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儿童英语读物 Mystery of the Traveling Tomatoes CHAPTER 3 Invisible Airplanes

时间:2017-12-07 05:36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)

Henry led the way through the aisles2 of Hamu’s Hardware. It was his favorite place to buy nails, tools, paint, and other building supplies. He knew where to find everything. “Here they are,” he said, stopping in front of a display of metal detectors4.

A gray-haired man with twinkling eyes came over. “And what are the Aldens building today?” asked Mr. Hamu.

“Benny wants to try that metal detector3,” said Henry, pointing to one.

Mr. Hamu lifted it off the shelf. “Model X332,” he said. “The best one made. Very expensive. I only sell one or two a year.” He put the headphones on Benny’s ears. He showed Benny how to swing the detector slowly back and forth5 over the ground. Then he took coins out of his pocket and rolled them down the aisle1.

Benny moved the detector toward a coin. “I hear clicks,” he said. He moved closer. “The clicks are getting faster.” He moved the detector right over the coin. “It’s buzzing!”

While Benny hunted down the coins, the others asked Mr. Hamu what he remembered about the day of the bank robbery.

“I remember the circus parade,” Mr. Hamu said. “All our customers went outside to watch. So we closed up shop and watched it, too. We didn’t hear about the bank robbery until later.”

Benny brought the detector back. “Thank you for letting me try this,” he told Mr. Hamu. Then the Aldens said good-bye and left.

“Let’s go talk to the other shop owners about the robbery,” said Violet. “Maybe we’ll find a clue.”

The children went next door to Cora’s Costumes. The owner, Cora, was helping6 a customer try on a king’s costume. Cora was dressed like Little Bo Peep. She also wore a curly clown wig7 that was all the colors of the rainbow.

“May I help you?” asked Cora.

“We’re wondering what you remember about the day of the bank robbery,” said Henry.

“Oh, my dears, we were much too busy that day to notice anything.” She handed the king his crown. “The circus was in town, so people were throwing circus parties. We were mobbed by people renting costumes—clowns, animals, fire-eaters, lion tamers—simply mobbed.”

The children’s luck was no better as they walked in and out of all the shops up one side of Main Street and down the other. None of the storekeepers or customers remembered anything about the robbery. All anyone remembered was the circus parade.

The children’s last stop was Witlin’s Watch Works. They parked their bikes in front of a tangle8 of tomato plants. Instead of nice neat rows, the plants grew wild in the soil outside the shop. Overripe tomatoes had fallen from the vines and splattered on the ground. “Be careful,” warned Benny. He was still sore from slipping on the tomatoes in the garden. “Those things are dangerous.”

Inside the watch shop, the sour-faced woman and her nephew Fenster stood at the counter. Fenster held up a wide watchband that had two small watches on it. “I like this,” he said. “See, I can set each watch to a different time.” He turned the watch stems. “There, I set the top watch on Greenfield time and the bottom watch for Paris.”

“Why Paris?” asked his aunt.

“It’s just an example,” snapped Fenster. “I was mentioning a place that has a different time than here. Right now, it’s six hours later in Paris.”

“You already have twelve watches in your top dresser drawer,” said his aunt.

Fenster scowled9. “Why are you always going through my things?”

“Someone has to straighten properly,” the aunt said. She noticed the Aldens. “I see you children have cleaned up nicely,” she said, plucking a speck10 of dust from Jessie’s sleeve.

Fenster tried on the watch and frowned.

“This band is too tight,” he said.

“I can fix it for you in a week,” said Mr. Witlin.

“That’s too late,” said Fenster. “I need it Tuesday.”

“All right.” Mr. Witlin measured Fenster’s wrist. “The watch will be ready at three o’clock Tuesday.”

Fenster took out a fat roll of bills and counted out the money for the watch. “Tuesday three o’clock,” he said, turning abruptly11, nearly bumping into the children. He gripped his aunt’s arm. “Come on,” he said, rushing her out the door, “I have to get to work.”

The children asked Mr. Witlin what he remembered about the day of the robbery. But, like everyone else, he was watching the parade while the bank was being robbed.

Back outside, Jessie said, “It really does seem like the thief planned the robbery to take place during the parade.”

“We haven’t asked in that shop,” said Benny, leading the way to the ice cream shop next door.

But the owner was no help. “Those elephants were huge,” he said. “And those clowns were so funny …” He only remembered the circus as well.

The Aldens wondered what to do next. Benny pressed his nose against the glass display window. “As long as we’re here, we could have some ice cream!” he said.

The children gave their orders. Benny had vanilla12 in a cone13. Jessie ordered strawberry and vanilla. Violet decided14 to try the rainbow sherbet, and Henry had a taste for rocky road. Then they sat at one of the tables outside the shop to enjoy their treats. A woman at the next table fed ice cream to her toddler.

Benny finished his cone before it could melt. “We’ll never solve the robbery case,” he said, popping the pointy bottom of the cone into his mouth. “No one saw anything.”

“We can’t give up,” said Violet. “We’ve just begun.”

Henry borrowed Jessie’s notebook and took out a pen. “All right,” he said, “what are some things we know about the day of the robbery?”

As Jessie, Violet, and Benny recalled what they’d learned, Henry wrote it all down. Soon he had a list of facts:

    The March of the Elephants led the circus down Main Street at noon.
    The bank was robbed at 12:20.
    The thief dressed like an armored car driver
    The thief disguised himself to look like the driver, Noah:
        He wore a bushy moustache.
        He wore big dark sunglasses.
        He drove a silver van that looked like Noah’s armored car.

Then the children thought of other things that might be true:

    Noah was a big man, so the thief was probably a big man.

“He could have walked on stilts15 to look taller,” said Benny. He thought of Spooky the Scarecrow. “And maybe he stuffed straw in his clothes to look bigger.”

“That’s an interesting idea,” said Jessie. “But I think people in the bank would notice a stilt-walking straw-padded man.”

Henry nodded. “Let’s try to think of some other things that might be true about the thief.” He wrote them down:

    The thief might live in Greenfield because:
        He knew what the driver looked like because he disguised himself to look like Noah.
        He knew that Noah always greeted the bank guard the same way.
        He knew what time the driver always made his pick-up.

Finally Henry wrote down a list of questions:

    How did the robber know that Noah would be late that day?
    Where did the thief get an armored car? Did he steal it?
    Where did the robber hide his armored car until he was ready to rob the bank?
    Where did he drive it after he robbed the bank?
    Why didn’t anyone remember seeing the fake armored car?

It was quiet for a moment as Henry finished writing the list.

“Pay-pay! Pay-pay!” squealed16 the toddler at the table next to them. “Pay-pay!” he yelled, laughing, pointing at the sky. The Aldens looked up. A jet plane flew high overhead. They could barely hear it.

“He always hears the airplanes,” his mother said.

“That’s amazing,” said Violet.

The mother smiled. “Actually, we all hear the airplanes. But as we grow up, we get used to the sound and we stop paying attention. Airplanes are new for babies, so they notice. But, for us, it’s as if the airplanes are invisible.”

“Birdy, birdy,” squealed the toddler, pointing to a nearby tree. Sure enough, two birds sat chirping17 on a branch. Again, the children hadn’t even noticed the birds before.

As the Aldens rode their bikes home, Henry braked to a sudden stop. “I think I know why no one saw the robber’s armored car the day of the robbery. It was as invisible to them as that airplane and the birds were to us.”

“How can a big silver truck be invisible?” asked Benny.

“It wasn’t really invisible,” Henry explained. “But people are so used to seeing that same truck on that same street at that same time, they don’t pay attention.”

The children rode their bikes through the park. Workers in yellow shirts set up tents for Sunday’s 5K Healthy Heart run. The whole Alden family had signed up. Henry, a very good runner, would run the 5K, which was a little over three miles. Jessie, who had been practicing running each day, was going to try it, too. Violet and Benny signed up to walk with the One Milers. Their housekeeper18, Mrs. McGregor, Grandfather, and their dog, Watch would join the Simply Strollers. They would walk around the park until the runners returned.

“Look,” said Benny pointing across the park. The man with the metal detector crouched19 under the baseball bleachers. He dug around in the dirt with a small shovel20. Then he picked up a small object, brushed it off, and tucked it into a vest pocket. “I wonder what he found,” Benny said.

Next, the Aldens stopped at the fountain for a drink. Nearby, all the Greenfield Special Events Committee members were working hard, except Fenster. He leaned against a tree, eating a candy bar. “Pull that tent rope tighter,” he shouted. “No, no, the other rope. And, you over there …”

“Fenster and his aunt sure are bossy,” said Benny.

“There is a nice way and a rude way to ask someone to do something,” said Jessie, who did not like Fenster’s way at all. “You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar,” Mrs. McGregor liked to say. Although Jessie never understood why anyone would want to catch flies at all.

Violet always tried to find something nice to say about a person, “One good thing about Fenster,” she said, “is that his committee does put on wonderful events. They brought the circus to town, and now they’re putting on the race.”

But even as she said this, Fenster crumpled21 his candy wrapper and tossed it on the ground. Then he walked toward a tent, yelling instructions.

Without a word, Violet rode over, picked up the red wrapper, and tossed it into a garbage can. Few things made Violet angry. But littering was one of them.

At dinner that night, the children told Grandfather about their search for clues to the robbery.

“No one saw the armored car,” Henry said. “At least they don’t remember seeing it. But maybe they were so used to it that they just didn’t notice.”

“Like airplanes,” said Benny, “and birds.”

Jessie told Grandfather about the toddler who noticed everything. “But is it possible to find something that’s invisible?” she asked.

Grandfather thought this over. “Yes, I think you sometimes can. For example, you can’t see the wind. But you find it every time you fly a kite or hear leaves rustling22 on the trees.”

Henry twirled his fork in his plate of spaghetti. “Maybe instead of looking for the robber’s armored truck, the police should have looked for a place big enough to hide it,” he said.

“We can do that,” said Jessie. She took a piece of hot garlic bread and passed the plate around. “We can go to the bank, then follow the same route the armored car usually followed.” She scrunched23 her mouth. “Except we don’t know the route.”

“I happen to know the woman who owns the AAA Armored Car Company,” said Grandfather. “Maybe she can help you.”

“That’s a great idea,” said Jessie. “We can talk to her on Monday.”

The next morning was Sunday the day of the Healthy Heart Race. There were hundreds of people in the park getting ready to run 5K, walk a mile, or just walk around the park. Henry and Jessie proudly pinned their running numbers onto their shirts.

The Sheas jogged up. Mr. Shea pushed the twins in a double stroller. “We closed the café so we could run, too,” he said.

Jessie retied her running shoes. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to run three whole miles.”

“Then run with us,” said Mrs. Shea. “We won’t be going too fast with the twins. Besides, we’re running just for the fun of it. We won’t mind stopping to walk a while.”

The race began. The 5K runners ran one lap around the park then sped off to circle through town. Meanwhile, Benny and Violet walked a mile, which was twice around the park.

When they finished, they ate bananas that had been set out for the runners.

A roar went up as the first 5K runners returned to the park. People waiting at the finish line waved big posters, cheering as friends and family crossed the finish line. The Aldens quickly joined the waiting crowd, yelling proudly as Henry came in. He was, they all agreed, very fast for a fourteen-year-old.

Jessie and the Sheas jogged in a few minutes later.

“I did it!” said Jessie, her cheeks bright red. “I ran all the way and didn’t stop even one time.”


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 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。
2 aisles aisles     
n. (席位间的)通道, 侧廊
参考例句:
  • Aisles were added to the original Saxon building in the Norman period. 在诺曼时期,原来的萨克森风格的建筑物都增添了走廊。
  • They walked about the Abbey aisles, and presently sat down. 他们走到大教堂的走廊附近,并且很快就坐了下来。
3 detector svnxk     
n.发觉者,探测器
参考例句:
  • The detector is housed in a streamlined cylindrical container.探测器安装在流线型圆柱形容器内。
  • Please walk through the metal detector.请走过金属检测器。
4 detectors bff80b364ed19e1821aa038fae38df83     
探测器( detector的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The report advocated that all buildings be fitted with smoke detectors. 报告主张所有的建筑物都应安装烟火探测器。
  • This is heady wine for experimenters using these neutrino detectors. 对于使用中微子探测器的实验工作者,这是令人兴奋的美酒。 来自英汉非文学 - 科技
5 forth Hzdz2     
adv.向前;向外,往外
参考例句:
  • The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
  • He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
6 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。
7 wig 1gRwR     
n.假发
参考例句:
  • The actress wore a black wig over her blond hair.那个女演员戴一顶黑色假发罩住自己的金黄色头发。
  • He disguised himself with a wig and false beard.他用假发和假胡须来乔装。
8 tangle yIQzn     
n.纠缠;缠结;混乱;v.(使)缠绕;变乱
参考例句:
  • I shouldn't tangle with Peter.He is bigger than me.我不应该与彼特吵架。他的块头比我大。
  • If I were you, I wouldn't tangle with them.我要是你,我就不跟他们争吵。
9 scowled b83aa6db95e414d3ef876bc7fd16d80d     
怒视,生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He scowled his displeasure. 他满脸嗔色。
  • The teacher scowled at his noisy class. 老师对他那喧闹的课堂板着脸。
10 speck sFqzM     
n.微粒,小污点,小斑点
参考例句:
  • I have not a speck of interest in it.我对它没有任何兴趣。
  • The sky is clear and bright without a speck of cloud.天空晴朗,一星星云彩也没有。
11 abruptly iINyJ     
adv.突然地,出其不意地
参考例句:
  • He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
  • I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。
12 vanilla EKNzT     
n.香子兰,香草
参考例句:
  • He used to love milk flavoured with vanilla.他过去常爱喝带香草味的牛奶。
  • I added a dollop of vanilla ice-cream to the pie.我在馅饼里加了一块香草冰激凌。
13 cone lYJyi     
n.圆锥体,圆锥形东西,球果
参考例句:
  • Saw-dust piled up in a great cone.锯屑堆积如山。
  • The police have sectioned off part of the road with traffic cone.警察用锥形路标把部分路面分隔开来。
14 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。
15 stilts 1d1f7db881198e2996ecb9fc81dc39e5     
n.(支撑建筑物高出地面或水面的)桩子,支柱( stilt的名词复数 );高跷
参考例句:
  • a circus performer on stilts 马戏团里踩高跷的演员
  • The bamboo huts here are all built on stilts. 这里的竹楼都是架空的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
16 squealed 08be5c82571f6dba9615fa69033e21b0     
v.长声尖叫,用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He squealed the words out. 他吼叫着说出那些话。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The brakes of the car squealed. 汽车的刹车发出吱吱声。 来自《简明英汉词典》
17 chirping 9ea89833a9fe2c98371e55f169aa3044     
鸟叫,虫鸣( chirp的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • The birds,chirping relentlessly,woke us up at daybreak. 破晓时鸟儿不断吱吱地叫,把我们吵醒了。
  • The birds are chirping merrily. 鸟儿在欢快地鸣叫着。
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 crouched 62634c7e8c15b8a61068e36aaed563ab     
v.屈膝,蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He crouched down beside her. 他在她的旁边蹲了下来。
  • The lion crouched ready to pounce. 狮子蹲下身,准备猛扑。
20 shovel cELzg     
n.铁锨,铲子,一铲之量;v.铲,铲出
参考例句:
  • He was working with a pick and shovel.他在用镐和铲干活。
  • He seized a shovel and set to.他拿起一把铲就干上了。
21 crumpled crumpled     
adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式
参考例句:
  • She crumpled the letter up into a ball and threw it on the fire. 她把那封信揉成一团扔进了火里。
  • She flattened out the crumpled letter on the desk. 她在写字台上把皱巴巴的信展平。
22 rustling c6f5c8086fbaf68296f60e8adb292798     
n. 瑟瑟声,沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的
参考例句:
  • the sound of the trees rustling in the breeze 树木在微风中发出的沙沙声
  • the soft rustling of leaves 树叶柔和的沙沙声
23 scrunched c0664d844856bef433bce5850de659f2     
v.发出喀嚓声( scrunch的过去式和过去分词 );蜷缩;压;挤压
参考例句:
  • The snow scrunched underfoot. 雪在脚下发出嘎吱嘎吱的声音。
  • He scrunched up the piece of paper and threw it at me. 他把那张纸揉成一个小团,朝我扔过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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