儿童英语读物 The Mystery at the Dog Show CHAPTER 2 Watch Makes a Friend
时间:2018-12-31 作者:英语课 分类:35 The Mystery at the Dog Show
“Benny! Benny, where are you?” Jessie was trying to find her brother.
She looked into Violet’s room. “Have you seen Benny?”
“No.” Violet shook her head. “Did you ask Henry?”
“Not yet.” Jessie started down the hall to Henry’s room just as he came out. “Henry, have you see Benny? It’s almost time for the Teagues and Sunny to get here.”
“I’m ready,” said Henry. “But I haven’t seen Benny. Have you looked in his room?”
Jessie nodded. “Yes, but he’s not there.”
“Maybe he’s downstairs with Mrs. McGregor. It sure smells like something great is cooking,” Henry said.
“That’s a good idea. Thanks.” Jessie went downstairs to the kitchen.
But Benny wasn’t there.
“Mmm, it smells good, Mrs. McGregor,” Jessie said, taking a deep breath.
Mrs. McGregor smiled, “That it does. There’s nothing that smells as good as fresh-baked bread. Or that tastes as good, either.”
“I can hardly wait,” said Jessie. “It smells so good, I was sure Benny would be in here.”
“No, he’s not. But I have an idea if you check out back by your boxcar, you might find him,” suggested Mrs. McGregor.
“Thank you,” Jessie said, and hurried out the back door.
Sure enough, Benny was in front of the boxcar. He had filled an old tin washtub full of soapy water, and he and Watch were covered in water and suds.
“Benny! What are you doing?” Jessie called.
“Giving Watch a bath so when he meets Sunny, he’ll be nice and clean,” gasped 1 Benny, trying to hold on to the squirming dog. Watch thought having a bath was great fun. He was splashing in the water and wriggling 2 all around.
“Oops,” said Benny, waving his arms and trying to keep his balance as Watch bumped into his legs. He tripped and fell into the washtub with Watch.
Jessie started to laugh as soap and water flew everywhere. Benny stuck his head out of the water and wiped his face. He grinned. “I guess I’ll be clean, too,” he said.
“I guess you will. Here, let me help you,” said Jessie. She gave Benny a hand out of the washtub. Then the two of them caught Watch and soaped him all over and rinsed 3 him gently with the hose.
“I remembered to bring a towel,” said Benny proudly. He went over to the boxcar and picked up the towel he had left on the tree stump 4 that was the boxcar’s front step. Together Benny and Jessie dried off Watch.
“Watch is beautiful,” declared Benny.
“He does look good,” agreed Jessie. “Now, we must hurry and get ready. The Teagues and Sunny will be here any minute!”
Jessie and Benny rushed back to the house to change into clean, dry clothes. As Benny went up the back stairs into the kitchen, he looked over his shoulder.
“Don’t you want to come in, Watch?” he asked.
Watch stayed where he was at the foot of the back steps.
“Okay, you can stay outside,” said Benny. “But be good, now. And don’t get dirty!”
The front doorbell rang just as Benny and Jessie finished getting ready. They raced down the stairs as Grandfather Alden opened the front door. Henry and Violet were there already.
In the doorway 5 was a small woman with blue eyes and red-gold hair twisted back into a soft bun. She was wearing khaki slacks, a plaid shirt, and a blue cardigan sweater. She stepped briskly over the threshold and gave their grandfather a big hug. “James Henry Alden,” she said. “It has been a long, long time.”
“Much too long, Annabel Teague,” agreed Grandfather Alden, smiling.
In a moment, two more figures appeared in the doorway.
“This is my daughter, Caryn,” said Mrs. Teague. “And of course, Sunny.”
A tall graceful 6 girl, who looked about sixteen, followed Mrs. Teague into the house. She had hair the same red-gold color as her mother’s, but her eyes were brown instead of blue, and she wore her hair pulled back in a single braid. She was wearing khaki pants, too, and a red pullover sweater.
Caryn was holding a red leash 7 in one hand. At the end of the leash was a large golden-red dog with silky, slightly wavy 8 fur.
“Sit, Sunny,” said the girl in a quiet, pleasant voice. The dog sat down and looked around with a friendly expression on her face.
“Wow,” said Violet.
The girl held out her hand. “How do you do, Mr. Alden?”
“I’m glad to see you again, Caryn,” he answered, shaking her hand. “You won’t remember this, but the last time I saw you, you were just a little girl. You’ve grown up, I see.”
“I hope so,” said Caryn, laughing a little.
Grandfather Alden bent 9 over. “And this is Sunny,” he said. He stroked the top of the dog’s head. “She’s a beauty.”
Both Caryn and Mrs. Teague looked pleased. “Champion Gold Doubloon’s Morning Sun,” Mrs. Teague said. “That’s her registered name. Of course, we call her Sunny.”
“Well, let me introduce my family,” said Grandfather. “These are my grandchildren, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny.”
Everyone shook hands. Then Benny held his hand out to Sunny.
“Benny, I don’t think …” Grandfather began.
But Caryn smiled. “Shake, Sunny,” she said.
Sunny held up her paw and shook hands with Benny.
“You’re a smart dog!” cried Benny.
“Maybe you can teach Watch how to shake hands, Sunny. Watch is our dog. His full name is Watch Alden, but we call him Watch. He’s smart, too.”
Benny went to the front door and opened it. “Watch,” he called. “Here, Watch!”
But Watch didn’t come.
“He’ll be here soon,” said Benny confidently, closing the door.
Grandfather said, “Meanwhile, why don’t we take you to your rooms and let you settle in. Then come down for something to eat and drink. You must be hungry after your trip.”
“I have a special traveling kennel 10 for Sunny,” said Caryn. “May I set that up in my room? It’s big enough for her to move around in and to keep her food and water in.”
“Of course,” said Grandfather. “Although she’s so well-behaved, you don’t need to keep her in there unless you want to.”
It didn’t take long for the Teagues to settle in. Soon they were all sitting around the kitchen table, eating fresh baked bread with butter and honey, and drinking milk or tea. Caryn had brought Sunny back down with her. When they’d reached the kitchen, she’d pointed 11 to the corner by the door and said, “Down Sunny.” Sunny had laid down. “Good girl. Stay,” said Caryn. And Sunny had stayed there ever since.
“Does she do that at the shows?” asked Henry, looking admiringly at Caryn.
Caryn shook her head. “You’re talking about obedience 12 trials,” she told Henry. “They’re not part of this show. This show is about how a dog looks and acts. The judges look to see if it walks correctly and has the right color coat and the right kind of ears for its breed.”
Violet looked puzzled. So did Jessie and Henry. Benny was twisting around in his chair looking for Watch, so he wasn’t listening as intently as everyone else.
“At a show,” Caryn explained, “each dog is walked around the ring while the judge watches. Then the judge looks at each dog more closely. The dog that’s closest to perfect for its breed is the winner. So on the first day, Sunny will compete just against other golden retrievers.”
“Oh,” said Violet, looking less puzzled. “I think I see.”
Caryn smiled. “And there’s more. All the breeds of dogs are divided into seven different groups — Sporting Dogs, Non-sporting Dogs, Working Dogs, Herding 13 Dogs, Terriers, Hounds, and Toys. Golden retrievers are in the Sporting Dog group. If Sunny is the best golden retriever, on the second day she’ll compete against other kinds of sporting dogs, like Labrador retrievers and Irish setters.”
“What if she’s picked as the best in the Sporting Dog group?” Henry asked.
“Then on the last night she’ll compete against the winners of the other six groups to see who is the best dog in the whole show.”
“Wow,” said Jessie. “The winner must be a terrific dog!”
“I can hardly wait to see all the dogs,” said Violet.
“Yes,” said Henry. “We’re going to come watch the show and cheer for Sunny.”
Caryn smiled at their enthusiasm. “Why don’t you come to the show tomorrow?” she asked. “It doesn’t really start until the day after, but people will be arriving and getting their dogs used to the place. It will be fun. There’ll be a lot to see and do.”
“That would be great!” said Henry.
Just then there was a scratching at the kitchen door.
“Watch!” exclaimed Benny happily. He rushed to the door and opened it.
Watch bounded in and stopped. His tail went up, and he started wagging it stiffly. The fur on the ruff of his neck stood up. As plainly as if he’d said it in English, he was asking, “Who is this strange dog in my kitchen?”
Sunny raised her head.
“Okay, Sunny,” said Caryn. “Be good, now.”
Sunny stood up. She and Watch touched noses. Gradually the fur on Watch’s neck went down. Suddenly he put his two front legs flat on the floor, while sticking his hindquarters and tail up in the air. He wagged his tail furiously.
“He’s saying, ‘Let’s play!’ ” Caryn laughed.
Everyone watched, smiling, as Sunny did the same thing as Watch.
“Would you like to go outside and play, Sunny?” asked Caryn.
“May we take them out, Grandfather?” asked Violet.
Grandfather laughed. “If it’s okay with Mrs. Teague.”
“Just be careful that Sunny stays in good shape for the show,” said Mrs. Teague.
“Don’t worry,” Caryn said. “I’ll keep an eye on Sunny. I’m sure nothing will happen to her.”
“We’ll show you our boxcar, too,” said Henry. During their snack, they’d told the Teagues a little about their adventures in the old boxcar.
“I’d like that,” said Caryn.
Everyone except Grandfather and Mrs. Teague went outside into the late afternoon sun. Watch and Sunny began to run in happy circles, barking and dancing around each other.
Henry led the way to the boxcar with Caryn walking beside him. Benny ran ahead and Jessie and Violet followed everyone.
Benny climbed up into the boxcar. “Look,” he said, standing 14 in the door. “This is my pink cup. I found it.” The cracked pink cup was Benny’s favorite possession. He had found it when they were all living in the old abandoned boxcar, and he still used it sometimes.
“It’s a very nice cup,” Caryn told Benny. She climbed into the boxcar after Benny and let the Aldens show her their former home, telling how Grandfather Alden had moved the boxcar to the backyard as a surprise, after they had come to live with him. Many of the things — the blue tablecloth 15, the kettle they’d cooked with, the old teapot and pitcher 16 they’d found — were still inside.
“So this is the boxcar,” Caryn said admiringly. “How lucky you were to find it! And brave to be on your own like that, too.”
“It was fun,” said Benny.
Henry smiled at his younger brother. “It was fun,” he agreed. “But it was hard work, too. I’m glad we live with Grandfather Alden now.”
“It’s a wonderful boxcar,” said Caryn. She and Henry sat down on the front stump and watched as the others romped 17 and played with the two dogs until it was time for dinner.
- 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》
- The baby was wriggling around on my lap. 婴儿在我大腿上扭来扭去。
- Something that looks like a gray snake is wriggling out. 有一种看来象是灰蛇的东西蠕动着出来了。 来自辞典例句
- She rinsed out the sea water from her swimming-costume. 她把游泳衣里的海水冲洗掉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The clothes have been rinsed three times. 衣服已经洗了三和。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- He went on the stump in his home state.他到故乡所在的州去发表演说。
- He used the stump as a table.他把树桩用作桌子。
- They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
- Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。
- His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
- The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。
- 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。
- She drew a wavy line under the word.她在这个词的下面画了一条波纹线。
- His wavy hair was too long and flopped just beneath his brow.他的波浪式头发太长了,正好垂在他的眉毛下。
- He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
- We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
- Sporting dogs should be kept out of doors in a kennel.猎狗应该养在户外的狗窝中。
- Rescued dogs are housed in a standard kennel block.获救的狗被装在一个标准的犬舍里。
- 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。
- Society has a right to expect obedience of the law.社会有权要求人人遵守法律。
- Soldiers act in obedience to the orders of their superior officers.士兵们遵照上级军官的命令行动。
- The little boy is herding the cattle. 这个小男孩在放牛。
- They have been herding cattle on the tableland for generations. 他们世世代代在这高原上放牧。
- 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。
- He sat there ruminating and picking at the tablecloth.他坐在那儿沉思,轻轻地抚弄着桌布。
- She smoothed down a wrinkled tablecloth.她把起皱的桌布熨平了。
- He poured the milk out of the pitcher.他从大罐中倒出牛奶。
- Any pitcher is liable to crack during a tight game.任何投手在紧张的比赛中都可能会失常。