儿童英语读物 The Basketball Mystery CHAPTER 2 Something Borrowed

Tha-thump! Tha-thump! Tha-thump!

“What’s going on?” Jessie asked when she heard Watch at her bedroom window early the next morning.

Watch had stuck his head under the window shade to see what was making the noise outside. All Jessie could see were his hind¹ legs and his tail wagging² back and forth³.

When the thumping⁴ stopped, Jessie heard voices.

“Okay, Henry, just use your fingertips to control the ball while you run.”

“Basketball?” Jessie said, stretching out. “So early in the morning?”

She looked across the room. Tipper had already made up the guest bed and gone downstairs, Jessie guessed.

Watch pulled at Jessie’s covers.

“I know. I know,” Jessie said. “You want to be out playing basketball, too.”

In no time, Jessie was dressed in shorts and sneakers. Watch raced ahead to the kitchen. Mrs. McGregor was sliding a muffin tin from the oven⁵. The kitchen table was set for company.

“Oh, I forgot,” Jessie said. “Those basketball people are coming over to meet with Tipper and Buzz⁶.”

Jessie looked out the kitchen window. Tipper was giving Benny, Soo Lee, and Violet⁷ some basketball lessons. Buzz was still helping⁸ Henry.

Mr. Alden came into the kitchen for his morning cup of coffee. “No sleeping in today, right, Jessie? Looks as if the Nettletons have started an Alden Basketball Clinic in our own backyard.”

Mrs. McGregor set the warm muffins on a plate. “Benny and Soo Lee asked Buzz for lessons first thing this morning. Benny thought that would cheer up Buzz. And you know what? Benny was right. All that young man needed was a good night’s sleep and some Aldens begging for his attention.”

“He won’t have to worry about getting our attention!” Jessie said on her way out back. “I’m going out for some basketball lessons, too.”

Jessie wasn’t the only Greenfield player who hoped to get some coaching from the talented twins. Word of their arrival had spread fast. Within half an hour, several neighborhood children appeared in the Aldens’ backyard.

“You’re so lucky,” Patsy Cutter said when Jessie came out. “Imagine, Tipper Nettleton staying right in your own house!”

Patsy Cutter was a new friend Jessie and Violet had made. She was the best player on their team, the Fast Breakers, but she didn’t have many friends.

“How come you didn’t tell me about Tipper after practice the other day?” Patsy asked. “Are you and Violet keeping her to yourselves?”

“Grandfather didn’t even tell us the twins were staying with us,” Violet explained.

“Come on!” Patsy answered. “You just didn’t want anybody to know.”

When Tipper overheard⁹ this, she came over to the girls. She gave Patsy a big smile. “It’s true. Mr. Alden wanted to surprise his grandchildren. Buzz and I were the surprise! I hope we live up to it.”

Patsy just stared up at Tipper in amazement¹⁰.

Finally Jessie spoke¹¹ up. “Tipper, this is our friend — and teammate — Patsy Cutter. She’s the best player on the Fast Breakers. Patsy, meet Tipper Nettleton.”

Patsy’s face grew red. “I . . . I can’t . . . I can’t believe I’m actually meeting you. I watch all your college games on television so I can play like you.”

“Well, if you want, I can show you a few things now,” Tipper said cheerfully¹². “You, too, Violet and Jessie.”

“Go ahead, Tipper. It’s okay to give Patsy a private lesson,” Jessie joked. “We don’t want to keep you all to ourselves.”

“I hope Tipper teaches her about sharing the ball,” Violet whispered. “Patsy never passes the ball to me. “It must be because I’m the youngest one on our team.”

Jessie curled¹³ the end of her ponytail around her finger. She looked on as Tipper coached Patsy. “It’s not just you, Violet. Patsy sometimes forgets she’s on a team. Maybe Tipper will teach her more about passing the ball to other players instead of just making baskets herself.”

A few minutes later, everyone looked up when three tall people walked down the driveway.

“It’s Mr. Fowler, one of the referees¹⁴ who helps out with the teams,” Jessie said. “Oh, and our coach is with him. I didn’t know they were the basketball people coming over. I wonder who the other person is.”

When Tipper saw the three visitors, she stared at the tall young woman in the group. Finally she stepped a little closer. “Hi, I’m . . . Oh, my goodness¹⁵. I don’t believe it! You’re Courtney Post, right? Amazing! Are you one of the coaches for the neighborhood teams, too?”

The Aldens looked on, puzzled. How did Tipper Nettleton know their coach?

“Yes, I am,” the young woman answered without a smile. “I guess we’ll meet on the same side of the court for a change.”

Buzz gave Tipper a gentle arm punch¹⁶. “What do you know? You two old rivals¹⁷ meet again. But this time it’s friendly, not like when Greenfield High played Warwick. Hi, Courtney, I’m Buzz — the other Nettleton twin.”

Courtney ignored Tipper and turned to Buzz. “Hi, Buzz. I guess they didn’t tell Tipper that she’ll be helping me coach the Fast Breakers.”

“Listen, I couldn’t be happier, Courtney. Honest,” Tipper said. “I always admired your playing so much, even though I feared it! Nobody made me lose more sleep over games than you. I hope we’ll be friends.”

Again Courtney ignored Tipper. What was going on? the Aldens wondered.

Courtney introduced the other people with her. “Frank¹⁸, Tom, come meet the great basketball legend Buzz Nettleton. Buzz, this is Frank Fowler. He referees some of the games. As for Tom, he coaches the Rockets, one of the neighborhood teams. When he’s not doing that, he works¹⁹ as a painter at the sports center. He’s finishing up the paint job before it officially opens.”

Buzz shook both men’s hands. “Hey, I know you — Tom Hooper! Didn’t you play for Warwick a couple of years before my class at Greenfield High? And Frank, I know I’ve heard your name.”

Before Buzz could continue, Frank Fowler said quickly, “No need to go into details. Now that we’ve all met, let’s sit down and get our plans organized. The kids in Greenfield are the big basketball stars now, not us.”

“Yoo-hoo,” Mrs. McGregor called out from the kitchen window. “There’s coffee and muffins in here. You can bring in your paperwork and work around the kitchen table. Everything’s all set.”

After the grown-ups went inside, Patsy Cutter began shooting baskets again. “Tipper just showed me a couple of new moves. Look how great I’m getting already!” she yelled²⁰ as she made basket after basket.

Everyone else waited for Patsy to share the ball. But she never did. Finally the other players gave up.

“I’ll get us some juice,” Henry told everyone. “After that, let’s have a half-court game.”

Henry went inside to fetch juice and cups from the kitchen. He noticed everyone seemed awfully²¹ quiet around the table.

“Gee, you’d think they were talking about insurance or something boring — not basketball,” Henry told the other children when he returned. “If I were famous players like them, I’d be going over all the great old games. They don’t seem to care for one another much.”

“Not like us, right, Henry?” Soo Lee grinned at her cousin.

“No, not like us,” Henry agreed. “I hope Grandfather doesn’t notice that they’re not too friendly. He donated a lot of money to the sports center so people would have fun together.”

Henry poured out juice for everyone. “My coach at school told me that when Buzz was a senior at Greenfield High, he broke Frank Fowler’s record for the most points ever made. Maybe Mr. Fowler is still upset about that.”

“That was such a long time ago,” Jessie said. “He’s a lot older than Buzz. Why would he still care?”

Patsy put her juice cup down on the grass. “Players always care about being the best. If I had the record, I would never, ever want anybody to break it. Oops, look what I just did.” Patsy’s paper cup had tipped over, spilling juice on her shorts.

“You can go to the upstairs bathroom and wash them off in cold water,” Jessie said. “I have lots of shorts in the bottom drawer of my dresser. Go ahead and borrow a pair. My room is next to the bathroom.”

“Hurry back,” Henry called out to Patsy. “We have enough kids here for a quick game.”

After Patsy left, Henry organized the older children into two teams. “Benny and Soo Lee, you can keep score and be the referees. Whoever gets to ten points first wins.”

Benny and Soo Lee took their jobs very seriously.

“Foul!” Benny shouted when a boy named James brushed by Jessie.

Soo Lee counted the score with some pebbles²². The game was short and ended ten minutes later.

That’s when Jessie noticed Patsy hadn’t returned. “I wonder what happened to her. I’ll go check.”

Jessie scooted through the kitchen. She overheard Frank Fowler talking in a cross voice. “No, I disagree, Buzz. You haven’t lived in Greenfield for a long time. It’s not a good idea to team up kids from the south end with north end players. No way.”

“Fine. Whatever you say, Frank,” Buzz answered quietly. “Now, how about having Tom make up the practice schedules?”

Frank Fowler disagreed with this suggestion, too. “No, I have a computer at home, and Tom doesn’t.”

Jessie overheard Tom’s nervous laugh. “Give me a paintbrush or a basketball any day. I’m not too good with computers and writing things down. It’s okay by me if Frank handles the paperwork.”

“Good. That’s settled,” Jessie heard Frank Fowler say.

Jessie headed upstairs. She checked the bathroom. Patsy’s shorts were hanging on a towel bar in the shower. But Patsy didn’t seem to be around. Maybe she had gone home without telling anyone. Jessie stopped by her room to get a stopwatch for Benny and Soo Lee.

When Jessie stepped inside, she jumped back. “Patsy! You scared me,” Jessie said when she saw her friend standing²³ next to Tipper’s bed. “Oh, good, you found some shorts. I thought you went home.”

Something heavy dropped to the floor.

“What was that?” asked Jessie.

Patsy looked worried. “I was, uh . . . looking at these pictures on this bookcase, that’s all. A big book fell down. I’ll pick it up.

“Fine,” Jessie said. She went over to her desk for the stopwatch. She caught Patsy’s reflection²⁴ in the mirror. Whatever Patsy picked up didn’t seem to be a book.

“Come on, let’s go out,” Jessie told Patsy. “Everybody’s waiting for us.”

1 hind   

adj.后面的，后部的

参考例句：

• The animal is able to stand up on its hind limbs.这种动物能够用后肢站立。
• Don't hind her in her studies.不要在学业上扯她后腿。

2 wagging   

adj.（左右）摆动，摇摆，摇动v.（使）摇动，摇摆( wag的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The dog ran up, wagging its tail. 那条狗摇着尾巴跑上前去。
• A dog reacts to kindness by wagging its tail. 狗摇尾巴以报答人们的爱护。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

4 thumping   

adj.重大的，巨大的；重击的；尺码大的；极好的adv.极端地；非常地v.重击(thump的现在分词)；狠打；怦怦地跳；全力支持

参考例句：

• Her heart was thumping with emotion. 她激动得心怦怦直跳。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He was thumping the keys of the piano. 他用力弹钢琴。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 oven   

n.烤炉；烤箱

参考例句：

• You put food inside an oven to cook it.你把食物放进烤箱里热一下。
• She baked bread in an oven.她用烤炉烤面包。

6 buzz   

v.充满了激动或活动的声音，发出低沉的声音

参考例句：

• My brain was in buzz.我的脑袋嗡嗡响。
• A buzz went through the crowded courtroom.拥挤的法庭里响起了一片乱哄哄的说话声。

7 violet   

adj.紫色的；n.紫罗兰

参考例句：

• She likes to wear violet dresses.他喜欢穿紫色的衣服。
• Violet is the color of wisdom,peace and strength.紫色是智慧的，和平的和力量的颜色。

8 helping   

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。

9 overheard   

adj. 串音的, 偶而听到的 动词overhear的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• We talked quietly so as not to be overheard. 我们低声交谈，以免别人听到。
• I told Lucy the news under my breath, but Joyce overheard me. 我低声地把这个消息告诉露西，可还是被乔伊斯听到了。

10 amazement   

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。

11 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。

12 cheerfully   

adv.高兴地，愉快地

参考例句：

• The train rolled cheerfully into the station.火车欢呼着驶进车站。
• He takes our advice quite cheerfully.他欣然接受我们的劝告。

13 curled   

adj.卷曲的，卷发状的，卷缩的v.（使）弯曲( curl的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）卷曲；盘旋；缠绕

参考例句：

• She lay curled up in a foetal position . 她像胎儿一样蜷曲地躺着。
• The snake was curled up in the long grass. 在深草中，这条蛇盘着身子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 referees   

n.裁判员( referee的名词复数 )；证明人；公断人；（专业性强的文章的）审阅人

参考例句：

• The fiery player has had numerous run-ins with referees. 这位脾气暴躁的队员曾和裁判员发生过无数次争吵。
• If you want to appeal, the Court of Referees will decide. 如果你要上诉，可以由仲裁法庭去判决。 来自辞典例句

15 goodness   

n.善良，善行，美德

参考例句：

• Would you have the goodness to turn off the radio?劳驾，请你把收音机关上好不好？
• Thank goodness,we've found a cure for the disease.好了，这病有救了！

16 punch   

v.用拳猛击；用打孔机打孔

参考例句：

• The boxer gave his opponent a punch on the nose.这个拳击手朝他对手的鼻子上猛击一拳。
• He laid his opponent low with a single punch.他一拳猛击便把对手打倒在地。

17 rivals   

竞争对手( rival的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• one of the President's chief rivals 总统的主要政敌之一
• She always managed to outsmart her political rivals. 她总有办法表现得比她的政敌智高一筹。

18 frank   

adj.坦白的，直率的，真诚的

参考例句：

• A frank discussion can help to clear the air.坦率的谈论有助于消除隔阂。
• She is frank and outgoing.她很爽朗。

19 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

20 yelled   

v.叫喊，号叫，叫着说( yell的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He yelled at the other driver. 他冲着另一位司机大叫。
• The lost man yelled, hoping someone in the woods would hear him. 迷路的人大声喊着，希望林子里的人会听见。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 awfully   

adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地

参考例句：

• Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
• I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。

22 pebbles   

[复数]鹅卵石； 沙砾； 卵石，小圆石( pebble的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The pebbles of the drive crunched under his feet. 汽车道上的小石子在他脚底下喀嚓作响。
• Line the pots with pebbles to ensure good drainage. 在罐子里铺一层鹅卵石，以确保排水良好。

23 standing   

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。

24 reflection   

n.映象，倒影；反射；反映；非议；深思

参考例句：

• The reflection of the sun on the glass wall was blinding.玻璃墙上反射的太阳光令人目眩。
• One can see the reflection of the tower in the water.塔的影子倒映在水中。