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儿童英语读物 The Mystery of the Spider's Clue CHAPTER 7 Along Came a Spider!

时间:2017-10-18 06:43来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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“Why don’t we visit Sam on our way home,” suggested Henry.

The four Aldens had worked hard all afternoon washing the windows of Mr. Arnold’s red brick house. Now they were pedaling back along the streets of Greenfield, with buckets hung over their handlebars.

Benny was quick to agree with his older brother. “Sam sure will be surprised when we tell him about the Hollow Tree Restaurant.”

“Speaking of Sam,” said Violet, who was riding right beside Benny, “why don’t we stop at the nursery on our way and get him a plant.”

Jessie nodded. “It would be a nice surprise.”

“That’s a great idea, Violet,” said Henry, and the others agreed.

Benny was all smiles. “Sam will have two surprises in one day!”

The Greenfield Nursery was overflowing1 with plants. There were plants in hanging baskets and in flower boxes and in colorful ceramic2 pots. The children had trouble making up their minds.

“Don’t forget,” Benny reminded them, “Sam doesn’t have much room. His tables are covered with get-well cards.”

“Good point,” said Jessie. “Maybe we should get him a plant in a hanging basket.”

Violet tilted3 her head back and looked up. “What about this one?”

The others followed her gaze to a plant in a pretty wicker basket. Beautiful green leaves billowed over the sides of the basket, with several wiry stems dangling4 low. Along the ends of the stems, smaller plants were growing.

Henry nodded. “I like it,” he said simply.

“Me, too,” added Benny.

Jessie smiled. “It’s different from all the others. I think it’s just right for Sam.”

“It’s hard to choose, isn’t it?” said a voice behind them, and the children turned around quickly in surprise.

A woman with gray streaks5 in her dark hair smiled at them. She was wearing blue overalls6 with the words GREENFIELD NURSERY embroidered7 across the front.

“Hi, Adella!” cried Benny. “Remember us?”

“Of course! You’re the children who bought the Japanese maple8 tree.”

Jessie nodded. “You have a good memory.” For their grandfather’s birthday, the Aldens had given him a tree with beautiful red leaves.

“Now we’re getting a present for somebody else,” put in Benny. “This time, it’s for Sam the Window Man.”

“Oh!” Adella smiled more broadly. “Well, in that case, it’s half price. Anything in the nursery!”

“Thank you,” said Henry. Then he pointed9. “That’s the one we want.”

Adella nodded. “Ah, you like the Chlorophytum, do you?”

Benny made a face. “The Chloro-what?”

Adella laughed. “Chlorophytum,” she said again. “At least that’s the scientific name for it.”

Jessie pulled her notebook and pencil from her back pocket. She quickly scribbled10 down the name of the plant and the instructions for its care. She wanted Sam to have all the right information.

“Of course, you’ll need a hook to hang it on,” added Adella. “We have a nice selection here.” She gestured to an assortment11 of hooks and then moved away to help another customer.

“Even Adella knows Sam,” Benny remarked. “No wonder he got so many get-well cards. Right, Violet?”

But Violet didn’t answer. Something had caught her attention.

Benny followed her gaze to where a young man with sandy-colored hair was watering some plants. He was wearing overalls just like Adella’s, and he was having a heated discussion with a woman dressed in pale yellow.

“Isn’t that Melissa Campbell?” Violet whispered.

Benny wasn’t too sure about that. “Maybe,” he said, trying to keep his voice low. The woman was half hidden by a potted fir tree.

The children didn’t mean to eavesdrop12. But from where they were standing13, they couldn’t help overhearing bits and pieces of the conversation.

“I’m telling you, it won’t work.” The young man sounded upset.

“Oh, this is turning into a great day!” the woman shot back, though it was plain from her voice that it wasn’t turning into a great day at all. “I suppose I’ll have to do it myself!”

“Look, I just don’t think we can pull it off.”

The woman suddenly clicked her tongue. “Now listen to me, Ray! You want to get rid of your debts, don’t you? And I want to get as far away from this boring town as possible! This is our one big chance—and you’d better not mess it up!”

With that, the woman stomped14 away.

Violet and Benny watched closely until she disappeared out the door. There was no doubt about it. The woman was Melissa Campbell.

Benny’s eyes were wide. “Did you hear that?”

Just then, the sandy-haired man came storming down the aisle15. He almost bumped right into Benny. Whirling around on his heel, he snapped at them, “You kids shouldn’t be underfoot! Don’t you have better things to do than stand around here?”

Then he stalked off.

“What was that all about?” Henry wanted to know.

Benny shrugged16. “I didn’t mean to get underfoot,” he said in a small voice.

Jessie put an arm around him. “Don’t worry, Benny,” she said, trying to comfort him. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Henry frowned. “I wonder what Melissa meant about one big chance.”

“I think they’re up to no good,” said Benny.

“We can’t be sure, Benny,” Violet told him.

“Well, they’re up to something!” he insisted.

Henry nodded. “There seem to be a lot of strange things going on in Greenfield lately.”

“Thanks, kids. A plant is just what this room needs,” said Sam as Henry fastened the hook to the living room ceiling.

Jessie consulted her notebook. “It’s a Chlorophytum. And it needs lots of water.”

Sam thought for a moment. “I don’t know a whole lot about plants,” he admitted, “but I think there’s a more common name for that particular one.” He scratched his head. “I just can’t remember what it is.”

After making sure the hook was secure, Henry carefully hung the basket by the window.

Sam looked around gratefully at the Aldens. “I was just about to whip up something for dinner. I’d love a bit of company if you’d like to join me.”

“We would like to stay,” Jessie said, speaking for them all, “but why don’t you let us get dinner ready.”

Sam thought about this for a moment. “Well . . . if you’re certain it’s not too much trouble.”

The Aldens were eager to do whatever they could for Sam. “It’s no trouble at all,” said Henry.

While Sam relaxed, the children hurried off to the kitchen. After letting Mrs. McGregor know about their change of plans, they washed their hands and set to work. They found leftover17 chicken in the refrigerator, along with fresh fruits and vegetables. There was a large box of rice in the cupboard.

“How about a stir-fry?” suggested Jessie, and the others agreed.

While she waited for the water to boil for the rice, Jessie cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Henry sliced up mushrooms, green peppers, onions, and celery. Violet and Benny chopped bananas and apples for a fruit salad.

The youngest Alden was still thinking about the mystery. He paused as he spooned fruit salad into bowls. “I wonder what kind of clue a spider would leave.”

Henry stirred the chicken and vegetables together in a pan on the stove. “That’s a good question, Benny.” He added a dash of soy sauce to the stir-fry. “One thing’s for sure: The Spider’s Clue is somewhere inside the Hollow Tree Restaurant.”

When they were all seated at the table, Sam took a bite of the stir-fry and nodded approvingly.

“Tastes just as good as it smells,” he said.

Violet looked relieved. “We were hoping you’d like it.”

Taking turns, the children told Sam all about their day. “The clues led us to the corner of Blue Street and Ice Pond Road,” said Jessie. She took a sip18 of milk. “We thought we’d struck out until we stopped for lunch at the—”

“Hollow Tree Restaurant!” finished Benny.

Sam shook his head in disbelief. “I should have thought of that myself. After all, I stop in there all the time. There really was a hollow tree there once, you know. In fact, that’s how the restaurant got its name.”

The Aldens looked at him in surprise.

“On that very spot?” asked Henry.

With a sweep of his hand, Sam said, “The whole Morningside area was just farmland back then. All open fields and meadows. When we were kids, my brother and I used to play hockey there with Thomas on a pond that would freeze over every winter.”

“No wonder it’s called Ice Pond Road,” Henry realized.

“My brother, Simon, would stash19 our lunches in the hollow tree. When we got hungry, we’d just skate over and grab something to eat. Guess that’s why I remember it so well.” Sam stopped talking and took a breath. “When I moved back to town years later, that whole area had been built up.” His voice suddenly wavered. “I knew things would never be the same again.”

When a frown crossed Sam’s kind face, Violet couldn’t help wondering why the past bothered him so much. But she didn’t ask.

“I think that’s the right place for the Chlorophytum,” Jessie said, changing the subject. “By the window, I mean.”

Violet smiled gratefully at her older sister. She could always count on Jessie to come to the rescue. “It does look nice there,” Violet added.

“And I’ll make sure it gets enough water,” said Sam. He seemed relieved to be talking about something else.

After dinner, the Aldens cleared the table while Sam went into the living room to lie down.

“It’s funny how the clues keep reminding Sam of the past,” said Benny.

The others nodded. They’d noticed this, too.

Violet filled the sink with hot soapy water. “It really is strange,” she said in a quiet voice. “Sam gets so unhappy whenever the past is mentioned.”

“I just wish we could help.” Jessie stacked plates on the counter.

Henry thought about that. “We can’t help if we don’t know what’s wrong,” he said.

“Why don’t we ask,” suggested Benny.

Henry shook his head as he put the leftover rice in the refrigerator. “Remember what happened when Thomas mentioned the past?”

“Sam didn’t like it one bit,” Benny recalled.

“Besides,” Jessie added, “it’s not really any of our business.” She reached for a dish towel. “If Sam wants to tell us, he will.”

The children finished quickly. In no time at all, the table had been cleared, the dishes washed, and the kitchen counters wiped clean.

“As soon as I’m on the mend,” Sam told them when they sat down again in the living room, “it’ll be my turn to cook. I make a pretty good bowl of chili20.”

“It’s a deal!” said Jessie. It made her smile to think of Sam bustling21 about again.

Benny was staring hard at the Chlorophytum. “That plant looks like a big green spider hanging from the ceiling,” he said thoughtfully.

Violet studied the Chlorophytum. Benny was right. It really did look like a green spider.

Sam snapped his fingers. “Spider plant!” he exclaimed. “That’s the name I couldn’t remember. Chlorophytum’s the scientific name, of course. But most folks just call it a spider plant.”

Violet’s brown eyes widened. “I think we should be paying another visit to the Hollow Tree.”

“Oh!” cried Jessie, as she caught Violet’s meaning. “Do you think one of the plants in the restaurant could be a spider plant?”

Henry answered first. “I’m sure of it! And that’s just where we’ll find the Spider’s Clue.” He sounded excited.

“Yippee!” cried Benny clapping his hands.

“Unless I miss my guess,” Sam put in, “you’ll have this mystery wrapped up real soon.”

But would it be soon enough? Tomorrow was the twelfth of July, the last day to solve the mystery. The Aldens were quickly running out of time.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 overflowing df84dc195bce4a8f55eb873daf61b924     
n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的,充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • The stands were overflowing with farm and sideline products. 集市上农副产品非常丰富。
  • The milk is overflowing. 牛奶溢出来了。
2 ceramic lUsyc     
n.制陶业,陶器,陶瓷工艺
参考例句:
  • The order for ceramic tiles has been booked in.瓷砖的订单已登记下来了。
  • Some ceramic works of art are shown in this exhibition.这次展览会上展出了一些陶瓷艺术品。
3 tilted 3gtzE5     
v. 倾斜的
参考例句:
  • Suddenly the boat tilted to one side. 小船突然倾向一侧。
  • She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。
4 dangling 4930128e58930768b1c1c75026ebc649     
悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 ); 摆动不定; 用某事物诱惑…; 吊胃口
参考例句:
  • The tooth hung dangling by the bedpost, now. 结果,那颗牙就晃来晃去吊在床柱上了。
  • The children sat on the high wall,their legs dangling. 孩子们坐在一堵高墙上,摇晃着他们的双腿。
5 streaks a961fa635c402b4952940a0218464c02     
n.(与周围有所不同的)条纹( streak的名词复数 );(通常指不好的)特征(倾向);(不断经历成功或失败的)一段时期v.快速移动( streak的第三人称单数 );使布满条纹
参考例句:
  • streaks of grey in her hair 她头上的绺绺白发
  • Bacon has streaks of fat and streaks of lean. 咸肉中有几层肥的和几层瘦的。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
6 overalls 2mCz6w     
n.(复)工装裤;长罩衣
参考例句:
  • He is in overalls today.他今天穿的是工作裤。
  • He changed his overalls for a suit.他脱下工装裤,换上了一套西服。
7 embroidered StqztZ     
adj.绣花的
参考例句:
  • She embroidered flowers on the cushion covers. 她在这些靠垫套上绣了花。
  • She embroidered flowers on the front of the dress. 她在连衣裙的正面绣花。
8 maple BBpxj     
n.槭树,枫树,槭木
参考例句:
  • Maple sugar is made from the sap of maple trees.枫糖是由枫树的树液制成的。
  • The maple leaves are tinge with autumn red.枫叶染上了秋天的红色。
9 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。
10 scribbled de374a2e21876e209006cd3e9a90c01b     
v.潦草的书写( scribble的过去式和过去分词 );乱画;草草地写;匆匆记下
参考例句:
  • She scribbled his phone number on a scrap of paper. 她把他的电话号码匆匆写在一张小纸片上。
  • He scribbled a note to his sister before leaving. 临行前,他给妹妹草草写了一封短信。
11 assortment FVDzT     
n.分类,各色俱备之物,聚集
参考例句:
  • This shop has a good assortment of goods to choose from.该店各色货物俱全,任君选择。
  • She was wearing an odd assortment of clothes.她穿着奇装异服。
12 eavesdrop lrPxS     
v.偷听,倾听
参考例句:
  • He ensconced himself in the closet in order to eavesdrop.他藏在壁橱里,以便偷听。
  • It is not polite to eavesdrop on the conversation of other people.偷听他人说话是很不礼貌的。
13 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。
14 stomped 0884b29fb612cae5a9e4eb0d1a257b4a     
v.跺脚,践踏,重踏( stomp的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She stomped angrily out of the office. 她怒气冲冲,重步走出办公室。
  • She slammed the door and stomped (off) out of the house. 她砰的一声关上了门,暮暮地走出了屋了。 来自辞典例句
15 aisle qxPz3     
n.(教堂、教室、戏院等里的)过道,通道
参考例句:
  • The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
  • The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。
16 shrugged 497904474a48f991a3d1961b0476ebce     
vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀,什么也没说。
  • She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩,装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
17 leftover V97zC     
n.剩货,残留物,剩饭;adj.残余的
参考例句:
  • These narrow roads are a leftover from the days of horse-drawn carriages.这些小道是从马车时代沿用下来的。
  • Wonder if that bakery lets us take leftover home.不知道那家糕饼店会不会让我们把卖剩的带回家。
18 sip Oxawv     
v.小口地喝,抿,呷;n.一小口的量
参考例句:
  • She took a sip of the cocktail.她啜饮一口鸡尾酒。
  • Elizabeth took a sip of the hot coffee.伊丽莎白呷了一口热咖啡。
19 stash zFmya     
v.藏或贮存于一秘密处所;n.隐藏处
参考例句:
  • Stash away both what you lost and gained,for life continues on.将得失深藏心底吧,为了那未来的生活。
  • That's supposed to be in our private stash.这是我的私人珍藏。
20 chili JOlzm     
n.辣椒
参考例句:
  • He helped himself to another two small spoonfuls of chili oil.他自己下手又加了两小勺辣椒油。
  • It has chocolate,chili,and other spices.有巧克力粉,辣椒,和其他的调味品。
21 bustling LxgzEl     
adj.喧闹的
参考例句:
  • The market was bustling with life. 市场上生机勃勃。
  • This district is getting more and more prosperous and bustling. 这一带越来越繁华了。
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