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儿童英语读物 The Radio Mystery CHAPTER 1 “Let’s Go!”

时间:2017-11-09 05:14来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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Rain hammered the roof of the boxcar. Six-year-old Benny Alden looked out the window.

“It’s been raining forever,” he said with a sigh. Usually he liked playing in the boxcar with his brother and sisters. The four of them had found the boxcar in the woods and lived there for a while, after their parents died. Then their grandfather, James Alden, found them and brought them to live with him in his big white house in Greenfield. Grandfather had the boxcar towed to his backyard as a special surprise for his grandchildren. When they weren’t traveling and having adventures, the Alden children used the boxcar as a playhouse.

“It’s only been raining for two days — it just seems like forever,” twelve-year-old Jessie said, smiling at her younger brother. “Why don’t you work on this puzzle with Henry and me?”

“Or paint with me?” ten-year-old Violet offered. “It’s a perfect day for using watercolors.”

Henry Alden stood up and looked out the window. At fourteen, he was the oldest of the four Alden children. “Here comes Grandfather. He looks like he has news.”

Grandfather came into the boxcar shaking his dripping umbrella. “This weather is only good for ducks,” he remarked. “But it’s nice and dry in here.

“How would you like to go to Pennsylvania for a few days?” Grandfather asked the children.

“Is it about a new mystery?” asked Violet. The Alden children loved solving mysteries.

“How did you guess?” Grandfather replied.

Benny didn’t need to hear any more. “Let’s go!”

Jessie laughed. “Benny’s always in a hurry to go solve a new mystery.”

“What’s the mystery about?” Henry asked.

“I’ll tell you everything once we’re on the road,” said Grandfather. “I’d like to be in Pennsylvania before dinner.”

An hour later, the Aldens left Connecticut behind and were on their way to Deer Crossing, Pennsylvania.

“So why are we going to Deer Crossing?” Henry asked.

Grandfather changed lanes, then replied, “This morning I got a call from my friend Jocelyn Hawley. She lives in Deer Crossing and runs a local radio station. Jocelyn didn’t want to go into detail over the phone, but apparently1 the station is in some kind of trouble. I’ve told her before what great detectives my grandchildren are, and she asked if you would come and help.”

“Wow!” said Benny. “Do you think we’ll get to see inside the station?”

“I’m sure of it,” Grandfather said.

As they crossed the Pennsylvania border, the rain cleared and the sun broke through the clouds. After a while, Grandfather turned off the interstate and onto a road along Deer River. A tall metal tower with a blinking red light and the letters WCXZ loomed2 over the village of Deer Crossing.

“That tower must be part of the radio station,” said Henry. He checked the directions Grandfather had given him. “Jocelyn Hawley’s house should be at the end of this street.”

“It’s been a while since I was last here,” Grandfather said.

A large redbrick house with a wide, welcoming front porch stood on a hill before them. As the Aldens’ minivan climbed the gravel3 driveway, two figures came out of the house.

A woman about Grandfather’s age smiled warmly and waved as they stepped out of the car. “I’m so glad you came,” said Jocelyn Hawley. She wore slacks and a blue sweater that brought out the blue in her eyes. Dangly4 silver earrings5 set off her short gray hair.

“I’m overdue6 for a visit,” Grandfather said. “Let me introduce my grandchildren, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny. Children, meet Jocelyn Hawley.”

“You guys are the detectives?” said the girl standing7 beside Jocelyn. She was about Henry’s age, tall and slim, with long red hair.

“And very good ones, from what I hear,” Jocelyn said. “This is my granddaughter, Gwen.”

“Hi,” Gwen said. She smiled, but not as warmly as Jocelyn.

Jocelyn moved toward the front door. “Let’s go inside so you can get settled. Dinner is nearly ready. We can talk while we eat.”

The Aldens were given the top floor of the Hawley house. When they had unpacked8, the children and Grandfather trooped downstairs to the large family room, where snacks had been set out in front of a low, snapping fire.

“Help yourself,” Gwen said, pointing to glasses and a pitcher9 of cranberry10 juice on the coffee table. After they had finished their snacks, the Aldens helped Gwen carry everything back to the kitchen. Then Jocelyn called them to supper.

When everyone’s plate was loaded with spaghetti, green salad, and warm bread, Jocelyn began her story.

“My husband, Luther, bought the radio station many years ago, just after we were married,” she told the Aldens. “It was a lovely station with programs like a household hints show, a breakfast show, easy-listening music, and live dramas,”

“I’ve always tuned11 into the station on business trips,” said Grandfather. “Luther was a great DJ.”

“Luther called the station the heartbeat of Deer Crossing,” said Jocelyn. “He never made much money because he did things the old-fashioned way. But he loved that station.”

The Aldens smiled and Jocelyn went on. “Once a man from a big corporation offered Luther a lot of money to sell the station. The man wanted to cancel Luther’s old-fashioned radio shows and play ‘all hits, all the time.’”

“What happened?” asked Henry.

Gwen passed the breadbasket. “Gramp refused,” she said proudly. “He said no amount of money would make him give up his old programs.”

“The man left,” Jocelyn added. “He knew Luther would never change his mind.”

Grandfather smiled. “Luther always knew exactly what he wanted.”

Jocelyn smiled back. “After Luther died, people asked me if I’d change the format12 to something more modern.”

“Like ‘all hits, all the time?’” Violet guessed.

Jocelyn nodded. “But I didn’t. The radio station really is the heartbeat of Deer Crossing. And I love the old-fashioned programs just as much as Luther did. I’m proud of the station and of the programs we play.”

“I like it, too,” Gwen put in. “Gran’s station is really fun to listen to. It’s the kind of radio people had back in the old days, before everyone had a television. We even put on a live mystery show. I’m the sound engineer,” she added proudly.

“A live mystery show!” Benny repeated. “That sounds great!”

“The episodes are twenty minutes a day, five days a week,” Jocelyn told them. “Each week we do a new play. A local woman writes the scripts and waiters and waitresses from the Route 11 Diner act for free. And Gwen does the sound effects. She’s very good.”

“Sounds like fun,” Henry said.

“It was fun,” Jocelyn said sadly. “Until these things started happening.”

“What kinds of things?” Jessie wanted to know.

“Lights going out, blood-curdling screams,” Gwen replied with a shiver. “People think it’s a ghost.”

“That’s just a story,” Jocelyn said.

Benny’s eyes grew big. “Why would a ghost haunt a radio station?”

“Not just any ghost,” said Gwen mysteriously. “We have our very own special ghost at station WCXZ.”
 


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 apparently tMmyQ     
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎
参考例句:
  • An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽,豁然开朗。
  • He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。
2 loomed 9423e616fe6b658c9a341ebc71833279     
v.隐约出现,阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 );隐约出现,阴森地逼近
参考例句:
  • A dark shape loomed up ahead of us. 一个黑糊糊的影子隐隐出现在我们的前面。
  • The prospect of war loomed large in everyone's mind. 战事将起的庞大阴影占据每个人的心。 来自《简明英汉词典》
3 gravel s6hyT     
n.砂跞;砂砾层;结石
参考例句:
  • We bought six bags of gravel for the garden path.我们购买了六袋碎石用来铺花园的小路。
  • More gravel is needed to fill the hollow in the drive.需要更多的砾石来填平车道上的坑洼。
4 dangly 36ae2df865bad56993a260122bd20d48     
悬摆的,摆晃的
参考例句:
5 earrings 9ukzSs     
n.耳环( earring的名词复数 );耳坠子
参考例句:
  • a pair of earrings 一对耳环
  • These earrings snap on with special fastener. 这付耳环是用特制的按扣扣上去的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 overdue MJYxY     
adj.过期的,到期未付的;早该有的,迟到的
参考例句:
  • The plane is overdue and has been delayed by the bad weather.飞机晚点了,被坏天气耽搁了。
  • The landlady is angry because the rent is overdue.女房东生气了,因为房租过期未付。
7 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。
8 unpacked 78a068b187a564f21b93e72acffcebc3     
v.从(包裹等)中取出(所装的东西),打开行李取出( unpack的过去式和过去分词 );拆包;解除…的负担;吐露(心事等)
参考例句:
  • I unpacked my bags as soon as I arrived. 我一到达就打开行李,整理衣物。
  • Our guide unpacked a picnic of ham sandwiches and offered us tea. 我们的导游打开装着火腿三明治的野餐盒,并给我们倒了些茶水。 来自辞典例句
9 pitcher S2Gz7     
n.(有嘴和柄的)大水罐;(棒球)投手
参考例句:
  • He poured the milk out of the pitcher.他从大罐中倒出牛奶。
  • Any pitcher is liable to crack during a tight game.任何投手在紧张的比赛中都可能会失常。
10 cranberry TvOz5U     
n.梅果
参考例句:
  • Turkey reminds me of cranberry sauce.火鸡让我想起梅果酱。
  • Actually I prefer canned cranberry sauce.事实上我更喜欢罐装的梅果酱。
11 tuned b40b43fd5af2db4fbfeb4e83856e4876     
adj.调谐的,已调谐的v.调音( tune的过去式和过去分词 );调整;(给收音机、电视等)调谐;使协调
参考例句:
  • The resort is tuned in to the tastes of young and old alike. 这个度假胜地适合各种口味,老少皆宜。
  • The instruments should be tuned up before each performance. 每次演出开始前都应将乐器调好音。 来自《简明英汉词典》
12 format giJxb     
n.设计,版式;[计算机]格式,DOS命令:格式化(磁盘),用于空盘或使用过的磁盘建立新空盘来存储数据;v.使格式化,设计,安排
参考例句:
  • Please format this floppy disc.请将这张软盘格式化。
  • The format of the figure is very tasteful.该图表的格式很雅致。
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