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儿童英语读物 The Gymnastics Mystery CHAPTER 3 Katya’s Secret

时间:2017-09-22 02:34来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)

“Mmm! This is very good,” said Katya as she nibbled1 on a slice of pizza.

“Joe’s has the best pizza in the town square,” Jessie agreed, sampling a piece of pepperoni.

“I like everybody’s pizza,” Benny put in. He had cheese stuck to his chin.

Violet laughed, handing him a paper napkin. “That’s true. Benny hasn’t met a piece of pizza he didn’t like.”

“What do you think of our town?” Henry asked Katya.

“It is very pretty,” Katya replied.

The children had decided2 that Katya would enjoy walking around the town square after her long day of practice. Mrs. McGregor had fixed3 a light supper so they wouldn’t be too full for treats like pizza and ice cream. Then Grandfather drove them into town, giving Jessie spending money.

Although it was dark outside, the square was brightly lit and all the shops were open.

The children walked around, gazing into shop windows. Then Benny said he smelled pizza and didn’t it smell great. They all agreed and followed their noses to Joe’s Pizza. The delicious pizza smell had made them all hungry again.

“I could sleep in here, it’s so nice and warm,” Benny said after finishing two slices.

Katya laughed. “I agree, though I do not mind the cold so much. Our Russian winters are far worse.”

“Tell us about your hometown,” Henry asked.

“There is not much to say,” Katya replied vaguely4. “I come from a small place. I have parents, a brother, a sister, and grandparents.”

“What are they like?” Jessie wanted to know.

“They are not very interesting,” Katya said, shredding5 her napkin. Jessie wondered why the girl was so nervous all of a sudden. “Could I have a glass of water?” Katya asked.

"Of course." Henry got up to fetch Katya some water.

Jessie went with him, carrying paper plates. Away from the table, she whispered, “What’s wrong with Katya?”

“I don’t know,” Henry said in a low voice. “Whenever we ask her anything about Russia, she changes the subject.”

“It’s pretty mysterious,” Jessie said.

“We’d better get back,” Henry said. “The others will wonder what we’re talking about.”

Outside again, the children strolled around the square. Katya was fascinated by a shop that sold only teddy bears.

“Look at that bear with the big red bow,” she remarked, pointing at a large bear in the window. “He is so cute!”

“I have a stuffed bear,” Benny told her. “Watch is jealous of him.”

That made everyone laugh.

As they walked along, Henry had an odd feeling. The streetlamps cast long shadows in front of them. Henry noticed a sixth shadow apart from their group.

Whenever they stopped to look at something, light footsteps behind them stopped, too.

Using the reflection of a jewelry6 store window, Henry saw a figure in a baseball cap hiding behind a tree. They moved on again, the figure trailing them.

They were being followed! Suddenly Henry whirled around. Just as quickly, the figure ducked inside a yogurt shop.

“What are you doing?” Violet asked her brother.

“Someone is following us,” Henry told the others. “Let’s wait. The guy has to come out sometime.”

They pressed up against the wall of the yogurt shop so they couldn’t be seen from the inside. The figure in the baseball cap came out a few moments later. When the person spotted7 the Aldens, he or she dashed across the square.

Jessie recognized those blue sweatpants. “I bet I know who it is!” she declared.

“Who?” asked Benny.

“I don’t know who exactly,” Jessie said. “But I saw her at the sports arena8 this afternoon. She was sitting in the bleachers, watching us. She had on blue sweatpants.”

“We can’t be sure if our follower9 is a man or a woman,” Henry stated. The runner was just a flash of blue sweatpants and brown trenchcoat. “With that coat and baseball cap, it’s impossible to tell.”

“Why would two people in blue sweatpants spy on us?” Jessie asked. “Why would one person?”

“Something is definitely weird,” Violet agreed.

Benny’s face was solemn under the streetlamp. “Looks like we’ve got another mystery to solve!”

When Grandfather joined them, the Alden children had decided not to mention the follower. After all, as Henry had reasoned, they couldn’t prove the person was actually following them.

Benny tugged10 at his grandfather’s hand. “Katya told us she would teach us some tricks. There’s a mat in that store over there like real gymnasts use.”

“Let’s take a look at it,” said Grandfather.

The blue mat in the sports store was smaller than the mats they had seen at the gym.

“It’s just right for our basement,” said Violet. Like Benny, she wanted to learn to flip11 through the air.

“Yes, it is,” James Alden agreed. “I think it’s a fine idea to learn a new sport.” He bought the mat, which folded into sections. Then he and Henry loaded it into the back of the station wagon12.

At home, they spread it on the basement floor.

“Will you teach me how to jump up and land backward?” Benny asked Katya.

She laughed. “A backflip? That’s a pretty hard trick. Let’s start with some basic tumbling.”

One at a time, the Alden children tried a simple forward roll.

“Keep your chin tucked in,” Katya instructed Jessie. “And don’t let your neck touch the mat.”

When everyone had learned forward rolls, Katya showed them backward rolls.

“This is hard!” said Henry, laughing. He pushed off with his hands but flopped13 sideways.

Violet and Benny mastered forward and backward rolls quickly. “You both could be gymnasts,” Katya praised them. “Jessie and Henry are taller, so it’s harder for them, but they will learn, too.”

Mrs. McGregor came down to remind the children of their bedtime.

“Katya needs her rest,” she said, heading back upstairs. “Tomorrow is another long day of practice.”

“Before we go, could you do a backflip?” Benny asked Katya.

“All right.” She performed a perfect flip, her hands never touching14 the mat.

“Wow!” exclaimed Jessie. “It looks so easy.”

“We will try a cartwheel,” Katya told Benny. “It is more simple. I will spot you.”

“What?” he asked.

“I will stand right by you, so you won’t hurt yourself.” She got into position beside him. “Place your hands on the mat, kick your feet up, and make them travel in a straight line like the spokes15 of a wheel.”

Benny tried but toppled over. He kept on trying but got worse with each attempt. Soon everyone was giggling16.

“We will practice every day,” Katya promised him. “You will get it, Benny.”

Then they went upstairs to say good night to Mrs. McGregor and Grandfather.

Katya told the Alden children good night and softly closed the guest room door.

Just beyond the stair landing was a small sitting area. A deep window seat with flowered cushions overlooked Mrs. McGregor’s rose garden.

“We need to talk,” Jessie said to the others.

They all piled into the window seat. Outside, bright stars were shining in the dark blue sky.

“Katya is so nice, but there’s something strange about her,” Jessie said.

Violet nodded. “I’ve noticed it, too. It’s almost as if she has something to hide.”

“But what?” asked Henry. “She’s an athlete. She travels all over the world to gymnastic competitions.”

“She’s practically famous,” Benny chimed in.

“But she doesn’t talk about herself,” said Jessie.

Henry fiddled17 with the cord that held the draperies. “Maybe she’s modest.”

“Maybe,” Jessie said, unconvinced. “But I still think she’s keeping a secret about something.”

But what? she wondered.

What could their tiny, talented guest possibly be hiding?

The next morning, Mrs. McGregor brought in the mail.

“Here’s a special airmail delivery letter for you, Katya,” the housekeeper18 said, handing her a blue-and-red-bordered envelope.

“Oh, thank you.” Katya pushed aside her oatmeal bowl to open her letter. She slit19 the thin envelope and pulled out a sheet of paper covered with Russian writing.

Benny stared at Katya’s letter. “Those sure are funny-looking letters.”

“It’s Cyrillic,” explained Grandfather. “That’s the Russian alphabet.”

Katya read silently for a few moments. Then, as she turned the page over, something fluttered to the floor.

Violet reached over to pick it up. It was a newspaper clipping in Russian. Someone had written in pencil all along the margins20 of the back and front of the clipping. In the center were two photos.

As the family photographer, Violet was always interested in pictures. One photo showed a huge house. The second, smaller photo showed a miniature box on a table. Even in the black-and-white photograph, Violet thought the box was made of gold.

“You dropped this,” she told Katya.

Katya’s cheeks had gone bright red. “Thank you,” she said, and hastily stuffed the letter and newspaper clipping into the pocket of her warm-up suit.

“Aren’t you going to read the rest of your letter?” asked Benny.

“I do not want to be late for practice,” Katya said, excusing herself from the table.

Jessie glanced at the clock. It was still early. Katya wasn’t going to be late for practice. She obviously didn’t want the Aldens to see that letter.

Who had sent the airmail letter from Russia? And why was Katya so nervous about it? None of the Aldens, not even Grandfather, could read Russian.

What did Katya have to worry about? And why had someone been following them? So many questions, Jessie thought. And no answers.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 nibbled e053ad3f854d401d3fe8e7fa82dc3325     
v.啃,一点一点地咬(吃)( nibble的过去式和过去分词 );啃出(洞),一点一点咬出(洞);慢慢减少;小口咬
参考例句:
  • She nibbled daintily at her cake. 她优雅地一点一点地吃着自己的蛋糕。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Several companies have nibbled at our offer. 若干公司表示对我们的出价有兴趣。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 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。
3 fixed JsKzzj     
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的
参考例句:
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
4 vaguely BfuzOy     
adv.含糊地,暖昧地
参考例句:
  • He had talked vaguely of going to work abroad.他含糊其词地说了到国外工作的事。
  • He looked vaguely before him with unseeing eyes.他迷迷糊糊的望着前面,对一切都视而不见。
5 shredding 5d52274bcc6c4b67c83aca2284867ccd     
v.撕碎,切碎( shred的现在分词 );用撕毁机撕毁(文件)
参考例句:
  • Like the Tehran experience, the shredding may be all for naught. 如同德黑兰事件中的情况一样,切碎文件可能是徒劳的。 来自时文部分
  • How shredding began is subject to some guesswork. 粉碎处理行业的起源是个有争议的问题。 来自时文部分
6 jewelry 0auz1     
n.(jewllery)(总称)珠宝
参考例句:
  • The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
  • Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。
7 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。
8 arena Yv4zd     
n.竞技场,运动场所;竞争场所,舞台
参考例句:
  • She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
  • He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。
9 follower gjXxP     
n.跟随者;随员;门徒;信徒
参考例句:
  • He is a faithful follower of his home football team.他是他家乡足球队的忠实拥护者。
  • Alexander is a pious follower of the faith.亚历山大是个虔诚的信徒。
10 tugged 8a37eb349f3c6615c56706726966d38e     
v.用力拉,使劲拉,猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She tugged at his sleeve to get his attention. 她拽了拽他的袖子引起他的注意。
  • A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. 他的嘴角带一丝苦笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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 wagon XhUwP     
n.四轮马车,手推车,面包车;无盖运货列车
参考例句:
  • We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
  • The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。
13 flopped e5b342a0b376036c32e5cd7aa560c15e     
v.(指书、戏剧等)彻底失败( flop的过去式和过去分词 );(因疲惫而)猛然坐下;(笨拙地、不由自主地或松弛地)移动或落下;砸锅
参考例句:
  • Exhausted, he flopped down into a chair. 他筋疲力尽,一屁股坐到椅子上。
  • It was a surprise to us when his play flopped. 他那出戏一败涂地,出乎我们的预料。 来自《简明英汉词典》
14 touching sg6zQ9     
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。
15 spokes 6eff3c46e9c3a82f787a7c99669b9bfb     
n.(车轮的)辐条( spoke的名词复数 );轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动
参考例句:
  • Her baby caught his fingers in the spokes of the pram wheel. 她宝宝的手指被婴儿车轮的辐条卡住了。 来自辞典例句
  • The new edges are called the spokes of the wheel. 新的边称为轮的辐。 来自辞典例句
16 giggling 2712674ae81ec7e853724ef7e8c53df1     
v.咯咯地笑( giggle的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • We just sat there giggling like naughty schoolchildren. 我们只是坐在那儿像调皮的小学生一样的咯咯地傻笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I can't stand her giggling, she's so silly. 她吃吃地笑,叫我真受不了,那样子傻透了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
17 fiddled 3b8aadb28aaea237f1028f5d7f64c9ea     
v.伪造( fiddle的过去式和过去分词 );篡改;骗取;修理或稍作改动
参考例句:
  • He fiddled the company's accounts. 他篡改了公司的账目。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He began with Palestrina, and fiddled all the way through Bartok. 他从帕勒斯春纳的作品一直演奏到巴塔克的作品。 来自辞典例句
18 housekeeper 6q2zxl     
n.管理家务的主妇,女管家
参考例句:
  • A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.炉子清洁无瑕就表明他母亲是个勤劳的主妇。
  • She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她节约持家,一家人吃得很省。
19 slit tE0yW     
n.狭长的切口;裂缝;vt.切开,撕裂
参考例句:
  • The coat has been slit in two places.这件外衣有两处裂开了。
  • He began to slit open each envelope.他开始裁开每个信封。
20 margins 18cef75be8bf936fbf6be827537c8585     
边( margin的名词复数 ); 利润; 页边空白; 差数
参考例句:
  • They have always had to make do with relatively small profit margins. 他们不得不经常设法应付较少的利润额。
  • To create more space between the navigation items, add left and right margins to the links. 在每个项目间留更多的空隙,加左或者右的margins来定义链接。
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