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儿童英语读物 The Mystery of the Star Ruby CHAPTER 3 Jewels in the Dirt

时间:2017-10-20 02:05来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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“Benny, there are no flying saucers,” Jessie said.

“What else can it be?” he insisted.

The children watched for a few more minutes. But the reddish round light did not reappear.

“We’d better get back,” Henry said. “It’s pretty late.”

They walked to the cabins. Lamplight shone through the window of the cabin next to Garnet, the girls’ cabin.

Jessie glanced up at the sky once more. No strange light. She knew it wasn’t a flying saucer. But what else could it have been?

Loud caws in the pine trees woke Jessie the next morning.

“Those crows are a good alarm clock,” she told Violet as they got dressed. “Who could sleep through that racket?”

The boys were waiting for them outside their cabin. The door to the cabin next to Violet’s and Jessie’s opened and Sybil Finley stepped out. Her cabin was called Sapphire1.

“Good morning,” she greeted them. “I didn’t know you girls were in Garnet. We’re neighbors!”

They all walked to the restaurant. The day’s forecast—hot and sunny—was printed on the chalkboard, along with the breakfast specials, “Gold Nuggets and Potato Pebbles2.”

Jonathan was sitting at their table, scribbling3 in a notebook.

“I saw an eastern kingbird on my morning walk,” he said. “I’ve never seen one before. I’m adding it to my bird list.”

“You keep a bird list?” Violet asked.

“I keep lists for everything,” Jonathan said, holding up a small black notebook. “I write down the mileage4 on my car, the weather, even what I eat for breakfast.”

“I should start a food list,” Benny said.

Henry laughed. “You’d need a pretty big notebook just for one day!”

Grandfather and Donald Hodge joined them. Donald wore a white button-down shirt. Violet thought it was strange he was so dressed up to hunt for rubies5.

“Grandfather!” Benny exclaimed. “We saw a flying saucer last night!”

“A flying saucer in North Carolina!” Sybil laughed.

“We did see strange lights over the mountain,” Henry said. “They were round and kind of red.”

“You don’t really believe in that stuff, do you?” Donald scoffed6. When he picked up his cup, he spilled coffee on the front of his shirt.

“You should dab7 water on that,” Jessie advised. “Coffee stains are hard to get out.”

“It’s okay,” Donald said. “There’s a Laundromat here.” He looked up just as Cecil came over. “In fact,” Donald said, “I’d better go there now.” He hurried away.

“Did you kids see the Brown Mountain Lights last night?” Cecil asked.

“Is that what they’re called?” asked Henry. “What causes them?”

“No one knows for sure, but scientists believe the lights are formed from a combination of gases in the rocks in Brown Mountain. People have seen those lights over the mountain for a hundred years,” Cecil said.

“I didn’t see any lights last night,” Sybil said. “Did you, Jonathan?”

“No, I was working on my lists last night,” he said.

“Not everybody is lucky enough to see them,” said Cecil. “But they are more common this time of year on moonless nights.”

Their waitress arrived with breakfast—“Gold Nugget” scrambled8 eggs, “Potato Pebble” fries, ham, and juice.

Benny ate quickly. The mysterious lights were neat, but the idea of finding a Papa Bear ruby9 was even more exciting. He couldn’t wait to start!

After breakfast, the children changed into old clothes and shoes and shouldered their backpacks. They met Grandfather in the Ruby Hollow Gem10 Museum.

The glass cases displayed hundreds of gems11 and minerals.

“I never knew there were so many different rocks.” Henry read the names aloud. “Hiddenite, epodite, obsidian12, blue calcite, emerald, sapphire, garnet, quartz—”

“Look at this.” Jessie pointed13 to a showcase of rubies. “This is how rubies look when they come out of the ground, with rock around them. And these rubies over here are cut out of the rock.”

Brilliant red stones lay on white velvet14, some faceted15 to catch the sun, some polished smooth as glass. One sparkling gem caught Violet’s eye.

“A star ruby!” she exclaimed. “See the six rays? It does look like a star.”

Benny was eager to find his own rubies. “Can we go now?” he asked.

“Let’s hit the flume line!” Grandfather agreed.

Outside, they took the path to the flume. Grandfather paid their entry fees and bought them each a five-dollar bucket and plastic containers for their findings.

Jonathan and Sybil were already working on the flume. The kids found places between them.

A few minutes later, Donald Hodge came down the path, pushing a wheelbarrow with six buckets. He squeezed between Grandfather and Violet, making everyone on the line adjust.

Violet wondered why he just didn’t go to the end of the line. She noticed the dirt in his buckets was finer and darker than hers.

“Your dirt looks different from mine,” she remarked.

“I got enriched ore,” Donald said. “I don’t like messing with those native stone buckets. Mine are guaranteed to have some gems.”

“Enriched buckets are also called ‘salted,’” Jonathan explained. “That means each bucket definitely has gems in it. They could have been spaded from any mine. The dirt is looser and easier to rinse16. But native buckets only come from Ruby Hollow. The ore hasn’t been disturbed for thousands of years. That’s why we have to rinse so much.”

“Some of the finest gems can be found in the native mine,” Sybil added. “But the buckets aren’t guaranteed. That’s what makes it fun—you never know what you’re going to find!”

Benny had finished rinsing17. He began sorting through his stones.

“Is this a ruby?” he asked Jonathan, holding up a tiny pinkish stone.

“Definitely. Put it in your plastic box so you don’t lose it.”

“Oh, boy! I found a ruby!” Benny dumped more dirt into his tray and began rinsing.

Jessie watched how fast Jonathan and Sybil worked, rinsing, sorting, and selecting stones before emptying the rest of the tray into the dumping pile behind the flume.

Donald Hodge worked even faster, but he dumped half a bucket of dirt into his tray at a time and didn’t rinse properly.

“All I’ve found are a couple of puny18 sapphires19!” he grumbled20. “Cecil Knight21 ripped me off!”

“Cecil is as honest as the day is long,” Sybil said loyally. “Maybe you should put a little less dirt into your tray.”

“I don’t have all day” Donald said. “And it’s hot out here.”

It was hot. Although the flume was shaded, panning was hot work.

Finally, Donald threw his empty buckets into the wheelbarrow and left, disgusted that he hadn’t found a big stone.

Jessie watched him leave. Boy, he really takes mining seriously,she thought.

“I guess Donald expects to find a Papa Bear ruby every day,” Sybil said. She eyed the dumping pile behind Donald’s place on the flume. “I bet there are good stones in his dirt that he missed.”

Jonathan ruefully shook his plastic container. “I only found three Baby Bear rubies and a sapphire. Not even worth taking to the grading window.”

After three hours, the Aldens had finished going through their buckets. Everyone trooped to the grading window at the jewelry22 shop to have their stones weighed and inspected. Several people fell in line behind them, including Sybil Finley.

“Let’s see what you have,” the man at the counter told Benny, taking Benny’s plastic container. “Not bad—two Baby Bear rubies. Pretty good for a beginner.”

Grandfather had some nice hiddenite. Henry and Jessie each had a couple of small sapphires and garnets.

When it was Violet’s turn, she handed her plastic container across the counter.

“I only found one,” she said. “I don’t think I’m a very good rock-finder.”

The gem inspector23 peered at her stone through a special lens on his glasses.

Then he smiled at Violet.

“You’re a better rock-finder than you think!” he said.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 sapphire ETFzw     
n.青玉,蓝宝石;adj.天蓝色的
参考例句:
  • Now let us consider crystals such as diamond or sapphire.现在让我们考虑象钻石和蓝宝石这样的晶体。
  • He left a sapphire ring to her.他留给她一枚蓝宝石戒指。
2 pebbles e4aa8eab2296e27a327354cbb0b2c5d2     
[复数]鹅卵石; 沙砾; 卵石,小圆石( pebble的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The pebbles of the drive crunched under his feet. 汽车道上的小石子在他脚底下喀嚓作响。
  • Line the pots with pebbles to ensure good drainage. 在罐子里铺一层鹅卵石,以确保排水良好。
3 scribbling 82fe3d42f37de6f101db3de98fc9e23d     
n.乱涂[写]胡[乱]写的文章[作品]v.潦草的书写( scribble的现在分词 );乱画;草草地写;匆匆记下
参考例句:
  • Once the money got into the book, all that remained were some scribbling. 折子上的钱只是几个字! 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
  • McMug loves scribbling. Mama then sent him to the Kindergarten. 麦唛很喜欢写字,妈妈看在眼里,就替他报读了幼稚园。 来自互联网
4 mileage doOzUs     
n.里程,英里数;好处,利润
参考例句:
  • He doesn't think there's any mileage in that type of advertising.他认为做那种广告毫无效益。
  • What mileage has your car done?你的汽车跑了多少英里?
5 rubies 534be3a5d4dab7c1e30149143213b88f     
红宝石( ruby的名词复数 ); 红宝石色,深红色
参考例句:
  • a necklace of rubies intertwined with pearls 缠着珍珠的红宝石项链
  • The crown was set with precious jewels—diamonds, rubies and emeralds. 王冠上镶嵌着稀世珍宝—有钻石、红宝石、绿宝石。
6 scoffed b366539caba659eacba33b0867b6de2f     
嘲笑,嘲弄( scoff的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He scoffed at our amateurish attempts. 他对我们不在行的尝试嗤之以鼻。
  • A hundred years ago people scoffed at the idea. 一百年前人们曾嘲笑过这种想法。
7 dab jvHzPy     
v.轻触,轻拍,轻涂;n.(颜料等的)轻涂
参考例句:
  • She returned wearing a dab of rouge on each cheekbone.她回来时,两边面颊上涂有一点淡淡的胭脂。
  • She gave me a dab of potatoes with my supper.她给我晚饭时,还给了一点土豆。
8 scrambled 2e4a1c533c25a82f8e80e696225a73f2     
v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 );攀登;争夺;(军事飞机)紧急起飞
参考例句:
  • Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 ruby iXixS     
n.红宝石,红宝石色
参考例句:
  • She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
  • On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。
10 gem Ug8xy     
n.宝石,珠宝;受爱戴的人 [同]jewel
参考例句:
  • The gem is beyond my pocket.这颗宝石我可买不起。
  • The little gem is worth two thousand dollars.这块小宝石价值两千美元。
11 gems 74ab5c34f71372016f1770a5a0bf4419     
growth; economy; management; and customer satisfaction 增长
参考例句:
  • a crown studded with gems 镶有宝石的皇冠
  • The apt citations and poetic gems have adorned his speeches. 贴切的引语和珠玑般的诗句为他的演说词增添文采。
12 obsidian SIsxs     
n.黑曜石
参考例句:
  • Obsidian is sacred to the Maoris.黑曜石是毛利人的神圣之物。
  • Once you have enough obsidian,activate the idols.一旦你有足够的黑曜石,激活神像。
13 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。
14 velvet 5gqyO     
n.丝绒,天鹅绒;adj.丝绒制的,柔软的
参考例句:
  • This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
  • The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。
15 faceted faceted     
adj. 有小面的,分成块面的
参考例句:
  • The skill with which Mr. Smith faceted the diamond is remarkable. 史密斯先生在钻石上雕刻小平面的精湛技巧真是了不起。
  • Webb is a multi-faceted performer. 韦布是一个多才多艺的表演者。
16 rinse BCozs     
v.用清水漂洗,用清水冲洗
参考例句:
  • Give the cup a rinse.冲洗一下杯子。
  • Don't just rinse the bottles. Wash them out carefully.别只涮涮瓶子,要仔细地洗洗里面。
17 rinsing cc80e70477186de83e96464130c222ba     
n.清水,残渣v.漂洗( rinse的现在分词 );冲洗;用清水漂洗掉(肥皂泡等);(用清水)冲掉
参考例句:
  • Pablo made a swishing noise rinsing wine in his mouth. 巴勃罗用酒漱着口,发出咕噜噜噜的声音。 来自辞典例句
  • The absorption of many molecular layers could be reestablished by rinsing the foils with tap water. 多分子层的吸附作用可用自来水淋洗金属箔而重新实现。 来自辞典例句
18 puny Bt5y6     
adj.微不足道的,弱小的
参考例句:
  • The resources at the central banks' disposal are simply too puny.中央银行掌握的资金实在太少了。
  • Antonio was a puny lad,and not strong enough to work.安东尼奥是个瘦小的小家伙,身体还不壮,还不能干活。
19 sapphires 1ef1ba0a30d3a449deb9835f6fd3c316     
n.蓝宝石,钢玉宝石( sapphire的名词复数 );蔚蓝色
参考例句:
  • Again there was that moment of splintered sapphires before the lids, dropping like scales, extinguished it. 她眼眶中又闪烁出蓝宝石的光彩,接着眼睑象鱼鳞般地垂落下来,双目又黯然失色了。 来自辞典例句
  • She also sported a somewhat gawdy gold watch set with diamonds and sapphires. 她还收到一块镶着钻石和蓝宝石的金表。 来自辞典例句
20 grumbled ed735a7f7af37489d7db1a9ef3b64f91     
抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 ); 发牢骚; 咕哝; 发哼声
参考例句:
  • He grumbled at the low pay offered to him. 他抱怨给他的工资低。
  • The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over their work. 天热得让人发昏,水手们边干活边发着牢骚。
21 knight W2Hxk     
n.骑士,武士;爵士
参考例句:
  • He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
  • A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。
22 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。
23 inspector q6kxH     
n.检查员,监察员,视察员
参考例句:
  • The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
  • The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。
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