时间:2018-12-06 作者:英语课 分类:95 The Midnight Mystery


英语课

That night Jessie stopped the clocks in the bedroom so everyone would get a good night’s sleep. But it wasn’t so easy to stop Ruff and Tumble from snoring. Their snuffly, wheezy snores woke up Jessie. She lay there for a few minutes, listening. Finally, she rolled out of bed and tiptoed across the chilly 1 floor. As long as I’m awake, she thought, I might as well visit the grandfather clock. “Stay!” she whispered when she heard the dogs stir.



Of course, with Jessie up, Ruff and Tumble wanted to be up as well.



“All right, all right,” Jessie whispered. “You can come downstairs, too. I hope it’s not midnight yet.” Was she too late to hear the grandfather clock go off? She went out to the hall with her flashlight.



The steady tick of the clocks sounded so cozy 2, Jessie almost returned to bed. She aimed her flashlight at one of them. “Two minutes to midnight.”



Like all dogs, Ruff and Tumble didn’t need a flashlight to find their way through the dim hallway. They scooted past Jessie, down the stairs, and out of sight. Jessie started after them, then froze. She was almost certain she had heard a woman’s voice coming from the first floor.



Before Jessie could decide what to do, the house filled with gongs and chimes and cuckoos. It was midnight again.



Jessie leaned cautiously against the banister and looked down. “It’s Martha!” she whispered to herself. She watched as Martha aimed her own flashlight up, down, and behind the chiming grandfather clock. Martha appeared to be mumbling 3 something, but Jessie couldn’t hear what it was.



Jessie went down the last flight of stairs, not on tiptoes, but with firm steps. When she reached the last step, she aimed her flashlight straight at Martha.



All the clocks stopped at the same moment.



Martha whirled around so suddenly, she dropped her flashlight. It rolled along the floor. “Who’s there?” she asked, blinded by Jessie’s flashlight.



“It’s me, Jessie. I woke up and decided 4 to come downstairs. How did you get in the house? I thought I locked it.”



“I ... uh ... it wasn’t locked tight, I guess.” Martha stood frozen in place next to the grandfather clock. “I left something behind this afternoon. I was just looking for it.”



Jessie found this strange. “What were you looking for? Couldn’t you wait until morning?”



Martha tried to get a better look at Jessie.



“I wanted to come get it before it got mixed in with all that stuff for the convention. Anyway, I’ve got it now, so I’ll just be going.” Martha bent 5 down to pick up her flashlight, which had rolled into the corner. Something fell from her jacket. She picked it up quickly and stuffed it into her pocket.



“That’s Alice Putter’s riddle 6 book,” Jessie said. “Why are you carrying it around? I thought you wanted to put it in a safe place.”



Martha patted her jacket. “This is a safe place. Now, it’s late. It’s time for both of us to go to bed.”



Martha walked quickly out the door and shut it firmly behind her.



Jessie stared at the grandfather clock. “I wish you could tell me what your secret is,” she said to the man-in-the-moon face.



The clock ticked steadily 7 on.



Jessie went back upstairs. When her brothers and sister heard her come in, they woke up, too.



“What’s up, Jessie?” Henry said in a tired voice. “Did the dogs have to go out?”



Jessie crawled into her sleeping bag. “No, but they woke me up with their snoring. I got to thinking about the man-in-the-moon riddle. I went to check the clock at midnight to see if anything would happen.”



“I wish I’d gone, too,” Benny said. Unlike Henry, he didn’t sound a bit sleepy. “Did anything happen?”



Jessie zipped her sleeping bag to warm herself up. “I’ll say — Martha was there! She was mumbling something and peering all around the clock. She tried to tell me the front door was unlocked, but I’m pretty sure I locked it so it wouldn’t blow open.”



Violet’s bed was right next to Jessie’s. She rolled over to face her. “Did anything happen with the clock? I was sound asleep, so I didn’t even hear any of them go off.”



“Nothing happened,” Jessie said. “But Martha had the riddle book with her.”



“That’s very strange,” Henry said. “I guess we should keep an eye on her.”



“Guess so,” Benny agreed. “Good night.”



“Night,” three soft voices echoed.



The next morning, the children finished all the work Isabel had asked them to do. Then they had time to work on their own inventions. Since they didn’t see Brad around, they decided to use the long kitchen table as a workbench.



Henry tried on his rainy-day backpack, which he had invented for the convention. He had outfitted 8 it with a special umbrella holder 9 so the wearer could walk in the rain without having to hold anything. Benny warned him that it was unlucky to open an umbrella indoors, but Henry opened it anyway. “How else will I know if it works?” he asked in his sensible way. First it tilted 10 a little too far to the right. Then it leaned a little too far to the left. Henry needed to make some adjustments.



“I’m not sure which of my two inventions to enter in the contest,” Violet said. “My crayon saver is very useful, but it doesn’t seem very exciting.” She held up the lipstick 11 tube that Mrs. McGregor had given her. Violet had put a screw inside to hold a small crayon stub that was too short to hold by hand. “I wish I had some of those little tools and screws Mr. Percy had in his toolbox to get it to work better. I think I’m going to enter my jewelry 12 arm instead, but I’m not sure yet.” Violet held up the wooden hand and arm she had carved in art class to display rings and bracelets 13.



Except for needing fresh batteries, Benny’s flashlight hat was finished. But he needed Jessie’s help, anyway. He held out a wrinkled sheet of paper with his careful printing on it. “Can you read my directions so I don’t have any mistakes?”



Jessie put down the screwdriver 14. Her invention was a convenient recycling wagon 15. She had built a small cart with two bins 16 — one for newspapers and one for cans and bottles — that could be rolled out to the curb 17 on recycling day. Jessie studied Benny’s directions. “They look fine to me. Your printing is as good as your reading now.”



The children heard the kitchen door creak open.



Brad and Martha stepped inside.



Brad set his heavy toolbox on the table.



“I have to work in here, and I need the table to work on. You kids will have to move your stuff to the counters. Don’t worry, I won’t bother any of it.”



The Aldens looked at one another. Why couldn’t Brad work someplace else? They weren’t sure what to do.



Martha handed Jessie a box of fliers. “I need these posted around town, please. Since Brad will be working in here anyway, you can leave right now. Off you go.”



The Aldens hesitated.



“Now,” Martha and Brad said together.



Jessie and Violet carried their inventions to the counter on the other side of the kitchen. Benny kept on his flashlight hat, and Henry wore his rainy-day backpack.



As the Aldens left, they heard Brad and Martha arguing about another errand that needed to be done right away. The children passed the grandfather clock in the entryway. It was ticking along in its nice, steady way.



“Just ten more minutes,” Henry complained. “That’s all we need to get another look at that clock when it goes off at noon. We may not know the whole riddle, but I have a hunch 18 it’s a message about this clock.”



Jessie stepped forward. “I wonder if the glass over the face opens or if there’s a panel in back or something.” She pulled gently on a carved wood decoration that ran from the top of the clock to the bottom. “It doesn’t budge 19, so I don’t — ”



“What are you doing?” Martha asked when she stepped into the entryway. “It’s lunchtime. I think you should leave for town now so you’ll have plenty of time after lunch to put up my fliers.” She looked at her watch again.



Jessie’s mouth opened, but her words didn’t come out. She opened the front door and motioned the other children to follow.



As the children walked down the driveway, they saw a delivery truck on its way out.



“I bet the deliveryman just dropped off more inventions,” Henry said. “Let’s take a quick look in the garage to see what came.”



“After we’re done, can we go to the Red Rooster Diner for lunch? I’m getting hungry.”



Jessie smiled at Benny. “Me, too. That’s a good idea. We’ll check the deliveries, go to lunch, then put up Martha’s fliers.”



When the children entered the garage, they didn’t see any unopened packages. What they did see was Mr. Percy. He was up to his elbows in packing materials — crumpled 20 newspapers, bubble wrap, straw, and boxes with their lids wide-open. He was so busy unwrapping things, he didn’t see the Aldens standing 21 there.



“Hi, Mr. Percy,” Violet said in her soft voice.



Mr. Percy still didn’t look up.



Benny went over and stood in front of him. “What are you working on?”



At last, Mr. Percy noticed the Aldens standing there. He quickly put away a notebook he had opened next to him. “What are you kids doing here?” he asked. “I was just checking on these deliveries.”



Jessie came over and looked around. “Ms. Putter asked us to do all the unpacking 22 with Martha.”



Mr. Percy closed his notebook and put a cap on his pen. “Martha rushed off into the house before noon — who knows why — and left all these packages just sitting here. Mechanical objects are my specialty 23. I like to look at ‘em and fix ‘em.”



Henry went over to get a closer look at the inventions. “So what are these doodads, anyway?”



Mr. Percy didn’t seem impressed. “A bendable spoon for a baby. Already invented! A combination snow shovel 24 and broom. Nothing new there. A corkscrew-style garden hose that doesn’t tangle 25. Invented already.”



“You seem disappointed, Mr. Percy,” Violet said. “Were you looking for something else?”



Mr. Percy stared at Violet through his magnification glasses. “Of course I was looking for something else! Ever since Alice Putter died, nobody’s come along with anything that could touch her inventions. Why, just look around this place — her clocks, her sculptures that don’t just stand there. They move and do things. Things of beauty.”



Benny took off his hat. “This moves and does things. Is my flashlight hat a thing of beauty, too?”



For once, Mr. Percy seemed about to smile, but not quite. “Almost, young fellow. Almost.”



1 chilly
adj.凉快的,寒冷的
  • I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
  • I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后,寒气逼人。
2 cozy
adj.亲如手足的,密切的,暖和舒服的
  • I like blankets because they are cozy.我喜欢毛毯,因为他们是舒适的。
  • We spent a cozy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。
3 mumbling
含糊地说某事,叽咕,咕哝( mumble的现在分词 )
  • I could hear him mumbling to himself. 我听到他在喃喃自语。
  • He was still mumbling something about hospitals at the end of the party when he slipped on a piece of ice and broke his left leg. 宴会结束时,他仍在咕哝着医院里的事。说着说着,他在一块冰上滑倒,跌断了左腿。
4 decided
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
  • 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。
5 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。
6 riddle
n.谜,谜语,粗筛;vt.解谜,给…出谜,筛,检查,鉴定,非难,充满于;vi.出谜
  • The riddle couldn't be solved by the child.这个谜语孩子猜不出来。
  • Her disappearance is a complete riddle.她的失踪完全是一个谜。
7 steadily
adv.稳定地;不变地;持续地
  • The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
  • Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。
8 outfitted
v.装备,配置设备,供给服装( outfit的过去式和过去分词 )
  • They outfitted for the long journey. 他们为远途旅行准备装束。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • They outfitted him with artificial legs. 他们为他安了假腿。 来自辞典例句
9 holder
n.持有者,占有者;(台,架等)支持物
  • The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
  • That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。
10 tilted
v. 倾斜的
  • Suddenly the boat tilted to one side. 小船突然倾向一侧。
  • She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。
11 lipstick
n.口红,唇膏
  • Taking out her lipstick,she began to paint her lips.她拿出口红,开始往嘴唇上抹。
  • Lipstick and hair conditioner are cosmetics.口红和护发素都是化妆品。
12 jewelry
n.(jewllery)(总称)珠宝
  • The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
  • Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。
13 bracelets
n.手镯,臂镯( bracelet的名词复数 )
  • The lamplight struck a gleam from her bracelets. 她的手镯在灯光的照射下闪闪发亮。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • On display are earrings, necklaces and bracelets made from jade, amber and amethyst. 展出的有用玉石、琥珀和紫水晶做的耳环、项链和手镯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
14 screwdriver
n.螺丝起子;伏特加橙汁鸡尾酒
  • He took a screwdriver and teased out the remaining screws.他拿出螺丝刀把其余的螺丝卸了下来。
  • The electric drill can also be used as a screwdriver.这把电钻也可用作螺丝刀。
15 wagon
n.四轮马车,手推车,面包车;无盖运货列车
  • We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
  • The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。
16 bins
n.大储藏箱( bin的名词复数 );宽口箱(如面包箱,垃圾箱等)v.扔掉,丢弃( bin的第三人称单数 )
  • Garbage from all sources was deposited in bins on trolleys. 来自各方的垃圾是装在手推车上的垃圾箱里的。 来自辞典例句
  • Would you be pleased at the prospect of its being on sale in dump bins? 对于它将被陈列在倾销箱中抛售这件事,你能欣然接受吗? 来自辞典例句
17 curb
n.场外证券市场,场外交易;vt.制止,抑制
  • I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
  • You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。
18 hunch
n.预感,直觉
  • I have a hunch that he didn't really want to go.我有这么一种感觉,他并不真正想去。
  • I had a hunch that Susan and I would work well together.我有预感和苏珊共事会很融洽。
19 budge
v.移动一点儿;改变立场
  • We tried to lift the rock but it wouldn't budge.我们试图把大石头抬起来,但它连动都没动一下。
  • She wouldn't budge on the issue.她在这个问题上不肯让步。
20 crumpled
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。
21 unpacking
n.取出货物,拆包[箱]v.从(包裹等)中取出(所装的东西),打开行李取出( unpack的现在分词 );拆包;解除…的负担;吐露(心事等)
  • 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》
22 specialty
n.(speciality)特性,特质;专业,专长
  • Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
  • His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。
23 shovel
n.铁锨,铲子,一铲之量;v.铲,铲出
  • He was working with a pick and shovel.他在用镐和铲干活。
  • He seized a shovel and set to.他拿起一把铲就干上了。
24 tangle
n.纠缠;缠结;混乱;v.(使)缠绕;变乱
  • I shouldn't tangle with Peter.He is bigger than me.我不应该与彼特吵架。他的块头比我大。
  • If I were you, I wouldn't tangle with them.我要是你,我就不跟他们争吵。
学英语单词
a-type boiler
abiding places
accelerating conductor or relay
act up to one's opinion
adamantoids
AG out
amplidyne control unit
amplitude-squeezed light
AMVER
Archaeozoon
asymbiotic nitrogen fixation
atomic packing factor
autocap
bachem
Bergerocactus
black nationalist,Black Nationalist
calate
call signal
carpenter ants
cathode ray gun
chemical fastness
citizen's advocate centre
coal briquette
count against sb
delessio
descent orbit insertion
dittogrphy
dolores vagi
dreamina
earth-eater
emergency bilge suction valve
environmental pharmacology
eye tracking unit
fara
fe-s protein
font type
generation of trip
genuine turpentine oil
goods in bulk
grandiflora
gross start-stop distortion
guest rooms
have somebody by the short hairs
illtyd
intermodel
joffes
kill the enemy
macro directory
media globalization
meningoencephalitides
minimum deflection angle
mobile-river
moon face
mutual most-favored-nation clause
nemery
neoplatin
Nerdwallet
nominal size of pipe
norbert wieners
nuclear design calculations
once-dilapidated
open the way for
orthochronous
panchetti
peloponnesos (morea)
phonon coupled level
phytoclimate
plugged steel
potential capillarity
premium digital content
prester
previous-carry digit
program manager
psychotherapy in dermatological non-disease
pulsed ring
pursuers
r.s
racial stereotype
reflecting component
science and applications
Scourge of God
self-learners
set column markers
sheep maggot
sischanensis
slaved system
snetterton
sodium cooled valves
square of Pegasus
stop-over
storified
super-long stroke crosshead diesel engine
sustained transfer rate
the victims of the earthquake
triangular plug
Trogontherium
undercut trimmer saw
unhinged
value add
voltage overshoot
with the speed of
writable control storage programming