到庭上后，审讯就宣告暂停。

21 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

22 squatted   

v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。

参考例句：

• He squatted down beside the footprints and examined them closely. 他蹲在脚印旁仔细地观察。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He squatted in the grass discussing with someone. 他蹲在草地上与一个人谈话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 swirling   

v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Snowflakes were swirling in the air. 天空飘洒着雪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She smiled, swirling the wine in her glass. 她微笑着，旋动着杯子里的葡萄酒。 来自辞典例句

24 meteorite   

n.陨石；流星

参考例句：

• The meteorite in Jilin Exhibition Hall is believed to be the largest in the world.吉林展览馆的陨石被认为是世界上最大的。
• The famous Murchison meteorite smashed into the Australian ground in 1969.1969年著名的默奇森陨石轰然坠落在澳大利亚。

25 pebble   

n.卵石，小圆石

参考例句：

• The bird mistook the pebble for egg and tried to hatch it.这只鸟错把卵石当蛋，想去孵它。
• The pebble made a ripple on the surface of the lake.石子在湖面上激起一个涟漪。

26 axis   

n.轴，轴线，中心线；坐标轴，基准线

参考例句：

• The earth's axis is the line between the North and South Poles.地轴是南北极之间的线。
• The axis of a circle is its diameter.圆的轴线是其直径。