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

  Jack 1 and Annie ran through the square, dodgingdancers, fortune-tellers, and acrobats 2. They didn'tstop until they were hidden in the middle of a crowdwatching a puppet show.



As Jack tried to catch his breath, he looked aroundat all the pirate and animal and clown costumes. Hewas glad now that he and Annie were dressed in sillyoutfits, too. When they looked at each other, theylaughed nervously 3.



"Maybe we shouldn't have skipped ahead," saidJack.



66"Yeah, you were right," said Annie. "We shouldhave been more patient. Let's go back to the partabout the painter Tiepolo."Jack nodded. "I think we should go to his house," hesaid. "Maybe he's there after all. Maybe that clownhad the wrong information.""I hope so," said Annie.



"The clown said Tiepolo lives near the Church ofSan Felice," said Jack. He pulled out their map andstudied it. "Okay, so we're here in Saint67Mark's Square. And we have to getthere."He traced the route with his finger. "Got it. Let's go.



Stay in the shadows in case those guards comelooking for us."Jack stuffed the book into his backpack. Anniegrabbed his hand, and together they squeezedthrough the Carnival 4 crowd until they came to analley off the square.



The wind was blowing harder as Jack and Annieheaded down one shadowy alley 5, then another. Theywalked between rows of tightly68packed shops, cafés, and houses. As they walkedfarther from Saint Mark's Square, the streets becameless crowded.



After a while, they came to a small footbridge thatcrossed a canal. As they hurried over the bridge, Jacknoticed water washing onto the sidewalks. "What'sgoing on with the water?" he said.



"Let's askher,"said Annie. She pointed 6 to a young woman lockingup a café. The woman wore a blue mask and a lacypurple dress. Water was swirling 7 around her highblack shoes.



"Excuse me," said Annie, "do you know why there'sso much water in the streets?""Oh, there has been much rain in the mountains,"said the young woman. "It all washes down to thelagoon. It makes the water very high.""Is that dangerous?" asked Jack.



The woman smiled. "Oh, no," she said. "We oftenhave high water here in Venice. You shouldn't worry.



You should go watch the fire69works on the waterfront near Saint Mark's.



Everyone is going there.""Thanks!" said Annie.



The woman waved and went on her way.



"I guess we can stop worrying about the water,"Annie said to Jack.



"Yeah," said Jack. But he couldn't help worrying ashe saw a clump 9 of seaweed wash past them down thealley.



As Jack and Annie walked toward the Church ofSan Felice, a bell started to chime. Jack counted thebongs:



eleven.



Another bell started to toll 10. Jack countedtenbongs. "What time do you think it is, really?" heasked. "I don't understand.""Patience, remember?" said Annie. "One thing at atime. We just have to find Tiepolo's house now."Soon they came to the small Church of San Felice.



The square next to the church was empty except foran old man walking a small, fat dog.



70"Good evening, little clowns," the man said with afriendly smile. "Why aren't you at the waterfront bySaint Mark's Square? I'd be there myself, except myRosa is afraid of fireworks." He smiled at his chubbydog.



"Actually, we're trying to find the house of apainter named Tiepolo," said Jack.



"Oh, he is my neighbor," said the old man. "He livesthere--" He pointed to a dark house off the square.



"But you won't find him home.""I know, we heard he's away," said Jack. "We werejust wondering if he was coming back soon.""I fear not," said the man. "Tiepolo told everyonethat he would be gone for many months. But youshould get along to the fireworks on the waterfrontnow. Everyone in Venice will be there to see them.



They are quite magnificent on the last night ofCarnival.""Thanks," said Jack.



The old man waved. As he and Rosa walked slowlyacross the square, the church bell began to sound. Itbonged eleven times.



71"Excuse me, sir," Jack called. "All the clocks inVenice tell different times. Which one is right?""None!" the old man called. "That is one of thewonderful things about our city. Venice is timeless!"The man laughed, and he and Rosa went inside asmall yellow house.



Jack sat down on a bench in the square. He put hishead in his hands. Annie sat next to him. "I guess wedohave to skip Tiepolo," she said. "What's the nextthing Merlin tells us to do?"Jack sighed. He pulled out the magician's letter andread the next two lines:



At midnight two men will tellyouthe time.



To the topoftheir tower hurry and climb.



"Oh, great," said Jack. "How will we know if it'sreally midnight? The man just said none of the clocksare right because Venice is timeless.""According to Merlin, two men will tell us the righttime," said Annie. "Two men who own some kind oftower we have to climb.""Right," said Jack. "But that makes no sense, either.



Who are they? How are we supposed to72find them? We'll have to skip that part, too. We'reskipping our whole mission, whatever it is. A terribledisaster's about to happen to some Grand Lady of theLagoon, and we have no idea who she is. We don'tknow what the disaster is. We don't know where tofind the Ruler of the Seas or how to find a painternamed Tiepolo--or even how to tell the right time!



We're completely failing Merlin's test!""Calm down. We just have to be patient," saidAnnie. "Everything will make sense soon.""Howsoon?" said Jack. He felt cold and wet andmiserable.



"Verysoon ... ," said Annie. "In fact, I think I see a lightnow inside Tiepolo's house." She stood up. "Idefinitely see a light!"Annie ran over to the small house off the square.



She peeped through a window. "Jack!" she called in aloud whisper. "Come here!"Jack walked over to her. "Someone's painting inthere," said Annie.



73Through the window, Jack saw a candle burning ina corner of the room. He saw canvases and pots ofpaint. He saw a boy standing 11 at an easel. The boy waspainting a picture on a large canvas.



"He's just a kid," said Jack with disappointment. "Hecan't be Tiepolo."74"So what?" said Annie. "Maybe he can help us." Shetapped on the glass.



The boy looked up. He carried his candle to thewindow and opened it. He had reddish brown hairand big eyes. "Hello," he said. "Are you looking forsomeone?""I'm Annie, and this is my brother, Jack," saidAnnie. "We're visiting Venice. And we were hopingto find a painter named Tiepolo.""You have just done so," the boy said. "My name isLorenzo Tiepolo." Lorenzo had a very serious manner.



"You're a painter, too?" asked Annie.



"Yes. As you can see, I am painting right now. Ihelp my father and my older brother with theirpaintings," said Lorenzo. "And when they are gone, Ipaint my own. I will even miss the last night ofCarnival to paint. But why are you not there?""We're on a mission," said Annie. "We just escapedfrom the palace prison. We got caught looking for theRuler of the Seas."75"The Ruler of the Seas?" said Lorenzo. "Why wereyou looking in the palace? The Ruler of the Seas isright here.""What?" said Jack. "The Ruler of the Seas ishere?"Lorenzo smiled. Then he walked to a large coveredcanvas propped 12 against the wall. He pulled off thecloth cover. He held up his candle to show a paintingof a beautiful woman resting her hand on the head ofa golden lion. A man was giving coins to the woman.



The man had a bare chest, a rugged 13 face, long darkhair, and a white beard. Behind him was a three-pronged fishing spear.



"My father has been working on this painting forsome time," said Lorenzo. He pointed at the beardedman. "'Tis Neptune 14.""Neptune?" said Jack. "He's one of the gods inRoman mythology 15, right?""Yes, the Ruler of the Seas," said Lorenzo. "Ohhh . . .



We thought the Ruler of the Seas76was the ruler of Venice," said Annie. "We thoughthe lived in the palace on Saint Mark's Square."Lorenzo laughed. "Oh, no, the palace is just thehome of our city's human ruler," he said. "The trueruler of all the seas is Neptune.""Where does Neptune live, Lorenzo?" Annie asked.



"He lives beneath the water in a beautiful palacemade of coral and sparkling jewels," said Lorenzo.



"But only a few people can actually see Neptune.""Like who?" asked Annie.



"Those with imaginations, like my father, mybrother, and myself," said Lorenzo. "We have heardthe waves around Neptune roar like wild bulls. Wehave seen his fishing spear rising high above thesurface of the sea, gleaming in the moonlight.""That sounds great," said Annie.



"Yeah, great," Jack said politely. "You guys musthave really good imaginations. Thanks,77Lorenzo." He turned to Annie. "I'm going to look atthe research book some more."Jack walked back to the bench and pulled out theirbook. He felt totally discouraged. Neptune wasn't areal person. They'd come toanotherdead end.



Annie stayed by the window. "Lorenzo, one morequestion," she said. "Why is Neptune giving a gift tothat lady?"78"Neptune is offering the riches of the sea to Venice,"answered Lorenzo.



"So the lady in the painting is supposed to be thecity of Venice?" said Annie.



"Yes," said Lorenzo. "This is how my father thinksof Venice. She is the Grand Lady of the Lagoon 8."Jack looked up from the book. He felt goose bumpson his skin.



"Thanks, Lorenzo!" said Annie. "You helped us alot!""You are welcome, Annie," said Lorenzo.



"Good night." Then he closed the window. "Jack!



Jack!" said Annie, hurrying to him.



"The Grand Lady of the Lagoon is Venice!" "I know!



I heard!" said Jack.



"Now I understand our mission," said Annie. "Wehave to saveVenicefrom a terrible disaster. We have to saveall of Venice!"



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 acrobats
n.杂技演员( acrobat的名词复数 );立场观点善变的人,主张、政见等变化无常的人
  • I was always fascinated by the acrobats at the circus. 我总是着迷于马戏团里的杂技演员。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The acrobats' performance drew forth applause from the audience. 杂技演员的表演博得了观众的掌声。 来自《简明英汉词典》
3 nervously
adv.神情激动地,不安地
  • 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。
4 carnival
n.嘉年华会,狂欢,狂欢节,巡回表演
  • I got some good shots of the carnival.我有几个狂欢节的精彩镜头。
  • Our street puts on a carnival every year.我们街的居民每年举行一次嘉年华会。
5 alley
n.小巷,胡同;小径,小路
  • We live in the same alley.我们住在同一条小巷里。
  • The blind alley ended in a brick wall.这条死胡同的尽头是砖墙。
6 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。
7 swirling
v.旋转,打旋( swirl的现在分词 )
  • Snowflakes were swirling in the air. 天空飘洒着雪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • She smiled, swirling the wine in her glass. 她微笑着,旋动着杯子里的葡萄酒。 来自辞典例句
8 lagoon
n.泻湖,咸水湖
  • The lagoon was pullulated with tropical fish.那个咸水湖聚满了热带鱼。
  • This area isolates a restricted lagoon environment.将这一地区隔离起来使形成一个封闭的泻湖环境。
9 clump
n.树丛,草丛;vi.用沉重的脚步行走
  • A stream meandered gently through a clump of trees.一条小溪从树丛中蜿蜒穿过。
  • It was as if he had hacked with his thick boots at a clump of bluebells.仿佛他用自己的厚靴子无情地践踏了一丛野风信子。
10 toll
n.过路(桥)费;损失,伤亡人数;v.敲(钟)
  • The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
  • The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。
11 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。
12 propped
支撑,支持,维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 )
  • He sat propped up in the bed by pillows. 他靠着枕头坐在床上。
  • This fence should be propped up. 这栅栏该用东西支一支。
13 rugged
adj.高低不平的,粗糙的,粗壮的,强健的
  • Football players must be rugged.足球运动员必须健壮。
  • The Rocky Mountains have rugged mountains and roads.落基山脉有崇山峻岭和崎岖不平的道路。
14 Neptune
n.海王星
  • Neptune is the furthest planet from the sun.海王星是离太阳最远的行星。
  • Neptune turned out to be a dynamic,stormy world.海王星原来是个有生气、多风暴的世界。
15 mythology
n.神话,神话学,神话集
  • In Greek mythology,Zeus was the ruler of Gods and men.在希腊神话中,宙斯是众神和人类的统治者。
  • He is the hero of Greek mythology.他是希腊民间传说中的英雄。
学英语单词
?-subunit
Acanthephippium sinense
amilorides
analytical geometry of space
Association of Oil Pipe Lines
at the furthest
automobilists
balanced incomplete type
Bartica
beautiness
bocion
bockwurst sausage
brownell
build up to
calorimotor
carrottop
caveator
continuity coefficient
core cavitation
correction and compensation device
counterextortion
cultural diffusions
Dactyloctenium aegyptium
Dazoxibin
DBMS drivers
dead water zone
dialling tones
dietary antigen
diguanidinobutanase
eclipsing star
Elliont type knuckle
equilibrium, temperature
erythrocythaemic
fdp management science
fruitshop
gear in train
grey-back
high quartz solid solution
hooking pass
Hungarian grass
incendiary leaf
incumbent upon
India lawn
iridium sulfite
j-invariant of elliptic curve
kulm
laid siege
lift distribution
low-order
major first face
meadow ferns
mid-latitudes
midget
multicolor emission
multident
multiviscosity oil
Ngoc My
non-independent accounting unit
nonweekly
objective force level
Okawville
P-T region
Pedicularis dolichoglossa
photoactive reaction
pipe valve tray
pointwise ergodic theorem
prolific writer
quinonyl
quotation board
rapid scanning spectrometer
rational form
reinforcement bending shed
remines
repressibility
riveros
Sena, R.
send back system
send sb into bankrupt
side toppling
startscummers
stiede
Stiegel, Henry William
stove drying
stress in beam
suirs
swab man
sweat over sth
swept
tabards
Take someone to the woodshed
Terezinha
theory of matrices
thiofuradene
tropical automatic weather station
tropicalist
tulie
ultrasonic cell disintegration
unirrigated soil
unlight
vieulence alteration
wage drift
wave length-ship length ratio