时间:2018-12-06 作者:英语课 分类:69 The Movie Star Mystery


英语课

Do any bank robbers live in Greenfield, Grandfather?” Benny asked at dinner that night.



James Alden finished putting mashed 1 potatoes on his plate. Then he passed the potatoes to Henry. He looked at his youngest grandchild. “Not that I know of,” he said. “Why do you ask?”



“Because we saw some bank robbers today,” Benny said. “Outside the bank.”



“You had an exciting day,” said Grandfather. “First a smoke alarm in the ice-cream shop. And then bank robbers. Were they robbing the bank?” His eyes began to twinkle.



“No. We’re not exactly sure they are bank robbers,” Violet said.



“But they had disguises on,” Jessie said. “And they were acting 2 very suspiciously.”



“How did you know they were in disguise?” Grandfather asked.



“Because we saw them yesterday too, when we were hiking in the woods,” Henry said.



He went on to tell Grandfather Alden everything that had happened. When Henry finished, Grandfather said, “It sounds as if you’ve got a mystery on your hands.”



“And a haunted house, too, maybe,” said Benny.



“A haunted house?” Grandfather said.



“The Radley house out on Old Farm Road,” Henry said. “We saw a moving van drive up to it. The lawn has been cut and the house has been painted, too.”



Benny added, “And we met a mean lady, too. She made us go away.”



“The Radley mansion 3’s been abandoned for years and years,” Grandfather said. “Old Mr. Radley’s only child, Estella, left home when she was just a teenager. Even that was over twenty years ago. Mr. Radley died a few years after that, but no one ever came back to live in the house. I wonder if Estella finally sold it.”



“I wonder if that was Estella who told us to go away,” Jessie said.



“Could be,” Grandfather said. “After she left, I don’t remember that she ever became the famous movie star she’d dreamed of being. Maybe she’s come home at last.”



“Let’s go visit tomorrow and find out,” Benny said.



“Maybe we will, Benny,” said Henry.



The next morning, the Aldens got on their bikes and rode out of town toward Old Farm Road. They pedaled slowly so that Watch could keep up with them. Henry held Watch’s leash 4 as they rode.



When they reached the Radley place, they stopped and stared. The gates were closed today. A big sign hung on one of the gates. It said, NO TRESPASSING 5.



“How are we going to find out if Estella Radley is back now?” Violet said.



Just then, Watch ran around to the other side of the bicycle and got his leash tangled 6 around Henry’s bike pedal. Bending over, Henry unclipped Watch’s leash so he could unwind it.



Watch ran straight up the driveway toward the gate.



“Watch, stop!” Jessie cried. “No trespassing!”



But Watch couldn’t read the sign. He kept running. He wriggled 7 through the iron bars of the gate and disappeared around the curve of the driveway beyond the gate.



“Oh, no!” said Henry. The Aldens quickly propped 8 their bikes against some nearby trees and hurried after Watch.



“Watch, come back!” Violet called through the gate.



“Here, Watch. Here, boy!” Henry called.



Jessie whistled loudly.



Watch didn’t come back.



Benny pushed the gate open and walked right through.



“Benny! What are you doing?” Violet exclaimed.



“The gate wasn’t locked,” Benny said. “I’m going to get Watch.”



He, too, disappeared around the curve of the long driveway.



“Come on, then,” Henry said, and led the way as they all followed Benny. As they rounded the bend in the driveway, they heard the sound of laughter.



“Look,” said Jessie.



Watch was tugging 9 on a stick. At the other end of the stick was an enormous shaggy brown dog. A boy not much older than Henry stood nearby, grinning.



When he saw the Aldens, he waved. “Is this your dog?” he called.



“Yes,” Henry answered.



“His name’s Watch,” said Benny. “What’s your dog’s name?”



“Her name is Greta,” the boy said. “Greta Garbo, after the movie star.”



“Oh,” said Benny. He didn’t know who the boy was talking about. “She’s a pretty dog.”



“I found her when I was in Sweden working on a . . . visiting, I mean. Greta Garbo was from Sweden, too,” the boy said.



“Oh,” said Benny again, still not sure who Greta Garbo was.



Suddenly Watch jerked the stick free from Greta and ran with it. Greta gave a short, surprised bark, then raced after Watch.



“They really like each other,” the boy observed. By now the Aldens had gotten close enough to see him clearly.



Violet said, “You’re the boy from the ice-cream shop!” She put one hand over her mouth in surprise.



The boy raised his eyebrows 10. He wasn’t wearing his cap and dark glasses today. They could see that he was older than he had looked at first. He had black hair and blue eyes and long black eyelashes. He was wearing baggy 11 jeans and an old sweatshirt.



“And you’re my rescuers,” the boy said. “I wanted to stay and thank you, but I had to leave. My name is, uh, Jonathan.”



“We’re the Aldens,” Henry said, and introduced everyone.



“Is your last name Radley? Have you moved here?” Benny asked.



“Not exactly,” Jonathan said vaguely 12. “Do you guys live near here?”



“We live in Greenfield,” Jessie said.



“That’s the nearest town, right?” Jonathan said.



“What are you children doing here?” a voice demanded sharply.



They all looked up to see the same young woman they had seen two days before. She had her hands on her hips 13 and she was frowning ferociously 14.



“It’s okay, Courtney,” Jonathan said quickly.



“How did you get in?” Courtney demanded.



“Through the gate,” Violet said. “Our dog wiggled through the bars and we came after him.”



“I know you didn’t wiggle through, too, so I guess it wasn’t locked,” Jonathan said.



Just then, Watch and Greta ran back toward them. Greta had the stick now. She raced up to Jonathan and dropped the stick at his feet.



Jonathan picked it up and Greta danced around him.



“She wants you to throw the stick,” Jessie said.



“I know,” said Jonathan, grinning. “I can speak dog, too.”



Courtney came down the stairs and walked toward the Aldens. She was wearing a one-piece jumpsuit over a turtleneck sweater. She looked strong and almost menacing.



“It’s okay,” Jonathan said, sounding a little impatient. To the Aldens he said, “This is Courtney Foote. She’s a little . . . protective.”



“It’s my job,” Courtney said, her eyes never leaving the Aldens. To the Aldens she said, “I’ll walk you back to the gate.”



“Greta and I will come, too,” said Jonathan. He seemed to be trying to make up for Courtney’s rudeness.



“That’s not necessary,” Courtney said.



Jonathan gave her a sweet smile. Jessie stared at him. “Yes, it is,” he said. He talked politely to the Aldens as he walked with them to the gate, but Courtney didn’t say a word.



She opened the gate and stepped back, motioning for the Aldens to go through it. Henry bent 15 down and clipped the leash back on Watch’s collar.



“Come see me and Greta again,” Jonathan said.



“We will,” agreed Henry.



Courtney clanged the gate shut. She said in a loud voice, “We’re having a lock installed on that gate this afternoon. We’ve had enough trouble.”



Jonathan winked 16 at the Aldens. “I’ll know when I see Watch that you’re here,” he said.



“You should go back to the house,” said Courtney. “For your own safety.”



Jonathan shrugged 17 and rolled his eyes. But he didn’t argue. He and Greta began to walk up the driveway.



Courtney stayed by the gate, her arms folded, watching as the Aldens pedaled away.



“Whew!” said Henry. “She really doesn’t want us around.”



“Who does she think is going to hurt Jonathan?” Violet wondered.



“Good question,” Jessie said. She pedaled in silence for a little while, then added, “This is going to sound a little weird 18, maybe, but I think I’ve seen Jonathan before.”



“Sure you have,” said Benny. “At the ice-cream shop yesterday.”



“No. I’d seen him before that,” said Jessie.



“I think I have, too,” said Henry. “And not on a wanted poster at the post office.”



“But not around Greenfield,” Violet said.



“No,” Henry said. “Not around Greenfield.”



“We’ve traveled a lot,” Violet said. “Maybe you saw him on one of our trips.”



“Maybe,” said Henry. “But I don’t think so.”



“He’s very handsome,” said Jessie.



“He is?” said Benny, “I liked Greta. I thought she was handsome. So did Watch.”



“Oh, Benny,” said Jessie, shaking her head and laughing.



Violet said, “Jonathan never told us his last name, or if he and his family had moved into the mansion. So we still haven’t solved that mystery.”



“We have lots of mysteries,” Benny said happily. “Bank robbers and who lives in that old house and why that mean lady acts so weird and why Jessie thinks Jonathan is handsome.”



Jessie blushed a little. Violet said, “Jessie’s right. Jonathan is handsome. Like a movie star.”



“That’s it!” Jessie exclaimed.



“What?” said Violet.



“Come on,” Jessie said. “I’ll show you!”



1 mashed
a.捣烂的
  • two scoops of mashed potato 两勺土豆泥
  • Just one scoop of mashed potato for me, please. 请给我盛一勺土豆泥。
2 acting
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的
  • Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她,她只是假装的。
  • During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代,她的表演生涯黯然失色。
3 mansion
n.大厦,大楼;宅第
  • The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
  • The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。
4 leash
n.牵狗的皮带,束缚;v.用皮带系住
  • 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。
5 trespassing
[法]非法入侵
  • He told me I was trespassing on private land. 他说我在擅闯私人土地。
  • Don't come trespassing on my land again. 别再闯入我的地界了。
6 tangled
v.扭动,蠕动,蜿蜒行进( wriggle的过去式和过去分词 );(使身体某一部位)扭动;耍滑不做,逃避(应做的事等)
  • He wriggled uncomfortably on the chair. 他坐在椅子上不舒服地扭动着身体。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • A snake wriggled across the road. 一条蛇蜿蜒爬过道路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
7 propped
支撑,支持,维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 )
  • He sat propped up in the bed by pillows. 他靠着枕头坐在床上。
  • This fence should be propped up. 这栅栏该用东西支一支。
8 tugging
n.牵引感v.用力拉,使劲拉,猛扯( tug的现在分词 )
  • Tom was tugging at a button-hole and looking sheepish. 汤姆捏住一个钮扣眼使劲地拉,样子显得很害羞。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
  • She kicked him, tugging his thick hair. 她一边踢他,一边扯着他那浓密的头发。 来自辞典例句
9 eyebrows
眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )
  • Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
  • His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。
10 baggy
adj.膨胀如袋的,宽松下垂的
  • My T-shirt went all baggy in the wash.我的T恤越洗越大了。
  • Baggy pants are meant to be stylish,not offensive.松松垮垮的裤子意味着时髦,而不是无礼。
11 vaguely
adv.含糊地,暖昧地
  • He had talked vaguely of going to work abroad.他含糊其词地说了到国外工作的事。
  • He looked vaguely before him with unseeing eyes.他迷迷糊糊的望着前面,对一切都视而不见。
12 hips
abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯,耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 );[建筑学]屋脊;臀围(尺寸);臀部…的
  • She stood with her hands on her hips. 她双手叉腰站着。
  • They wiggled their hips to the sound of pop music. 他们随着流行音乐的声音摇晃着臀部。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 ferociously
野蛮地,残忍地
  • The buck shook his antlers ferociously. 那雄鹿猛烈地摇动他的鹿角。
  • At intervals, he gritted his teeth ferociously. 他不时狠狠的轧平。
14 bent
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的
  • 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。
15 winked
v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 );递眼色(表示友好或高兴等);(指光)闪烁;闪亮
  • He winked at her and she knew he was thinking the same thing that she was. 他冲她眨了眨眼,她便知道他的想法和她一样。
  • He winked his eyes at her and left the classroom. 他向她眨巴一下眼睛走出了教室。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
16 shrugged
vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式)
  • Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀,什么也没说。
  • She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩,装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
17 weird
adj.古怪的,离奇的;怪诞的,神秘而可怕的
  • From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来,他好像有点怪。
  • His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。
学英语单词
active control tech nology
automation of cargo handling
axis of figure
bainitic transformation
bibliotherapist
blind bombing zone
Bromus magnus
bullock hearts
butt-jointed shell ring
Bükkzsérc
cadence detection
Callicarpa kochiana
chable
chondrogen
columnwise
combined arms team
computer network
contrary intention
corpora liberum pericardii
crosslevel
dar pahn
diphasic titration
dislocation mucleation
equidecomposability
expendable drone
external selection
extreme ultraviolet
fictious person
flat called
Francisco Jose de Goya
Gafac surfactant
give dosage form
ground robin
Herford
hey
isolation between inputs
Jerseytown
jimmying
Kadavu Island
kidney essence
king matker
legal discipline
locator variable
madioxytheria formosana
menformon
metal fuelled
mucolic acids
non-convex quadratic programming
nondelivered
North-West Frontier Province
ordnance engineering
os pharyngeum inferius
Osmoxylon
outlay for liquidation
pain receptor
panting girder
Peacekeeper missile
pick-up coil
pill maker
ply strain
plywood-covered
Porto Grande
pottled
predicting relation
Proxylide
Quipar, R.
rafter
rashie
registro
reticulated vein
shoaib
single row ball bearing with ring seal
six panel door
SL-SD
slip of pen
smooth approach
spectral source density
spray decoration
stalking horses
starter nozzle
stratified one-stage cluster sampling
strepsigonia diluta takamukui
subcutaenous calcareous granuloma
surface of translation
tension-active element
Teza
threa
thump-thump
track balance
transient radiation damage
true fibre
V die
venin-antivenin
ventilating tube
waveshape
within-participants design
woman on the beach
Yedineniya, Ostrov
yellowfins
ymesurid
Zeddam