时间:2018-12-06 作者:英语课 分类:118 The Spy Game


英语课

When the Aldens arrived back at the Penner place, they headed straight for the attic 1. They checked every inch of the hope chest for secret compartments 2. But they turned up nothing.



“I don’t get it,” Benny said, the game of checkers tucked under his arm. “I was so sure we were on the right track this time.”



Jessie could feel her brother’s disappointment. “Never mind,” she said, putting a comforting arm around him. “We’ll have a nice game of checkers tonight. That’ll be fun, right?”



Benny gave a half-hearted smile.



“Do you think we should’ve checked with Amanda first?” Violet wondered. “Before bringing the game downstairs, I mean.”



“I’m sure it’ll be fine, Violet,” Jessie said as they walked along the hallway.



Once again, the four children paused in front of the photograph of Dora. “There must be a clue we’re not seeing,” Henry said thoughtfully.



Nobody said anything for a moment. Then Violet suddenly gasped 4.



“Carly Boyd!” she cried, her eyes wide.



“Are you talking about the waitress at the diner?” Benny asked.



Violet nodded. “I couldn’t figure out where I’d seen her before.” Seeing their puzzled faces, she added, “Don’t you get it? Carly Boyd looks exactly like Dora!”



“What?” Henry laughed. “You’re kidding, right?”



Violet pulled the flyer from her back pocket. “Take a look for yourself,” she said, flattening 5 out the creases 6.



The other Aldens looked from the flyer to the photograph and back again. “I can’t believe it!” Jessie said in astonishment 7.



“Carly looks enough like Dora to be her twin sister,” added Henry.



“They have the same heart-shaped faces and fair hair,” said Violet, who had an artist’s eye for detail.



“And they’re both tall and slim,” added Jessie. “Carly’s the spitting image of Dora, as Grandfather would say.”



“It’s the strangest thing.” Violet felt an icy chill up her spine 8. “What do you think it means?”



“Maybe Carly’s related to the Penner family,” Jessie said. “That would explain why they look so much alike.”



“We can ask Amanda about it when she gets home,” Violet proposed.



Henry had an idea. “Why don’t we cool off in the creek 9 while we’re waiting?” And the others were quick to agree.



The Aldens changed into their swimsuits, then made their way to Fudge Hollow. They lost all track of time as they splashed around in the creek. The afternoon shadows were growing longer when they finally headed back to the house. After changing back into T-shirts and shorts, they went downstairs to help Mrs. Dawson with dinner. But when they got close to the kitchen, they paused at the sound of Mrs. Dawson’s voice.



“No, I’m sure they don’t suspect a thing, Steve,” Mrs. Dawson was saying. She was talking on the phone, her back to the children. “Yes … I know it would ruin everything if they figure out what’s really going on.”



The Aldens couldn’t believe their ears. Was it possible that Mrs. Dawson and Steve Kooner were partners in crime?



“No, not yet,” Mrs. Dawson went on. “But I’m keeping my fingers crossed … If I can open Pandora’s box, my dreams will finally come true.”



This made Benny gasp 3, and Mrs. Dawson whirled around. Her eyes widened when she saw the Aldens in the kitchen doorway 10.



“Oh, you gave me a start!” she cried, hanging up the phone. “I … um, was just …” She didn’t seem to know what to say. It was almost as though she’d been caught doing something wrong.



“We thought we’d help with dinner,” Violet said quietly.



“Oh, everything’s ready, Violet,” Mrs. Dawson told her. “I thought chicken and salads would hit the spot. I always say, nothing beats a cold dinner on a hot day.” She seemed relieved to be talking about something else.



As the Aldens sat down at the table, Mrs. Dawson hurried out of the room, looking troubled.



“Can you believe it?” Jessie said, keeping her voice low. “Steve and Mrs. Dawson are working together.”



“You don’t really think they’re trying to steal Amanda’s gold, do you?” Violet asked.



“I don’t want to think that, Violet,” Jessie said. “But she was talking about Pandora’s box. What else can it mean?”



“It means she’s tracking down clues,” said Benny.



“And did you notice?” Henry added. “Mrs. Dawson couldn’t even look us in the eye.”



Violet had to admit it seemed suspicious. But she didn’t want to believe Mrs. Dawson would do something so awful.



They were quiet for a while as they ate their dinner. It wasn’t until they were clearing the table that Benny spoke 11 up.



“Mrs. Dawson’s dream is to open a bookstore,” he reminded them. “And that costs a lot of money.”



Henry stacked the plates on the counter. “Maybe she’ll do whatever it takes to make her dream come true.”



“Even stealing from Amanda?” cried Violet.



“We all like her,” Jessie told her sister. “But we have to consider every possibility.”



Violet opened a drawer. She was looking for a dishtowel. “I know how it sounds, but—” She suddenly stopped talking.



“What’s wrong, Violet?” asked Jessie, who was up to her elbows in soapy water.



“There’s something here I think you should see.” Violet’s eyes were huge. “Something very strange.”



The other Aldens hurried over. “I found this under the dishtowels,” Violet said, as she removed a photograph from the drawer.



The photo, badly faded with age, showed a dark-haired young woman in a white gown. There was a man in the picture, too. He had a mustache, and his hair was parted in the middle.



Benny had a thought. “I bet that’s the missing picture from the family album.”



Jessie was staring hard at the photo. “Isn’t that Brandon Penner?”



“Got to be,” said Henry.



“How can you be so sure?” Benny asked.



“Remember the photo in the family album?” Jessie reminded her little brother. “The one of Brandon Penner, I mean.”



“Oh, right!” said Benny. “That does look like the man in the album.”



“There’s only one problem,” Jessie said. “Who’s the woman in this photo?”



“Turn it over,” Violet instructed her sister.



Jessie flipped 12 the photograph. She read the words on the back aloud: “The Penners’ wedding day—February, 1904.”



For a moment, the Aldens just stared at one other in stunned 13 silence. Finally, Henry spoke up.



“How can that be Brandon’s wedding day?” he said. “The woman in the wedding dress sure isn’t Dora.”



“Then … who is she?” Benny asked in a hushed voice.



“It must be Abigail,” Violet said as she put the photograph back in the drawer.



Jessie nodded. “Grandfather seemed sure Brandon had married someone named Abigail.”



Benny scratched his head. “But … how can there be two brides?”



Jessie shrugged 14. Benny looked at Henry and then at Violet. They didn’t seem to have any answers, either.



“If Brandon married Abigail,” said Violet, “then who on earth was Dora?”



“I was just wondering the same thing,” said Henry. “I can’t get my head around it. Can you, Jessie?”



But Jessie didn’t answer. She was thinking hard. She had the strangest feeling that she knew something—something important. But it was stuck in the back of her mind and she couldn’t shake it loose. Then a funny look suddenly came over her face.



“Don’t keep us in the dark, Jessie,” Henry pleaded. “What are you thinking?”



“Remember when Amanda dropped a business card the other day?” Jessie said.



Violet nodded. “She tore it up.”



“Well, I just remembered something,” Jessie continued. “It was a business card for the Greenfield Modeling Agency!”



Henry’s eyebrows 15 shot up. “Are you sure, Jessie?”



“Very sure.”



“Hey!” said Benny. “Isn’t that where Carly Boyd works?”



“Yes, it is,” Jessie said with a nod.



“Do you think it’s just a coincidence?” asked Violet.



“Maybe,” said Jessie. “Or maybe … maybe Carly Boyd doesn’t just look like Dora Penner—maybe she is Dora Penner.”



“What do you mean?” Henry asked.



“Listen, Carly looks just like Dora, right? Plus, she’s a model for the Greenfield Modeling Agency,” said Jessie. “And on top of that, Amanda just happened to have their business card.”



“You mean … you think Amanda hired Carly to pose for that photo?” Violet wondered.



“I think it’s possible,” Jessie replied.



“Amanda tried to fool us?” Benny asked. A frown crossed his round face.



“I can’t be sure,” said Jessie. “But it looks that way.”



“That’s interesting Jessie,” Henry said. “But why would she do such a thing?”



Before Jessie could answer, they heard the front door open.



“That must be Amanda!” said Violet.



“Let’s find out what this is all about,” Henry said.



Violet wasn’t so sure about this. “But … what if we’re wrong?”



“Don’t worry, Violet,” Henry assured her. “We’ll just ask a few questions and see how Amanda reacts. There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?”



“No, I suppose not,” Violet said.



The Aldens had plenty of questions. The problem was, they didn’t have any answers.

 



1 attic
n.顶楼,屋顶室
  • Leakiness in the roof caused a damp attic.屋漏使顶楼潮湿。
  • What's to be done with all this stuff in the attic?顶楼上的材料怎么处理?
2 compartments
n.间隔( compartment的名词复数 );(列车车厢的)隔间;(家具或设备等的)分隔间;隔层
  • Your pencil box has several compartments. 你的铅笔盒有好几个格。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The first-class compartments are in front. 头等车室在前头。 来自《简明英汉词典》
3 gasp
n.喘息,气喘;v.喘息;气吁吁他说
  • She gave a gasp of surprise.她吃惊得大口喘气。
  • The enemy are at their last gasp.敌人在做垂死的挣扎。
4 gasped
v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 );喘息;倒抽气;很想要
  • 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》
5 flattening
(使…)起折痕,弄皱( crease的第三人称单数 ); (皮肤)皱起,使起皱纹
  • She smoothed the creases out of her skirt. 她把裙子上的皱褶弄平。
  • She ironed out all the creases in the shirt. 她熨平了衬衣上的所有皱褶。
6 astonishment
n.惊奇,惊异
  • They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
  • I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。
7 spine
n.脊柱,脊椎;(动植物的)刺;书脊
  • He broke his spine in a fall from a horse.他从马上跌下摔断了脊梁骨。
  • His spine developed a slight curve.他的脊柱有点弯曲。
8 creek
n.小溪,小河,小湾
  • He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
  • People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。
9 doorway
n.门口,(喻)入门;门路,途径
  • 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。
10 spoke
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
11 flipped
轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 ); 按(开关); 快速翻转; 急挥
  • The plane flipped and crashed. 飞机猛地翻转,撞毁了。
  • The carter flipped at the horse with his whip. 赶大车的人扬鞭朝着马轻轻地抽打。
12 stunned
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》
13 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。
学英语单词
abastardized
absolute optimal function
adjacent channel selectivity
administratice chain of command
amount of physical memory
aprt
automatic-appropriate
automation with feedback control
bebed
body freedom
bowfat
cardioviruses
childe hassams
cold junction compensation
complex fractions
container load weight
duct silencer
dye-dilution
eccentric water distributor
electronic calibration laboratory
Enlund method
extension hunting
Faddeya, Zaliv
filling gun
filter parer
fire resistance rating
flappers
fluid drachm
foam mark
folk-rock
food centre
fuquas
gluier
glycerin abietate
groave
growth retardant
guiding rod
hand-offs
HeLa/fibroblast(hybrid)
heterolytic fission
hold the cards
horizontal condenser
hot isostatic compaction
idjit
jet spinner
Keith's mum
king of arms
Kos'kovo
Krestsy
laminar shear
land and sea breezes
lauric anhydride
leisure sociology
lichtenberg
managed price
marital rights
medicine shows
mid-water
model group
Murdochian
no-nation
nodal method
noncontiguous
offence of illegal infringement of citizens
operating mass
ostalgitis
paintmakers
parcelle
pavement gravel
photosensitive sealer
pike perch
pilot report
Plomer, William
pluractionality
polyvinyl phthalimide
pre-woman
principle of optimality
printed page
puttered around
queste
reference implementations
Ringarum
roll turning lathe
RPG compiler
Sageretia paucicostata
separation instrumentation
slim blade suture needle
spinoblast
standard operand format code
Statements of Standard Accounting Practice
subset construction
take a firm hold on oneself
tandem roller
thalassochemical
triaging
twist untwist method
udoes
underdefine
vellication
verta
VLF radio navigation system
Wenlock Shales