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


英语课

For the next few hours, the Aldens weaved their way through the trees, trudged 1 through brush, and climbed over rocks. They weren’t sure what kind of clue they were looking for, but they kept an eye out for anything unusual. When they came to a creek 2, Benny pointed 3 to a fallen tree that made a perfect bridge across the water.



“I bet that’s the spot Amanda was talking about,” he said.



Violet looked over. “You mean, where she’d sit with her grandfather?”



Benny nodded. “And they’d dangle 4 their feet in the water.”



“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” said Henry. “Why don’t we have our picnic right here?”



With that, the children pulled off their socks and shoes, then made their way to the middle of the log. As they sat side by side, Jessie passed out the sandwiches, while Henry opened the thermos 5 and poured the lemonade.



“We’ve been all over Fudge Hollow,” Benny said, as he dipped his toes into the cool water. “What’s next?”



“I haven’t the slightest idea,” Jessie admitted.



“Maybe we missed something,” said Violet. She tore a piece of crust from her bread and tossed it in the water for the ducks.



“Maybe,” said Henry. But he didn’t sound as if he believed it.



Nobody said anything for a while. They were each thinking the same thing. Had Steve been right? Was this a mystery they couldn’t solve? Finally, Benny spoke 6 up.



“I wonder how Amanda knew,” he said thoughtfully



Jessie looked over at him. “Knew what, Benny?”



“That this tree was over a hundred years old,” said Benny.



Henry had an answer. “Amanda probably counted the tree rings.”



“Tree rings?” Violet gave her older brother a puzzled look.



“I read somewhere—in school, maybe—that there’s a ring around the trunk for every year a tree’s been alive,” said Henry. “I’ll show you.”



He scrambled 7 off the log with Benny close behind, then pointed to the bottom of the fallen tree where it had been cut down long ago.



Violet hurried over to take a look for herself. So did Jessie.



“See how the rings go round and round?” Henry said. “If you count each ring, you can figure out how much time—” He suddenly drew in his breath, surprised by his own words.



“What’s wrong, Henry?” Benny asked.



“That’s … that’s it!” Henry cried. “‘The rings of time.’”



Violet’s eyes widened. “Then the riddle 8 must mean—”



“A tree!” finished Henry. “We should be looking for a tree in Fudge Hollow!”



Jessie couldn’t help laughing. “Finding the right tree around here is like looking for a needle in a haystack.”



Just then, the children whirled around when they heard a familiar voice. It was coming from the path behind the trees.



“Of course I know what a treasure I’ll be getting,” the voice was saying. It was Steve Kooner. He was talking on a cell phone.



The Aldens didn’t mean to eavesdrop 9. But from where they were standing 10, they couldn’t help overhearing bits and pieces of the conversation.



“No, no, no!” Steve was saying on the phone.



“I have to find the ring first.”



“Did you hear that?” Benny whispered.



Jessie nodded. None of them liked the sound of this.



“What?” Steve went on. “Of course, I know there’s a deadline … Don’t worry … I’m telling you, we have it all plotted out.”



As Steve’s voice faded away, the children looked at each other in disbelief.



“Can you believe that?” Violet said, keeping her voice low. “Steve must be looking for the rings of time, too.”



Benny looked around to make sure no one could hear him. Then he whispered, “He’s supposed to be Amanda’s friend!”



Jessie frowned. “Well, he’s not much of a friend if he’s trying to steal her gold.”



“Oh, Jessie!” Violet’s eyes widened. “You don’t really think that’s true, do you?”



Jessie frowned. “I don’t know what to think. But that would explain why Steve was trying to stop us from solving the mystery.”



“He’s afraid we’ll beat him to the gold,” guessed Benny. “Do you think we should warn Amanda?”



“Maybe we shouldn’t be too hasty,” said Henry. “Amanda would never believe her friend was a thief—not unless we had evidence.”



Everyone agreed Henry had a point. It was one thing to suspect someone; it was another thing to have proof.



“Let’s just keep a close eye on him for now,” Henry went on. “If Steve is up to no good, we’ll have to—”



“Solve the mystery,” Benny cut in. “And fast!”



1 trudged
vt.& vi.跋涉,吃力地走(trudge的过去式与过去分词形式)
  • He trudged the last two miles to the town. 他步履艰难地走完最后两英里到了城里。
  • He trudged wearily along the path. 他沿着小路疲惫地走去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 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。
3 pointed
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。
4 dangle
v.(使)悬荡,(使)悬垂
  • At Christmas,we dangle colored lights around the room.圣诞节时,我们在房间里挂上彩灯。
  • He sits on the edge of the table and dangles his legs.他坐在桌子边上,摆动著双腿。
5 thermos
n.保湿瓶,热水瓶
  • Can I borrow your thermos?我可以借用你的暖水瓶吗?
  • It's handy to have the thermos here.暖瓶放在这儿好拿。
6 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。
7 scrambled
v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 );攀登;争夺;(军事飞机)紧急起飞
  • Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
8 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。
9 eavesdrop
v.偷听,倾听
  • He ensconced himself in the closet in order to eavesdrop.他藏在壁橱里,以便偷听。
  • It is not polite to eavesdrop on the conversation of other people.偷听他人说话是很不礼貌的。
10 standing
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。
学英语单词
additional class
air cooking
Alexander Isayevich Solzhenitsyn
bioherm
budget setting
camshaft gear drive
Carangidae
cbd
ceftiolene
cheloids
chen-
cipollini
circumambulations
cold shutdown (reactivity) margin
content-based
counter check
cross-tabs
Daliao
defaecations
definitus
differential pressure level sensor
diode breakdown detector
direct verification
disrecommendation
drgr
dye vat
efia
ELD (edge-lighted display)
electrode siccation
essue
flavo(u)r component
for old time's sake
forum-shopping
fotomat
geometric mean filtering
glass liquid hydrometer
glossadelphus alaris
go beyond one's duty
gracilariid moth
gravity-discharge elevator
Gunupur
Hellenic Republic
Hengshui
horizontal AFC circuit
in transitu
knowledge-rich
kontaktum former
Kuyuk
liquid plastic-box packaging machine
logographically
longevity of life
magneto signaling
marginal effect
melhuish
MOCHOKIDAE
moisture conditions
morgantina
nasard
necron
negative sequence power
Neuropax
noise environment
noncompliances
orientedness
oxoglutarate
plain metal
primary increase
retestable
rhizodont
rimel
Saxifraga zhidoensis
scardefomityofcanthus
school of management thought
seeablest
sharafs
single element injector
sit-and-wait
skeleton accounts T
smelt tank
soap bubble
ssabs
sterilization dose
supportresses
tape compression
teledyne
tetramethylpiperidine
thnx
throw emphasis on
top-blown converter
trigonal symmetry
tumen
turanians
uncontrasted
uninterpretably
university assembly
van't rule
vasticardium arenicola
venomous scheme
wash-hand basins
well liquor
work up into
xenosaurids