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儿童英语读物 The Mystery in the Fortune Cookie CHAPTER 3 The Strange Message

时间:2017-11-08 06:37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)

“What is it Violet1?” Jessie asked. “What does it say?” She inched her chair closer to her sister’s.

“It’s ... it’s the strangest thing,” Violet said in a quiet voice. “I’ve never seen a fortune like this before!”

Everyone was staring at Violet in surprise. “Read it, okay?” Benny said, jiggling with excitement.

“All right.” Violet nodded. “Here’s what it says.” Then she read aloud:

“Where rainbows explode,

And tigers twist,

A mystery awaits2,

Just choose from the list.”

Benny jumped in his chair and clapped his hands. “I knew it! My fortune really does say a mystery’s coming our way!” His big eyes had grown even rounder.

The others at the table looked at one another. They were too stunned3 to speak.

Henry reached for the little slip of paper. “It doesn’t make any sense,” he said after reading it again.

“We’ll figure it out,” chirped4 Benny. “We’re good detectives.”

Violet didn’t look so sure. “We’ve never had a mystery like this before.”

Jessie giggled5. She couldn’t help it — it all seemed so funny. “One thing’s for sure,” she said. “A mystery in a fortune cookie beats everything!”

Everyone laughed — except Martin, who was strangely quiet.

“Hang on a minute!” Henry said as something caught his eye. “There’s a message on the other side of this fortune.”

“What does it say?” asked Benny.

“Is it another poem?” Violet questioned at the same time.

Henry read it to them. “No need to go far.” He looked up. “That’s all it says.”

“It must be a clue,” Benny guessed.

Henry passed the fortune back to his little brother. “Could be.”

Martin suddenly spoke6 up. “I bet7 it’s just somebody’s idea of a joke.” He sounded annoyed. “What I mean is, a worker in one of those fortune cookie factories was probably just having a bit of fun. That’s all.”

“I’m not so sure,” said Dottie as Lucy arrived with more fortune cookies. “There’s something very strange about this.”

Hearing the remark, Lucy said, “Is everything all right?”

Martin frowned9. “Well, I hope you brought some better fortunes this time. Benny’s was a real dud.”

“What ... ?” Lucy’s jaw10 dropped. “What are you talking about?” She sounded upset.

“I found a mystery in my fortune cookie!” Benny told her, glowing11 with excitement.

A strange look passed over Lucy’s face. As she set the plate of fortune cookies on the table, she almost knocked over Benny’s glass of water. Luckily, Violet grabbed12 it in time and set it back in its place.

Lucy stood twisting her hands. “I ... I ... ” She shut her mouth.

Jessie glanced at Henry. Why was the waitress so upset? She could tell by the look in Henry’s eye that he was wondering the same thing.

Turning to Benny, Lucy said, “I guess there’s only one thing to do. You can trade that fortune in for a better one. Would you like that?”

“I wouldn’t like that one little bit!” Benny closed his hand over the little slip of paper. “Thanks anyway.”

“No, none of us would like that,” added Jessie.

Aunt Jane explained, “There’s nothing these children enjoy more than a mystery.”

At this, the waitress walked off with a troubled look in her eye.

Jessie turned her attention to the plate of fortune cookies. “I wonder...”

“What is it?” Henry asked.

“I was just thinking — maybe we’ll find more clues inside the other cookies.”

Henry said, “Let’s check it out.” He reached for a fortune cookie. So did everyone else.

A moment later, Jessie was shaking her head. “No clue in mine,” she told them. Then she read aloud: “Your patience will be rewarded.”

Henry took a look at his fortune. “Save your money for a rainy day.” He shrugged13. “Nothing mysterious about that, either.”

It was Violet’s turn next. “Keep an open mind.” She looked on the other side of the little slip of paper. “That’s all it says.”

Nobody else got any mysterious fortunes, either. Aunt Jane’s said, “Do not rush things this week.” Dottie got, “Now is the time to move forward.” And Martin’s was, “Actions speak louder than words.” They weren’t really sure what kind of clue they were looking for, but they didn’t find anything helpful.

“I’ve never heard of exploding rainbows,” said Jessie, taking another look at Benny’s fortune.

“Or twisting tigers,” put in Violet.

“It’s a mystery,” said Henry. “That’s for sure!”

That night, the four Aldens had a meeting in the bedroom that Jessie and Violet shared. “Who in the world would put such a strange message in a fortune cookie?” Violet asked with a frown8.

“And why?” demanded Benny.

“We may never know,” said Jessie, who was sitting on the bed next to Benny.

“Auntie Two buys her fortune cookies ready-made,” Henry reminded them. “Martin might be right. This could be a factory worker’s idea of a joke.”

Benny shook his head. “My fortune didn’t come from a factory.”

“How can you be so sure?” asked Violet.

The youngest Alden raced out of the room. When he returned, he was swinging an old sock in the air. He gave the sock a good shake over the bed, and little slips of paper fluttered14 down. “The fortune I got tonight is different from all the others,” he told them.

They all gathered around to take a look at Benny’s collection. Sure enough, the other fortunes were all neatly15 typed in red ink. But the latest fortune had been printed by hand — in blue ink.

“You’re right, Benny,” Jessie said as she compared the fortunes. “That’s good detective work,” she added, smiling at her little brother.

Benny grinned. “Thanks.”

“I just noticed something else.” Violet was looking over Jessie’s shoulder. “The i’s on Benny’s fortune are dotted with little hearts.” Violet wasn’t sure, but she thought it might be some kind of clue.

“Still, we can’t be sure a factory worker didn’t do it,” Henry insisted.

“No, we can’t be sure,” agreed Jessie.

“But it’s also possible someone in Elmford dropped their own fortune cookie into Auntie Two’s blue bowl.”

Violet agreed. “She keeps the bowl right out in the open — on the side table.”

Benny nodded. “Auntie Two said it’s simple to make fortune cookies. I bet anybody could do it.”

“It did sound easy enough,” admitted Henry, backing down a little. “I guess anybody in Elmford could have written that message.”

“But ... who?” Violet wondered.

Henry shrugged. “Beats me!”

“I don’t really know, either,” said Jessie. “But Lucy did seem very nervous tonight. Did you notice?”

“She got our drinks mixed up,” Benny recalled17. “And she almost spilled my water.”

“Lucy just started a new job,” Violet was quick to point out. “That’s why she was nervous. I don’t see anything wrong with that, do you?”

Henry shook his head. “Not if that’s all it was.”

“Just acting18 nervous doesn’t make her suspicious19,” Violet insisted. Violet was shy, and being around a lot of people made her nervous, too.

“You’re right,” Jessie said quietly. “But we have to consider every possibility.”

This made sense. But Violet didn’t like to be suspicious just because someone was nervous.

“I wonder why Martin was acting so weird,” said Henry. “It wasn’t like him to get so upset at the bookstore.”

“That customer said something about a mysterious disappearance,” Benny reminded them in a worried voice. “What did he mean?”

“I don’t know,” Jessie said. “But I think we should concentrate on one mystery at a time.”

Benny grinned. “Let’s solve the mystery in the fortune cookie first.”

“But where will we find exploding rainbows and twisting tigers?” Jessie wondered.

Violet had an answer. “Near the Kowloon Restaurant,” she said. “The fortune said, No need to go far.”

“Good thinking, Violet!” said Benny, his grin16 getting bigger.

Jessie and Henry weren’t sure about this. Still, it couldn’t hurt to take a look around town in the morning.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 violet 8h3wm     
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。
2 awaits e71d064050e45e1fa45941f73ab2ad74     
v.等候( await的第三人称单数 );等待;期待;将发生在
参考例句:
  • A warm welcome awaits her. 热烈的欢迎等待着她。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • A warm welcome awaits all our customers. 对我们所有的顾客准备好热烈的欢迎。 来自《简明英汉词典》
3 stunned 735ec6d53723be15b1737edd89183ec2     
adj. 震惊的,惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
  • The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。
4 chirped 2d76a8bfe4602c9719744234606acfc8     
鸟叫,虫鸣( chirp的过去式 )
参考例句:
  • So chirped fiber gratings have broad reflection bandwidth. 所以chirped光纤光栅具有宽的反射带宽,在反射带宽内具有渐变的群时延等其它类型的光纤光栅所不具备的特点。
  • The crickets chirped faster and louder. 蟋蟀叫得更欢了。
5 giggled 72ecd6e6dbf913b285d28ec3ba1edb12     
v.咯咯地笑( giggle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The girls giggled at the joke. 女孩子们让这笑话逗得咯咯笑。
  • The children giggled hysterically. 孩子们歇斯底里地傻笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 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。
7 bet ddZy8     
v.打赌,以(与)...打赌;n.赌注,赌金;打赌
参考例句:
  • I bet you can't do this puzzle.我敢说,你解决不了这个难题。
  • I offered to bet with him.我提出与他打赌。
8 frown WfNzg     
vi.皱眉,不满,用皱眉对…表示不满(at)
参考例句:
  • Don't frown at me like that.不要那样对我皱眉。
  • Her frown gave him a speechless message.她眉头一皱给了他一个暗示。
9 frowned fdfd04918425477a66e031069e013e79     
皱眉( frown的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She frowned in puzzlement. 她迷惑地蹙着眉。
  • The mother frowned when her son failed in his exam. 儿子考试不及格时,母亲皱着眉。
10 jaw 5xgy9     
n.颚,颌,说教,流言蜚语;v.喋喋不休,教训
参考例句:
  • He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
  • A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。
11 glowing hsmzVA     
adj.白热的,通红的
参考例句:
  • She was positively glowing with happiness. 她满脸幸福。
  • Their new musical opened to glowing reviews. 他们的新音乐剧受到热烈好评。
12 grabbed grabbed     
v.抢先,抢占( grab的过去式和过去分词 );(尤指匆忙地)取;攫取;(尤指自私、贪婪地)捞取
参考例句:
  • He was grabbed by two men and frogmarched out of the hall. 他被两个男人紧抓双臂押出大厅。
  • She grabbed the child's hand and ran. 她抓住孩子的手就跑。
13 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》
14 fluttered 85b1a29c3fca2cf40850cc8ee4dc354e     
v.飘动( flutter的过去式和过去分词 );(心)快速跳动;振翼,拍翅膀
参考例句:
  • Flags fluttered in the breeze. 旗帜在微风中飘扬。
  • Imes concluded from her fluttered look that she had spent the money. 艾姆斯从她慌张的眼神推断出她花光了钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
15 neatly ynZzBp     
adv.整洁地,干净地,灵巧地,熟练地
参考例句:
  • Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
  • The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。
16 grin D6iyY     
n./vi.露齿而笑,咧嘴一笑
参考例句:
  • I know she is joking because she has a big grin on her face.我知道她是在开玩笑。因为她满脸笑容。
  • She came out of his office with a big grin on her face.她笑容满面地走出他的办公室。
17 recalled 14a1dad1f060e2cfc44ed538f81fab64     
回忆起( recall的过去式和过去分词 ); 使想起; 使想到; 勾起
参考例句:
  • I recalled that he had mentioned the problem once. 我回忆起他曾经有一次提到过这个问题。
  • The sight recalled the days of childhood to me. 那情景使我回忆起童年。
18 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。
19 suspicious DrLw1     
adj.可疑的,容易引起怀疑的,猜疑的,疑心的
参考例句:
  • A man was hanging about the house in a suspicious manner.一个男人在房子周围可疑地荡来荡去。
  • He's so suspicious he would distrust his own mother.他这个人疑心太重,连自己的母亲也不相信。
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