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儿童英语读物 The Mystery of the Runaway Ghost CHAPTER 4 Moooo!

时间:2017-11-10 06:01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)

CLANG, CLANG. CLANG, CLANG, CLANG.

Violet blinked and sat up in bed. It was the middle of the night. The house was dark and quiet. What had awakened1 her?

“Jessie?” she whispered, rubbing her arms to warm them.

Jessie didn’t answer. She was sleeping soundly.

Violet slid out of bed and padded across the room. She looked through the window down on the moonlit garden. Everything was still. The only sound was of crickets singing.

“Violet?” Jessie began to stir. “Is something wrong?”

“I … I thought I heard something,” Violet said.

“Like what?” Jessie asked drowsily3.

“A clanging sound,” Violet whispered, “like a bell ringing.”

Jessie yawned. “It was probably just a dream.”

“Yes, I’m sure you’re right,” Violet said as she climbed back into bed. But there was a part of her that wasn’t sure at all.

The next morning, after a big breakfast of scrambled4 eggs, sausages, fresh fruit, and cinnamon toast, the Aldens set off with Fran for a walking tour of Cedarburg. Violet brought her camera along to take snapshots of the old mills that stood on the banks of Cedar5 Creek6. As they walked through town, they stopped here and there to browse7 in several of the interesting little shops.

“This must be Cora’s store,” Henry said, tilting8 his head back to see the sign above one of the shops. The bright blue letters spelled ROBACK’S ANTIQUE SHOP.

“It sure is,” Fran said. “And it’s a great place to go treasure hunting.”

“Treasure hunting?” Benny looked surprised.

“Treasures from the past, Benny,” Fran explained. “Come and see.”

As the Aldens stepped inside, their gaze took in all the old-fashioned picture frames, coal-oil lamps, braided rugs, stiff-backed chairs, and dusty old books that filled the shop. Every nook and cranny was overflowing9 with antiques.

“These old treasures have seen better days,” Fran told them. “Every little scratch and scuff10 mark is a clue about the past.”

“Fran!” Cora walked toward them, looking surprised. “I’m glad you stopped by.”

Fran smiled a little. “Did you think I’d stay away?” she asked.

“I thought you might still be upset,” Cora said. She bit her lip nervously11. “I sure hope there are no hard feelings about that article. I wouldn’t want it to come between us.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve forgotten all about it,” Fran replied — a bit stiffly, Jessie thought.

Cora let out a long breath. “That’s a load off my mind.” She noticed someone waiting by the counter and hurried away.

Fran went over to check out a basket of wooden clothes pins. Henry and Jessie walked over to the stamp collections. Benny dug deep into a bin2 of old cookie cutters. And Violet looked at some antique box cameras.

A short while later, Benny held up a cookie cutter shaped like a cow. “Look!” He tugged12 on Violet’s arm. “Do we have enough money to get this for Mrs. McGregor?” Mrs. McGregor was the Aldens’ housekeeper13, and an excellent cook.

Violet counted her change. “Good idea, Benny. Looks like we have enough.”

As they waited in line, Benny said, “Now Mrs. McGregor can make ghost cookies — the kind that disappear just like that!” He snapped his fingers.

Violet laughed. “Oh, Benny! Mrs. McGregor’s cookies always disappear when you’re around.”

As they stepped up to the counter, Cora gave them a big smile. “Found something, did you?”

Benny nodded. “A ghost cookie cutter.”

“Well, now, that is quite a find.” Cora chuckled14 as she took the money that Violet handed her.

“It’s a present for Mrs. McGregor,” Benny added. “She makes the best cookies in the world! Right, Violet?”

But Violet didn’t answer. Something had caught her attention.

Benny followed his sister’s gaze to a dented15 old bell hanging on the side of the counter. “Hey, that’s just like Buttercup’s bell!” he said. “Except, Buttercup’s had the number one on it.”

“That old cowbell’s quite beaten up,” Cora said, as she slipped the cookie cutter into a bag. “But it still rings. Go ahead and give it a try.”

Violet picked up the bell. She was surprised at how heavy it was.

Clang, clang. Clang, clang, clang.

She recognized that sound! It was the same clanging she’d heard in the middle of the night! Is it possible the runaway16 ghost has returned? Violet wondered. Then she had a thought. “Do stray cows ever wander into town?” she asked Cora.

“Never heard of it.” Cora shook her head.

Violet had little time to think about it. They were soon waving good-bye and filing out the door.

Fran looked at her wristwatch. “It’s almost lunch time,” she said. “There’s a restaurant just down the street. Why don’t you go on ahead and get a table for us? I want to pop in to see my son for a moment.” She nodded toward the Cedarburg Insurance office across the street. “We had a silly squabble recently, and I’d like to patch things up.” With a little wave, she hurried off.

The Aldens headed toward the restaurant. They’d passed a bookstore and a pottery17 shop when Jessie stopped. She peered through the big plate-glass window of a gallery. “Oh, look,” she said. “There’s Lottie. This must be the gallery where she works.”

They all looked through the window. Sure enough, Lottie was sitting at a small table in a corner of the gallery, talking to a man the Aldens didn’t recognize. While Lottie talked, the man tapped his chin thoughtfully. He had broad shoulders and a beard, and his dark hair was slicked back.

Benny was about to rap on the window to get Lottie’s attention, but Jessie stopped him. “Hold on, Benny,” she said. “I don’t think we should bother her while she’s working.” With that, they set off again.

After settling into a table on the restaurant’s patio18, the Aldens watched the tourists coming and going along the sidewalk. Then they turned their attention to Fran’s mystery.

“I don’t get it,” said Benny, scratching his head.

“What don’t you get?” asked Jessie.

Benny looked around at them. “The riddle19 says, ‘The thing you hold/Is the thing you seek.’ ” A frown crossed his round face. “Why should we look for something if we’ve already got it?”

Jessie had a thought. “I bet we’re supposed to look for more shadow elephants.”

“Or maybe we’re supposed to look for another shadowbox,” Violet offered. “Like the one with the elephants in it.”

“I have a hunch20 we should figure out why their trunks are pointing up,” insisted Henry, thinking that was some kind of clue.

“You might be right, Henry,” Jessie told him. “But that’s a tough one to figure out.”

Henry couldn’t argue. “It’s a mystery, that’s for sure,” he said.

“I just hope Lottie’s wrong about the treasure,” Benny added as the waitress brought the menus. “She says it’s long gone.”

“What I can’t figure out,” said Jessie, “is how she can be so sure.”

“Maybe she just wants us to believe there isn’t a treasure,” suggested Benny.

“But … why?” asked Violet.

“So that she can find it herself.” Benny looked around at his brother and sisters. “She needs money for school, remember?”

Just then they noticed Fran coming down the street. She appeared to be having a heated talk with a tall, sandy-haired man in a business suit. The Aldens didn’t mean to eavesdrop21, but they couldn’t help overhearing what they were saying as they drew closer.

“I’m quite capable of making my own decisions,” Fran told the man. “Why can’t you respect my choices?”

The man was shaking his head. “You never have two pennies to rub together as it is! How can you keep pouring money into that old house?” He sounded annoyed.

“That old house is my home,” Fran said crossly. “And that means more to me than all the money in the world!”

“I can see I’m wasting my breath, Mother!” The sandy-haired man threw up his hands and stormed away.

“Wow,” said Benny keeping his voice low. “That must be Fran’s son.”

“I guess they didn’t patch things up after all,” Violet said with a sigh.

“Just wait till we find the treasure,” added Benny. “Fran will have lots of pennies to rub together then!”

“I hope so, Benny,” said Henry. “I hope so.”

As Fran stepped onto the patio, she spotted22 the children immediately and walked over. She smiled as she pulled up a chair, but it wasn’t much of a smile. “Sure feels good to take a load off my feet,” she said with a sigh.

Henry could see that the argument with her son had upset Fran. He was trying to think of something cheery to say, when Jessie spoke23 up.

“Cedarburg is a beautiful town,” she remarked. “No wonder you love living here, Fran.”

“I can’t imagine living anywhere else, Jessie.” Fran let out another sigh.

They were all quiet for a while as they studied the menus. When the waitress came back to the table, Fran ordered a cheese sandwich and an iced tea. Henry chose fish and chips, and orange juice. Jessie and Violet both ordered corned beef sandwiches, cole slaw, and milk. Benny decided25 on a hamburger, French fries, and chocolate milk.

“Tell us more about the artist who painted the runaway ghost,” Violet said, turning to Fran. “Did he ever become famous?”

Fran laughed. “Oh, no. I’m afraid that painting isn’t worth much to anyone but me. The artist was a friend of Selden and Anne’s. His name was Homer and that’s about all we know about him. I don’t even know what his last name was!”

“How do you know his first name?” Benny asked.

“Well, he signed it on the painting,” Fran replied, “and my great-great-grandfather mentioned him a lot in the diary he kept. They were very close. So many of the entries say ‘Homer and Anne and I did this and, Homer and Anne and I did that.’ They had great fun together!”

“Well, he was a wonderful artist,” Jessie said.

“You know, there’s an old photograph of Homer around somewhere,” Fran informed them. “He’s standing26 with Selden and Anne on the front lawn of Shadowbox. They’re all holding croquet mallets.”

“What’s a croquet mallet27?” Benny wanted to know.

“It’s for croquet, an old-fashioned game, Benny,” explained Henry. “The mallets are used to hit wooden balls through little arches called wickets.”

Benny grinned. “Sounds like fun.”

Fran smiled at the youngest Alden. “As I recall, there’s an old croquet set up in the attic28. If you don’t mind rummaging29 around for it, you’re welcome to give it a try.”

The Aldens didn’t mind at all. As soon as they got back to Shadowbox, they hurried up to the attic. “Whew!” said Benny. “It sure is hot up here.”

Henry nodded. “Like an oven,” he said as he glanced around at the clutter30 of dusty books, cardboard boxes, broken toys, and lumpy old chairs.

“Let’s split up,” Jessie suggested in her practical way. “Then it won’t take so long.”

Benny sat down to poke24 around in a box of comic books and jigsaw31 puzzles. Henry opened the drawers of a dusty old dresser. Jessie sorted through a hamper32 filled with odds33 and ends. And Violet searched in a trunk covered with faded stickers from faraway places.

It wasn’t long before Benny let out a cheer. “I found it!” he said, holding open the lid of a wooden box. “At least, I think I did.”

Henry went over to take a look. “Way to go, Benny!” he said, glancing down at the box filled with mallets and balls and wickets.

“Omigosh!” Violet was still standing over the old trunk, her eyes wide.

“Is anything wrong?” Jessie asked her sister.

Violet stammered34, “It’s a … a trunk!”

Jessie, Henry, and Benny looked from Violet to the trunk and back again. They seemed puzzled.

“What’s strange about that, Violet?” Benny wanted to know. “Lots of attics35 have old trunks in them.”

“But … it’s a trunk and it’s up in the attic!” Violet sounded excited.

Henry suddenly understood. “The elephants’ trunks were pointing up!”

“Now that you mention it,” said Jessie, “a trunk can be an elephant’s long nose — ”

“Or it can be a big chest for storing things,” finished Violet.

“The thing you hold/Is the thing you seek!” cried Benny. “We were supposed to seek another trunk! That’s where the next clue must be.”

“Got to be,” agreed Henry.

Violet, Benny, Henry, and Jessie searched carefully through the trunk. It was filled with old-fashioned clothes that smelled of mothballs. But when they were finished, all they’d found was an envelope bulging36 with old photographs. Jessie tucked the envelope into her back pocket to show Fran.

“Looks like we struck out,” Violet was forced to admit.

“I don’t get it.” Jessie looked down at the trunk. “According to the clues, this should be the spot.”

“Then where’s the next riddle?” Benny wanted to know.

The Aldens looked at one another. How were they ever going to solve such a strange mystery?


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 awakened de71059d0b3cd8a1de21151c9166f9f0     
v.(使)醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 );(使)觉醒;弄醒;(使)意识到
参考例句:
  • She awakened to the sound of birds singing. 她醒来听到鸟的叫声。
  • The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation. 公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 bin yR2yz     
n.箱柜;vt.放入箱内;[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件
参考例句:
  • He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
  • He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。
3 drowsily bcb5712d84853637a9778f81fc50d847     
adv.睡地,懒洋洋地,昏昏欲睡地
参考例句:
  • She turned drowsily on her side, a slow creeping blackness enveloping her mind. 她半睡半醒地翻了个身,一片缓缓蠕动的黑暗渐渐将她的心包围起来。 来自飘(部分)
  • I felt asleep drowsily before I knew it. 不知过了多久,我曚扙地睡着了。 来自互联网
4 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》
5 cedar 3rYz9     
n.雪松,香柏(木)
参考例句:
  • The cedar was about five feet high and very shapely.那棵雪松约有五尺高,风姿优美。
  • She struck the snow from the branches of an old cedar with gray lichen.她把长有灰色地衣的老雪松树枝上的雪打了下来。
6 creek 3orzL     
n.小溪,小河,小湾
参考例句:
  • He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
  • People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。
7 browse GSWye     
vi.随意翻阅,浏览;(牛、羊等)吃草
参考例句:
  • I had a browse through the books on her shelf.我浏览了一下她书架上的书。
  • It is a good idea to browse through it first.最好先通篇浏览一遍。
8 tilting f68c899ac9ba435686dcb0f12e2bbb17     
倾斜,倾卸
参考例句:
  • For some reason he thinks everyone is out to get him, but he's really just tilting at windmills. 不知为什么他觉得每个人都想害他,但其实他不过是在庸人自扰。
  • So let us stop bickering within our ranks.Stop tilting at windmills. 所以,让我们结束内部间的争吵吧!再也不要去做同风车作战的蠢事了。
9 overflowing df84dc195bce4a8f55eb873daf61b924     
n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的,充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • The stands were overflowing with farm and sideline products. 集市上农副产品非常丰富。
  • The milk is overflowing. 牛奶溢出来了。
10 scuff VZQx3     
v. 拖着脚走;磨损
参考例句:
  • Polly,bewildered and embarrassed,dropped her head and scuffed her feet.波莉既困惑又尴尬,低下头拖着脚走开了。
  • Constant wheelchair use will scuff almost any floor surface.任何地板上经常有轮椅走动几乎都会有所磨损。
11 nervously tn6zFp     
adv.神情激动地,不安地
参考例句:
  • He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇,努力忍着不哭出来。
  • He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。
12 tugged 8a37eb349f3c6615c56706726966d38e     
v.用力拉,使劲拉,猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She tugged at his sleeve to get his attention. 她拽了拽他的袖子引起他的注意。
  • A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. 他的嘴角带一丝苦笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 housekeeper 6q2zxl     
n.管理家务的主妇,女管家
参考例句:
  • A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.炉子清洁无瑕就表明他母亲是个勤劳的主妇。
  • She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她节约持家,一家人吃得很省。
14 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。
15 dented dented     
v.使产生凹痕( dent的过去式和过去分词 );损害;伤害;挫伤(信心、名誉等)
参考例句:
  • The back of the car was badly dented in the collision. 汽车尾部被撞后严重凹陷。
  • I'm afraid I've dented the car. 恐怕我把车子撞瘪了一些。 来自《简明英汉词典》
16 runaway jD4y5     
n.逃走的人,逃亡,亡命者;adj.逃亡的,逃走的
参考例句:
  • The police have not found the runaway to date.警察迄今没抓到逃犯。
  • He was praised for bringing up the runaway horse.他勒住了脱缰之马受到了表扬。
17 pottery OPFxi     
n.陶器,陶器场
参考例句:
  • My sister likes to learn art pottery in her spare time.我妹妹喜欢在空余时间学习陶艺。
  • The pottery was left to bake in the hot sun.陶器放在外面让炎热的太阳烘晒焙干。
18 patio gSdzr     
n.庭院,平台
参考例句:
  • Suddenly, the thought of my beautiful patio came to mind. I can be quiet out there,I thought.我又忽然想到家里漂亮的院子,我能够在这里宁静地呆会。
  • They had a barbecue on their patio on Sunday.星期天他们在院子里进行烧烤。
19 riddle WCfzw     
n.谜,谜语,粗筛;vt.解谜,给…出谜,筛,检查,鉴定,非难,充满于;vi.出谜
参考例句:
  • The riddle couldn't be solved by the child.这个谜语孩子猜不出来。
  • Her disappearance is a complete riddle.她的失踪完全是一个谜。
20 hunch CdVzZ     
n.预感,直觉
参考例句:
  • I have a hunch that he didn't really want to go.我有这么一种感觉,他并不真正想去。
  • I had a hunch that Susan and I would work well together.我有预感和苏珊共事会很融洽。
21 eavesdrop lrPxS     
v.偷听,倾听
参考例句:
  • He ensconced himself in the closet in order to eavesdrop.他藏在壁橱里,以便偷听。
  • It is not polite to eavesdrop on the conversation of other people.偷听他人说话是很不礼貌的。
22 spotted 7FEyj     
adj.有斑点的,斑纹的,弄污了的
参考例句:
  • The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
  • Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。
23 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。
24 poke 5SFz9     
n.刺,戳,袋;vt.拨开,刺,戳;vi.戳,刺,捅,搜索,伸出,行动散慢
参考例句:
  • We never thought she would poke her nose into this.想不到她会插上一手。
  • Don't poke fun at me.别拿我凑趣儿。
25 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。
26 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。
27 mallet t7Mzz     
n.槌棒
参考例句:
  • He hit the peg mightily on the top with a mallet.他用木槌猛敲木栓顶。
  • The chairman rapped on the table twice with his mallet.主席用他的小木槌在桌上重敲了两下。
28 attic Hv4zZ     
n.顶楼,屋顶室
参考例句:
  • Leakiness in the roof caused a damp attic.屋漏使顶楼潮湿。
  • What's to be done with all this stuff in the attic?顶楼上的材料怎么处理?
29 rummaging e9756cfbffcc07d7dc85f4b9eea73897     
翻找,搜寻( rummage的现在分词 ); 海关检查
参考例句:
  • She was rummaging around in her bag for her keys. 她在自己的包里翻来翻去找钥匙。
  • Who's been rummaging through my papers? 谁乱翻我的文件来着?
30 clutter HWoym     
n.零乱,杂乱;vt.弄乱,把…弄得杂乱
参考例句:
  • The garage is in such a clutter that we can't find anything.车库如此凌乱,我们什么也找不到。
  • We'll have to clear up all this clutter.我们得把这一切凌乱的东西整理清楚。
31 jigsaw q3Gxa     
n.缕花锯,竖锯,拼图游戏;vt.用竖锯锯,使互相交错搭接
参考例句:
  • A jigsaw puzzle can keep me absorbed for hours.一副拼图就能让我沉醉几个小时。
  • Tom likes to work on jigsaw puzzles,too.汤姆也喜欢玩拼图游戏。
32 hamper oyGyk     
vt.妨碍,束缚,限制;n.(有盖的)大篮子
参考例句:
  • There are some apples in a picnic hamper.在野餐用的大篮子里有许多苹果。
  • The emergence of such problems seriously hamper the development of enterprises.这些问题的出现严重阻碍了企业的发展。
33 odds n5czT     
n.让步,机率,可能性,比率;胜败优劣之别
参考例句:
  • The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
  • Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗?
34 stammered 76088bc9384c91d5745fd550a9d81721     
v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He stammered most when he was nervous. 他一紧张往往口吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • Barsad leaned back in his chair, and stammered, \"What do you mean?\" 巴萨往椅背上一靠,结结巴巴地说,“你是什么意思?” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
35 attics 10dfeae57923f7ba63754c76388fab81     
n. 阁楼
参考例句:
  • They leave unwanted objects in drawers, cupboards and attics. 他们把暂时不需要的东西放在抽屉里、壁橱中和搁楼上。
  • He rummaged busily in the attics of European literature, bringing to light much of interest. 他在欧洲文学的阁楼里忙着翻箱倒笼,找到了不少有趣的东西。
36 bulging daa6dc27701a595ab18024cbb7b30c25     
膨胀; 凸出(部); 打气; 折皱
参考例句:
  • Her pockets were bulging with presents. 她的口袋里装满了礼物。
  • Conscious of the bulging red folder, Nim told her,"Ask if it's important." 尼姆想到那个鼓鼓囊囊的红色文件夹便告诉她:“问问是不是重要的事。”
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