时间:2018-12-10 作者:英语课 分类:汪培珽儿童英文分级书单《神奇树屋》


英语课

  "What now?" Jack 1 said.



"We have to follow him," said Annie. "We can't lethim out of our sight."Jack and Annie walked quickly after the mule 2 cart.



The hot brick road burned their feet. "Ow, ow, ow,"they both whispered.



"So let's figure out--ow--what we're going to say tohim," said Jack.



"Simple," said Annie. "We'll tell him we'd like towork with him. And then while we're working, we'llstart talking to him about music. And put him45on the right path to becoming the King of Jazz.""Hmm," said Jack. It wasn't much of a plan, but hecouldn't think of anything better.



Up ahead, Dipper's mule cart stopped near the backof a candy shop.



"Hey, Dipper!" yelled 3 Annie.



Dipper looked over his shoulder. He smiled. "What'sgoing on? Y'all are sticking to me like glue," he said.



"Well, actually, we were wondering--" started Jack.



"If we could work with you?" finished Annie.



"Work with me?" said Dipper. "I'm just deliveringcoal.""Yeah, we know. We think it might be fun," saidAnnie.



Dipper laughed. "Y'all are crazy," he said. "No,we're not. We just like to work," said Annie.



"Yeah, yeah, we really do," said Jack.



Dipper laughed46enough work to go around today," he said. "There'sextra shovels 5 and buckets in the cart.""Cool. Just tell us what to do, Dipper," said Annie.



"Fill your buckets with coal and toss 6 each bucketload into the bin 7," said Dipper. He pointed 8 to a largewooden box at the back of the small candy shop.



"Twelve bucket loads should do it.""Got it," said Annie.



Annie carefully set the magic trumpet 9 on theground near Dipper's cart. Jack left his cloth bagbeside it. Dipper handed each of them a heavy shoveland a tin bucket from the back of the cart. Then allthree of them started shoveling coal.



Dipper whistled and worked quickly. But Jack andAnnie had a hard time handling their heavy shovels.



Whenever the shovels tipped to the side, all the coalfell off. Finally they both just grabbed 10 pieces of coalwith their hands and tossed 11 them into their buckets.



The afternoon sun beat down on Jack's back as heworked.



4748He was sweaty and short of breath. His hands wereblack from picking up the coal, and his clothes werecovered with coal dust. This is a terrible job, hethought. He wondered how Dipper could be socheerful.



"So, Dipper," said Annie, "do you like music?"Dipper's answer was drowned out as he dumped aload of coal into the bin.



"What'd you say?" Jack called to Dipper.



Dipper answered again, but Jack didn't hear himbecause a buggy rumbled 12 by. This is a bad time for aserious discussion, Jack thought. He could hardlythink in the burning sun.



As Dipper shoveled 13 more coal, he started singing asong that seemed to give words to how Jack felt:



I've got those, coat cart blues 14.



I'm really all confused-I'm about to lose my very mind.



But Dipper didn't seem confused at all, or49about to lose his mind. He had a warm, raspy voice,and his song had a lively beat.



"Dipper! Dipper! Dipper!" some kids called.



Dipper stopped singing. Three boys were runningtoward the coal cart. They were the singing trio Jackand Annie had seen on Jackson Square.



"I know you're working," said one of the kids. "Butquit early today, Dipper! We just got a gig to sing inthe parade.""Sorry, can't do it, Little Mack," said Dipper.



Little Mack wasn't exactly little, Jack noticed. Helooked like he weighed over two hundred pounds.



"Come on, Dipper," said another boy.



"Gotta work, Happy," said Dipper.



"Aww, Dipper," said Happy. He didn't look happyat all.



"Come on, Dipper!" said the third boy.



"Can't do it, Big Nose," said Dipper.



Jack looked at Big Nose's nose. It was really quitesmall.



50"Aww," said Happy again.



"Go on now. Y'all sound just fine by yourselves,"said Dipper. "Go on to the parade and have fun.""But--" Big Nose began.



"Listen," said Dipper. "Since sunup, I've deliveredfive cartloads of coal. I get paid fifteen cents a load.



That makes seventy-five cents I'm going to take hometo my family tonight. How much did you fellas makeon the square today? How much you going to makein the parade?"The three boys were silent.



"I've got a steady job now," said Dipper. "You don'tneed me. Go on to the parade and have a good time."The three boys stared at Dipper for a long moment.



"Come on, fellas," Little Mack said finally. "Let himbe. Ever since he got back from the Waif's Home, he'sturned into a mama's boy."Jack wondered what the Waif's Home was.



Dipper watched the three boys walk off. Then helooked at Jack and Annie. "Little Mack, Happy,51and Big Nose Sidney are old buddies 15 of mine," heexplained with a sigh. "We used to have a quartet.



We sang everywhere together.""Dipper, can't you take just a littletime off and gowith your buddies to sing in the parade?" askedAnnie.



"Nope," said Dipper. "That's just the way it has tobe."Dipper went back to shoveling coal. Jack wanted toask him about the Waif's Home, but Dipper didn'tlook like he wanted to talk. He didn't sing anymore ashe filled up his coal bucket.



If Dipper doesn't perform, he'll never grow up to bethe King of Jazz, Jack thought. He'll never give hisgifts to the world.



Finally Annie broke the silence. "Dipper, do youhave to support your family all by yourself? You'repretty young for that, aren't you?""I'm not young. I'm fourteen," said Dipper. "MamaLucy, Mayann, and baby Clarence are all dependingon me.""Is that your family?" asked Jack.



52"Yep, and I love them a lot," said Dipper.



"I understand," said Annie.



"Me too," said Jack. "But what about giving yourgifts to the world?"Dipper laughed. "I can't afford gifts for Lady themule. How am I going to afford gifts for the world!""What about your musicalgifts?" asked Jack.



"Okay, good idea. I'll sing a song to Lady on herbirthday," he said. "Let's go now."Dipper tossed his shovel 4 into the bucket. Then hereached into his pocket and took out some change.



"Tomorrow I'll be getting paid fifteen cents for thisload," he said. "In case I don't see you again, here'syour share: five cents for you and five for you.""No, no, keep it," said Annie. "You should keep it allfor your family, Dipper.""What? That's not right," said Dipper.



"It isright," said Jack.



"Then what did y'all do that work for?" askedDipper.



53"We didn't do that much," Jack said. "Not nearly asmuch as you did. It was a lot harder job than Ithought it would be.""Then why did y'all keep working?" asked Dipper.



"It was fun hanging out with you," said Annie.



Dipper laughed. "Well, you two sure are a couple ofpotato heads," he said.



"What's that mean?" asked Annie.



"It means you don't have any more brains than apair of potatoes," said Dipper.



Jack and Annie just laughed.



"Sure you won't take any money?" said Dipper.



"Absolutely!" said Annie.



"Well, thanks a million for your help," said Dipper.



He climbed back into the driver's seat of the cart.



"Hey, want me and Lady to give y'all a ride back tothe coal yard?""Yes!" said Jack and Annie together.



"Good. Climb on!" said Dipper.



"Thanks, man!" said Jack.



54Annie grabbed their trumpet. Jack grabbed his bag,and they sat on the cart bench next to Dipper. Jackwas still hot and sweaty. He was tired and his armswere sore. But for some reason, he felt great.



"Let's go, Lady," said Dipper.



Lady the mule began pulling the creaky cart alongthe Mississippi River. And Dipper began singingagain:



I've got those coal cart blues.



I'm really all confused....



1 jack
n.插座,千斤顶,男人;v.抬起,提醒,扛举;n.(Jake)杰克
  • I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
  • He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。
2 mule
n.骡子,杂种,执拗的人
  • A mule is a cross between a mare and a donkey.骡子是母马和公驴的杂交后代。
  • He is an old mule.他是个老顽固。
3 yelled
v.叫喊,号叫,叫着说( yell的过去式和过去分词 )
  • He yelled at the other driver. 他冲着另一位司机大叫。
  • The lost man yelled, hoping someone in the woods would hear him. 迷路的人大声喊着,希望林子里的人会听见。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 shovel
n.铁锨,铲子,一铲之量;v.铲,铲出
  • He was working with a pick and shovel.他在用镐和铲干活。
  • He seized a shovel and set to.他拿起一把铲就干上了。
5 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
6 toss
n./v.突然抬起,摇摆,扔
  • Let's toss to see who pays it.让我们来掷钱币决定谁付账吧。
  • The matter made him toss in the bed.那件事使他在床上翻来覆去。
7 bin
n.箱柜;vt.放入箱内;[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件
  • He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
  • He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。
8 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。
9 trumpet
n.喇叭,喇叭声;v.吹喇叭,吹嘘
  • He plays the violin, but I play the trumpet.他拉提琴,我吹喇叭。
  • The trumpet sounded for battle.战斗的号角吹响了。
10 grabbed
v.抢先,抢占( grab的过去式和过去分词 );(尤指匆忙地)取;攫取;(尤指自私、贪婪地)捞取
  • He was grabbed by two men and frogmarched out of the hall. 他被两个男人紧抓双臂押出大厅。
  • She grabbed the child's hand and ran. 她抓住孩子的手就跑。
11 tossed
v.(轻轻或漫不经心地)扔( toss的过去式和过去分词 );(使)摇荡;摇匀;(为…)掷硬币决定
  • I tossed the book aside and got up. 我把书丢在一边,站了起来。
  • He angrily tossed his tools and would work no longer. 他怒气冲冲地扔下工具不肯再干了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
12 rumbled
发出隆隆声,发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 ); 轰鸣着缓慢行进; 发现…的真相; 看穿(阴谋)
  • The machine rumbled as it started up. 机器轰鸣着发动起来。
  • Things rapidly became calm, though beneath the surface the argument rumbled on. 事情迅速平静下来了,然而,在这种平静的表面背后争论如隆隆雷声,持续不断。
13 shoveled
vt.铲,铲出(shovel的过去式与过去分词形式)
  • The hungry man greedily shoveled the food into his mouth. 那个饥饿的人贪婪地、大口大口地吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • They shoveled a path through the snow. 他们在雪中铲出一条小路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
14 blues
n.抑郁,沮丧;布鲁斯音乐
  • She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
  • He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。
15 buddies
n.密友( buddy的名词复数 );同伴;弟兄;(用于称呼男子,常带怒气)家伙v.(如密友、战友、伙伴、弟兄般)交往( buddy的第三人称单数 );做朋友;亲近(…);伴护艾滋病人
  • We became great buddies. 我们成了非常好的朋友。 来自辞典例句
  • The two of them have become great buddies. 他们俩成了要好的朋友。 来自辞典例句
学英语单词
absidia spinosa
adjust error
ALIMD
ambiguous expression
american national standards institute standards
Anaphalis virgata
Angelico, Fra
apex of lung
apl environment
aufhauser
bistable latch
books sort
boulder stone
breakwall
butyl parahydroxybenzoate
cachectin
Chardjui
club member
CMJN
complanatum
conveniences
cu.
Dampal, Tk.
DEPL
Desmiophyllum
dishonorary
display delayed
double-endeds
dropside trailer
dust-ladden air
erasability of storage
Euclidean postulate
exchange anisotropy
false edge
festino
Finlepsin
forty weight
full-day
glucocanescein
glycolysis
gun ballistics
herta
Holcocerus vicarius
hot sodium hydroxide etching test
hot-water heating load
Hurwitz's generalization of binomial theorem
idiopathic neuralgia
inside micrometer gage
inter-country
inverted convertor
irremediable defect
johnson sirleaf
Lagenidiaceae
Las Varas
lechers
Linea glutealis posterior
logarithmic mean temperature degree(lmtd)
magnitude of reaction
main bedroom
make use
mechanical balance type
medium-width
microcontrolled seeder
mispricing
necking phenomena
non-periodic function
oranges
outer most dimension
Oxford English Dictionary
oxysulfide sulfoxide
packing paper
path dependency
piston velocity
potential biological fertility
ramsteins
re-engrave
roll hatch cover
row-galley
sex party
shuffle-board
signal quality detection
siss
speed clutch control handle
SQDG
take back one's words
take service in
tension-ridden
tetraneuris acauliss
theme park
three-dimensional motion
to smile
tsarships
uncle tomming
unwelcomes
us governments
v.32
Vaccinium uliginosum
varnish stick
vitaminoid
Volosovo
well-tie
wolfe i.