儿童英语读物 The Mystery Horse CHAPTER 3 The Mystery Horse
时间:2018-12-06 作者:英语课 分类:34 The Mystery Horse
“That’s right, Jessie,” Danny said encouragingly the next morning. “Use short strokes with the dandy brush, and don’t be afraid to press hard.” Jessie and Violet were helping 1 Danny groom 2 a horse named Oliver. He was a large Appaloosa with colorful markings and striped hooves. They were working in the north pasture, and Jessie suddenly noticed Daisy watching from a few yards away. “Are you sure you don’t want to help?” Jessie offered. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Daisy shook her head. “He might kick me.”
“Oliver’s a gentle horse,” Jessie told her. She paused, resting her arm on Oliver’s gleaming flank. “I have an idea, Daisy. How would you like to comb his mane when we’re finished? You can even braid it if you like.”
Daisy’s eyes lit up. “Maybe,” she said slowly. “If you promise to hold him still.”
They had been working for over half an hour when Danny realized he had forgotten Oliver’s hoof 3 pick. “I’ll run back and get it,” Violet said.
The stable was cool and dark as Violet hurried past rows of empty stalls to the tack 4 room. All the horses were supposed to be outside grazing, and she was surprised to hear a soft whinnying sound inside. Puzzled, she retraced 5 her steps and found that one stall was closed and padlocked. She put her ear to the sturdy wooden panel and heard more whinnying. Why was one horse left all alone? And why was there a padlock on the door? She quickly grabbed the hoof pick and headed back to the pasture. She was very curious.
When Violet returned to the pasture, she found Danny and Jessie using a soft brush to clean Oliver’s legs. “The area below the knees and hock is very tender,” Danny was explaining. “Always use a brush with soft bristles 6 or a towel.”
Violet was happy to see that Daisy had edged a little closer and was watching them intently. She handed Danny the hoof pick and said, “There’s one horse left all by himself in the barn. Do you have any idea why?”
Danny shrugged 7. “Maybe he just felt like staying in his stall today,” he said vaguely 8.
“On a nice sunny morning?” Jessie asked in surprise. “But you said that horses love to be out in the field!”
Danny ducked his head, working on Oliver’s leg. “I didn’t mean—” he began, and then he stopped. “It could be that he’s sick. Or something.”
“Shouldn’t someone check on him?” Violet asked.
“I think Dad will,” Danny told her.
“But you can’t even see him,” Violet said. “The stall is closed and padlocked.”
“I’m sure he’s okay,” Danny said. “I think we should get back to work now.” He looked very uncomfortable, and the girls knew that he wanted to change the subject.
“Okay,” Violet said. “What should we do next?”
“Oliver’s feet, but I’ll give you a tip first. Never just grab a horse’s hoof and try to pick it up.” He slid his hand slowly down Oliver’s shoulder to his fetlock. “Run your hand over him first, like this. This gives him a little warning, and he’ll know what to expect.”
Violet noticed that Oliver seemed to get the message because he shifted his weight to his other three legs. Danny picked up Oliver’s hoof and motioned to Violet. “Use the hoof pick, but be really gentle.”
“I’ll do my best,” Violet said. Oliver didn’t seem to mind at all, and she cleaned away clumps 9 of mud and several large pebbles 10 that were lodged 11 in his hoof.
When they had finished, Jessie turned to Daisy. “He won’t look really pretty until you comb his mane,” she said.
Daisy hesitated. “How will I reach it?”
“You could sit on his back,” Danny offered.
“No!” Daisy backed away.
“Wait, I have a better idea.” Jessie reached out her hand. “I’ll sit on Oliver and hold you in my lap. You’ll be the one who combs him. Okay?”
Danny squatted 12 down. “Just step on my shoulder, Jessie, and swing yourself up on his back. Then I’ll hand Daisy up to you.”
A moment later, Jessie found herself high above the ground on Oliver’s back. Oliver stood very still, and Jessie patted him on the neck. When Danny handed Daisy to her, she found that the little girl was trembling.
“Don’t be scared, Daisy. Danny has Oliver tied good and tight. He’s not going anywhere.”
Daisy relaxed then and began combing Oliver’s thick, dark mane. She giggled 13 and looked down at Violet. “You know something? This is fun!”
At lunchtime, Violet told Henry about the horse in the padlocked stall.
“It just doesn’t make sense.” They were eating chicken-salad sandwiches under the shade of an oak tree near the main house. “I asked Danny about it, but he didn’t have much to say.” She raised her eyebrows 14 questioningly. “What do you think?”
“It’s true, the horse might be sick,” Henry suggested. “Or maybe he’s very difficult to handle.”
Violet forgot about the horse when Benny and Jessie plopped down on the grass next to them, talking excitedly.
“I rode on the tractor this morning,” Benny said proudly. “Three times.” He held up three fingers. “First we mowed 15 the hay, just like it was a lawn. Then we raked it, and then we . . . ” He stopped and frowned. “I forgot what came next.”
Sarah hunkered down next to them. “We baled it, Benny. Remember? Now the hay is in nice square bundles.”
“Oh, yeah,” he said happily. “There must be enough hay for a million horses.”
“Not the way our horses eat,” Sarah said. “Oliver eats twelve pounds a day.”
“Twelve pounds?” Benny sputtered 16.
“Sometimes even more. Don’t forget, he weighs almost a thousand pounds. That’s half a ton.”
“Wow.” Benny was awed 17.
Then Jessie told about feeding a baby lamb with a bottle. Violet’s mind went back to the horse in the locked stall. Somehow, she had to find out which horse was in there—and why.
After dinner and a Monopoly game at the main house that evening, Violet decided 18 to walk by the stables on the way to the bunk 19-house.
“You’re not going to see anything in the dark,” Henry told her. “Everything’s closed up by now.”
“I just want to take a quick look,” Violet insisted. “You can go on, if you want.”
When they reached the stables, they spotted 20 a single light on, way in the back.
“That’s where the stall is,” Violet said quickly. “The one with the padlock on it.” She turned to Henry. “I’m going to go in there.” She carefully slid open the stable doors and stepped inside. Henry, Jessie, and Benny were right behind her. They walked softly over a thick carpeting of hay.
Suddenly Mrs. Morgan appeared from the depths of the barn.
“What are you kids doing in here?” she demanded.
“We’re just—we came to see the horses,” Violet stammered 21. She peered over Mrs. Morgan’s shoulder and noticed that the door to the last stall was open and light was streaming onto the stable floor. There was a scuffling noise, and suddenly Mr. Morgan emerged from the stall, leading a beautiful, chestnut-colored horse. The horse was tall and slender, and it pranced 22 gracefully 23 with its head held high.
Mr. Morgan stopped dead in his tracks and glanced nervously 24 at his wife. “What are they doing here?”
“They came to take a look at the horses,” she said. Her words came out in a rush, and Violet knew that something was wrong.
“Well, this isn’t a good time,” Mr. Morgan said slowly. “You’d best come back in the daytime, when they’re all out in the pasture.”
“But this horse never goes to the pasture,” Violet said. She was surprised that she had the courage to speak up because she was usually very shy. “He never goes anywhere, does he? You keep him locked in the stall.
Mr. and Mrs. Morgan exchanged a long look. “That’s because he’s very high-strung,” Mr. Morgan said slowly. “He gets nervous when he’s around other horses, so we keep him by himself as much as possible.”
“What’s his name?” Henry asked.
“His name?” Mrs. Morgan repeated. She glanced at the horse, who was tossing his mane from side to side. He had gentle brown eyes and a white star on his forehead. “Star. His name is Star.”
“Wow! I’d sure like to ride him!” Benny said.
“I’m afraid this horse isn’t for riding, son,” Mr. Morgan said gently. “I’ll make sure Danny gives you a ride on Oliver tomorrow.” He glanced at his wife. “And now I think you had all better get on back to the bunk-house. Before you know it, the sun will be up and it’ll be time for chores.”
An hour later, back at the bunkhouse, Violet was too restless to sleep. She kept thinking about Star. She poked 25 Jessie, who was sleeping in the top bunk.
“Do you think the Morgans were telling the truth about that horse?” she whispered.
Jessie yawned. “I don’t know. Why would they lie to us?” She propped 26 her chin in her hand and stared down at her sister.
“I don’t know,” Violet said thoughtfully. “But something just doesn’t make sense. Star didn’t seem high-strung at all, and it seems mean to keep him cooped up like that.”
Jessie shrugged. “The Morgans would never be mean to an animal.”
“That’s true,” Violet admitted. She had seen how much they liked the farm animals and how carefully they tended them.
“So if they’re keeping him by himself, it must be for his own good.” Jessie pulled the covers over her head. “Now go to sleep.”
- The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
- By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
- His father was a groom.他父亲曾是个马夫。
- George was already being groomed for the top job.为承担这份高级工作,乔治已在接受专门的培训。
- Suddenly he heard the quick,short click of a horse's hoof behind him.突然间,他听见背后响起一阵急骤的马蹄的得得声。
- I was kicked by a hoof.我被一只蹄子踢到了。
- He is hammering a tack into the wall to hang a picture.他正往墙上钉一枚平头钉用来挂画。
- We are going to tack the map on the wall.我们打算把这张地图钉在墙上。
- We retraced our steps to where we started. 我们折回我们出发的地方。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
- We retraced our route in an attempt to get back on the right path. 我们折返,想回到正确的路上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- the bristles on his chin 他下巴上的胡楂子
- This job bristles with difficulties. 这项工作困难重重。
- 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》
- 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。
- These plants quickly form dense clumps. 这些植物很快形成了浓密的树丛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The bulbs were over. All that remained of them were clumps of brown leaves. 这些鳞茎死了,剩下的只是一丛丛的黃叶子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The pebbles of the drive crunched under his feet. 汽车道上的小石子在他脚底下喀嚓作响。
- Line the pots with pebbles to ensure good drainage. 在罐子里铺一层鹅卵石,以确保排水良好。
- The certificate will have to be lodged at the registry. 证书必须存放在登记处。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Our neighbours lodged a complaint against us with the police. 我们的邻居向警方控告我们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- He squatted down beside the footprints and examined them closely. 他蹲在脚印旁仔细地观察。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- He squatted in the grass discussing with someone. 他蹲在草地上与一个人谈话。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The girls giggled at the joke. 女孩子们让这笑话逗得咯咯笑。
- The children giggled hysterically. 孩子们歇斯底里地傻笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- 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。
- The enemy were mowed down with machine-gun fire. 敌人被机枪的火力扫倒。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
- Men mowed the wide lawns and seeded them. 人们割了大片草地的草,然后在上面播种。 来自辞典例句
- The candle sputtered out. 蜡烛噼啪爆响着熄灭了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
- The balky engine sputtered and stopped. 不听使唤的发动机劈啪作响地停了下来。 来自辞典例句
- The audience was awed into silence by her stunning performance. 观众席上鸦雀无声,人们对他出色的表演感到惊叹。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- I was awed by the huge gorilla. 那只大猩猩使我惊惧。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- 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。
- He left his bunk and went up on deck again.他离开自己的铺位再次走到甲板上。
- Most economists think his theories are sheer bunk.大多数经济学家认为他的理论纯属胡说。
- The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
- Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。
- He stammered most when he was nervous. 他一紧张往往口吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
- Barsad leaned back in his chair, and stammered, \"What do you mean?\" 巴萨往椅背上一靠,结结巴巴地说,“你是什么意思?” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
- Their horses pranced and whinnied. 他们的马奔腾着、嘶鸣着。 来自辞典例句
- The little girl pranced about the room in her new clothes. 小女孩穿着新衣在屋里雀跃。 来自辞典例句
- She sank gracefully down onto a cushion at his feet. 她优雅地坐到他脚旁的垫子上。
- The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line. 新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。
- He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇,努力忍着不哭出来。
- He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。