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儿童英语读物 The Mystery of the Lake Monster CHAPTER 6 Enormous Footprints

时间:2017-09-06 06:47来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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“Benny? What are you doing up so early?” Jessie whispered the next morning.

“Are you awake?” asked Benny. He was dressed. Watch was standing1 beside Benny with his paws on the edge of Jessie’s bed. He was staring at Jessie, and she noticed that his leash2 was attached to his collar and that Benny was holding the other end of it.

Jessie yawned and rubbed her eyes. She said, “I guess I am now.”

“Good,” said Benny. “Grandfather left a little while ago to go fishing. That’s when Watch and I woke up. Let’s go down to the lake. We can see if we can find what Watch was barking at last night.”

In the bunk3 across from Jessie, Violet mumbled4 something in her sleep and rolled over, pulling her covers up over her head.

“Shhh,” said Jessie. She yawned again. “Whatever was out there is long gone, Benny . . . but okay. I’ll meet you on the steps of the cabin in five minutes.”

Jessie left a note saying where she and Benny had gone in case Violet and Henry woke up before they got back. She went outside and walked with Benny down the path that led from the cabin to the lake.

A faint mist rose from the water. The leaves were wet on the trail from the rain the night before. Drops of water rolled off the leaves they brushed against. The sun had not yet come up over the mountains to begin to dry up the puddles5.

“Let’s whisper,” said Jessie. “Remember how sound carries? We don’t want to wake up everybody on the whole lake.”

Benny nodded. “Hear that, Watch?” he said.

Watch wagged his tail briefly6 and pulled on the leash. He was panting a little; he was excited.

The empty beach curved away from them. It was made of rocks and coarse sand. Benny Watch, and Jessie walked slowly up and down the beach, but they didn’t see any footprints. The rain had washed the shoreline clean.

“Maybe Watch heard a bird flying by,” said Jessie. She stifled7 a yawn.

Just then, Watch began tugging8 hard on the leash. “What is it, Watch?” asked Benny. He let Watch lead him down the beach toward the canoes. Suddenly Watch veered9 off and pulled Benny toward a thick clump10 of bushes.

“Whoa. Slow down,” said Benny.

Watch didn’t slow down. He stopped and stared at the low bushes.

“Look,” said Jessie. “Those bushes are all mashed11 and the branches are broken as if something big had crashed through them.” She started forward to examine them. But Benny stopped her.

“Look.” He gasped12. “Look at those footprints!”

There was a trail of huge footprints on a smooth swath of sand just at the edge of the bushes.

Keeping a tight hold on Watch, Benny leaned cautiously forward. Jessie did, too.

The footprints weren’t human. They had four long toes with webbing between them. The toes ended in claw marks. The prints were huge, easily a foot long.

“These are Lucy’s footprints,” said Benny, forgetting to whisper. “I know it!”

“They could be, Benny,” said Jessie, forgetting to whisper, too.

“Then Lucy is real,” said Benny. “I knew it! That’s what Watch heard last night. It was Lucy!”

“We need to make a cast of a footprint as soon as possible,” said Jessie. “And take a picture. Watch and I will stay here to guard the footprints and you go get Henry and Violet — and the wax candles we saved in case we found footprints.”

“I’ll be right back!” Benny promised.

He ran back to the cabin. Benny threw open the cabin door with a loud crash.

“Wake up!” he cried. “We’ve found Lucy!”

Henry ran out of the bedroom in his pajamas13. His hair was sticking out all over his head. “What? What’s wrong?” he asked Benny.

Violet ran out of her bedroom hopping14 on one foot and trying to pull a slipper15 onto the other. “What happened?” she said.

“Lucy,” said Benny.

Violet looked quickly around as if she expected to see the lake monster in the cabin.

“Where?” asked Henry.

“Down by the lake. Bring the candles! Hurry!” Benny said.

“They’re coming,” he reported to Jessie as soon as he ran back to join her. A few minutes later, Henry and Violet came running out onto the beach. Violet had her camera around her neck.

“What is it?” Henry called breathlessly.

“Look,” said Jessie. She stepped back and Benny pointed16 dramatically.

Violet and Henry stared. Then Violet said in a hushed voice, “Maybe there really is a lake monster.”

“Yes,” said Jessie, trying to sound calm.

Violet held the camera up and took a picture of one of the footprints. Then she took a photograph of the crushed bushes and broken twigs17 around it. Moving carefully, she took another photograph of the footprint from a different angle, and then another.

Jessie used a tape measure to measure one of the footprints. “This one’s thirteen inches long,” she said, “and seven and a half inches wide.”

“That’s big, isn’t it?” asked Benny.

“Yes,” answered Jessie.

Then Henry took the candles out and lit one. He used it to melt the other candles into the outline of a footprint. When he was finished, he had used up all the candles. Carefully he snuffed out the stub of the candle he’d been using. He dipped the end of the match into the lake and put the match and candle into his pocket. He didn’t want to start a fire — or be a litterbug.

“We have to let the wax harden now, before we lift the cast up,” said Jessie.

“Maybe we should look for more clues,” Violet suggested.

“Good idea,” said Henry.

The four Aldens spread out and looked around carefully. They didn’t see any more trampled18 bushes or broken limbs in the woods near the footprints.

“That means she didn’t come from the woods,” said Jessie.

They found several large rocks that had been knocked over and some sharp scratches in the sand that looked as if they had been made by claws. “She could have done that,” said Henry.

“Yes,” agreed Jessie. “But why did she come out of the water here? And why did she go back in?”

“Maybe when Watch growled19, she heard him and it scared her,” suggested Benny.

“But if Watch was growling20 at Lucy, why was he facing in the other direction part of the time when he was growling?” Jessie went on. “Remember? He went to the other end of the porch.”

“Maybe Lucy was swimming away,” said Henry. He checked the cast of the footprint. The wax had hardened. Very carefully Henry lifted the wax out of the footprint. Sand and grit21 were embedded22 in the bottom of the cast. He held both hands under the enormous wax impression so that it wouldn’t break.

Violet pulled some branches over all the footprints. “We should show them to Dr. Lin,” she suggested.

“Yes,” Jessie said. “But first let’s take this cast up to the cabin and put it in a safe place,” said Jessie. “We don’t want anything to happen to it.”

They took the cast up to the cabin and Jessie put it in the lower drawer of the bureau in the room she and Violet were sharing. Then, although it was early, they went to Dr. Lin’s cabin.

But Dr. Lin wasn’t there.

“I wonder where she is so early in the morning,” said Violet.

Henry looked down at the wet grass in front of the cabin. “I don’t know. But I don’t think she’s been here all night.”

“Why?” asked Benny.

“Look at the wet grass,” said Henry. “We made a trail through it when we walked up to the cabin door. But there was no trail before we got here.”

“You’re right!” Jessie said. “Do you think she’s all right?”

“What if Lucy got her?” Violet said.

“Lucy wouldn’t do that,” said Benny.

“I’ll write a note and we can leave it on her door,” said Jessie. “I think we should talk to Dr. Lin before we do anything else. After all, she is a scientist.”

“Yes,” said Henry. “Maybe now that we have a cast of the footprint, she’ll listen to us and help us solve this mystery.”


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 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。
2 leash M9rz1     
n.牵狗的皮带,束缚;v.用皮带系住
参考例句:
  • I reached for the leash,but the dog got in between.我伸手去拿系狗绳,但被狗挡住了路。
  • The dog strains at the leash,eager to be off.狗拼命地扯拉皮带,想挣脱开去。
3 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。
4 mumbled 3855fd60b1f055fa928ebec8bcf3f539     
含糊地说某事,叽咕,咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He mumbled something to me which I did not quite catch. 他对我叽咕了几句话,可我没太听清楚。
  • George mumbled incoherently to himself. 乔治语无伦次地喃喃自语。
5 puddles 38bcfd2b26c90ae36551f1fa3e14c14c     
n.水坑, (尤指道路上的)雨水坑( puddle的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The puddles had coalesced into a small stream. 地面上水洼子里的水汇流成了一条小溪。
  • The road was filled with puddles from the rain. 雨后路面到处是一坑坑的积水。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 briefly 9Styo     
adv.简单地,简短地
参考例句:
  • I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
  • He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。
7 stifled 20d6c5b702a525920b7425fe94ea26a5     
(使)窒息, (使)窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 ); 镇压,遏制; 堵
参考例句:
  • The gas stifled them. 煤气使他们窒息。
  • The rebellion was stifled. 叛乱被镇压了。
8 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
9 veered 941849b60caa30f716cec7da35f9176d     
v.(尤指交通工具)改变方向或路线( veer的过去式和过去分词 );(指谈话内容、人的行为或观点)突然改变;(指风) (在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向)逐渐转向;风向顺时针转
参考例句:
  • The bus veered onto the wrong side of the road. 公共汽车突然驶入了逆行道。
  • The truck veered off the road and crashed into a tree. 卡车突然驶离公路撞上了一棵树。 来自《简明英汉词典》
10 clump xXfzH     
n.树丛,草丛;vi.用沉重的脚步行走
参考例句:
  • A stream meandered gently through a clump of trees.一条小溪从树丛中蜿蜒穿过。
  • It was as if he had hacked with his thick boots at a clump of bluebells.仿佛他用自己的厚靴子无情地践踏了一丛野风信子。
11 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。
12 gasped e6af294d8a7477229d6749fa9e8f5b80     
v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 );喘息;倒抽气;很想要
参考例句:
  • She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
  • People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
13 pajamas XmvzDN     
n.睡衣裤
参考例句:
  • At bedtime,I take off my clothes and put on my pajamas.睡觉时,我脱去衣服,换上睡衣。
  • He was wearing striped pajamas.他穿着带条纹的睡衣裤。
14 hopping hopping     
n. 跳跃 动词hop的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • The clubs in town are really hopping. 城里的俱乐部真够热闹的。
  • I'm hopping over to Paris for the weekend. 我要去巴黎度周末。
15 slipper px9w0     
n.拖鞋
参考例句:
  • I rescued the remains of my slipper from the dog.我从那狗的口中夺回了我拖鞋的残留部分。
  • The puppy chewed a hole in the slipper.小狗在拖鞋上啃了一个洞。
16 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。
17 twigs 17ff1ed5da672aa443a4f6befce8e2cb     
细枝,嫩枝( twig的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Some birds build nests of twigs. 一些鸟用树枝筑巢。
  • Willow twigs are pliable. 柳条很软。
18 trampled 8c4f546db10d3d9e64a5bba8494912e6     
踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 ); 践踏; 无视; 侵犯
参考例句:
  • He gripped his brother's arm lest he be trampled by the mob. 他紧抓着他兄弟的胳膊,怕他让暴民踩着。
  • People were trampled underfoot in the rush for the exit. 有人在拼命涌向出口时被踩在脚下。
19 growled 65a0c9cac661e85023a63631d6dab8a3     
v.(动物)发狺狺声, (雷)作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 );低声咆哮着说
参考例句:
  • \"They ought to be birched, \" growled the old man. 老人咆哮道:“他们应受到鞭打。” 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He growled out an answer. 他低声威胁着回答。 来自《简明英汉词典》
20 growling growling     
n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼
参考例句:
  • We heard thunder growling in the distance. 我们听见远处有隆隆雷声。
  • The lay about the deck growling together in talk. 他们在甲板上到处游荡,聚集在一起发牢骚。
21 grit LlMyH     
n.沙粒,决心,勇气;v.下定决心,咬紧牙关
参考例句:
  • The soldiers showed that they had plenty of grit. 士兵们表现得很有勇气。
  • I've got some grit in my shoe.我的鞋子里弄进了一些砂子。
22 embedded lt9ztS     
a.扎牢的
参考例句:
  • an operation to remove glass that was embedded in his leg 取出扎入他腿部玻璃的手术
  • He has embedded his name in the minds of millions of people. 他的名字铭刻在数百万人民心中。
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