儿童英语读物 The Mystery on Blizzard Mountain CHAPTER 1 A Mountain of Surprise
时间:2018-12-31 作者:英语课 分类:86 The Mystery on Blizzard Mou
“Left. No! No, turn right,” said fourteen-year-old Henry Alden. He held the map up and frowned. “Yes, that’s it. We’re supposed to turn right at the next stop sign.”
James Alden nodded. He was Henry’s grandfather, and he was driving his four grandchildren—Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny—to visit the daughter of an old friend. Her name was Maris Greyson and she was a park ranger 1 at Seven Mountains Wilderness 2 Park.
“Are we lost?” Violet, who was ten years old, asked in a worried voice. “We’ve been driving for a long, long time.”
“We’re not lost,” Henry said cheerfully. “We’ll be there soon.”
Six-year-old Benny, who had been looking out the window, said, “We haven’t passed any houses for miles and miles.”
“Oh—but look,” twelve-year-old Jessie said. “There’s a sign that says ‘Greyson.’”
Grandfather turned down a very narrow, very bumpy 3 dirt road. They rocked from one rut in the road to another.
Finally, Grandfather stopped the car in a small clearing. In the middle of the clearing was a small log cabin. The door opened and a big, furry 4 dog came bounding out.
A woman followed the dog out into the clearing. “Shoe,” she said, “heel!” The woman was small and strong-looking, with short jet-black hair. She wore jeans, hiking boots, and a red-and-black-checked wool shirt.
Grandfather got out of the car. “Maris Greyson, it’s good to see you,” he said. “It’s been much too long.”
“It has,” she said with a quick smile. “But you haven’t changed.” She gave Grandfather Alden a hug. “It’s so good to see you, James. Welcome to Seven Mountains Park.”
“Is your dog nice?” Benny asked, almost tumbling out of the car. “We have a dog, but we didn’t bring him. We found him when we were living in the boxcar. His name is Watch and he’s a good watchdog.”
“Whoa, Benny. Slow down,” said Henry. He put his hand on his brother’s shoulder.
“My dog’s name is Snowshoe, Shoe for short, and she’s friendly to people,” Maris said.
“May we pet her?” Violet asked.
“Sure,” said Maris. “Shoe, come!”
“Hey there, Shoe,” said Henry, bending to stroke the dog’s back. “She looks almost like a wolf.”
“Husky, mostly, with a few other things thrown in,” said Maris. “I found her wandering on one of the trails when she was still practically a puppy. She was a skinny little thing. You wouldn’t know that now, would you, Shoe?”
The dog’s ears flattened 5 when she heard her name and she wagged her tail harder.
“These are my grandchildren,” said Grandfather. “Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny.”
“Pleased to meet you. Come on in,” said Maris. “I’m making stew 6 for dinner. I’ll show you where to put your gear. By the time you unpack 7, it’ll be time to eat.”
“Henry and I can unload the car,” Jessie volunteered. Jessie liked to take charge and organize things.
In a few minutes, Henry and Benny were climbing up a ladder to a sleeping loft 8 at one end of the cabin, pulling their packs and suitcases behind them.
“Wow,” said Henry. “This is cool.” He looked around the loft, tucked under one end of the sloping roof. Two narrow beds were pushed against each wall. A skylight let in the last rays of the sun above them.
“I like it here,” Benny said. He began to unpack.
“Me, too,” agreed Henry, doing the same.
At the other end of the cabin, Violet and Jessie were unpacking 9 in a loft that looked just like the boys’. Down below, they could hear Maris talking to Grandfather as he unpacked 10 his things. The good smell of stew filled the cabin.
“I’m hungry,” Benny said suddenly. He leaned over the railing that enclosed the loft and sniffed 11. “Very hungry.”
“Me, too,” called Jessie from the other loft.
“Come on down,” Maris said, looking up at them. “As soon as the table is set, we can eat.”
Benny scrambled 12 down the ladder in a flash and soon all four Alden children had the table set.
They ate hungrily. Soon they’d cleaned their plates and started on second helpings 13. The mountain air had made them all hungry.
“I like this cabin,” said Jessie. “It’s sort of like living in the boxcar.”
The Aldens told Maris the story of how they had become orphans 14 and gone to live in an abandoned boxcar in the woods. They hadn’t known that their grandfather was looking for them and wanted them to come live with him.
“Then he found us and we live in Greenfield now,” Violet said. “Grandfather put the boxcar in the backyard and we can visit it whenever we want.”
“An amazing story,” said Maris. “And now I know what to do if I ever need more room in my cabin. I’ll just get a boxcar!”
Benny suddenly yawned. He covered his mouth. “Excuse me,” he said.
“We should all go to bed early tonight,” Grandfather said.
“I’m not sleepy,” Benny insisted. But his eyes drooped 15.
“Going to bed early is a good idea,” said Maris. “Because when you get up in the morning, I’m going to have a surprise for you.”
Benny sat up. His drooping 16 eyelids 17 opened wide. “What is it?” he asked. “Is it a mystery? We’re good at solving mysteries.”
“There are a few mysteries in these mountains, but that’s not the surprise,” said Maris.
“What kind of mysteries?” asked Henry. He and the others forgot about the surprise for a minute.
“Well, the most famous mystery is the mystery of Stagecoach 18 George,” Maris said.
“Who is Stagecoach George?” asked Jessie.
“Once upon a time, about a hundred years ago, or maybe more, a very unlucky bandit named Stagecoach George robbed the local stagecoach. It was carrying a big strongbox full of gold to the bank. He got the loot, made his escape, and headed for what is now Blizzard 19 Gap. He knew no one could catch him in these wild mountains.
“But Stagecoach George never had any luck that wasn’t bad,” Maris went on. “He got halfway 20 up Blizzard Mountain—that’s the tallest and wildest of these mountains—and the snow started falling. His horse was getting tired, too. So George decided 21 to bury the loot and come back for it later.
“He’d just finished hiding the loot when his horse went crazy on him. The horse snorted and reared and then it jerked the reins 22 free from George’s hand and tore off down the mountain.”
“Oh, no,” breathed softhearted Violet. “Poor Stagecoach George!”
“That’s when he heard an awful roar up the mountain above him, like a thousand trains thundering down the track with a thousand tornadoes 23 right behind them.”
“Uh-oh,” Benny said. “I bet I know what that was!”
“Right,” Maris said. “And George knew just what it was, too. It was an avalanche 24. He jumped just like his horse had done—for it had known something was wrong, the way animals do. Anyway, George jumped and tried to run, but it was too late.”
“And that was the end of Stagecoach George?” asked Henry.
“Yep,” Maris said. She leaned back. “Except some people claim they’ve seen his ghost. They say it’s guarding his treasure, trying to figure out a way to dig it up and take it off the mountain.”
“Wow,” said Jessie. “That’s a great story. Maybe we can find the treasure!”
“Or the ghost,” said Benny.
“No such thing as a ghost,” Grandfather reminded them. “But it is a good story.”
“And there might be such a thing as treasure buried by the avalanche,” Maris said. She shook her head. “At least, some people still think so.”
“Can we go look for the treasure on Blizzard Mountain?” Benny asked.
“Hmmm. We might be able to arrange a trip to the mountain,” Maris said. “Now who wants dessert?”
“Just a little,” said Benny.
Everyone laughed and Benny grinned. He never said no to dessert.
Benny went to bed with his head full of stagecoach robbers and surprises. He was sure he would never be able to fall asleep.
But the minute he closed his eyes, he fell into such a deep sleep that he didn’t even notice his brother climbing up into the loft or hear Henry say softly, “Night, Benny,” before he, too, got into bed and fell asleep. Jessie fell asleep right away, too. But Violet lay awake for a little while longer. She thought about stagecoach robbers and avalanches 25 and ghosts. Once, she thought she heard a sound outside the cabin. She peered through the narrow window by her bed, but she couldn’t see anything except how very, very dark it was.
- He was the head ranger of the national park.他曾是国家公园的首席看守员。
- He loved working as a ranger.他喜欢做护林人。
- She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
- Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。
- I think we've a bumpy road ahead of us.我觉得我们将要面临一段困难时期。
- The wide paved road degenerated into a narrow bumpy track.铺好的宽阔道路渐渐变窄,成了一条崎岖不平的小径。
- This furry material will make a warm coat for the winter.这件毛皮料在冬天会是一件保暖的大衣。
- Mugsy is a big furry brown dog,who wiggles when she is happy.马格斯是一只棕色大长毛狗,当她高兴得时候她会摇尾巴。
- She flattened her nose and lips against the window. 她把鼻子和嘴唇紧贴着窗户。
- I flattened myself against the wall to let them pass. 我身体紧靠着墙让他们通过。
- The stew must be boiled up before serving.炖肉必须煮熟才能上桌。
- There's no need to get in a stew.没有必要烦恼。
- I must unpack before dinner.我得在饭前把行李打开。
- She said she would unpack the items later.她说以后再把箱子里的东西拿出来。
- We could see up into the loft from bottom of the stairs.我们能从楼梯脚边望到阁楼的内部。
- By converting the loft,they were able to have two extra bedrooms.把阁楼改造一下,他们就可以多出两间卧室。
- Joe sat on the bed while Martin was unpacking. 马丁打开箱子取东西的时候,乔坐在床上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- They are unpacking a trunk. 他们正在打开衣箱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- I unpacked my bags as soon as I arrived. 我一到达就打开行李,整理衣物。
- Our guide unpacked a picnic of ham sandwiches and offered us tea. 我们的导游打开装着火腿三明治的野餐盒,并给我们倒了些茶水。 来自辞典例句
- When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣,吸了吸鼻子,擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- 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》
- You greedy pig! You've already had two helpings! 你这个馋嘴!你已经吃了两份了!
- He had two helpings of pudding. 他吃了两客布丁。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- The poor orphans were kept on short commons. 贫苦的孤儿们吃不饱饭。
- Their uncle was declared guardian to the orphans. 这些孤儿的叔父成为他们的监护人。
- Her eyelids drooped as if she were on the verge of sleep. 她眼睑低垂好像快要睡着的样子。
- The flowers drooped in the heat of the sun. 花儿晒蔫了。
- She was so tired, her eyelids were beginning to droop. 她太疲倦了,眼睑开始往下垂。
- Her eyelids drooped as if she were on the verge of sleep. 她眼睑低垂好像快要睡着的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- She's getting off the stagecoach.她正在下马车。
- The stagecoach driver cracked the whip.驿站马车的车夫抽响了鞭子。
- The blizzard struck while we were still on the mountain.我们还在山上的时候暴风雪就袭来了。
- You'll have to stay here until the blizzard blows itself off.你得等暴风雪停了再走。
- We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路,天就黑了。
- In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上,最忌讳的是有始无终。
- 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。
- She pulled gently on the reins. 她轻轻地拉着缰绳。
- The government has imposed strict reins on the import of luxury goods. 政府对奢侈品的进口有严格的控制手段。
- Tornadoes, severe earthquakes, and plagues create wide spread havoc. 龙卷风、大地震和瘟疫成普遍的毁坏。 来自互联网
- Meteorologists are at odds over the working of tornadoes. 气象学者对龙卷风的运动方式看法不一。 来自互联网
- They were killed by an avalanche in the Swiss Alps.他们在瑞士阿尔卑斯山的一次雪崩中罹难。
- Higher still the snow was ready to avalanche.在更高处积雪随时都会崩塌。
- The greatest dangers of pyroclastic avalanches are probably heat and suffocation. 火成碎屑崩落的最大危害可能是炽热和窒息作用。 来自辞典例句
- Avalanches poured down on the tracks and rails were spread. 雪崩压满了轨道,铁轨被弄得四分五裂。 来自辞典例句