《神奇树屋》 第三十二册 Winter of the Ice Wizard 04 Take My Sleigh
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》
Jack 1 sat on the frozen ground. Annie, Teddy, andKathleen sat nearby. They were all too shocked tospeak. The night was quiet. Overhead the full moonshined brightly, and a few cold stars twinkled in theclear sky.
Finally Annie broke the silence. "I wonder what hedid to Merlin and Morgan," she said.
"I wonder where you will find his eye," said Teddy.
"I wonder how we'll carry it around," said Jack.
43"And I wonder if the wolves are near," saidKathleen. She stood up and looked around, pullingher cloak tightly around her.
"Well, does anyone remember the Ice Wizard'srhyme?" said Teddy.
"Yes," said Kathleen. She repeated the rhymeperfectly by heart:
Take my sleighAnd find your wayTo the House of the NornsIn the curve of the bay.
Pay them whateverThey tell you to payAnd bring back my eyeBy break of day.
"What are Norns?" asked Jack.
"I have read about the Norns in Morgan's books,"said Teddy. "They are known as the Sisters of Fate.
They spend their days weaving great tapestries 2. Theirweaving determines the fate of all who live in theLand-Behind-the-Clouds."44"So the Norns have his eye?" said Jack. "That's whohe meant when he said he 'traded with the Fates'?""It would seem so," said Teddy.
"He said we should take his sleigh to find them,"said Annie. "Where's his sleigh?""Look," said Kathleen, pointing. "'Tis there.""Oh, wow," said Annie.
Not far away, a strange-looking silver sleigh glidedsilently from behind a snowbank. The sleigh lookedlike a small sailing ship with shiny runners. No onewas steering 4 it, and no horses or reindeer 5 werepulling it. From its mast, a white sail drooped 7 in thestill air.
As the sleigh slid to a stop, an eerie 8 howl shatteredthe calm of the windless night.
"Wolves!" cried Teddy. "Let us make haste!"Kathleen grabbed his arm. "Do not run," she said.
"If we run, they will chase us.""Yes, of course," said Teddy. "They must not seethat we are afraid."45Another howl shattered the air. "Run!" cried Teddy.
They all charged across the snow to the sleigh andscrambled into it. Jack and Kathleen stood at thefront, and Annie and Teddy stood at the back.
"There they are!" cried Teddy, pointing. "The whitewolves of the night!"Jack turned and saw two large white wolvesdashing across the plain in the moonlight. As thewolves ran toward the sleigh, their big paws scatteredsnow around them.
"Go, go, go!" Jack cried, clutching the front of thesleigh.
But the sleigh didn't move. And the wolves keptcoming. "How can we make it go?" cried Jack.
"Use the wind-string!" said Teddy.
Jack pulled the knotted string the wizard had givenhim out of his pocket. "Use it howl" he shouted.
"Untie 10 a knot!" said Teddy.
46Jack pulled off his gloves. His fingers weretrembling as he tried to untie one of the knots. This iscrazy! he thought. How can untying 11 a knot in a stringhelp us? But soon he managed to loosen one of theknots.
A cold breeze began blowing from behind thesleigh. It ruffled 12 the sail overhead.
"Untie another!" shouted Teddy. "Hurry!"Jack quickly untied 13 a second knot. The breeze grewstronger, and the sail filled out a bit more. Thesleigh's shiny runners began sliding across the snow.
"Yay!" called Annie. "It works!"'Yes, but not nearly swiftly enough!" said Teddy.
Jack looked back. The two white wolves had almostcaught up with them. They were yelping 14 and runningbehind the sleigh. Their mouths were open, showingtheir sharp teeth.
Jack quickly untied a third knot. A cold windblasted the sail. It opened with a snap, and the sleighshot forward!
"Stand fast!" cried Teddy.
Jack, Annie, and Kathleen held tightly to the sidesof the sleigh to keep from falling out. Teddy grabbedthe rudder and steered 15 them over the snow, awayfrom the ice palace.
The wizard's sleigh zoomed 16 across the frozenground, leaving the white wolves in its wake. Theiryelping noises grew fainter and fainter, until theycould be heard no more.
The wind kept pushing the silver sleigh over the iceand snow. The runners made swish-swish sounds asthey slid over the moonlit plain. The square sailbillowed in the wind, like the sail of a Viking ship.
With the wolves far behind, the ride was really fun,but cold.
"How did you know untying knots would make thewind blow?" Jack asked Teddy.
"'Tis an ancient magic," said Teddy. "I have read ofwind-strings but had never seen one.""It's a good thing you read so much," said Annie.
"Oh, look!" said Kathleen. "Hares and foxes!""Where?" said Annie.
"There!" Kathleen pointed 17 into the dark distance.
"Playing in the snow! And listen! Whistling swans-overhead,behind that cloud.""Wow," said Annie.
Jack was amazed by Kathleen's power to see andhear so many things. As before, the moonlit landscapeseemed completely empty to him.
"Where are you steering us?" Annie asked Teddy.
"I have no idea!" said Teddy, laughing.
"We're supposed to go to a curve of a bay to findthe Norns," said Annie.
"Then turn left and follow the swans!" saidKathleen, pointing across the snowy plain. "They areflying toward the sea!"Teddy swerved 18 the sleigh to the left. For a while,they bounced up and down over the snow. Then theride grew smoother.
"We are on sea ice now!" said Kathleen. "Seals arebeneath! I see their breathing holes! Perhaps weshould stop.""Indeed!" said Teddy as they whizzed along. "Buthow?""Try tying a knot!" said Annie.
"Excellent idea!" said Teddy. "Jack?"Jack yanked off his gloves. With cold, shakyfingers, he tied a knot in the string. The windlessened a bit. The sleigh began to slow down.
He tied another. The sail started to droop 6. "Hooray!"said Annie.
Jack tied a third knot and the wind completely diedaway. The sleigh glided 3 to a stop.
"Well done!" said Teddy.
"Thanks," said Jack. He tucked the string back in hispocket and looked around. "I wonder if this is wherethe Norns live.""I will ask," said Kathleen.
As A; who? thought Jack.
Kathleen climbed out of the sleigh. She walked overthe sea ice, studying it closely. Then she stoppedabove a small hole.
Kathleen knelt down and spoke 19 softly in selkielanguage. Then she put her ear close to the hole in theice and listened.
A moment later, she stood up. "The seal told me thecurve of the bay lies just beyond those sea rocks," shesaid, pointing. "That is where we will find the Norns."53"Great," said Annie.
Jack, Annie, Teddy, and Kathleen crunched 20 over thefrozen sea under the bright moon. They walkedthrough a narrow passage between the sea rocks.
When they stepped out from the passage, theystopped.
"There 'tis," said Teddy.
About fifty yards away was a large, snowy whitemound. Smoke was coming from a chimney on top ofthe mound 21. Lantern light flickered 22 from a small,round window.
"I know you must bargain for the Ice Wizard's eyealone," said Teddy. "But I would at least like to take apeek at the Norns."He moved quietly to the window and peered intothe house. The others joined him. They saw a largefire burning on a hearth 23. In its rosy 24 glow, threestrange creatures were weaving at a big loom 25. Jackcaught his breath. Their appearance was shocking.
The three Sisters of Fate were as skinny asskeletons. They all had straggly hair, long noses, andhuge, bulging 26 eyes. Their crooked 27, bony fingersfluttered over a large tapestry 28.
Around the room other tapestries were stacked tothe ceiling.
"They look like witches in a fairy tale," whisperedAnnie.
"Aye, but they are not witches," said Teddy. "Everycloth they weave is the history of a life.""Wow," said Annie.
"Well, good luck," said Teddy. "Kathleen and I willwait out here while you go inside and ask for thewizard's eye."Suddenly a terrible howl pierced the silence.
"Yikes!" said Annie.
"The wolves!" said Kathleen.
Teddy hurried to the door and threw it open.
"Everyone inside!" he said.
And all four of them scrambled 9 into the House ofthe Norns.
- 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。
- The wall of the banqueting hall were hung with tapestries. 宴会厅的墙上挂有壁毯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The rooms were hung with tapestries. 房间里都装饰着挂毯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- 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》
- He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
- Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵,口吻也马上变得温和了。
- The herd of reindeer was being trailed by a pack of wolves.那群驯鹿被一只狼群寻踪追赶上来。
- The life of the Reindeer men was a frontier life.驯鹿时代人的生活是一种边区生活。
- The heavy snow made the branches droop.大雪使树枝垂下来。
- Don't let your spirits droop.不要萎靡不振。
- Her eyelids drooped as if she were on the verge of sleep. 她眼睑低垂好像快要睡着的样子。
- The flowers drooped in the heat of the sun. 花儿晒蔫了。
- It's eerie to walk through a dark wood at night.夜晚在漆黑的森林中行走很是恐怖。
- I walked down the eerie dark path.我走在那条漆黑恐怖的小路上。
- Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- It's just impossible to untie the knot.It's too tight.这个结根本解不开。太紧了。
- Will you please untie the knot for me?请你替我解开这个结头,好吗?
- The tying of bow ties is an art; the untying is easy. 打领带是一种艺术,解领带则很容易。
- As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" 33他们解驴驹的时候,主人问他们说,解驴驹作什么?
- 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。
- In the middle of the table sat a little dog, shaking its paw and yelping. 在桌子中间有一只小狗坐在那儿,抖着它的爪子,汪汪地叫。 来自辞典例句
- He saved men from drowning and you shake at a cur's yelping. 他搭救了快要溺死的人们,你呢,听到一条野狗叫唤也瑟瑟发抖。 来自互联网
- He steered the boat into the harbour. 他把船开进港。
- The freighter steered out of Santiago Bay that evening. 那天晚上货轮驶出了圣地亚哥湾。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Traffic zoomed past us. 车辆从我们身边疾驰而过。
- Cars zoomed helter-skelter, honking belligerently. 大街上来往车辆穿梭不停,喇叭声刺耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- 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。
- She swerved sharply to avoid a cyclist. 她猛地急转弯,以躲开一个骑自行车的人。
- The driver has swerved on a sudden to avoid a file of geese. 为了躲避一队鹅,司机突然来个急转弯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
- The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
- Our feet crunched on the frozen snow. 我们的脚嘎吱嘎吱地踩在冻雪上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- He closed his jaws on the bones and crunched. 他咬紧骨头,使劲地嚼。 来自英汉文学 - 热爱生命
- The explorers climbed a mound to survey the land around them.勘探者爬上土丘去勘测周围的土地。
- The mound can be used as our screen.这个土丘可做我们的掩蔽物。
- The lights flickered and went out. 灯光闪了闪就熄了。
- These lights flickered continuously like traffic lights which have gone mad. 这些灯象发狂的交通灯一样不停地闪动着。
- She came and sat in a chair before the hearth.她走过来,在炉子前面的椅子上坐下。
- She comes to the hearth,and switches on the electric light there.她走到壁炉那里,打开电灯。
- She got a new job and her life looks rosy.她找到一份新工作,生活看上去很美好。
- She always takes a rosy view of life.她总是对生活持乐观态度。
- The old woman was weaving on her loom.那位老太太正在织布机上织布。
- The shuttle flies back and forth on the loom.织布机上梭子来回飞动。
- Her pockets were bulging with presents. 她的口袋里装满了礼物。
- Conscious of the bulging red folder, Nim told her,"Ask if it's important." 尼姆想到那个鼓鼓囊囊的红色文件夹便告诉她:“问问是不是重要的事。”