时间:2018-12-06 作者:英语课 分类:13 Snowbound Mystery


英语课

The next morning the sun came out.



“What a beautiful day,” said Violet 1. “It’s perfect after that rain.”



“This is our day to go nutting,” Benny said.



If he had known it, it was their day for something else, too.



“Now what shall we put the nuts in?” Jessie asked, bustling 2 around. “I guess the grocery bags are strong enough.”



“Let’s go right after breakfast,” said Benny. “We haven’t any beds to make. Nobody can make a sleeping bag.”



“I think the nut trees are about halfway 3 to the store,” said Henry.



“Nothing to it,” said Benny. “A short walk.” He took an empty bag and started ahead with Watch.



Nobody knew how many nuts were left under the leaves. The woods seemed to be full of fat gray squirrels 4. They chased 5 each other in the trees along the way and scolded the Aldens for walking in their woods.



After a while the Aldens found the nut trees. There were a great many of them, close together.



“Here we are,” said Jessie. “Let’s go to work.”



Benny found a long stick and began to turn over the dry leaves. Everyone else got a long stick, too. And there were the hickory nuts! Some had fallen down in their green shells. Some hickory nuts were just lying among the dry leaves, all husked.



“Leave the outside shells on,” said Henry. “We have all day to get them off.”



The bags began to fill. Nobody had been there to hunt nuts except the squirrels.



“How many do we want anyway?” asked Benny. “I have fifty-one.”



“Why do you ask, Ben? Don’t you like to pick them up?” asked Jessie.



“Oh, it’s all right,” said Benny. “But I am thinking we ought to go on to the store.”



“Yes,” said Henry. “Let’s leave the bags of nuts here.”



“No, sir!” said Benny. “I don’t trust those squirrels. They would find them just as soon as we went away, and they could open the bags, too. They might eat the bags and all!”



Benny stood still looking at a tree stump 6. He said, “Henry, we don’t want to carry four big bags of nuts a mile and a quarter and then back again. Why couldn’t we put the bags in that hollow 7 stump and cover it with heavy branches?”



“We could,” said Henry. “Let’s try it.”



The Aldens put the four bags into the stump and dragged up old branches of evergreen 8 to cover it.



Jessie said, “There! No squirrels can get in now, Henry.”



Henry said, “No, I don’t think they can. We’ll soon be back anyway. Let’s go.”



“Well, hello, Aldens!” said Tom Nelson when they pushed the door of the store open.



“Hello,” said Jessie, smiling. “It is such a beautiful day after the rain that we went nutting. We picked up four bags of hickory nuts.”



“Good,” said Tom Nelson. “I know what you can do. Chop 9 up the nutmeats and mix them with chopped 10 apples to make a salad. It’s delicious.”



Just then Mrs. Nelson and Puggsy came down the stairs. “I heard what you said about the weather,” said Barbara, “but I don’t think it’s going to last. I feel a real storm coming.”



“Well,” said Benny, “we’ve seen storms before. Once we were on a trip, and we had a rainstorm and we had to live on potatoes. Nothing but potatoes.”



“That makes me think,” said Jessie. “We could buy some baking potatoes and roast them in the fireplace 11.”



She picked out a dozen potatoes. She bought more buns, currant jelly 12, sugar, and some eggs. Then they started for home.



Henry looked at his watch and said, “It’s almost noon.”



“It took a long time to pick up all those nuts,” said Benny. “I hope they are still in the stump.”



The nuts were there, but two squirrels ran away from the pile of branches as the four Aldens came in sight.



When the family reached the cabin 13, Jessie said, “Now everyone find a flat stone to pound on and another stone to pound with.”



“Just like Indians,” said Violet. “Nut cracking stones.”



They found stones and brushed off the dirt and leaves from them.



Jessie said, “Let’s crack the shells now, and later we can pick out the nutmeats.”



“No,” said Benny. “Let’s have lunch first. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and milk won’t take long.”



After lunch they all sat down on the floor, each one before a flat stone. As soon as the nuts were cracked they threw them, shells and all, into the saucepan.



They worked for about an hour, and then Jessie said, “Now let’s sweep up this floor. It’s just covered with nutshells.” She got to her feet and looked around for a broom.



“I looked yesterday for a broom,” said Violet. “We haven’t got one.”



Jessie said, “It seems as if there must be a broom here someplace. But there’s not one in sight.”



“It seems odd,” said Benny. “There ought to be a broom closet right at the end of the fireplace. I remember seeing a cabin built that way.”



“Well, there isn’t, Benny,” said his older sister. “So just let it go.”



But Benny began to look for a broom closet. He put the two shovels 14 and the ax 15 in another corner. The fireplace stood out into the room about a foot. Benny looked at this wall. It was made of narrow boards with a line like a crack between each board.



“Here’s where the doorknob ought to be,” said Benny. “But there’s only a little hole.” Then he thought what he had said. “A hole! A hole!”



He pulled his knife out of his pocket and opened the biggest blade 16.



The others came over to watch Benny. In great excitement Benny began to pry 17 at the boards to see if he could find one that would open. And he did! First the top opened, and then he could pull the rest of the door with his fingers.



“Well!” said Henry. “Good for you, Ben! That’s a real broom closet!”



Jessie exclaimed 18, “It goes way down to the floor!”



“And there’s a broom in it,” said Violet.



There was a broom, a brush, a dustpan, and a shelf with cleaning cloths and two bars of soap. Also on the shelf was a little white doorknob with the point broken off.



Henry looked at the closet and the shelf. “This wood is old,” he said. “Tom Nelson’s grandfather must have built it a long time ago.”



“How can you tell it’s so old, Henry?”



“Well, put your hand under that shelf,” said Henry. “You can feel the marks of the hatchet 19 used to cut the wood. It would be smooth if it were modern.”



Benny felt under the shelf. He could feel the chip marks of the hatchet. “That’s a neat way to tell,” he said. Then Benny ran his hand over the door.



“That’s different,” said Henry. “The door is planed on both sides, so it is smoother. But it is old, too.”



“It’s marked, too!” shouted Benny. “Look, Henry! It’s not very plain, but I can read it!”



This is what he read:



They all looked at each other. “And what in the world does that mean?” said Jessie. “Copy it, Henry, on a paper, and we can study it.”



Henry began to copy the letters, but he said, “It doesn’t mean a thing to me. It won’t do me any good to study it.”



“Me, either,” said Benny. “What do you suppose that code 20 means?”



Jessie sat down at the table. “Let’s think about it,” she said. “We know one thing. And that is that the Nelsons are hunting for something in this cabin.”



Benny said quickly, “And it’s something they don’t want us to know.”



Henry looked at his brother. “Right, Ben. They turn red when Puggsy tells us anything. They seem to be ashamed of something.”



Violet added, “And they are so nice!”



Jessie nodded. “That’s the trouble. But I suppose Tom could have done something wrong a long time ago.”



“But what is he looking for?” asked Benny. “Maybe he has been looking for those funny letters. Maybe they tell him how to find some money or something important.”



Violet said, “Well, it’s strange the Nelsons didn’t find them. They must know there should be a broom closet there to keep a broom in.”



Henry nodded. “I know what Benny means. I’m sure Tom’s father or grandfather cut those letters. They weren’t cut for nothing. But the Nelsons don’t want to tell us. So let’s not say anything about the letters until they do.”



“Right,” said Benny. “The next time we go down to the store we’ll see what they say.”



“The afternoons are short in the fall,” Henry said. “It’s too late to go up on the roof. Put on your radio, Ben, and let’s hear what the weather will be.”



They waited until the half hour for the weather report.



The announcer 21 said, “A storm is coming from the south and west, but it is not supposed to hit this area. It will go further north and miss us entirely 22. The northern New England states should prepare for a storm.”



“No need to worry then,” said Benny. He turned off the radio.



At suppertime it was almost too dark to see.



“What are we going to do tomorrow?” asked Benny as he finished his hamburger.



“Fix the roof,” said Henry. “You can help me, Ben. We’ll find the hole the squirrels use for a door and nail a board over it.”



But Henry didn’t know that his plans would be changed for him.



As Benny went to bed, he said, “Maybe that code we found is a secret way to get rid of squirrels.” And he laughed.



1 violet
adj.紫色的;n.紫罗兰
  • She likes to wear violet dresses.他喜欢穿紫色的衣服。
  • Violet is the color of wisdom,peace and strength.紫色是智慧的,和平的和力量的颜色。
2 bustling
adj.喧闹的
  • The market was bustling with life. 市场上生机勃勃。
  • This district is getting more and more prosperous and bustling. 这一带越来越繁华了。
3 halfway
adj.中途的,不彻底的,部分的;adv.半路地,在中途,在半途
  • We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路,天就黑了。
  • In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上,最忌讳的是有始无终。
4 squirrels
n.松鼠( squirrel的名词复数 )
  • Squirrels are arboreal creatures. 松鼠是栖于树上的动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Red squirrels are now very rare in Britain. 红色松鼠在英国已十分罕见了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 chased
vt.追捕(chase的过去式与过去分词形式)
  • The boy chased his sister in and out among the bushes. 那个男孩在灌木丛里跟着他姐姐追过来追过去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The enemy chased the decoys down to the place of ambush. 敌人将诱骗者一直追到伏兵所在地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 stump
n.残株,烟蒂,讲演台;v.砍断,蹒跚而走
  • He went on the stump in his home state.他到故乡所在的州去发表演说。
  • He used the stump as a table.他把树桩用作桌子。
7 hollow
adj.空的,中空的,空心的;空洞的,无价值的
  • The boys scraped out a hollow place for planting trees.那些孩子挖了个坑准备栽树。
  • Bamboo is a sort of hollow plant.竹子是一种中空的植物。
8 evergreen
n.常青树;adj.四季常青的
  • Some trees are evergreen;they are called evergreen.有的树是常青的,被叫做常青树。
  • There is a small evergreen shrub on the hillside.山腰上有一小块常绿灌木丛。
9 chop
n.厚肉片,排骨,砍,交换,戳记,商标;vt.剁碎,砍,切,割断;vi.砍,突然转向
  • He struck off the branch with a single chop of the ax.他一斧子就砍掉了那根树枝。
  • She cut down the seedling with one chop.她一刀就把小苗砍倒了。
10 chopped
[医]剁碎的
  • He chopped some wood for the fire. 他劈了些柴烧火。
  • Finish by sprinkling some chopped almonds over the cake. 最后在蛋糕上撒些剁碎的杏仁。 来自《简明英汉词典》
11 fireplace
n.壁炉,炉灶
  • The fireplace smokes badly.这壁炉冒烟太多。
  • I think we should wall up the fireplace.我想应该封住壁炉。
12 jelly
n.冻,果子冻,胶状物
  • We had toast and jelly at breakfast.我们早餐吃的是烤面包和果冻。
  • The medicine was a clear jelly.这种药是透明的胶状物。
13 cabin
n.(结构简单的)小木屋;船舱,机舱
  • They threw up a new cabin in a couple of hours.在几小时之内他们就建起了一座新的小屋。
  • It's very hot in the cabin;let's go on deck.舱室内很热,我们到甲板上去吧。
14 shovels
n.铲子( shovel的名词复数 );锹;推土机、挖土机等的)铲;铲形部份v.铲子( shovel的第三人称单数 );锹;推土机、挖土机等的)铲;铲形部份
  • workmen with picks and shovels 手拿镐铲的工人
  • In the spring, we plunge shovels into the garden plot, turn under the dark compost. 春天,我们用铁锨翻开园子里黑油油的沃土。 来自辞典例句
15 ax
n.斧子
  • He cut a hole through the wall with an ax.他用斧子在墙上砍出一个洞。
  • He carried a large ax.他带了一把大斧。
16 blade
n.刀刃,刀片;叶片
  • Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。
  • He is a good blade.他剑术高明。
17 pry
vi.窥(刺)探,打听;vt.撬动(开,起)
  • He's always ready to pry into other people's business.他总爱探听别人的事。
  • We use an iron bar to pry open the box.我们用铁棍撬开箱子。
18 exclaimed
vt.exclaim的过去式v.呼喊,惊叫,大声说( exclaim的过去式和过去分词 )
  • "We have a good chance of winning," he exclaimed optimistically. “我们很可能获胜。”他乐观地喊道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • She exclaimed in delight when she saw the presents. 她见到礼品高兴得叫了起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
19 hatchet
n.短柄小斧;v.扼杀
  • I shall have to take a hatchet to that stump.我得用一把短柄斧来劈这树桩。
  • Do not remove a fly from your friend's forehead with a hatchet.别用斧头拍打朋友额头上的苍蝇。
20 code
n.代码,代号,密码;法典,法规,规划
  • What's the code for Tianjin?天津的代号是多少?
  • Remember to use postal code.勿忘使用邮政编码。
21 announcer
n.宣布者;电(视)台播音员,报幕员
  • The radio announcer said it was nine o'clock.电台播音员报时9点整。
  • The announcer tells the listeners what programme comes next.广播员告诉听众下一个是什么节目。
22 entirely
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地
  • The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
  • His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。
学英语单词
A Treatise on Blood Troubles
A.K.C.
Ancenis
Antiangor
ataxia cerebral
Autoskarn
baldists
behat
Benderok, Sungai
bioadhesion
biopterin
bodyfat
bring a hornets' nest about one's ears
burst-error channel
Caulobacteraceae
cement fibrolite plate
central processing
chigger mite
cold-junction
color subcarrier oscillator
control blade
cosmical aerodynamics
Croton lachnocarpus
cyclohexane
degradation of structure
demilitarizations
duro meter
electromagnetic logging
enclosed accommodation space
erinites
false lights
family scarabaeidaes
fifthly
flooding irrigation method
francisco goyas
frisson
gay Greek
genus Bungarus
glider guns
greater burdock
height of A-frame
islands of stability
Jihomoravský Kraj
Kaumalapau
keysville
khirbet qumran
kirnbergers
mellownesses
Mendelian population
Microtis
Moraxellaceae
neonaticide
on-state losses
onigiri
oword
pad-type thermocouple
parting planing tool
pentapetes phoenicea l.
perityphlitides
populum
press endorsement
promotions
pseudothiobinupharidine
rebatches
reclaimed acid
red myelocyte
Relafen
requisition on title
revolving radio beacon
ringshaped sprinkler
rivets for name plate
santes bell
sarsaponin
Schnee bath
secondary-articulation
short call
shortwave broadcasting
snowgrass
Spanish treasure fleet
split-row fertilizer boot
stacked heads
statute titles
steering-knuckle
storage/retrieve machine (s/r machine)
take enjoyment in
therapeutae (europe)
timer scale
trans-3-cis-4-dibromo-tert-butylcyclohexane
turncock
Ukrainian alphabet
unevidence
unsigned binary number
Venturiaceae
viraginous
VOSA
w-why
waymon
weighted average earings per share
World Cup, Table
yaugh