时间:2018-12-06 作者:英语课 分类:21 The Deserted Library Myster


英语课

The next morning Henry biked to Pete’s Café to buy milk and bread. But he had a more important reason. He needed to call Grandfather for advice.



Arriving at the café, Henry carefully placed his bike next to the white building. He entered the café and glanced around. Besides Pete there were only two other men, one at a table, and the other at the counter.



“Hi, Henry, my boy,” Pete called. He was drinking a cup of coffee at the counter. “How do you like living in my house? Are you taking good care of it?”



Henry smiled. “We sure are.” He liked old Pete. He’d been a friend of Grandfather’s for years.



“I knew you kids would.” Pete chuckled 1. “What brings you out so early, Henry?”



Henry smiled. “I need to buy bread and milk.”



While Pete was taking the milk out of the refrigerator, Henry called Grandfather.



“Henry!” Grandfather Alden said in a delighted voice, “I’m glad to hear from you. Is everything all right?”



“Fine,” Henry said, clearing his throat. “We found a small boy hiding in the library.”



“Oh?” Grandfather said, waiting for Henry to continue.



“His name is Miguel Morales, and he’s scared that he might be sent to a home. He’s only ten, and he’s all alone.”



“Well,” Grandfather began.



But Henry hurried on before Grandfather could interrupt. “You see Miguel’s father was a fisherman, and his boat sank.”



“Was it The Maria?”



“Yes,” Henry said, surprised. “How did you know?”



“I heard the news on the radio. There were three fishermen on the boat.”



“Yes, that’s what Miguel said,” Henry answered.



“I’ll check with the Coast Guard and find out if anyone was rescued. Don’t worry, Henry, we won’t let Miguel be taken to a home.”



Henry sighed with relief. Grandfather could always be depended upon to help.



“And what else have you been up to?” Grandfather Alden asked.



“Oh,” Henry said. “I almost forgot. Benny discovered the hilt of a Civil War sword on the library shelves. We found a letter from General Meade awarding the sword to a Charles Howard. Captain Howard had been a courageous 2 soldier at the Battle of Gettysburg.”



“A Civil War sword!” Grandfather sounded excited. “That could be a very valuable find. Many museums would want to put it on display.” He paused. “It could even help the library become a landmark 3. But didn’t you find the rest of the sword?”



“No,” Henry said. “Not yet. There are plenty of shelves, though, that we haven’t cleaned. We might still find it.”



“I hope it turns up,” Grandfather said. “You’ve done a lot of work at the library. Are you and Violet and Jessie and Benny ready to come home?”



“Not yet,” Henry said. “The library is getting clean and organized.”



Grandfather chuckled. “All right, Henry. You take care. I’ll be down next weekend to visit you. In the meantime, I want you all to bike in and have a good lunch at Pete’s. And don’t worry about the bill.”



“Thanks, Grandfather. We’d like that! Good-bye. We’ll see you soon.” Henry turned back to Pete and was pleased that his groceries were already packed.



He pedaled back to the cabin. Benny was waiting outside.



“I’m thirsty,” he complained.



“Why don’t you drink a glass of water?” Henry teased.



Benny grinned, and his brown eyes sparkled. “You know what I’m thirsty for!”



“Oh!” Henry said, slapping his forehead. “I know what it is. It’s cranberry 4 juice!”



“No, it’s not!” Benny shouted.



“Could it be this?” Henry asked as he lifted out a gallon carton of milk.



“Yes, yes,” Benny said gleefully. “Is there bread, too?”



“Sure thing.” Henry laughed as Benny held the door open for him.



Inside, they all had bread and milk. Everyone laughed at Miguel, who had a white rim 5 of milk on his face. Miguel smiled, too. He liked his new friends.



“Is everyone ready to get to work?” Jessie asked.



“I am,” Violet answered.



“So am I,” Henry added.



“Me, too,” Benny and Miguel echoed.



“Then let’s get started,” Jessie said with a smile. Her brown shiny hair was tied back with a blue ribbon.



Once in the library they rolled up their sleeves and started to work.



It wasn’t long before Miguel let out a yell. “Look! This piece of metal was behind the books!” Triumphantly 6 he held up part of the rusty 7 sword.



Henry examined the long metal piece, then patted Miguel on the back. “This is the middle of our sword. Now we need to find the point of the blade, and our sword will be complete!”



“Hurrah for Miguel!” Benny shouted.



“Good for you, Miguel,” Jessie said.



Violet patted Miguel’s hand.



“It’s almost time for lunch,” Henry said. “We’ll celebrate Miguel’s find with a meal at Pete’s.”



Cheerfully they biked to the café. Henry had wrapped the sword part and placed it in his bicycle’s basket. “I’m not letting this out of my sight!” he promised.



At Pete’s Café, they ordered lobster 8, potatoes, salad, and apple pie a la mode. Pete was pleased to meet Miguel, the Aldens’ new friend. Since Miguel came from another town, Pete didn’t recognize him. Pete was also pleased to see the children’s good appetites.



Benny leaned back, patting his stomach. “That was a good lunch!”



Pete burst out laughing. “I’ve never seen such big eaters. You all deserve a treat.”



Violet was puzzled. “Just for eating so much?” she questioned.



“No, just for being such nice children,” Pete answered. “How would you like a ride in my fishing boat?”



“Oh, yes!” cried Benny. “I love to ride in a boat.”



After they all boarded Captain Pete’s red fishing boat, Pete started the motor, and they set off over the waves. The whitecaps slapped against the boat, sending the spray flying. Sometimes the water splashed over the sides of the boat.



They rode way out into the bay. When Benny shaded his eyes, he could barely see the café. It was only a white speck 9.



For over an hour the boat rode the waves. Then Pete made a wide circle and headed back to the dock.



“That was fun!” Jessie said.



“Yes, sir!” Henry agreed, resting his hands on Benny’s shoulders.



“Can we do it again?” Benny asked.



Pete chuckled. “Anytime, mates. Just let me know.” He tied up the boat at the dock, and they jumped out.



Violet, the wind whipping through her long brown hair, said, “Thank you, Captain Pete.”



“You’re welcome, little lady,” Pete answered. His wide grin lit up his wrinkled face.



“We’d like to take you up on your offer for another ride,” Henry said. “We had a good time.” He glanced at Miguel. “Did you have fun, Miguel?”



“Oh, yes,” Miguel responded quietly, but he didn’t look at Henry. Jessie noticed Miguel’s sad, thin face.



“Miguel, we need to return to the library,” Jessie said. She knew that Miguel was thinking of his father and the lost fishing boat. “Do you feel like working?”



He nodded. “I want to help,” he said.



Except for Miguel, the Aldens mounted their bicycles. Miguel leapt up on the seat behind Henry, and they left for the library in high spirits.



Pushing open the library’s door, they each went to the spot where they’d been working. Henry had filled one box with valuable books and was ready to start a second one.



Jessie hummed softly as she dusted off books. Suddenly, she stopped. “Look,” she said in a low voice. From her fingertips she dangled 10 a gray work glove.



Henry took the glove with black stitching around each finger. “This is a brand-new glove,” he observed. “It’s barely worn.”



Jessie said, “Someone’s been here . . . and left the glove.”



Benny, Miguel, and Violet joined Henry and Jessie. No one said a word. Frightened, Benny glanced over his shoulder.



The mystery wasn’t solved after all, Jessie thought. An intruder had invaded their library. A chill ran up her spine 11.



1 chuckled
轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )
  • She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
  • She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情,她就轻轻地暗自发笑。
2 courageous
adj.勇敢的,有胆量的
  • We all honour courageous people.我们都尊重勇敢的人。
  • He was roused to action by courageous words.豪言壮语促使他奋起行动。
3 landmark
n.陆标,划时代的事,地界标
  • The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
  • The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。
4 cranberry
n.梅果
  • Turkey reminds me of cranberry sauce.火鸡让我想起梅果酱。
  • Actually I prefer canned cranberry sauce.事实上我更喜欢罐装的梅果酱。
5 rim
n.(圆物的)边,轮缘;边界
  • The water was even with the rim of the basin.盆里的水与盆边平齐了。
  • She looked at him over the rim of her glass.她的目光越过玻璃杯的边沿看着他。
6 triumphantly
ad.得意洋洋地;得胜地;成功地
  • The lion was roaring triumphantly. 狮子正在发出胜利的吼叫。
  • Robert was looking at me triumphantly. 罗伯特正得意扬扬地看着我。
7 rusty
adj.生锈的;锈色的;荒废了的
  • The lock on the door is rusty and won't open.门上的锁锈住了。
  • I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty.几个月不用,我的法语又荒疏了。
8 lobster
n.龙虾,龙虾肉
  • The lobster is a shellfish.龙虾是水生贝壳动物。
  • I like lobster but it does not like me.我喜欢吃龙虾,但它不适宜于我的健康。
9 speck
n.微粒,小污点,小斑点
  • I have not a speck of interest in it.我对它没有任何兴趣。
  • The sky is clear and bright without a speck of cloud.天空晴朗,一星星云彩也没有。
10 dangled
悬吊着( dangle的过去式和过去分词 ); 摆动不定; 用某事物诱惑…; 吊胃口
  • Gold charms dangled from her bracelet. 她的手镯上挂着许多金饰物。
  • It's the biggest financial incentive ever dangled before British footballers. 这是历来对英国足球运动员的最大经济诱惑。
11 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。
学英语单词
a narrow shave
actinopraxis
aircraft-mounted mine detector
al-daour
albedometers
amphicreatine
aptitude for
arched false work
armed reconnaissance
asahikawas
asphalt flooring
ataerio of drupelets
averill
bachet
bangs-bangs-bangs
be on leave
biological decomposition
blood sucker
busca
cauliflory
central frequency
coastal navigational warnings
coiler pulpit
cold mirrors
continuous charging
convergent filtration
counting on
cupr
delay sweep
dorkish
drum-kits
economy of scope
elbel
electric fog horn
errorlevel
fall of snow
filiforme
fillmass chute
first of same tenor and bate being unpaid
graphic-mode display
Gynutoclinus
high frequency thin film thickness meter
high temperature ablative material
Highmore's body
hochstein
hot gas flame
intermediate products
Koebe function
laterobronchus
liquid-pressure scales
log arithmic diode
losings
Mackinaw City
mean lead
Morciano di Romagna
Morus mongolica
Moszczenica
mucousness
non-delivery
nonahedrons
Ocarina of Time
ocean data acquisition system
oiltight bulkhead
orangethorpe
orthotopic small intestine transplantation
pericontinental area
pile weave
polemist
policy
polyxylic
port block
prehypertrophic
pro-Zionist
production speed
project engineer scheduling technique
Pseudoracelopus
pur.
raise foreign funds
reconceptualise
refrigerator mom
relative byte address
rod bipoiars
rolled sheet iron
scapuloanterior
seal (contact) face
separable acf
sexduction
sightreaders
site model
stooker
tariff kilometerage
tayloria indica
tegminal
transperineal
Tridax
ultra-distance
urban-cowboy
weak signals
winter-annual cover crops
work-lines
wound rotor series resistor starting
zoster frontalis