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儿童英语读物 The Clue in the Corn Maze CHAPTER 5 The Argument

时间:2017-11-15 06:00来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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“So, who’d like to go on a quick hayride before supper?” Ken1 asked after the last customer had gone home and the maze2 was closed for the day.

“A hayride! Oh, boy!” Benny cried, jumping up and down.

Ken led the Aldens back over to the barn. There was a large green tractor parked there. A trailer with bales of hay was hitched3 to the tractor.

“Climb aboard!” Ken said.

“Hey, this looks like fun!” Jessie said. She hopped4 up onto the trailer.

“It sure does,” Violet agreed. “But where do we sit?”

“On the hay,” Ken said with a laugh. “That’s why they call it a hayride.”

The Aldens laughed, too.

Grandfather helped Benny onto the trailer, then turned to Ken, who was climbing awkwardly onto the tractor seat. “Can I help you there, Ken?” Grandfather asked.

“No, no,” Ken waved his hand. “I’m fine.” He started the tractor, and with a quick lurch5, they were off.

Ken drove the Aldens all around his property. It wasn’t a fast ride, but it was a lot of fun.

“This land is really quite hilly,” Grandfather noted6. “I always think of the Midwest as being flat.”

“Parts of Iowa are flat, but we’ve got some gentle rolling hills around here,” Ken said with a smile. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

“It sure is,” Grandfather agreed.

Ken drove along the edge of his cornfield, then turned down a narrow, rutted road. The road led to the top of a ridge7, then down to a small lake. Mr. Sweeney was sitting by the lake. As the group drew closer, they could see he was cutting pieces out of a newspaper.

“Hey, Jack8,” Ken said. “What are you doing?”

Jack quickly gathered up the newspaper scraps10. “I-I-I’m uh, just t-t-taking a little break,” he stammered11. “I have a nephew who lives in California now, but he likes to keep up with the local sports coverage12. So I’m clipping articles.”

“Well, we won’t disturb you,” Ken said. He turned the tractor in a wide circle and drove back up the hill.

When they got back to the utility barn, Ken parked the tractor.

“Thank you for taking us on a hayride, Ken,” Jessie said.

“You’re welcome, Jessie,” Ken replied. Then he and Grandfather went inside to start supper. The children decided13 to stay outside and look at the animals. Benny especially wanted to visit Sunny, the llama.

While they were petting Sunny, Benny noticed a scrap9 from an empty feed bag lying on the ground. He picked it up.

“Does anybody know where there’s a garbage can?” Benny asked.

“There’s one over by Mr. Sweeney’s trailer,” Violet said, pointing.

Benny skipped over to the garbage. He lifted the lid and was surprised to find the entire can full of empty toilet paper rolls and plastic wrapping from Softee brand toilet paper.

“Hey, come look at this!” he called to the other kids.

They came over and peered into the garbage can.

“I wonder if all of this came from the toilet paper in the maze?” Jessie asked.

“I bet it did,” Violet said. “Look!” She pointed14 to a cardboard roll that still had a little toilet paper attached to it. “This is the same swirly15 pattern we saw on the toilet paper we found in the maze.”

“And the paper at Peggy Rodman’s,” Benny added.

Just then, Mr. Sweeney came up behind them. “What do you kids think you’re doing digging in my garbage?” he asked.

Mr. Sweeney’s tone of voice startled Benny so much that he dropped the metal lid. “I was just throwing some garbage away,” he said.

Henry picked the lid up and replaced it on the garbage can. “We couldn’t help but notice all the toilet paper rolls and packaging,” Henry said.

“This is the only garbage can around here. The person who wound all that toilet paper through the maze must have put the garbage here,” Mr. Sweeney said gruffly. He checked the garbage can lid to make sure it was secure. “I suppose that’s better than leaving it in the maze.”

Mr. Sweeney brushed past the children and thudded up the steps to his trailer. “Please find someplace else to play,” he said. “And don’t dig in the garbage.”

“Okay, Mr. Sweeney,” Henry said. “We’re sorry we bothered you.”

“Mr. Sweeney doesn’t like us,” Benny grumbled16 as they headed back toward Ken’s house. “He’s mean.”

“I don’t think he realized Benny had picked up some trash,” Jessie said. “Instead he got mad at us for digging in his garbage.”

“Maybe he got mad because he didn’t want us to see all the toilet paper rolls and plastic wrapping,” Henry said.

“Why would he care about what we saw in his garbage?” Jessie asked. “Unless he’s the one who put all the toilet paper and manure17 in the maze?”

“That seems kind of strange when he’s the one who has to clean up the mess,” Violet said.

“Still, I think we should keep an eye on Mr. Sweeney,” Henry said.

The others nodded in agreement.

The children went inside the house and found David pacing back and forth18 in the kitchen. His dress shirt was unbuttoned and his tie was loose. He looked upset.

“Why didn’t you tell me, Dad?” David demanded.

“I just did,” Ken replied calmly as he checked the casserole in the oven.

David frowned. “I mean, why didn’t you tell me as soon as you discovered the manure in the maze?”

“What difference does it make when I tell you?” Ken asked.

“I could have come over and helped with the cleanup,” David replied.

“Don’t be silly,” Ken said. He sat down at the table next to Grandfather. “You can’t leave your job at the bank every time I have a little problem.”

“That sounds like a big problem to me,” David said. “You know I don’t like you working in the fields, Dad. You’re not a young man anymore.”

“So you keep telling me,” Ken muttered. “But I assure you I wasn’t working in the fields. Jack and the Aldens did all of the work.”

“That’s true, David,” Violet piped up. “We helped Mr. Sweeney.”

“We didn’t want Ken to work too hard, either,” Henry added.

The back door burst open. “Hello, everyone!” Kurt said as he came into the kitchen carrying two brown bags that were overflowing19 with corn.

“Oh, boy! Did you bring us more corn, Kurt?” Benny squealed20 with excitement.

“I sure did, Benny,” Kurt smiled. He set the bags on the counter.

“Hooray!” Benny jumped up and down.

“Did you hear there was some more trouble with that maze this morning, Uncle Kurt?” David asked.

“Yes, I did.”

Ken whirled around. “Who told you?”

“Jack did. Just now. Honestly, Ken. Farming is hard enough by itself, especially with your arthritis21. I don’t know why you bother with this maze, too.”

“Because I enjoy it,” Ken said. “If I have to give up my maze, I may as well give up the whole farm and move into town with David and his wife.”

“That’s not such a terrible idea, Dad,” David said.

“Listen to your son, Ken,” Kurt said. “I really think that once the King Corn Days Festival is behind us, we should sit down with our lawyers and work out some sort of deal. I’d like to buy you out.”

“You don’t have the money to buy me out,” Ken said.

Kurt and David exchanged a look. “Well, Ken,” Kurt said carefully. “I went to see somebody at the bank about getting a loan.”

Ken opened his mouth, but no words came out.

“I think I could swing it,” Kurt went on.

“No,” Ken said, shaking his head.

Kurt pulled out a chair next to Ken and sat down. “You don’t have to sell the house. Just sell me the land. Let me farm it.”

“No!”

Kurt leaned back in his chair. “You’re being stubborn!” he declared.

“It’s my land!” Ken exclaimed. “I can be stubborn with my own land if I want to be.”

“Think of your health, Dad,” David pleaded. “If Kurt wants to buy you out, I think you should at least consider it.”

“You can still be involved,” Kurt promised. “I’d take your advice. Just let me handle the hard work.”

“If you keep pestering22 me, I’ll sell to Peggy Rodman instead of you,” Ken threatened.

Kurt looked stunned23. “You wouldn’t,” he said.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Ken asked. “She made me an offer a few months ago. A pretty good one, I might add.”

“B-but,” Kurt stammered, clearly upset. “She’s never liked either one of us. Why would you sell to her instead of to your own flesh and blood?”

“Because at one time, all this land belonged to her family,” Ken explained. “I bought this farm from her dad, you know. Letting her buy it back might go a long way toward mending fences between us.”

Kurt was so angry the Aldens could almost see smoke coming out of his ears. “If you sell to her instead of to me, I’ll never forgive you, Ken.”

“Well, right now, I’m not planning on selling to anybody,” Ken said. “So why don’t we quit talking about this. Let’s cook the corn and eat some supper.”

“I’m not hungry,” Kurt said, rising to his feet. He stormed out of the house.

The Aldens sat in silence. They felt bad about having heard the argument between Ken and his brother.

Ken seemed a little embarrassed about it, too. “I’m sorry you Aldens had to hear our family squabbles,” he said.

Grandfather waved his hand to let Ken know it didn’t matter. “I know how important it is to you to hang onto this farm,” Grandfather said.

“I bought this farm with my own money, James,” Ken said. “I didn’t even take out a loan. I paid cash.”

“I remember,” Grandfather said.

“Believe it or not, Dad, Uncle Kurt and I really do have your best interests at heart. We’re worried about you,” David said.

“Well, stop worrying,” Ken said. “What’s best for me is to stay right here and keep farming my land.”

“I wish I was as sure of that as you are,” David said. He picked up his briefcase24 and gave his father a hug.

“I need to get home,” David said. As he was leaving, he noticed the red cap sitting on the counter.

“Hey, I was wondering what happened to my cap,” he said, picking it up.

Jessie looked up. “You mean that cap belongs to you?” she asked.

“Yes. I just got it a couple weeks ago. It’s got a light on it, see?” He flipped25 the switch and the bulb lit up. “I was really upset when I noticed it was missing this morning.”

The Aldens all looked at each other. “We found it in the maze this morning,” Henry said.

“You did?” David sounded surprised. “Gee, I wonder how it got there.” He scratched his head. “Now that I think about it, I remember I borrowed a rake from the shed the other night. I’ll bet I left it in the shed then.”

“How did it get from the shed to the middle of the maze?” Jessie wondered.

“That’s a mystery, isn’t it,” David said with a smile. “I just know I didn’t put it there. I haven’t been in the maze for days.”

“Maybe the person who dumped the manure in the maze went into the shed to get a shovel26 or something and found it,” Violet suggested.

“Maybe,” David said. “In fact, maybe they left it in the maze on purpose so you’d think I was the vandal.”

“I would never think that, Son,” Ken said.

David smiled again. “I hope not.” He picked up his cap. “Well, I’d better be going. See you all later.”

After a hearty27 supper, the Aldens decided to take a walk through the maze before bed. It was just starting to get dark, so they borrowed flashlights from Ken. Ken and Grandfather sat on rocking chairs on the back porch.

“I wonder how David’s cap got from the shed to the maze,” Violet said as she shined her flashlight on the path ahead of them.

The cornstalks rippled28 in the night breeze as the children turned a corner.

“Obviously someone took it out of the shed,” Henry said. “But who? Who could have gotten in there?”

“It could have been anybody,” Violet said. “Ken doesn’t keep the shed locked.”

“I’ll bet Mr. Sweeney goes in there a lot,” Jessie said.

Henry could see the light from Mr. Sweeney’s trailer through the cornstalks. “He lives here, so it would be pretty easy for him to sneak29 into the maze at night when no one’s watching,” Henry said.

“What about Peggy Rodman?” Benny asked. “She lives pretty close. It wouldn’t be very hard for her to sneak in during the night, either.”

“Plus, she wanted to buy this land,” Jessie said. “Ken said it used to belong to her family.”

“He also said this maze is the one thing that’s preventing him from selling his farm right now,” Henry said. “So maybe she thinks Ken will sell if he doesn’t have his maze anymore.”

“Peggy Rodman isn’t the only person who wants to buy this farm,” Benny said. “Kurt wants to buy it, too.”

“But Kurt is Ken’s brother,” Violet pointed out. “I don’t think he’d vandalize his brother’s property.”

Jessie sighed. “I think we’ve got too many suspects and not enough clues.”

“More clues,” said Benny, “that’s what we need. More clues and …” He grinned. “More corn!”


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 ken k3WxV     
n.视野,知识领域
参考例句:
  • Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
  • Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.
2 maze F76ze     
n.迷宫,八阵图,混乱,迷惑
参考例句:
  • He found his way through the complex maze of corridors.他穿过了迷宮一样的走廊。
  • She was lost in the maze for several hours.一连几小时,她的头脑处于一片糊涂状态。
3 hitched fc65ed4d8ef2e272cfe190bf8919d2d2     
(免费)搭乘他人之车( hitch的过去式和过去分词 ); 搭便车; 攀上; 跃上
参考例句:
  • They hitched a ride in a truck. 他们搭乘了一辆路过的货车。
  • We hitched a ride in a truck yesterday. 我们昨天顺便搭乘了一辆卡车。
4 hopped 91b136feb9c3ae690a1c2672986faa1c     
跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 ); 单足蹦跳; 齐足(或双足)跳行; 摘葎草花
参考例句:
  • He hopped onto a car and wanted to drive to town. 他跳上汽车想开向市区。
  • He hopped into a car and drove to town. 他跳进汽车,向市区开去。
5 lurch QR8z9     
n.突然向前或旁边倒;v.蹒跚而行
参考例句:
  • It has been suggested that the ground movements were a form of lurch movements.地震的地面运动曾被认为是一种突然倾斜的运动形式。
  • He walked with a lurch.他步履蹒跚。
6 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
7 ridge KDvyh     
n.山脊;鼻梁;分水岭
参考例句:
  • We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above.我们沿着山坡费力地爬上了山脊。
  • The infantry were advancing to attack the ridge.步兵部队正在向前挺进攻打山脊。
8 jack 53Hxp     
n.插座,千斤顶,男人;v.抬起,提醒,扛举;n.(Jake)杰克
参考例句:
  • 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。
9 scrap JDFzf     
n.碎片;废料;v.废弃,报废
参考例句:
  • A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
  • Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。
10 scraps 737e4017931b7285cdd1fa3eb9dd77a3     
油渣
参考例句:
  • Don't litter up the floor with scraps of paper. 不要在地板上乱扔纸屑。
  • A patchwork quilt is a good way of using up scraps of material. 做杂拼花布棉被是利用零碎布料的好办法。
11 stammered 76088bc9384c91d5745fd550a9d81721     
v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He stammered most when he was nervous. 他一紧张往往口吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • Barsad leaned back in his chair, and stammered, \"What do you mean?\" 巴萨往椅背上一靠,结结巴巴地说,“你是什么意思?” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
12 coverage nvwz7v     
n.报导,保险范围,保险额,范围,覆盖
参考例句:
  • There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
  • This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。
13 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
14 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • 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。
15 swirly 09cf7119578491851a2520568ece5a5a     
成涡旋形的
参考例句:
  • There is now a black swirly animation when a spell is resisted. 当法术被抵抗的时候有一个黑色旋涡形的效果。 来自互联网
16 grumbled ed735a7f7af37489d7db1a9ef3b64f91     
抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 ); 发牢骚; 咕哝; 发哼声
参考例句:
  • He grumbled at the low pay offered to him. 他抱怨给他的工资低。
  • The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over their work. 天热得让人发昏,水手们边干活边发着牢骚。
17 manure R7Yzr     
n.粪,肥,肥粒;vt.施肥
参考例句:
  • The farmers were distributing manure over the field.农民们正在田间施肥。
  • The farmers used manure to keep up the fertility of their land.农夫们用粪保持其土质的肥沃。
18 forth Hzdz2     
adv.向前;向外,往外
参考例句:
  • The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
  • He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
19 overflowing df84dc195bce4a8f55eb873daf61b924     
n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的,充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • The stands were overflowing with farm and sideline products. 集市上农副产品非常丰富。
  • The milk is overflowing. 牛奶溢出来了。
20 squealed 08be5c82571f6dba9615fa69033e21b0     
v.长声尖叫,用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He squealed the words out. 他吼叫着说出那些话。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The brakes of the car squealed. 汽车的刹车发出吱吱声。 来自《简明英汉词典》
21 arthritis XeyyE     
n.关节炎
参考例句:
  • Rheumatoid arthritis has also been linked with the virus.风湿性关节炎也与这种病毒有关。
  • He spent three months in the hospital with acute rheumatic arthritis.他患急性风湿性关节炎,在医院住了三个月。
22 pestering cbb7a3da2b778ce39088930a91d2c85b     
使烦恼,纠缠( pester的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • He's always pestering me to help him with his homework. 他总是泡蘑菇要我帮他做作业。
  • I'm telling you once and for all, if you don't stop pestering me you'll be sorry. 我这是最后一次警告你。如果你不停止纠缠我,你将来会后悔的。
23 stunned 735ec6d53723be15b1737edd89183ec2     
adj. 震惊的,惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
  • The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。
24 briefcase lxdz6A     
n.手提箱,公事皮包
参考例句:
  • He packed a briefcase with what might be required.他把所有可能需要的东西都装进公文包。
  • He requested the old man to look after the briefcase.他请求那位老人照看这个公事包。
25 flipped 5bef9da31993fe26a832c7d4b9630147     
轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 ); 按(开关); 快速翻转; 急挥
参考例句:
  • The plane flipped and crashed. 飞机猛地翻转,撞毁了。
  • The carter flipped at the horse with his whip. 赶大车的人扬鞭朝着马轻轻地抽打。
26 shovel cELzg     
n.铁锨,铲子,一铲之量;v.铲,铲出
参考例句:
  • 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。
27 hearty Od1zn     
adj.热情友好的;衷心的;尽情的,纵情的
参考例句:
  • After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了,他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。
  • We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。
28 rippled 70d8043cc816594c4563aec11217f70d     
使泛起涟漪(ripple的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • The lake rippled gently. 湖面轻轻地泛起涟漪。
  • The wind rippled the surface of the cornfield. 微风吹过麦田,泛起一片麦浪。
29 sneak vr2yk     
vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝);偷偷摸摸做;n.潜行;adj.暗中进行
参考例句:
  • He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。
  • I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。
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