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

  The three samurai turned to the man with thewalking stick. "You know them, Master?" one asked.



"Yes, of course," the man said. "This boy and girlare Baku and Koto, my best students.""Hi, Master!" said Annie, pretending she knew whothe man was. "We couldn't find the bridge, so we-uhwe-""We came here to look for you," said Jack 1.



"And now you have found me," said the man. "I amsorry you were frightened by my friends."34The samurai put away his sword. "Forgive me," hesaid, bowing before Jack and Annie.



35"Sure, no problem," said Annie.



The samurai turned to the small man. "We willleave you with your students now," he said. "Thankyou, Most Honored Master, for your visit with ustoday." All three warriors 3 bowed deeply before theman. Then they walked away.



Why did the samurai call the small man "MostHonored Master"?



Jack wondered.



When the samurai were gone, the man turned toJack and Annie. His eyes twinkled. "I believe you aresafe now," he said.



"Thanks," said Annie. "But I'm afraid we're notBaku and Koto.""No, you are not," said the man. "But you are notspies, either, are you?""No," said Jack.



"I did not think so," said the man. "That is why Ithought you needed my help.""Thank you," said Jack.



"You are most welcome," said the man. "Nowperhaps you will tell me who you really are,36and how you came to be here in the ImperialGarden.""Our names are Jack and Annie," said Jack. "Andwe-" He paused. It seemed impossible to explain:



Teddy and Kathleen's visit, Merlin's sorrow, Morgan'sresearch book.



"We came here to search for a secret of happiness,"said Annie.



The man smiled. "I believe that is something we allseek," he said. "But you must be very careful, Jack andAnnie. The shogun does not allow foreigners into ourcountry. If you do not have passports, you could becaught and punished.""We know," said Annie. "What should we do?""Perhaps you should travel with me today," said theman. "You can continue to be my students, Baku andKoto.""Good plan!" said Jack.



"You must remember, seek harmony with yoursurroundings," said the man. "Observe the37people of Edo and do as they do. If you do not standout, you will not be noticed by the samurai." "Got it,"said Annie.



Seek harmony with your surroundings.



Observe the people of Edo and do as they do, Jackrepeated to himself.



"Come," said the man. He started walking brisklythrough the garden.



Jack and Annie hurried after him. "Excuse me, butwhat's your name?" Annie said.



"My friends call me Basho," the man answered.



"Basho? That's a cute name!" said Annie.



"And why did the samurai call you `Most HonoredMaster'?" asked Jack.



"Because I am their teacher," said Basho.



"What do you teach them?" asked Jack.



Basho smiled. "Today they learned how to listen toa cricket in a woodpile," he said, "and how to thinklike a frog."38"Cool," said Jack.



Those must be warrior 2 skills,he thought,special ways to listen for an enemy or jump aroundwith a sword.



He remembered how ninjas used secrets of natureto fight their enemies.



Basho led Jack and Annie through a wooden gate ina high wall. They walked over a wide stone bridgethat crossed a moat. When they came to the otherside of the bridge, they followed a path that led to asmall boat dock on a river.



Three fishermen were loading wicker baskets into along flat-bottomed boat. Hundreds of shiny little fishwere inside each basket.



Basho walked over to the fishermen. "Goodmorning," he said.



"Good morning, Master Basho," the fishermen said.



All of them bowed.



Everyone seems to know Basho,Jack thought.



"May my students and I ride with you down theriver?" asked Basho.



39"Oh, yes, of course, Master Basho!" one of the mensaid. "We would be most honored to carry you in ourhumble boat!""Thank you," said Basho.



Jack and Annie followed Basho onto the deck of theboat and sat next to the wicker baskets.



40One of the fishermen untied 4 the boat, and theothers used long poles to push it away from the dock.



The men began poling down the river.



The fishing boat floated under a series of bridges,moving in and out of shadows and glittering light. Asit passed under one of the41bridges, it scraped the bottom of the river. Basho,Jack, and Annie were thrown forward.



"Forgive us, Master!" one of the fishermen called toBasho. "The river is very shallow.""There has been no rain for a long time," saidanother fisherman. "It is very worrisome to us.""Yes, it worries me, too," said Basho.



"What's everyone so worried about?" Annie askedBasho.



"When the weather is very dry, the people of Edoworry about fire," said Basho. "Twenty-five yearsago, during a dry spell, half our city was destroyed bya terrible fire. Thousands died.""Oh, that's awful!" said Annie.



"Yes. Since then, everyone has worked hard torebuild the capital," said Basho. "Edo is now evenmore beautiful than before. In fact, along thisriverbank are many new castles of the samurai. See?



There one hides now."Basho pointed 5 at a steep rocky cliff above theriverbank. Jack shaded his eyes as he looked at3042the curved roof and high stone walls of a samuraicastle. "Its largest room is called the Thousand-MatHall," said Basho.



"What does that mean?" asked Jack.



"It means the room can hold a thousand floor mats,"said Basho.



"Cool," said Annie. "Basho, where doyoulive?"Basho smiled. "My castle is on the other side of theGreat Bridge," he said.



Jack wondered how many mats Basho's castle couldhold.



Beyond the steep cliffs, the boat traffic grewheavier. Now there were many boats floating on thewide river: big sailboats, barges 6 loaded with lumber,and ferries filled with passengers holding parasols.



The fishing boat glided 7 toward a crowded docknext to a market. In the market, thousands ofgleaming fish were laid out on tables. Men andwomen also sold fish and other sea creatures frombaskets that hung from poles across their43shoulders. "Shrimp 8!" "Tuna!" "Octopus 9!" "Eel 10!" theyshouted.



"Wait for us while we deliver the fish," Basho saidto Jack and Annie. "Then we will travel further on theriver."The fishermen tied up the boat. Jack and Anniewaited on the landing as Basho helped the crewunload the wicker baskets. Then each man put abasket on his head and started up the stone steps thatled to the fish market.



"Oh, no!" said Annie. "Look!" She pointed towardthe other end of the dock.



Jack looked. He saw several samurai getting off aboat. "Quick! Grab a basket!" he said.



Jack and Annie each picked up a basket of fish. AsJack tried to lift the basket to his head, he tilted 11 it. Acouple of fish hit him on the nose as they fell to thedock.



"Leave them! Come on!" whispered Annie.



Carrying the baskets on their heads, Jack and Anniefollowed Basho and the fishermen up the3244steps and delivered their fish to a young woman atone 12 of the tables. Jack glanced back at the river. Thesamurai were standing 13 on the landing, checkingsomeone's passport.



Jack looked at Basho. Basho was watching thesamurai, too. He turned to the fishermen. "Thank youfor the ride," he said calmly, bowing to the men. "Wewill walk from here."The fishermen nodded and smiled.



Good plan,Jack thought, relieved.



"Come," said Basho. He led Jack and Annie awayfrom the market. Soon they came to a busy roadcrowded with pedestrians 14 and travelers on horseback.



As they walked along with the crowd, Jackremembered Basho's words: "Seek harmony with yoursurroundings." He tried to blend in by walking at asteady pace. Keeping his eyes down, he worried abouttheir mission.



How will we ever find the secret of happiness,he wondered,if we have to keep dodging 15 the samurai?



45"Look at that bridge!" said Annie.



Jack glanced up. A high, arched bridge spanned theriver. Hundreds of people were walking across it.



"That is the Great Bridge," said Basho. "It will leadus away from the heart of Edo to the bank of theSumida River, where I live.""Great," said Jack. He hoped they would be saferaway from the heart of Edo. Then maybe they couldfocus on their search for the secret.



Jack, Annie, and Basho joined the crowd crossingthe bridge. They walked single file, close to thewooden railing. Jack stared straight ahead, careful notto look anyone in the eye. He saw people havingpicnics on the other side of the bridge. Kids wereflying red kites.



"What's that mountain?" said Annie. She pointed toa snowcapped mountain looming 16 in the distance. Thewhite cone 17 of the gray mountain rose above fleecy,rose-tinted clouds.



"That is a volcanic 18 mountain called Mount Fuji,"said Basho.



46"Oh, I've heard of Mount Fuji!" said Jack. "That'sthe highest mountain in Japan, right?""Yes, and the most beautiful," said Basho.



"Itisbeautiful," said Annie.



Jack looked around. Actually, he thoughteverything seemed beautiful at that moment: thegreen and yellow parasols of the ferryboat passengersbelow, the pink cherry trees shimmering 19 at the river'sedge, the red kites and white seagulls gliding 20 throughthe sky.



"I love Japan," Jack said softly.



"I do, too," said Basho. "We call our world `thefloating world,' for it seems to float on beauty.""It really does," murmured Jack. Walking across theGreat Bridge, he felt as if he himself were floatingthrough the floating world.



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 warrior
n.勇士,武士,斗士
  • The young man is a bold warrior.这个年轻人是个很英勇的武士。
  • A true warrior values glory and honor above life.一个真正的勇士珍视荣誉胜过生命。
3 warriors
武士,勇士,战士( warrior的名词复数 )
  • I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
  • The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。
4 untied
松开,解开( untie的过去式和过去分词 ); 解除,使自由; 解决
  • Once untied, we common people are able to conquer nature, too. 只要团结起来,我们老百姓也能移山倒海。
  • He untied the ropes. 他解开了绳子。
5 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。
6 barges
驳船( barge的名词复数 )
  • The tug is towing three barges. 那只拖船正拖着三只驳船。
  • There were plenty of barges dropping down with the tide. 有不少驳船顺流而下。
7 glided
v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 );掠过;(鸟或飞机 ) 滑翔
  • The President's motorcade glided by. 总统的车队一溜烟开了过去。
  • They glided along the wall until they were out of sight. 他们沿着墙壁溜得无影无踪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
8 shrimp
n.虾,小虾;矮小的人
  • When the shrimp farm is built it will block the stream.一旦养虾场建起来,将会截断这条河流。
  • When it comes to seafood,I like shrimp the best.说到海鲜,我最喜欢虾。
9 octopus
n.章鱼
  • He experienced nausea after eating octopus.吃了章鱼后他感到恶心。
  • One octopus has eight tentacles.一条章鱼有八根触角。
10 eel
n.鳗鲡
  • He used an eel spear to catch an eel.他用一只捕鳗叉捕鳗鱼。
  • In Suzhou,there was a restaurant that specialized in eel noodles.苏州有一家饭馆,他们那里的招牌菜是鳗鱼面。
11 tilted
v. 倾斜的
  • Suddenly the boat tilted to one side. 小船突然倾向一侧。
  • She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。
12 atone
v.赎罪,补偿
  • He promised to atone for his crime.他承诺要赎自己的罪。
  • Blood must atone for blood.血债要用血来还。
13 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。
14 pedestrians
n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 )
  • Several pedestrians had come to grief on the icy pavement. 几个行人在结冰的人行道上滑倒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Pedestrians keep to the sidewalk [footpath]! 行人走便道。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
15 dodging
n.避开,闪过,音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 );回避
  • He ran across the road, dodging the traffic. 他躲开来往的车辆跑过马路。
  • I crossed the highway, dodging the traffic. 我避开车流穿过了公路。 来自辞典例句
16 looming
n.上现蜃景(光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼)v.隐约出现,阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 );隐约出现,阴森地逼近
  • The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看,在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望
17 cone
n.圆锥体,圆锥形东西,球果
  • Saw-dust piled up in a great cone.锯屑堆积如山。
  • The police have sectioned off part of the road with traffic cone.警察用锥形路标把部分路面分隔开来。
18 volcanic
adj.火山的;象火山的;由火山引起的
  • There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
  • Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。
19 shimmering
v.闪闪发光,发微光( shimmer的现在分词 )
  • The sea was shimmering in the sunlight. 阳光下海水波光闪烁。
  • The colours are delicate and shimmering. 这些颜色柔和且闪烁微光。 来自辞典例句
学英语单词
a carreira
acid attack
air-glass reflection
aldosterone deficiency
amaxophobia
amount carried over
asynchronous logic
automatic meter reading system
bankrupt
barter agreement
battery ore
be weak on
bishopess
burnishing surface
caryophyllenol
CHBHA
civil-war
CM8222
Cobury bread
cognitive limits
coitus int.erruptus
common platform
decimal scale
diphosphorus
disintegration chain
displacement ferroelectrics
drum polletizing
dtb
ectopia lentis
eissero
enter into conversation with
F.I.A.S.
fecundly
fixed sash
fizzlings
freelore
fuster
gelisolifluction
ground-basses
Harrison 2, Benjamin
hole reaming
hop residue
Hornstorf
Hydrangea shaochingii
in-statest
indirect-measurement
inner reflector
interleukine
intra-atomic energy
Irish Republic
Jaggarnat
lactosylceramides
laminae spiralis secundaria
Lexus lane
Lindera limprichtii
lineo-normal distribution
Macht metal
mendication
mizuage
monodactyl
Morellin
multilepis
narcisms
nasal splint
Nemipterus
noelani
noiseuses
non-stimulated
not busy interrupt
oil pressure unit
Opie paradox
orthomitosis
pack-up kits
perspective projection
preheating process
quarternary alloy
radio resource control
refreshable
rockfill breakwater
scavenge trunk
set much by someone
shared main storage
sheafer
single loop servomechanism
Soranus
stylistic component
Syväri
Szarvas
tectomorphic texture
tettigoniid
thiodan
Thymus nervulosus
totalizing
toxicological detection
transport mean-free path
unflappability
unven
vibrating-reed amplifier
vinous tincture
Västernorrlands Län
well-behaved net
wood spurge