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儿童英语读物 The Mystery on the Train CHAPTER 5 A Midnight Call for Help

时间:2017-08-21 07:11来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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The Aldens and Aunt Jane got back to the train station in plenty of time before the train had to leave. As they walked out onto their track, Jessie pointed1 and said, “Look, that’s Annie over there.”

She was still sitting on her suitcase and holding the portfolio2 tight.

“She looks as if she thinks the portfolio will run away from her,” Benny said.

“She is really nervous about it,” Henry said. “I wonder what could be in it?”

“Violet asked her,” Jessie reminded them. “She said it was her drawings. But she acts as if it were something a lot more valuable than student drawings.”

Henry said, “Violet could be right. Maybe Annie is in some kind of trouble.”

“Maybe we should keep an eye on her,” Benny suggested.

“If she has a room next to ours like she did last time, it will be easy to keep an eye on her,” Jessie said.

“But this is a much bigger train,” Henry said. “All the cars are double-deckers. She may not be right next door to us again.”

“Wherever she is, I think we should try and stick close,” Violet said. “She’s my friend and I want to help.”

They boarded the California Zephyr3 train and quickly discovered that Annie was not in their sleeping car. Their new compartments5 were on the bottom floor and there were only six rooms. The Aldens and Aunt Jane took three of them. There was a family of four in the bigger family bedroom at the end of the hall and a woman in a wheelchair at the other end. The one remaining compartment4 was occupied by an older couple.

“Let’s check and see if we can find Annie,” Benny said.

“There are several sleeping compartments,” Jessie reminded them. “Some are upstairs and some downstairs, so it will be a lot harder to find Annie.”

“We’ll find her,” Violet said. They immediately began to walk up and down the cars looking for Annie, but after about an hour’s search, they had to admit that Annie was nowhere around.

“Maybe we will see her at dinner,” Henry said. “Or later in the observation lounge6.”

“Or maybe we can ask Vincent where she is,” Benny said.

Dinner that evening was in a much bigger, fancier dining room. The tablecloths7 were white linen8 and there were small silver vases with fresh flowers on each table.

“This train trip is really wonderful,” Jessie said. “Thank you for inviting9 us, Aunt Jane.”

“I’m glad you like it,” Aunt Jane said. “I want this to be a very special experience for you.”

“It is. We like everything,” Benny added. “We like our rooms and our beds and the way the train rattles10 and shakes. This is a great surprise present.”

Aunt Jane and Violet sat with another young couple. Henry, Jessie, and Benny sat at a table with a small man who was wearing a dark gray pinstriped suit. He was about the same age as Grandfather and seemed very glad to share a table with the children.

When they sat down, the man stood up and shook everyone’s hand and said, “Allow me to introduce myself. Reeves is the name, Herbert Reeves.”

The children introduced themselves and then they wrote down their orders for dinner. Henry and Jessie chose the broiled11 salmon12. Benny decided13 he would order chicken.

As they waited for their dinners, Benny said, “We’re going all the way to San Francisco.”

“Quite a coincidence,” said Mr. Reeves. “Quite a coincidence. I am on my way to San Francisco as well. Going to an auction14. Going to seek out some very special collector’s items. I have some private information that there will be some very exciting valuable things.”

“What do you collect?” Henry asked.

“I collect movie memorabilia,” Mr. Reeves said. He bit into a dinner roll and chewed and waved his hands as he talked. “Yes, indeed. I collect movie memorabilia.”

“What exactly is movie memorabilia?” Jessie asked.

“Memorabilia, my dear young lady? Why memorabilia is a catchall phrase for all sorts of items which pertain15 to the movies. Early movies, mostly. Some collectors like to pick up items from modern movies and hold them indefinitely. I specialize in memorabilia from silent pictures.”

“Silent pictures?” Benny asked. “What are they?”

“What were they,” Mr. Reeves corrected. “Silent pictures were the greatest art form ever invented. Ah, yes, the silver screen has never been the same.”

When Benny still looked confused, Henry explained, “Mr. Reeves is talking about the early days in the movies. At first they were just pictures on a screen and there was no sound.”

“There was sound,” Mr. Reeves corrected. “Music, that is. There was a piano player in the theater to add atmosphere to the movies. Have you ever even seen a silent movie on a large screen with a piano player keeping step with the action?”

When the Alden children admitted they had never seen a silent movie, Mr. Reeves shook his head sadly. “Shame. Pity, really. Too bad.”

“What exactly do you collect?” Jessie asked.

“Memorabilia,” Mr. Reeves said again, then he realized that he wasn’t being clear. “I collect old movie magazines, costumes, photographs of stars, and most of all—posters. I’m on my way to San Francisco because a little bird told me there were some one-of-a-kind old movie posters coming in. Signed Pickfords . . . that’s Mary Pickford the silent movie star, and posters of movies starring Charlie Chaplin which he has autographed.”

“Do they cost a lot?” Benny asked.

“The idea is to buy them from people who don’t know the true value. Some autographed posters are sold for as much as fifty thousand dollars. Others go for as little as two hundred fifty dollars. Of course, autographed Pickfords and Chaplins in good condition are worth a good deal. Good night. Pleasant chatting with you.” Mr. Reeves stood up abruptly16 and left the dining room.

“Wasn’t he an unusual man?” Jessie asked.

“I liked him,” Henry said.

“I really didn’t understand much that he said,” Benny admitted. “But I’ll tell you one thing. I’d never pay fifty thousand dollars for some old poster.”

“No, you wouldn’t,” Henry agreed, “but according to Mr. Reeves, someone would.”

The children soon began to talk of other things. When they finished their dinner, Aunt Jane went to read, and the others told Violet all about their dinner with Mr. Reeves. Then, they walked the entire length of the train again. As they walked, Violet said, “I wish we would run into Annie. I want to make sure she’s okay.”

“We could take another look in the observation lounge,” Jessie offered. “That’s where you talked with her last night on the other train. She may be there sketching17.”

They went up the stairs to the lounge and sat for a while, listening to a piano player and looking out at the stars. The sky from the observation lounge was beautiful, but they didn’t see Annie. At about eight o’clock, Jessie began to yawn. She said, “I think traveling by train makes me sleepy.”

Violet nodded. “It’s the movement and the noise. It’s a lot like being rocked in a crib and hearing someone sing a lullaby.”

Benny yawned and said, “If makes me sleepy, too.”

“Maybe we should go to our compartments,” Violet said.

“Good idea,” Benny said. “I want to see the porter make up our beds again.”

“Maybe Vincent will make up the beds and we can ask him if he’s seen Annie,” Violet said.

But the porter who made up their beds that night was called Tim and he didn’t even know Vincent. He hadn’t seen any red-haired girls named Annie, either.

That night it was Henry’s turn to sleep in the top bunk18. As they climbed into their beds, Henry said, “We had a big day. We saw Chicago and went to a German restaurant. We learned all about movie posters and when we wake up in the morning we’ll be in Colorado.”

“We will sleep all the way through Nebraska,” Benny said sadly. “I wonder what Nebraska looks like?”

“Flat,” Henry promised him. “That’s why we can travel so far so fast. But tomorrow we’ll be in the Rocky Mountains. Aunt Jane says it’s some of the most beautiful scenery in the world.”

“Where will we be when we wake up?” Benny asked.

“Outside of Denver. We’ll have breakfast in Denver.”

“But I like eating in the dining car,” Benny said.

Henry laughed softly and explained. “I meant the train will be in Denver. You’ll eat in the dining car.”

They fell asleep very quickly. Henry was dreaming of his dog Watch when he heard a sharp knocking on the door. He called out, “Who is it?”

“It’s Annie,” a voice called. “Oh, please, I need your help. Please wake up!”


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 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。
2 portfolio 9OzxZ     
n.公事包;文件夹;大臣及部长职位
参考例句:
  • He remembered her because she was carrying a large portfolio.他因为她带着一个大公文包而记住了她。
  • He resigned his portfolio.他辞去了大臣职务。
3 zephyr 3fCwV     
n.和风,微风
参考例句:
  • I feel very comfortable in the zephyr from the sea.从海上吹来的和风令我非常惬意。
  • Zephyr,the West Wind,blew away the clouds so that Apollo,the sun god,could shine and made this flower bloom.西风之神吹散了云朵,太阳神阿波罗得以照耀它并使它开花。
4 compartment dOFz6     
n.卧车包房,隔间;分隔的空间
参考例句:
  • We were glad to have the whole compartment to ourselves.真高兴,整个客车隔间由我们独享。
  • The batteries are safely enclosed in a watertight compartment.电池被安全地置于一个防水的隔间里。
5 compartments 4e9d78104c402c263f5154f3360372c7     
n.间隔( compartment的名词复数 );(列车车厢的)隔间;(家具或设备等的)分隔间;隔层
参考例句:
  • Your pencil box has several compartments. 你的铅笔盒有好几个格。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The first-class compartments are in front. 头等车室在前头。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 lounge D82zb     
n.休闲室,休息室,长沙发;v.闲荡,闲散地度过,混日子
参考例句:
  • We had coffee in the lounge.我们在客厅里喝咖啡。
  • Don't lounge away your working hours.不要消磨工作时间。
7 tablecloths abb41060c43ebc073d86c1c49f8fb98f     
n.桌布,台布( tablecloth的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Champagne corks popped, and on lace tablecloths seven-course dinners were laid. 桌上铺着带装饰图案的网织的桌布,上面是七道菜的晚餐。 来自飘(部分)
  • At the moment the cause of her concern was a pile of soiled tablecloths. 此刻她关心的事是一堆弄脏了的台布。 来自辞典例句
8 linen W3LyK     
n.亚麻布,亚麻线,亚麻制品;adj.亚麻布制的,亚麻的
参考例句:
  • The worker is starching the linen.这名工人正在给亚麻布上浆。
  • Fine linen and cotton fabrics were known as well as wool.精细的亚麻织品和棉织品像羊毛一样闻名遐迩。
9 inviting CqIzNp     
adj.诱人的,引人注目的
参考例句:
  • An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
  • The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人,使人感到亲切温馨。
10 rattles 0cd5b6f81d3b50c9ffb3ddb2eaaa027b     
(使)发出格格的响声, (使)作嘎嘎声( rattle的第三人称单数 ); 喋喋不休地说话; 迅速而嘎嘎作响地移动,堕下或走动; 使紧张,使恐惧
参考例句:
  • It rattles the windowpane and sends the dog scratching to get under the bed. 它把窗玻璃震得格格作响,把狗吓得往床底下钻。
  • How thin it is, and how dainty and frail; and how it rattles. 你看它够多么薄,多么精致,多么不结实;还老那么哗楞哗楞地响。
11 broiled 8xgz4L     
a.烤过的
参考例句:
  • They broiled turkey over a charcoal flame. 他们在木炭上烤火鸡。
  • The desert sun broiled the travelers in the caravan. 沙漠上空灼人的太阳把旅行队成员晒得浑身燥热。
12 salmon pClzB     
n.鲑,大马哈鱼,橙红色的
参考例句:
  • We saw a salmon jumping in the waterfall there.我们看见一条大马哈鱼在那边瀑布中跳跃。
  • Do you have any fresh salmon in at the moment?现在有新鲜大马哈鱼卖吗?
13 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。
14 auction 3uVzy     
n.拍卖;拍卖会;vt.拍卖
参考例句:
  • They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
  • They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。
15 pertain Y3xzE     
v.(to)附属,从属;关于;有关;适合,相称
参考例句:
  • His remark did not pertain to the question.他的话同这个问题不相干。
  • It does not pertain to you to instruct him.你不适合教训他。
16 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。
17 sketching 2df579f3d044331e74dce85d6a365dd7     
n.草图
参考例句:
  • They are sketching out proposals for a new road. 他们正在草拟修建新路的计划。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • "Imagination is busy sketching rose-tinted pictures of joy. “飞舞驰骋的想象描绘出一幅幅玫瑰色欢乐的场景。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
18 bunk zWyzS     
n.(车、船等倚壁而设的)铺位;废话
参考例句:
  • He left his bunk and went up on deck again.他离开自己的铺位再次走到甲板上。
  • Most economists think his theories are sheer bunk.大多数经济学家认为他的理论纯属胡说。
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