时间:2018-12-31 作者:英语课 分类:56 The Firehouse Mystery


英语课

Steve, are you a firefighter, too?” Violet asked as they followed him.



“Yes,” he said, wheeling himself through a side door. “I used to be on active duty, until I was injured in an accident. Since then I haven’t been able to walk. So now I work in the office, keeping the records, handling the schedules, taking care of the payroll 1 — that sort of thing.”



The side door led into the garage. “Look at that!” said Benny, staring up at the huge red truck in front of him.



“This is the ladder truck.” Steve pointed 2 to the long ladders on top. “We use it to get up to the tops of buildings to fight fires and help people who might be trapped inside.”



“Is that the pumper?” Henry asked, pointing to a smaller truck.



“Yes,” said Steve. “It’s got a five-hundred-gallon tank of water in it.”



“You use that to fight the fire, right?” Benny asked.



“That’s right, Benny. Believe it or not, those five hundred gallons only last a few minutes,” Steve explained. “We use that to ‘knock down’ the fire when we first arrive on the scene — to put out a small fire or try to get a bigger fire under control. But often we need more water.”



“Is that what fire hydrants are for?” asked Jessie.



“Yes,” Steve said. “When we first arrive at a fire, some of the firefighters go find a hydrant or another source of water. Using long hoses, the water from the hydrant is pumped through this pumper onto the fire. The pumper provides the pressure to make the water go far and fast.”



The Aldens noticed that the door of the pumper was open and a heavy firefighters’ coat hung on it. On the floor below it was a pair of heavy boots already tucked into a pair of heavy pants. It looked as if someone had just stepped out of the clothes and left them there.



Violet was about to ask why when suddenly a loud bell filled the air, and then there was a voice speaking over a loudspeaker. “Smoke reported in the basement of the office building on the corner of Third and Elm.”



Steve quickly guided Grandfather and the children off to the side of the garage. There they were out of the way, but could see what was happening. Several firefighters ran quickly in from the firehouse. In no time they had put on their heavy pants and coats. They grabbed their hats and oxygen masks and climbed onto the ladder truck.



One firefighter ran to the driver’s side of the pumper and took off her sneakers. Now the Aldens realized why the clothes had been left on the floor that way. In one easy step, she stepped into her boots and then pulled up the pants. Next she took the jacket that was hanging on the open door and put it on. She jumped into the truck and put on her hat and oxygen mask, which were already inside on the seat. Another firefighter got in on the other side.



The ladder truck and the pumper pulled out of the garage, their sirens wailing 4.



“They were so fast!” cried Jessie.



“They have to be,” Steve said. “Speed is very important when you’re going to fight a fire.”



“What were those masks for?” asked Benny.



“You mean this?” Steve asked, taking a strange-looking mask out of one of the lockers 5.



Benny nodded.



“This attaches to a tank of oxygen that’s worn on your back,” Steve explained.



“You know, Benny, smoke can be even more dangerous than fire,” Grandfather explained. “It keeps you from getting the oxygen you need to breathe. That’s why firefighters wear those masks.”



Steve put a mask on to show the children.



“You look scary in that,” said Violet. “Like a giant bug 6!”



“Or a creature from outer space,” added Benny.



Steve removed the mask. “Sometimes at a fire, kids are afraid when they see us in all this gear. Then they run away when we’re trying to help them.”



“That’s too bad,” said Jessie.



Steve looked around at the children. “Would you all like to try on some real firefighters’ gear?”



“Sure!” they said in unison 7.



Steve found four sets of jackets and pants and boots. With help from Grandfather, the children put them on.



“I can barely move, this stuff is so heavy,” said Benny.



“It’s made of special fireproof materials,” Steve said. “Imagine wearing all that and running up stairs carrying heavy hoses!” He laughed.



Then Steve handed each of them a hat. “Do you know why the hats are shaped like that?”



The children shook their heads.



“It protects your head, and also allows the water from the hoses to run down the back, instead of into your eyes,” Steve explained.



Wearing the gear, the children ran around the garage, pretending to fight a fire.



“I’ve got the fire hose,” cried Benny, holding an imaginary length of hose.



“I’m going up to the top floor,” called Violet, pretending to climb a ladder.



A few minutes later they saw the fire trucks returning. Everyone moved back against the side of the garage, out of the way.



Grandfather looked at his watch. “They weren’t gone very long,” he commented.



When the firefighter driving the pumper had gotten out and replaced her gear, Steve motioned to her to come over. “What happened, Christine?” he asked.



“Another false alarm,” she responded. Then she looked at the children, still dressed in their big pants, coats, and hats. “But if it had been a real fire, we would have called you all to help!” She grinned.



“What’s a false alarm?” asked Benny.



“It’s when someone calls and says there’s a fire, but there really isn’t one,” Christine explained. “It’s dangerous, because chasing after a false alarm might keep us from helping 8 people who really need us.”



“Who would call in and say there was a fire if there wasn’t?” asked Violet.



“It’s a mystery to me,” Steve answered, his face grim. “I hope we find out before they cause a real problem.”



“We can help you find them,” said Benny. “We’re good at solving mysteries!”



“In the meantime, how about getting up into the fire engine?” suggested Christine.



The children’s faces glowed with delight as Christine helped them climb up into the front seat of the pumper.



“This is great!” said Jessie, holding the steering 9 wheel and looking around.



“Yeah!” said Henry.



“I feel like I’m really going to a fire,” Violet said.



Benny was so excited, he didn’t even say a word.



“Sound the siren, Benny,” Christine said, showing him the button to press. Everyone heard a loud wail 3.



“You look just like real firefighters sitting up there,” said Grandfather.



“Come inside and we’ll show you the rest of the station,” Steve said.



The children climbed down from the truck and took off their gear. Then they followed Steve and Christine inside.



“This is our living room,” Steve said as they passed through a room with large comfortable chairs grouped around a television. A firefighter was sitting watching a basketball game. In the back was a kitchen area with a large dining table, where a couple of firefighters were having lunch. “We’re here around the clock, so when we’re not out at a fire or taking care of the trucks, we cook our meals and watch TV just as you do at home,” Steve explained.



“Looks like nothing’s changed since I was here years ago,” Grandfather said. The children noticed that he was probably right — it looked as if they hadn’t even repainted the walls in a long time. Everything seemed run-down and shabby.



“What are those?” Henry asked, pointing at some tarnished 10 silver cups on a dusty bookcase in the corner.



“Those are trophies 11 the fire department has won over the years. Some of them are over a hundred fifty years old,” Steve explained. Then he picked up a cone-shaped metal object. “Do you know what this is?”



The children shook their heads.



“It’s a very old nozzle for a hose — probably a hundred years old. It’s made of copper,” said Steve. “And these are called speaking trumpets 13.” He took a long silver horn from the shelf and dusted it off. “When we’re fighting a fire, things can get pretty noisy. Nowadays when the chief needs to tell the firefighters what to do, we use hand radios. But a long time ago, fire chiefs used these.” Steve demonstrated, talking through one end of the long silver horn. “Hello!” Steve’s voice echoed loudly through the tube.



“Look at all the beautiful designs engraved 14 on the silver,” Violet said.



“Yes, these are real works of art,” Steve said, replacing the speaking trumpet 12 on the shelf.



“We’ve seen your living room and your kitchen, but where do you sleep?” Benny piped up.



“Upstairs,” Christine said. “Come on up.”



The Aldens followed her up a narrow staircase. It creaked as they walked. At the top were two tiny rooms lined with beds. They looked very crowded. “On the night shift the men sleep in this room and the women in the other,” she explained. “And when the alarm rings, here’s how we get downstairs in a flash.” She led the Aldens to the end of the hallway, where a brass 15 pole attached to the ceiling went down through the floor. A brass railing circled the pole. Christine lifted up the trapdoor around the pole, and the children peered down into the garage below.



“Want to slide down?” Christine asked.



The children nodded eagerly.



Christine showed them how to hold on to the pole with their hands and then wrap their legs around it. Then she, Jessie, and Violet slid down and waited at the bottom.



“I want to go next,” said Benny. Henry helped him onto the pole. “Wheeee! This is fun!” Benny cried as he slid down.



Finally, it was Henry’s turn. “Here I come!” he said.



“I’ll take the stairs!” Grandfather called down.



The pole led the children directly back to the garage.



Benny was just about to ask if they could climb up into the truck again when Mike Reynolds and Janet Lerner appeared.



“I’m sorry, but the only answer is to close this firehouse,” Ms. Lerner said angrily. She turned and walked briskly out.

 



n.工资表,在职人员名单,工薪总额
  • His yearly payroll is $1.2 million.他的年薪是120万美元。
  • I can't wait to get my payroll check.我真等不及拿到我的工资单了。
adj.尖的,直截了当的
  • 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。
vt./vi.大声哀号,恸哭;呼啸,尖啸
  • Somewhere in the audience an old woman's voice began plaintive wail.观众席里,一位老太太伤心地哭起来。
  • One of the small children began to wail with terror.小孩中的一个吓得大哭起来。
v.哭叫,哀号( wail的现在分词 );沱
  • A police car raced past with its siren wailing. 一辆警车鸣着警报器飞驰而过。
  • The little girl was wailing miserably. 那小女孩难过得号啕大哭。
n.寄物柜( locker的名词复数 )
  • I care about more lockers for the teachers. 我关心教师要有更多的储物柜。 来自辞典例句
  • Passengers are requested to stow their hand-baggage in the lockers above the seats. 旅客须将随身携带的行李放入座位上方的贮藏柜里。 来自辞典例句
n.虫子;故障;窃听器;vt.纠缠;装窃听器
  • There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。
  • The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。
n.步调一致,行动一致
  • The governments acted in unison to combat terrorism.这些国家的政府一致行动对付恐怖主义。
  • My feelings are in unison with yours.我的感情与你的感情是一致的。
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
n.操舵装置
  • He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
  • Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵,口吻也马上变得温和了。
(通常指金属)(使)失去光泽,(使)变灰暗( tarnish的过去式和过去分词 ); 玷污,败坏
  • The mirrors had tarnished with age. 这些镜子因年深日久而照影不清楚。
  • His bad behaviour has tarnished the good name of the school. 他行为不轨,败坏了学校的声誉。
n.(为竞赛获胜者颁发的)奖品( trophy的名词复数 );奖杯;(尤指狩猎或战争中获得的)纪念品;(用于比赛或赛跑名称)奖
  • His football trophies were prominently displayed in the kitchen. 他的足球奖杯陈列在厨房里显眼的位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The hunter kept the lion's skin and head as trophies. 这猎人保存狮子的皮和头作为纪念品。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
n.喇叭,喇叭声;v.吹喇叭,吹嘘
  • He plays the violin, but I play the trumpet.他拉提琴,我吹喇叭。
  • The trumpet sounded for battle.战斗的号角吹响了。
喇叭( trumpet的名词复数 ); 小号; 喇叭形物; (尤指)绽开的水仙花
  • A wreath was laid on the monument to a fanfare of trumpets. 在响亮的号角声中花圈被献在纪念碑前。
  • A fanfare of trumpets heralded the arrival of the King. 嘹亮的小号声宣告了国王驾到。
v.在(硬物)上雕刻(字,画等)( engrave的过去式和过去分词 );将某事物深深印在(记忆或头脑中)
  • The silver cup was engraved with his name. 银杯上刻有他的名字。
  • It was prettily engraved with flowers on the back. 此件雕刻精美,背面有花饰图案。 来自《简明英汉词典》
n.黄铜;黄铜器,铜管乐器
  • Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
  • Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
学英语单词
acid-test ratio
ahigh
arc suppressing coil
as crooked as a dog's hind leg
asswhore
automatic stabilizer
avoiding chord
azzones
ballsbridge
Bergatreute
biocapacity
bleached paddy soil
buckling criteria
Cimanuk, Sungai
closed grating
coefficient of utilization of useful capacity
colloidal fuel
colpeurynter introducing forceps
commodity producer
conductive band
convolation
cordons sanitaires
cross sell
dessicator
dicky-seat
Dmitrovsk-Orlovskiy
dominant laterality
double squirrelcage motor
ecological system
elevator apron
epimera
erysipelas gangraenosum
eschewal
Football's a game of two halves
forfending
formula plan
froben
genus limnobiums
glucoscilliphaeoside
Hall's anchor
hip line
homer a. thompsons
hydraulic-machinery
ignition-switch
input-output interface system
instantaneous center/centre of rotation
intrumental
isothymol
keyboard input
klepto
liver coccidiosis
log well
maritime law institute
mass-energy
mincer and bowl cutter
mode of transducer
Montils
multiethnic education
no-claim
nonresponses
one-hundred-dollar
passive infrared rangefinder
pedaling
permissible limit of vibration
personal contact
phospholipidomics
Photinia chingiana
phylum chaetognathas
Piggott
pinnatifid
posumbu
prosperoes
pseudotriton ruber
pyramid method of hull construction
pyrenophora japonica ito et kuribayashi
Ranella
reaming bit
rhyacophila formosana
ringal
screen house
searls
Semple treatment
sexidentate ligand
Sheykino
silicon impregnation
Soltvadkert
spermatorrheas
subspectra
syndesm-
Thal Des.
thixotropic hardening
thorup
three-membered
twin tail
two-track recorder
vacuum-gauge
Vallen
very low frequency band radiated field system
Vila da Maganja
vision signal
Wairio
wind measuring device