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儿童英语读物 Bus Station Mystery CHAPTER 10 Benny Guesses

时间:2017-07-03 05:49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)

As the Aldens drove up to the town hall in Oakdale Benny exclaimed1, “Look at the crowd! I never thought so many people would come to a town meeting.”

Grandfather smiled. He had been at town meetings before.

“Do you see Frank2 anywhere?” Jessie asked. “I hope he comes early and meets Grandfather.”

Henry parked the car behind the truck from the paint factory. Someone had crossed out the last letter T on the sign. Now it read “Pickett’s Perfect Pain.”

Henry started to laugh, then he stopped. “There are some people around here who really want to get rid of Mr. Pickett and his factory,” he said.

“I hope there won’t be any trouble at the town meeting,” Jessie said. “People are excited.”

“There’s Frank,” Benny called, waving to him. “I don’t think he brought the dead fish. He has no bundle3 under his arm.”

After Frank and Mr. Alden had met, the two men stood and talked in quiet voices. People walking into the town hall looked curiously4 at them.

Benny heard a woman say, “We’ll get the state inspectors5 to close Mr. Pickett’s factory. He can’t get away with spoiling7 our river.”

“Wait a minute,” a man said. “I work for Mr. Pickett. I need a job. Don’t try to take work away from me! I don’t want the factory closed.”

“There’s Mr. Pickett,” Violet8 whispered.

Mr. Pickett walked along quickly. Several men were with him. They did not look at Frank or Mr. Alden.

“I thought we’d see Jud and Troy,” Benny said, looking around. “They’re late.”

“They won’t be coming,” Frank said. “They are against the paint factory. It wouldn’t surprise me if their father has them locked up at home.”

“Locked up!” Benny exclaimed. “They didn’t do anything that bad.”

“You can try telling their father that,” Frank said.

Benny and Violet went over toward9 the town hall. The others stood, still talking. Benny thought Grandfather looked like an old general planning for a battle. And maybe it would be a battle—there was a lot of excitement as people gathered.

Suddenly Benny stopped Violet and said, “Look over there! Frank’s wrong. Here they come.”

“Who? Where?” Violet asked.

“Jud and Troy! They’re locking their bikes up at the rack10 over there.”

“Do you think they rode into Oakdale from Plainville Junction11?” Violet asked. “That’s a long ride.”

“It is,” Benny agreed. “I guess they really wanted to get here. I hope they aren’t going to start any trouble. It would be easy to get this crowd angry.”

Then Benny heard a voice he knew. It was Troy’s. He was with Jud.

Troy was saying, “We couldn’t leave until Dad was gone. And if we walk into the meeting after it has started, everyone will stare at us.”

“You don’t see Dad outside, do you?” Jud asked. “How about his friends?” He sounded worried. Then he saw the Aldens.

“Look who’s here!” he exclaimed. “Did you forget something again?”

“Yeah, you’re outsiders. What are you doing here?” Troy asked.

“We’re with Frank,” Benny said. He didn’t see why he had to explain anything to these boys.

“With Frank?” Jud asked. He looked around then and saw Frank and the other Aldens coming into the building, too.

“Who’s that with you?” Troy asked.

“That’s my grandfather,” Benny answered. “He has some ideas that can help save the river.”

“He does?” Troy asked, surprised. “Do you think my dad will listen?”

“Boy, I wish he would,” Jud said. “I really wish he would.”

“We’ve tried everything we can think of,” Troy said. “Dad says there isn’t anything he can do. He doesn’t want the river spoiled. But he thinks he can’t do anything about it.”

The town meeting was about to begin. The last people who had been standing12 outside were beginning to come in.

“Come on,” Jud said to his brother, “I don’t want Frank to see us. Let’s slip in and get some seats where Dad won’t see us.”

The boys disappeared, leaving Benny standing there. He saw his family and Frank starting toward the hall entrance.

Still Benny stood in the one spot. He was putting a lot of ideas together. Who was Jud and Troy’s father? Benny thought he knew—should he tell the others? Maybe not. They’d find out soon enough, he felt.

Inside the hall, chairs were set up in rows. There was an aisle13 down the middle. A long table at the front was for the township officers.

All Mr. Pickett’s friends and workers sat together on one side. The persons who wanted to save the river filled the seats on the other side of the aisle. Up in front, the township officers took their places.

The big clock showed exactly eight o’clock. The crowd grew quiet as the moderator called the meeting to order. He explained why everyone had been asked to come. He said he hoped some way could be found to save the river. He asked everyone to take turns in speaking.

First, Mr. Pickett stood up to tell how his new factory helped Plainview Township. He pointed14 out that people needed jobs. He believed workers needed something useful, like good paint, to make. When he said Pickett’s Perfect Paint was the best, some of the people behind him clapped.

The moderator said, “Let’s hear from that lady from Oakdale.”

The woman rose and said, “We need new factories. We need work so that people can buy things at our stores. But we don’t want our river spoiled. People are important. So is nature. Isn’t there some way we can have jobs and save the river too?”

Men and women on both sides of the hall clapped.

Benny twisted around to see if he could find Jud and Troy in the audience. He finally saw them sitting toward the back. They had slid down in their seats as if they didn’t want anyone to recognize them. Benny didn’t blame them. Not if his guess was right.

A man who introduced himself as a teacher spoke15 next. He told how the river had changed since the factory had been built.

“Mr. Pickett may make good paint, but he is ruining our river,” he declared. “We can’t swim in it. We can’t fish in it. And all because one man pours dirty water from his factory into it. I say Mr. Pickett’s factory should be closed. We can do it!”

“Agree! Agree!” many people called out.

Mr. Pickett jumped to his feet. “You can’t do that!” he cried. “You can’t close my factory. I have put a lot of money in my business. Who needs fish from the river? You can buy fish at the market the way I do.” Then he sat down.

Suddenly a lot of angry voices began to fill the hall. It was impossible to tell what was being said.

The man in charge of the meeting called out, “Order! Order! Let one person speak at a time.”

Frank raised his hand to show that he had something to say.

Benny was sorry not to see the bundle of fish in his hand. “Too bad,” he said to Henry. “That fish would have been a good piece of evidence.”

To everyone’s surprise, Frank went to a table and opened a drawer. He took out a newspaper bundle.

“You don’t have to touch this,” Frank said to the people. “But I assure16 you it is a fresh dead fish.”

“Fresh dead fish,” everyone murmured, half laughing.

“It’s fresh,” Frank went on, “because it hasn’t been dead long. Just this afternoon this fish was swimming in our river. Then I saw him stop swimming and float to the top. I picked him up. You can find a fish like this almost any time, poisoned by waste from the paint factory.”

“That’s a fine new piece of evidence,” called a teen-ager from the front row.

“Just exactly what I said!” Benny whispered.

But Frank had not quite finished what he wanted to say. “I have called the factory a bad neighbor,” he said. “And now Mr. Pickett wants to buy my house and land and make it into a parking lot.”

“And you’re going to sell him your land?” someone asked, sounding shocked.

“No!” Frank shouted. “I’m not selling. But I am hoping Mr. Pickett can become a good neighbor. If he makes some changes in his factory, I believe he can make paint and not spoil6 the river. Just spend some money, that’s how!”

Mr. Pickett stood up. He looked at the men and women in the hall before speaking. Then he said, “I do want to be a good neighbor to Frank and to everyone. But who can show me how to run my factory and keep the river clean?”

“This gentleman over here can, I think,” Frank answered and asked Grandfather to rise. “Mr. James Alden.”

Everyone turned around to stare. Mr. Alden stood up and smiled. Then he walked over to Mr. Pickett and shook his hand.

“I have had some of the same troubles in my plastics factories that you have had,” he explained. “Bad odors17. Polluted water. In my plants we have found a way to burn the bad-smelling gases before they go up the chimney18. We need a great deal of water. But we use the same water over and over. Not a bit of dirty water empties into any river or sewer19.”

“None?” asked Mr. Pickett.

“None. The dirty water goes into big tanks. The dirt and pollution settle to the bottom of the tanks. Clean water rises to the top. It can be used again, and the tanks are cleaned out to hold more water.”

Mr. Pickett was listening carefully.

Mr. Alden continued, “You probably have a dust problem in your factory, too. That’s not bad for the river, but it is bad for your workers. We use a huge suction machine to pull the dust out of the air so that the air is safe to breathe.”

The moderator asked, “Do I understand you, Mr. Alden? You say that Mr. Pickett’s factory can make paint and be a better place to work, too?”

“Exactly,” said Mr. Alden. “If Mr. Pickett agrees, I’ll be glad to take him to my factories and show him what we do. My men will explain how the air and water are kept clean. I will be happy to talk with him about the business details.”

Now everyone looked at Mr. Pickett. He spoke slowly. “Of course I know Mr. Alden’s name. With his help I think I can make some changes.” He smiled. “Then we’ll have Pickett’s Perfect Paint forever and a clean river, too!”

Everyone clapped. Benny turned around to see what Jud and Troy were doing. They were on their feet, clapping and edging toward the aisle. Were they going to slip out before the meeting was over?

The moderator called for order. He thanked everyone, then smiled and said, “If we work together, we can solve our problems. Meeting adjourned20!”

Now Benny saw that Jud and Troy weren’t going out. They were hurrying over to the other side of the hall. Suddenly they were running toward Mr. Pickett. People cleared the way for them, and some of the crowd smiled.

“Dad!” Jud said. “You were wonderful! You were great!”

Mr. Pickett had started to frown21 when he saw the boys. Now his frown turned to a wide smile. He saw all the Aldens and Frank coming over, too.

“Meet my sons, Jud and Troy,” Mr. Pickett said to Mr. Alden. “And Frank, let me shake your hand. You and my boys and everyone else are going to have a clean river.”


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 exclaimed 68e477dcdab3965d2189fb7276ee5041     
vt.exclaim的过去式v.呼喊,惊叫,大声说( exclaim的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • "We have a good chance of winning," he exclaimed optimistically. “我们很可能获胜。”他乐观地喊道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • She exclaimed in delight when she saw the presents. 她见到礼品高兴得叫了起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 frank JibxK     
adj.坦白的,直率的,真诚的
参考例句:
  • A frank discussion can help to clear the air.坦率的谈论有助于消除隔阂。
  • She is frank and outgoing.她很爽朗。
3 bundle bsmz6     
n.捆,包,束;一堆,一批;v.把…扎成一捆
参考例句:
  • My uncle sent me a large bundle on my birthday.我生日时叔父给我寄来一个大包裹。
  • Dad found a bundle of spelling mistakes in my composition.爸爸在我作文里找出一大堆拼写错误。
4 curiously 3v0zIc     
adv.有求知欲地;好问地;奇特地
参考例句:
  • He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
  • He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。
5 inspectors e7f2779d4a90787cc7432cd5c8b51897     
n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 );(英国公共汽车或火车上的)查票员;(警察)巡官;检阅官
参考例句:
  • They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过,通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 spoil 4rVyC     
n.战利品,赃物,奖品,掠夺,次品;vt.损坏,破坏,溺爱;vi.腐坏,掠夺
参考例句:
  • Don't bunch the flowers up so tightly,you'll spoil them.别把花束得这么紧,会弄坏的。
  • Overacting will only spoil the effect.表演过火,效果反而不好。
7 spoiling 12672a65b92da337fc5556c3ddd2349d     
v.变质( spoil的现在分词 );损坏;毁掉;破坏
参考例句:
  • You are spoiling this man's son. 贼夫人之子。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The murderer attempted to escape from law punishment by spoiling his own face. 那个杀人犯企图自毁容貌以逃脱法律的惩罚。 来自《简明英汉词典》
8 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。
9 toward on6we     
prep.对于,关于,接近,将近,向,朝
参考例句:
  • Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
  • Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了,并跑了过去。
10 rack cAfzx     
n.挂架,搁架;vt.折磨;使紧张,使努力
参考例句:
  • He went over and took his jacket from the coat rack.到衣架上取外套。
  • The old house soon went to rack and ruin.这所旧房子很快就毁坏了。
11 junction N34xH     
n.连接,接合;交叉点,接合处,枢纽站
参考例句:
  • There's a bridge at the junction of the two rivers.两河的汇合处有座桥。
  • You must give way when you come to this junction.你到了这个路口必须让路。
12 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。
13 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。
14 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。
15 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。
16 assure OOwym     
vt.使确信;向…保证,使有保证
参考例句:
  • The only ladder to assure success is to work hard.确保成功的惟一途径是刻苦努力。
  • I assure you that she can be trusted to do the job.我担保她能做好这项工作。
17 odors 1890f562478c6ddb34707c131e2e7db6     
气味,名声( odor的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The garden was a fairyland of beautiful flowers and sweet odors. 那座花园是个繁花似锦、香气袭人的仙境。
  • Cooking odors can circulate throughout the entire house. 做饭的香味可以传到家里的各个角落。
18 chimney zVoyu     
n.烟囱,烟筒;玻璃罩
参考例句:
  • The chimney blew out a cloud of black smoke.烟囱里喷出一团黑烟。
  • His father is a chimney sweeper.他的父亲是一位扫烟囱的工人。
19 sewer 2Ehzu     
n.排水沟,下水道
参考例句:
  • They are tearing up the street to repair a sewer. 他们正挖开马路修下水道。
  • The boy kicked a stone into the sewer. 那个男孩把一石子踢进了下水道。
20 adjourned 1e5a5e61da11d317191a820abad1664d     
(使)休会, (使)休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The court adjourned for lunch. 午餐时间法庭休庭。
  • The trial was adjourned following the presentation of new evidence to the court. 新证据呈到庭上后,审讯就宣告暂停。
21 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。
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