儿童故事集:Astropup: Prisoner of the Cats
时间:2019-01-18 作者:英语课 分类:Children’s Stories-儿童故事集
英语课
Proofread by Jana Elizabeth.
Whimpering sounds.. What dismal 1 dogs we were! Our tails were well and truly between our legs, as the pirate cat people marched us away at the points of their laser guns. They led us to a corner of their camp that seemed rather like a garden lawn. But ZANGGGGG! We were fenced in by a crackling electric force field. We could not see the walls of our prison, but if we brushed up against them, we soon knew. The invisible prison stung like a vet’s needle. But by far the cruelest hurt was to our pride. Cats prowled around the perimeter 2, hissing 3 and meowing insults at us:
“Just look at the big brave doggies – they don’t seem so fierce now, whimpering and shivering away. Ah, poor poochy-woochies. Go on, wag your tails. Sit up and beg like the fawning 4, slobbering, stinking 5, slaves-of-the-humans that you really are. BEG! If you don’t, you’ll be sorry.”
The doberman charged at a cat-person-prison-camp-guard who swung round and pointed 6 his laser gun. But there was no need for him to fire, because the brave dog ran hard up against the force field and bounced back with a bruised 7 nose. How those filthy 8 felines 10 cried with laughter! We all barked our heads off and then the real torture began. Loud speakers began to broadcast the most awful cat music.
Oh my poor head! I thought that my brain would explode. The caterwauling and meowing was driving us all crazzzzzzzzy!!! This torture was against all our canine 11 rights.
But nothing lasts for ever, and somehow we survived two hours of feline 9 orchestral punishment. By this time we were wrecks 12.
The guards pulled down the forcefield, but our quivering legs did not have the strength to run away. It was all we could do to stagger in the direction that they led us – and that was towards their cat battle ship. Oh, Oh, it was clear that they were planning to take us as their prisoners to another planet.
I don’t know if you have ever seen a feline spaceship before. If you have, it’s a sight you will never forget. They are particularly terrifying when you look up into the sky and see the shadow of a cat mask hovering 14 above you. This one was on the ground. The front of it was open like a mouth, and we had to walk up a rough-surfaced ramp 15 like a cat’s tongue. I know what it feels like to be a mouse being swallowed by a cat.
It was here that I was finally reunited with my old friend. But I was not greeted with a happy squawk. The Parrot Major had his beak 16 tucked under his wing. He did not move. His feathers already looked raggedy. He had become a sad Parrot, what some people call, a perch 17 potato.
“Hello,” I said.
But he did not move or so much as squeak 18.
Our invisible cage was the centre of the ship’s main flight deck. We were again imprisoned 19 by a forcefield. We could see all that was going on. White-suited cat-people were running systems checks on the controls. Lights were flashing and computers were meowing. The pilot of the ship was running a flight simulation and adjusting the whisker controls. Those cat ships are highly maneuverable.
We were not the only prisoners upon that ghastly ship. The wall opposite the control panel was lined with aquariums 20. Some were filled with water and contained fish of all colours and sizes. Others formed glass cages for poor innocent mice. These creatures were, of course, on the cats’ menu during the long flights across the Universe. What an awful thing it was, that ship!
Eventually the Parrot looked up and said: “Dear dog. It’s me that they really want. I’m sorry that you are a prisoner too, all because of my notoriety. I wish you had not tried to rescue me. On top of everything else, I feel guilty now about you.”
“Well I had to try and save you,” I said.
“So loyal,” said my friend. “So brave. So stupid.”
“Thank you,” I replied. Because we dogs consider it a compliment to be called stupid. Stupidity is the highest form of obedience 21.
The preparations for lift-off continued and cats and cat people came in and out of the ship. The cat people brought boxes and cargo 22 on board. The four legged cats climbed up through the metal rafters of the spacecraft up above the control room. Suddenly, one of them jumped down in front of our cage.
“Hello,” he said, “remember me?”
“Shhhhhhh,” I said. “Don’t let them see that you know us. They’ll be angry with you and you’ll be punished.” For this was the one and only cat whom I have ever counted as my friend. He was, The Good Cat.
“Don’t worry, they already know all about that,” said The Good Cat.
“What do you mean?”
“Well I switched sides of course. I betrayed you. That’s why you are here. I’m a hero. In fact, I’m a rich hero.”
“What…. treachery….? You mean you sold your friend ….How can that be? It’s impossible. I thought you were The Good Cat.”
“I was The Good Cat. Now I’m not any more. Every cat has his price. Now you will be coming with us to our planet. There’s a pretty price on the head of your Parrot friend. We’ll all get a fat reward. I should thank you really.”
“Don’t bother,” I said.
The ship began to meow louder than before, and the door pulled up like a drawbridge.
“Well now I must get to action stations,” said The Good Cat. “We’re about to leave. It’s been nice talking to you. Have a safe journey,” and he leapt up onto a rafter and disappeared above us into the roof of the ship.
Moments later, I could feel in my stomach that we were beginning to hover 13 off the ground. Through the window I could see the tops of the trees. The morning sky was tinted 23 a rosy 24 pink. It was strangely beautiful – so like our own dear planet Earth. We shot sideways, and oh, all of us dogs were thrown over in a heap and rolled against the wall of the forcefield. But then the ship began to hover again above the sea. Why, I don’t know. Perhaps they were waiting for the all clear from cat-command. Or perhaps they had to run one more check before blasting up into space. But it was those moments of delay that saved us.
There was a streak 25 of white blinding light followed by a loud explosion. The whole ship began to judder and shake and was filled with meows of terror. The sound was deafening 26 and awful and I was certain that we were about to meet our doom 27 – but at the same time I was delighted and thrilled because so many ghastly cats were going down with us. They were running here and there in panic, and jumping around like fleas 28. Smoke was coming out of the control desk. And then FLOOOOOOP! We dropped straight down out of the sky onto the sea. But we didn’t sink very far beneath the water before the ship righted itself and floated on the surface. The waves tossed us gently from side to side. We were no longer a flying ship, but a floating one. And what was even better, the force field had failed, and we were free!
What fun we dogs had chasing those scaredy-cats around their own spaceship! I bit a cat person in the seat of the pants, and boy that tasted good! There was fur and bits of white space suit flying everywhere. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a scene of mass panic.
But then, oh no, sea water started to sink into the ship. At first it wet the ground and we started to slide about, but before long we were wading 29 through it.
”We’re all going to drown!” squawked the Parrot who was flying up above. But we weren’t, not yet anyway, because the door of the spaceship flapped open. And this was the best part. Scores of terrified cats ran out down the ramp and jumped into the sea. And you know what cats hate most of all in life – perhaps even more than fleas – and that is WATER! They were sad and soggy moggies who swam the short distance to the shore.
But we dogs LOVE getting wet and were only too happy to jump in and swim. On the beach we shook ourselves and resumed the chase. Soon all the cats were scattered 30 in different directions. Some ran into the bushes, others up trees, still others… I don’t now where… but the joy of it was that they were gone. We dogs ran around in circles woofing our heads off with the thrill of freedom.
We were not alone in our celebration, for there was somebody else down there on the beach. Now he was walking along the shore towards us. He was a human. He held a gun across his chest. He was Marlow – the Man with the Laser Gun, who we had met before.
“Hey boys!” he said, “I told you to never trust a cat.” And the Parrot, who was the only one among us who could speak his language, replied:
“I’m sorry my friend is so dim, but thank you for rescuing us.”
“Oh, it’s nothing,” he replied. “It’s always a pleasure to shoot down a feline spaceship and give kitties grief.”
For of course, it was none other than the Man with the Laser Gun, who had shot down the ship as it had hovered 31 above the sea. Our rescue was down to him.
Now this has been a long, and I hope, exciting, story, so I am going to cut the end a little short.
It was of course, a great pleasure to return to the Bank of Pirates with the Parrot. Our personal banker, Joe, was amazed to see us both safe and alive. He couldn’t hide the surprise in his eyes when we walked into his office. The Parrot said the words he did not wish to hear:
“Thanks for keeping my diamond,” I’ve come to take it back now.” Given that Marlow was standing 32 there with us, he had little choice but to be a good little banker and return our precious deposit.
But what use was this diamond to us? It was stolen property. The only people who would buy it off us were pirates, and as we had learned, they could not be trusted. I was longing 33 to return home and to see my dear Jenny. The only thing that Marlow wanted, was to get back to Earth, and even the Parrot had to admit that we owed our lives to him. If we had been taken to the Planet of the Cats in that spaceship, we would have surely faced a fate worse than death.
And so that is why I am very glad to say that we returned to the spaceship park, paid our enormous parking fee – in bird seed as well as dog biscuits – and took off, with Marlow, with the destination Planet Earth programmed into the ship’s navigation system.
adj.阴沉的,凄凉的,令人忧郁的,差劲的
- That is a rather dismal melody.那是一支相当忧郁的歌曲。
- My prospects of returning to a suitable job are dismal.我重新找到一个合适的工作岗位的希望很渺茫。
n.周边,周长,周界
- The river marks the eastern perimeter of our land.这条河标示我们的土地东面的边界。
- Drinks in hands,they wandered around the perimeter of the ball field.他们手里拿着饮料在球场周围漫不经心地遛跶。
adj.乞怜的,奉承的v.(尤指狗等)跳过来往人身上蹭以示亲热( fawn的现在分词 );巴结;讨好
- The servant worn a fawning smile. 仆人的脸上露出一种谄笑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- Then, what submission, what cringing and fawning, what servility, what abject humiliation! 好一个低眉垂首、阿谀逢迎、胁肩谄笑、卑躬屈膝的场面! 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
adj.臭的,烂醉的,讨厌的v.散发出恶臭( stink的现在分词 );发臭味;名声臭;糟透
- I was pushed into a filthy, stinking room. 我被推进一间又脏又臭的屋子里。
- Those lousy, stinking ships. It was them that destroyed us. 是的!就是那些该死的蠢猪似的臭飞船!是它们毁了我们。 来自英汉非文学 - 科幻
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。
[医]青肿的,瘀紫的
- his bruised and bloodied nose 他沾满血的青肿的鼻子
- She had slipped and badly bruised her face. 她滑了一跤,摔得鼻青脸肿。
adj.卑劣的;恶劣的,肮脏的
- The whole river has been fouled up with filthy waste from factories.整条河都被工厂的污秽废物污染了。
- You really should throw out that filthy old sofa and get a new one.你真的应该扔掉那张肮脏的旧沙发,然后再去买张新的。
adj.猫科的
- As a result,humans have learned to respect feline independence.结果是人们已经学会尊重猫的独立性。
- The awakening was almost feline in its stealthiness.这种醒觉,简直和猫的脚步一样地轻悄。
n.猫科动物( feline的名词复数 )
- Any of several felines, such as the cheetah or the snow leopard. 这片地区是濒临灭绝的雪豹的栖息地。 来自互联网
- Search in the basket of life, you will find it, answered Felines. 它在生命的篮子里"巴思特女神回答道。 来自互联网
adj.犬的,犬科的
- The fox is a canine animal.狐狸是犬科动物。
- Herbivorous animals have very small canine teeth,or none.食草动物的犬牙很小或者没有。
n.沉船( wreck的名词复数 );(事故中)遭严重毁坏的汽车(或飞机等);(身体或精神上)受到严重损伤的人;状况非常糟糕的车辆(或建筑物等)v.毁坏[毁灭]某物( wreck的第三人称单数 );使(船舶)失事,使遇难,使下沉
- The shores are strewn with wrecks. 海岸上满布失事船只的残骸。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
- My next care was to get together the wrecks of my fortune. 第二件我所关心的事就是集聚破产后的余财。 来自辞典例句
vi.翱翔,盘旋;徘徊;彷徨,犹豫
- You don't hover round the table.你不要围着桌子走来走去。
- A plane is hover on our house.有一架飞机在我们的房子上盘旋。
鸟( hover的现在分词 ); 靠近(某事物); (人)徘徊; 犹豫
- The helicopter was hovering about 100 metres above the pad. 直升机在离发射台一百米的上空盘旋。
- I'm hovering between the concert and the play tonight. 我犹豫不决今晚是听音乐会还是看戏。
n.暴怒,斜坡,坡道;vi.作恐吓姿势,暴怒,加速;vt.加速
- That driver drove the car up the ramp.那司机将车开上了斜坡。
- The factory don't have that capacity to ramp up.这家工厂没有能力加速生产。
n.鸟嘴,茶壶嘴,钩形鼻
- The bird had a worm in its beak.鸟儿嘴里叼着一条虫。
- This bird employs its beak as a weapon.这种鸟用嘴作武器。
n.栖木,高位,杆;v.栖息,就位,位于
- The bird took its perch.鸟停歇在栖木上。
- Little birds perch themselves on the branches.小鸟儿栖歇在树枝上。
n.吱吱声,逃脱;v.(发出)吱吱叫,侥幸通过;(俚)告密
- I don't want to hear another squeak out of you!我不想再听到你出声!
- We won the game,but it was a narrow squeak.我们打赢了这场球赛,不过是侥幸取胜。
下狱,监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )
- He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁,合并执行。
- They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。
n.养鱼缸,水族馆( aquarium的名词复数 )
- Biotope aquariums represent the natural environments of ornamental fish. 生态鱼缸表现出观赏鱼的自然生活环境。 来自互联网
- There are aquariums in many cities in the world. 世界上好多城市有水族馆。 来自互联网
n.服从,顺从
- 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。
n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物
- The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
- A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。
adj.美好的,乐观的,玫瑰色的
- She got a new job and her life looks rosy.她找到一份新工作,生活看上去很美好。
- She always takes a rosy view of life.她总是对生活持乐观态度。
n.条理,斑纹,倾向,少许,痕迹;v.加条纹,变成条纹,奔驰,快速移动
- The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。
- Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹?
n.厄运,劫数;v.注定,命定
- The report on our economic situation is full of doom and gloom.这份关于我们经济状况的报告充满了令人绝望和沮丧的调子。
- The dictator met his doom after ten years of rule.独裁者统治了十年终于完蛋了。
n.跳蚤( flea的名词复数 );爱财如命;没好气地(拒绝某人的要求)
- The dog has fleas. 这条狗有跳蚤。
- Nothing must be done hastily but killing of fleas. 除非要捉跳蚤,做事不可匆忙。 来自《简明英汉词典》
(从水、泥等)蹚,走过,跋( wade的现在分词 )
- The man tucked up his trousers for wading. 那人卷起裤子,准备涉水。
- The children were wading in the sea. 孩子们在海水中走着。
adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的
- Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来,塞进文件夹里。
鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 ); 靠近(某事物); (人)徘徊; 犹豫
- A hawk hovered over the hill. 一只鹰在小山的上空翱翔。
- A hawk hovered in the blue sky. 一只老鹰在蓝色的天空中翱翔。
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
- 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。