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儿童英语读物 The Mystery Cruise CHAPTER 7 Max’s Story

时间:2017-07-20 09:03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)

Gratefully, Max smiled at the waiter who put a cup of coffee before him. He took a deep breath. “My doctor, who also is a close friend, advised me to relax, and recommended this cruise.” Max stirred his coffee. “It’s been far from relaxing. The first night I received a telegram from my great-aunt Edith’s lawyer saying that she had died.” He paused, taking a sip1 of coffee. “I was very fond of her, even though she was rather eccentric. I felt sad and wanted to tell someone, but I’m rather reserved.” He gave them a small smile. “As you may have guessed.”

“I’m sorry about your great-aunt, Max. Now I realize why you were so upset,” Jessie said.

“Wait,” Max said. “There’s more.”

Benny’s eyes were wide. “What else?” he asked.

“Great-Aunt Edith had written in her will that I must be present at the reading in order to inherit her beautiful old house.” He finished his coffee. “I’ve always loved that old brick house and someday had planned to open it to the public so that everyone could enjoy it. The rooms are filled with marvelous antiques and artwork. And in the vault2 she kept her jewelry3. Outside, gardens spread over several acres.”

“Will you also inherit her money?” Grandfather asked.

“Yes, a large amount,” Max answered. “I’d planned to use it for good causes.”

“I’m sorry you lost your great-aunt,” Violet said. “But I’m happy you’ll inherit such a wonderful place.”

Max looked down, shaking his head. “I’m afraid I won’t inherit anything. You see the will is going to be read in Miami one week from the day I received the telegram. If I don’t appear for the reading, the money and house will go to Great-Aunt Edith’s only other surviving relative.”

“Who’s that?” Benny asked, forgetting to eat.

“My cousin, Carla,” Max said. “I hate to say anything against anyone, but I know Carla. She’s a mean selfish person, and I’m sure one of the first things she’ll do is tear down Edith’s house and sell all her beautiful things.” He pushed his cup aside, and his lips tightened4. “I can’t let that happen.”

“No, you can’t.” Violet nodded in agreement.

“When I first received the telegram, informing me of my great-aunt’s death, I wanted to fly back immediately,” Max said.

“Why didn’t you?” Benny questioned carefully.

“I wish I had,” Max said, answering Benny. “But when I called my doctor she told me to stay on the cruise. She said it’d do me good and I’d be back in time for the reading of the will.” He shook his head. “She didn’t know that this ship was going to have one problem after another.”

Henry nodded knowingly. So that was the conversation they’d overheard on the phone. He remembered when Max told his doctor, “I will, but only because you think I should.”

“When everything started to go wrong on the ship,” Max said, “I tried to put the idea out of my head that someone was intentionally5 slowing the ship down. But when there was a false alarm about a person falling overboard, I was certain that someone was trying to keep me from getting to Miami on time.”

“You’re not the only one who’s thought that,” Jessie agreed. “We just couldn’t figure out why.”

“Now we know,” Violet added quietly.

“But we still don’t know who’s doing it,” Max said, tugging6 on his beard. “Carla isn’t aboard.”

“Maybe she’s in disguise,” Benny said.

“Maybe she hired someone to do the work for her,” Henry suggested, “while she’s hurrying to Miami. Someone like Heather,” he added.

“So how do we catch this person?” Violet asked.

“We’ll have to keep our eyes and ears open,” Jessie said.

“And as soon as we get to the next port, I’m flying directly to Miami,” Max said firmly.

“We’ll be coming into Nassau Saturday morning,” Grandfather said. “You should be able to get a plane to fly to Miami in plenty of time.”

“I just hope nothing else goes wrong,”Max said worriedly, “or I won’t even make it to Nassau.”

“Don’t worry,” Benny said. “We’ll make sure you get there!”

“You’ve all been a big help,” Max said, leaning back with a smile. “I feel better already.”

But he’d no sooner said these words when the ship lurched.

“What was that!” Max exclaimed, leaping up.

“I’m sure it’s nothing,” Grandfather said in a calm tone.

Max dropped into his chair. “I suppose you’re right, but I’m tired of worrying. Sometimes I wish I could jump overboard and swim ashore7.” He smiled wearily. “I sometimes think I could beat this ship to Nassau.”

“How about a game of chess?” Grandfather asked, clearly trying to take Max’s mind off his problems.

Max rose. “Thanks, James. Perhaps later. Right now I need to take a brisk walk around the deck.”

The children left Grandfather at his cabin, and went for a swim. Later they lunched by the pool.

After enjoying the sun and water, Jessie said, “Why don’t we go to the social room and see what’s going on? Maybe we’ll get into a Monopoly tournament.”

“That would be fun!” Benny said, gingerly touching8 his sunburned nose.

Arriving at the beautiful room overlooking the sea, Henry noticed that a few passengers were playing cards, others were involved in a Scrabble game, but no tournament had been planned. Heather stood by Grandfather and Max’s chess game.

“I see you’re back at it again,” Jessie said with a smile.

Grandfather nodded, as he moved a piece onto another square.

“Hi, Heather,” Henry said.

Startled, Heather crumpled9 up a piece of paper she’d been reading. Then, remembering her job, she asked, “Can I help you find a game?”

Henry looked at Benny. “What do you think?”

“I’m ready to play Monopoly,” Benny said.

“Me, too,” echoed Violet and Jessie.

So for an hour they were occupied with buying and selling property, but when Violet won, Benny stood, and stretched. “What can we do now?”

“How about a movie?” Jessie asked. “I noticed the sci-fi classic Spaceships and Spacemen is playing.”

Violet told Grandfather where they were going, and then she joined Henry, Jessie, and Benny. As they left the social room, Jessie noticed Heather setting up a cribbage board for Melissa and Ralph. She was surprised to see Heather, usually so shy, sitting down and talking to the Rands as if they were friends.

How strange, Jessie thought. She shrugged10 and hurried to catch up with the others. It probably didn’t mean anything, but they’d promised Max to keep their eyes open and she intended to report anything unusual.

They settled in center row seats in the movie theater and watched Spaceships and Spacemen. The exciting movie lasted more than two hours, and when they came out Benny had a suggestion. “I’d like an ice cream cone11.”

“Dinner is going to be served soon,” Violet said.

As they walked by the soda12 fountain they noticed Tom Bishop13 hunched14 over a drink.

“Well,” he said, twirling about on the seat, “if it isn’t the Aldens. Sit down and tell me the latest news.”

Benny climbed up on a stool. “We don’t have any news,” he said.

Good for Benny, Henry thought. He was afraid Benny might say something about Max and the will, and that wasn’t anyone’s business.

“I noticed your grandfather was playing chess with Max—Max—what was his name?” Tom questioned.

“Max Greene,” Jessie replied, slowly and cautiously.

“That’s right,” Tom said. “Max Greene.” Through his straw, he slurped15 up the last of his diet cola. “It looks like we’re going to be late getting into Miami.” He chuckled16, flexing17 his arm muscles. “That’s okay by me. I could use a couple more days in the exercise room. Why does that Max Greene look so worried?”

“Don’t know, Tom.” Benny hopped18 down from his stool. “We've got to go or Grandfather will worry.”

Tom waved. “Well, then I guess I’ll see you children later.”

The children went back to their cabins and dressed for dinner. Grandfather met them, and they all went up on deck to look at the beautiful sky.

At six-thirty, they headed for the grand dining room where Ramos served a dinner of roast pork with dressing19, mashed20 potatoes, broccoli21, and apple and celery salad. Chocolate cake was the dessert.

“I hate to leave the West Wind and you, Ramos,” Benny said, looking sad. “And all this terrific food.”

“I will miss you, too,” Ramos answered. “But you still have two more dinners. And,” he added proudly, “Saturday night is special.”

“It’s our farewell dinner, isn’t it?” Jessie asked.

“Yes, and what a dinner!” Ramos said, rolling his eyes. “You will like it!”

After the children had eaten their strawberry pie, they strolled about the deck with Grandfather.

“On Saturday morning you’ll see Nassau,” Grandfather said. “You’ll enjoy the Straw Market in the center of town.”

“I’ll enjoy seeing Max off first,” Violet said. “I’m worried that he won’t get back to Miami by Sunday. If he doesn’t he’ll lose everything.”

“Don’t be concerned, Violet,” Grandfather said. “It’s a short flight from Nassau to Miami.”

Maybe so, Violet thought, but we still have Friday to get through, and she had a nagging22 fear that someone was plotting something else to keep Max from reaching his destination. She shivered slightly. It was scary when you didn’t know what to expect.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 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。
2 vault 3K3zW     
n.拱形圆顶,地窖,地下室
参考例句:
  • The vault of this cathedral is very high.这座天主教堂的拱顶非常高。
  • The old patrician was buried in the family vault.这位老贵族埋在家族的墓地里。
3 jewelry 0auz1     
n.(jewllery)(总称)珠宝
参考例句:
  • The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
  • Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。
4 tightened bd3d8363419d9ff838bae0ba51722ee9     
收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 ); (使)变紧; (使)绷紧; 加紧
参考例句:
  • The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
  • His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机,然后又松开了。
5 intentionally 7qOzFn     
ad.故意地,有意地
参考例句:
  • I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
  • The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所,因此没有资格再获得提供住房。
6 tugging 1b03c4e07db34ec7462f2931af418753     
n.牵引感v.用力拉,使劲拉,猛扯( tug的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • Tom was tugging at a button-hole and looking sheepish. 汤姆捏住一个钮扣眼使劲地拉,样子显得很害羞。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
  • She kicked him, tugging his thick hair. 她一边踢他,一边扯着他那浓密的头发。 来自辞典例句
7 ashore tNQyT     
adv.在(向)岸上,上岸
参考例句:
  • The children got ashore before the tide came in.涨潮前,孩子们就上岸了。
  • He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.他抓住绳子拉船靠岸。
8 touching sg6zQ9     
adj.动人的,使人感伤的
参考例句:
  • It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
  • His letter was touching.他的信很感人。
9 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。
10 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》
11 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。
12 soda cr3ye     
n.苏打水;汽水
参考例句:
  • She doesn't enjoy drinking chocolate soda.她不喜欢喝巧克力汽水。
  • I will freshen your drink with more soda and ice cubes.我给你的饮料重加一些苏打水和冰块。
13 bishop AtNzd     
n.主教,(国际象棋)象
参考例句:
  • He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
  • Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。
14 hunched 532924f1646c4c5850b7c607069be416     
(常指因寒冷、生病或愁苦)耸肩弓身的,伏首前倾的
参考例句:
  • He sat with his shoulders hunched up. 他耸起双肩坐着。
  • Stephen hunched down to light a cigarette. 斯蒂芬弓着身子点燃一支烟。
15 slurped 1f6784a943125fab9881f27669322ae5     
v.啜食( slurp的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He slurped down a cup of sweet, black coffee. 他咕嘟咕嘟地喝下了一杯加糖的清咖啡。 来自辞典例句
  • He crunched his cookies and slurped his tea. 他嘎吱嘎吱地咬着饼干,咕噜咕噜地喝茶。 来自互联网
16 chuckled 8ce1383c838073977a08258a1f3e30f8     
轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
  • She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情,她就轻轻地暗自发笑。
17 flexing ea85fac2422c3e15400d532b3bfb4d3c     
n.挠曲,可挠性v.屈曲( flex的现在分词 );弯曲;(为准备大干而)显示实力;摩拳擦掌
参考例句:
  • Flexing particular muscles allows snakes to move in several ways. 可弯曲的特殊的肌肉使蛇可以用几种方式移动。 来自电影对白
  • China has become an economic superpower and is flexing its muscles. 中国已经成为了一个经济巨人而且在展示他的肌肉。 来自互联网
18 hopped 91b136feb9c3ae690a1c2672986faa1c     
跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 ); 单足蹦跳; 齐足(或双足)跳行; 摘葎草花
参考例句:
  • He hopped onto a car and wanted to drive to town. 他跳上汽车想开向市区。
  • He hopped into a car and drove to town. 他跳进汽车,向市区开去。
19 dressing 1uOzJG     
n.(食物)调料;包扎伤口的用品,敷料
参考例句:
  • Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
  • The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。
20 mashed Jotz5Y     
a.捣烂的
参考例句:
  • two scoops of mashed potato 两勺土豆泥
  • Just one scoop of mashed potato for me, please. 请给我盛一勺土豆泥。
21 broccoli 1sbzm     
n.绿菜花,花椰菜
参考例句:
  • She grew all the broccoli plants from seed.这些花椰菜都是她用种子培育出来的。
  • They think broccoli is only green and cauliflower is only white.他们认为西兰花只有绿色的,而菜花都是白色的。
22 nagging be0b69d13a0baed63cc899dc05b36d80     
adj.唠叨的,挑剔的;使人不得安宁的v.不断地挑剔或批评(某人)( nag的现在分词 );不断地烦扰或伤害(某人);无休止地抱怨;不断指责
参考例句:
  • Stop nagging—I'll do it as soon as I can. 别唠叨了—我会尽快做的。
  • I've got a nagging pain in my lower back. 我后背下方老是疼。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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