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儿童英语读物 The Mystery at the Crooked House CHAPTER 1 The Marshmallow Mix-up

时间:2017-09-30 02:59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)

“Guess who’s helping1 decorate the tree,” said six-year-old Benny. Watch came running across the snowy backyard with a popcorn2 ball in his mouth. “Even Watch wants to help the birds!”

Twelve-year-old Jessie was hanging a string of cranberries3 from the branches of a pine tree. She turned and smiled at their little dog. “Watch knows it’s hard for birds to find food in the winter.”

“Everything is frozen and covered with snow at this time of year,” added ten-year-old Violet as she tightened4 the purple scarf around her neck.

Purple was Violet’s favorite color, and she almost always wore something purple or violet.

“Not all birds fly south,” added Henry. He took the popcorn ball from Watch and hung it from one of the higher branches. At fourteen, Henry was the oldest of the Alden children. “Some birds stay where it’s cold. They make their homes wherever they can find a warm, dry spot.”

Benny glanced over his shoulder at their red boxcar. “Just like we did!”

He was thinking back to when they had discovered the old abandoned train car in the woods. Their parents had died, and they were hiding from their grandfather because they thought he was mean. But Grandfather Alden wasn’t mean at all.

After finding his grandchildren, Grandfather Alden had brought the four Aldens and Watch to live with him in his big white house on the edge of the town of Greenfield, Connecticut. And when he had realized how much they missed the boxcar, Grandfather Alden had given their old home a special place in his backyard. Now the Aldens often used the boxcar as a clubhouse.

Jessie stepped back to admire their tree. She clapped her mittened5 hands together and said, “What a feast the birds will have!”

Violet went over and stood beside her older sister. The tree was quite a sight, with its decorations of popcorn balls, apple rings, loops of red cranberries and unshelled peanuts, corn on the cob, and little mesh6 bags of suet. Everything was tied to the branches with brightly colored yarn7.

“Birds have huge appetites,” Violet said softly. “Even a tiny hummingbird8 eats every ten minutes or so!”

Benny grinned. “No wonder they hum. They must be very happy birds!”

They all laughed. The youngest Alden was always hungry.

“I’ll bet we’ll soon have lots of visitors,” remarked Henry.

Benny was stomping9 his feet to keep them warm. He had a look of concern on his face. “But what if the birds don’t spot our tree?”

“Don’t worry, Benny,” said Violet. “The chickadees will find it. Other birds hang around chickadees because they’re such good food-finders!”

“Just like we’re good clue-finders!” said Benny. And his brother and sisters nodded in agreement. The Aldens loved mysteries, and together they’d managed to solve quite a few. “But are you sure the chickadees will find our tree?” Benny asked.

“Maybe we should leave an invitation for them!” suggested Henry, hiding a smile. He knelt down and began to write in the snow. When he was finished, he got up and brushed the snow from his pant legs.

“I know what that says!” Benny announced proudly. The youngest Alden always enjoyed a chance to show his older brother and sisters that he was learning how to read. “It says, ‘Welcome Birds!’ ”

Violet stooped down and added something to Henry’s invitation. “And ... bring ... all ... your ... friends!”

“That should really do the trick!” said Benny.

Jessie was staring down at the writing in the snow. “A person’s handwriting is supposed to show some interesting things,” she said.

“Like what?” asked Violet.

“Well, Henry’s handwriting slants10 to the right a bit,” said Jessie, who had been reading a book on handwriting. “That’s supposed to show he’s a very friendly person. And he’s careful with each letter. I can tell he’s probably a hard worker, too.”

“Jessie’s right, Henry!” said Violet. “You are a hard worker. And you’re always friendly to everyone!”

Henry looked pleased. “What about Violet’s handwriting?” he asked.

“Hmmm.” Jessie took another look. “Well, I can see some fancy swirls11. That’s a sign of a person who’s artistic12 ... and helpful, too,” Jessie concluded.

“You do like to draw pictures, Violet,” observed Benny. “And you’re good at it!” he added.

Just then the back door of the house opened. Mrs. McGregor came out carrying a tray. There were four cups of steaming hot chocolate and a plate of chocolate chip cookies on it.

“Oh, boy!” cried Benny. “How did you know I was hungry, Mrs. McGregor?”

Mrs. McGregor broke into a smile as she came along the shoveled13 walkway. “Just a hunch14, Benny.” She set the tray down on the tree stump15 that was the boxcar’s front step. “Besides,” she added, “what could be better on a cold winter’s day than hot chocolate with marshmallows?”

Benny reached out for his special cup. It was the cracked pink cup he had found when they were living in the boxcar. “I love hot chocolate with marshmallows in it!” he said. But when he looked down, he gasped16 in surprise.

“What is it?” asked Jessie, who often acted like a mother to her younger brother and sister. “What’s wrong, Benny?”

“The ... the marshmallows!” cried Benny. “These are the funniest-looking marshmallows I ever saw!”

“Why, whatever do you mean?” asked Mrs. McGregor.

“Well, they look just like mushrooms!” said Benny.

And sure enough, mushrooms were floating in their hot chocolate!

“Oh—oh, my!” cried Mrs. McGregor. “How could I have made such a mistake?” Then she slapped a hand against her cheek. “Don’t tell me ... Oh, my goodness! I must have put the marshmallows in the stew17!” And with that, Mrs. McGregor rushed back to the house.

The Alden children stared after her in amazement18. Henry was shaking his head. “That’s not like Mrs. McGregor,” he said.

“No, it’s not,” agreed Jessie. “But she hasn’t been acting19 like herself at all lately. I spoke20 to her twice today and she didn’t answer. She seemed to be deep in thought.”

“Mrs. McGregor must be worried about something,” said Violet. “I think we should find out what’s wrong. Maybe we can help.” “Well, what are we waiting for?” cried Benny. Forgetting all about food, he went racing21 along the walkway with his brother and sisters close behind.

Whatever was wrong with Mrs. McGregor, the Aldens were determined22 to set it right!


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 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。
2 popcorn 8lUzJI     
n.爆米花
参考例句:
  • I like to eat popcorn when I am watching TV play at home.当我在家观看电视剧时,喜欢吃爆米花。
  • He still stood behind his cash register stuffing his mouth with popcorn.他仍站在收银机后,嘴里塞满了爆米花。
3 cranberries 78106be327439d47d10789051008c217     
n.越橘( cranberry的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The tart flavour of the cranberries adds piquancy. 越橘的酸味很可口。
  • Look at the fresh cranberries. 你看这些新鲜的蔓越橘。 来自无师自通 校园英语会话
4 tightened bd3d8363419d9ff838bae0ba51722ee9     
收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 ); (使)变紧; (使)绷紧; 加紧
参考例句:
  • The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
  • His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机,然后又松开了。
5 mittened 0339c59c4c6ae46a2089fb1d15387c45     
v.(使)变得潮湿,变得湿润( moisten的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He moistened his lips before he spoke. 他润了润嘴唇,接着就开始讲话。
  • Although I moistened it,the flap doesn't stick to the envelope. 我把信封弄湿了,可是信封口盖还是粘不上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 mesh cC1xJ     
n.网孔,网丝,陷阱;vt.以网捕捉,啮合,匹配;vi.适合; [计算机]网络
参考例句:
  • Their characters just don't mesh.他们的性格就是合不来。
  • This is the net having half inch mesh.这是有半英寸网眼的网。
7 yarn LMpzM     
n.纱,纱线,纺线;奇闻漫谈,旅行轶事
参考例句:
  • I stopped to have a yarn with him.我停下来跟他聊天。
  • The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。
8 hummingbird BcjxW     
n.蜂鸟
参考例句:
  • The hummingbird perches on a twig of the hawthorn.小蜂鸟栖在山楂树枝上。
  • The hummingbird is the only bird that can fly backward.蜂鸟是唯一能倒退向后飞的鸟。
9 stomping fb759903bc37cbba50a25a838f64b0b4     
v.跺脚,践踏,重踏( stomp的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • He looked funny stomping round the dance floor. 他在舞池里跺着舞步,样子很可笑。 来自辞典例句
  • Chelsea substitution Wright-Phillips for Robben. Wrighty back on his old stomping to a mixed reception. 77分–切尔西换人:赖特.菲利普斯入替罗本。小赖特在主场球迷混杂的欢迎下,重返他的老地方。 来自互联网
10 slants 0529988e0f8eb38730a0205e2f6f468c     
(使)倾斜,歪斜( slant的第三人称单数 ); 有倾向性地编写或报道
参考例句:
  • Most handwriting slants to the right. 大多数字体是向右倾斜的。
  • That tree slants to one side because of the heavy winds. 因为刮大风,那棵树歪倒一边去了。
11 swirls 05339556c814e770ea5e4a39869bdcc2     
n.旋转( swirl的名词复数 );卷状物;漩涡;尘旋v.旋转,打旋( swirl的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • Swirls of smoke rose through the trees. 树林中升起盘旋的青烟。 来自辞典例句
  • On reaching the southeast corner of Himalaya-Tibet, It'swirls cyclonically across the Yunnan Plateau. 在到达喜马拉雅--西藏高原东南角处,它作气旋性转向越过云南高原。 来自辞典例句
12 artistic IeWyG     
adj.艺术(家)的,美术(家)的;善于艺术创作的
参考例句:
  • The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
  • These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。
13 shoveled e51ace92204ed91d8925ad365fab25a3     
vt.铲,铲出(shovel的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • The hungry man greedily shoveled the food into his mouth. 那个饥饿的人贪婪地、大口大口地吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • They shoveled a path through the snow. 他们在雪中铲出一条小路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
14 hunch CdVzZ     
n.预感,直觉
参考例句:
  • I have a hunch that he didn't really want to go.我有这么一种感觉,他并不真正想去。
  • I had a hunch that Susan and I would work well together.我有预感和苏珊共事会很融洽。
15 stump hGbzY     
n.残株,烟蒂,讲演台;v.砍断,蹒跚而走
参考例句:
  • He went on the stump in his home state.他到故乡所在的州去发表演说。
  • He used the stump as a table.他把树桩用作桌子。
16 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》
17 stew 0GTz5     
n.炖汤,焖,烦恼;v.炖汤,焖,忧虑
参考例句:
  • The stew must be boiled up before serving.炖肉必须煮熟才能上桌。
  • There's no need to get in a stew.没有必要烦恼。
18 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。
19 acting czRzoc     
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的
参考例句:
  • Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她,她只是假装的。
  • During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代,她的表演生涯黯然失色。
20 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。
21 racing 1ksz3w     
n.竞赛,赛马;adj.竞赛用的,赛马用的
参考例句:
  • I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
  • The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。
22 determined duszmP     
adj.坚定的;有决心的
参考例句:
  • I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
  • He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。
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