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儿童英语读物 The Deserted Library Mystery CHAPTER 9 The Upside-down Mess

时间:2017-07-06 01:38来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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The day before, the Aldens and Miguel had run up the rain-splashed path, not minding the wet and cold. This morning, however, after they had escaped the house’s bolted door, they walked up the path to the library without a word. They all were worrying about who had tried to keep them in Pete’s house.

Henry took out the library key to unlock the door, but as he came closer, he noticed the door was ajar.

He hesitated. “Someone might be in there. Keep a sharp lookout,” he advised.

“D-do you think we should go in?” Violet asked timidly.

“We’ve worked very hard,” Henry said calmly. “Do you want to stop now?”

“No,” Jessie said. “Let’s just look in.”

Henry pushed the door open. He listened carefully for any sounds. When he heard nothing, he stepped inside. The others followed, peering around.

Entering the library, Jessie stopped. Her hand flew to her mouth at the sight that greeted her. “Oh, no,” she wailed1. “Look at this mess!”

Violet was behind her. “Who would do such a thing?” she asked in a shocked voice.

Miguel’s face paled. “The books are scattered2 everywhere!” He stepped over a stack of books. “Look! The desk is upside down.”

Books were upside down, too. Books were right side up, standing3 on end, and tossed in corners. Leaves of books had been ripped out and cast here and there. Some pages had been crumpled4, others torn to shreds5. There was no doubt about it! Someone had locked them in Pete’s house to gain time to search. The books, the shelves, and every nook had been explored.

“All our hard work is wasted!” Violet said.

Speechless, Henry stood with his hands on his hips6, shaking his head in disbelief. He picked up a tattered7 book.

Benny gazed at Henry. “This is bad, isn’t it?”

Henry paused, then spoke8 in a calm manner. “It’s bad, Benny, but nothing that can’t be fixed9. Books are everywhere, but there’s no major damage.”

Jessie rose. “We’ll need to put the books back on the shelf, that’s all.” She rolled up her sleeves.

Miguel held up a book, studying it curiously10. “Where did these jagged holes come from?”

Henry reached for the book and examined the pages. “Our prowler,” he observed, “has done this on purpose! He’s used scissors to slash11 these books!”

“Who would do such a terrible thing?” asked Miguel.

“Someone who is angry because he can’t find what he wants,” Jessie answered. Her eyebrows12 knit together in a frown. “The intruder not only balled up pages and tossed them aside, but stabbed the bigger books with his scissors or a knife!”

“What a shame,” Violet said. “He must have been furious when he didn’t find what he was hunting for.”

“I need to check upstairs and see how many books have been ruined up there,” Henry said.

Jessie moved to his side. She anxiously chewed on her underlip. “Grandfather will be so disappointed if the library isn’t a landmark13.”

Henry smiled grimly. “I know, Jessie. It’s pretty discouraging, but we’ll clean up this mess.” He wheeled about and hurried upstairs.

Soon Henry returned. “Good news! The upstairs has hardly been touched. The intruder only tore apart one shelf.”

Violet tilted14 her head. “We must have interrupted whoever it was,” she said thoughtfully.

“You’re right, Violet,” Jessie said. “When he heard us coming, he must have dashed out the backdoor.”

“Do you think the awful person will come back?” Benny asked. His brown eyes were big.

“He probably will, Benny. He wants that sword! I’m sure of it.” Henry tossed a ruined book on top of the damaged pile.

“Do you think we should call the police?” Violet asked.

“There’s no phone here or in the cabin,” Henry said. “Let’s wait. The police would probably want us to stay out of the library.”

For the rest of the day they tackled the books. Book after book was put back on the shelves. Others were stacked neatly15 in piles.

By the end of the day the floor had been cleared. Jessie had collected the damaged books in a box. Henry had swept the floor of all the torn pages and debris16.

Miguel leaned backward, then forward. “My back hurts,” he complained with a smile. “I feel good, though. Look how much we’ve done!”

Henry smiled at Miguel, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t know what we’d have done without you!”

Miguel grinned, happy to be needed.

“I’ll lock the door,” Henry said, “but I’m not sure it will keep out the stranger. I’m willing to bet he has a passkey. He must have.”

They left for the house, tired and discouraged. Henry kept his thoughts to himself, but certain questions ran through his mind. What if they returned tomorrow and the books were topsy-turvy again? How could they go through all this work another time? Someone seemed to know their every move. And what if that someone found the missing sword piece before they did? And what if he didn’t? If the intruder was desperate enough for the sword, there was no telling what he might do!

Jessie caught up with Henry. “At least the intruder didn’t find what he was searching for.”

“No, Jessie,” Henry responded. “But I’m afraid he might become dangerous.” He frowned. “Maybe we’d better pack up and go home.”

“We’ve come this far,” Jessie said softly. “We mustn’t give up now!”

Henry gave her a grateful glance. “I was hoping you’d say that!” He patted his back pocket. “The letter is with me all the time, and the sword is either under my pillow or on my bike or in the library when I’m working.”

Violet lagged behind, picking wildflowers. She loved flowers, especially violet ones. The others were far ahead, and the sun was setting. She felt uneasy. She’d better catch up with everyone. All at once she heard a faint noise in back of her. Someone was following her! Heavy steps on the pebble17 path made a crunching18 noise. She whirled about. A shadowy figure dived into the shrubs19. Violet raced toward the others. “Henry!” she called. “Wait!”

They stopped. “What is it, Violet?” Henry asked.

“A man! I saw a man duck into the bushes.” She was out of breath, but felt better surrounded by her family and Miguel.

“Don’t worry!” Benny said. “We’ll protect you!”

Henry chuckled20 nervously21. “We’ve almost reached the house. We’ll be safe there.” But his heart was racing22, too. One more day, he vowed23, and they must leave! Things were getting out of hand!

That night no one slept well.

Benny thrashed about in bed and pounded his pillow. Then he lay very still. What was that click? But it was only his chattering24 teeth.

Miguel thought he heard the stranger trying to break in, but it was only the branches scraping against the window.

Henry thought he heard a scratching noise, but it was only a mouse.

Jessie thought she heard someone breaking the lock, but it was only the dying embers in the fireplace that crackled and popped.

Violet sat straight up in bed. Was someone ripping and tearing something? No, she thought, lying back was probably her imagination again.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 wailed e27902fd534535a9f82ffa06a5b6937a     
v.哭叫,哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She wailed over her father's remains. 她对着父亲的遗体嚎啕大哭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The women of the town wailed over the war victims. 城里的妇女为战争的死难者们痛哭。 来自辞典例句
2 scattered 7jgzKF     
adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的
参考例句:
  • Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来,塞进文件夹里。
3 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • 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。
4 crumpled crumpled     
adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式
参考例句:
  • She crumpled the letter up into a ball and threw it on the fire. 她把那封信揉成一团扔进了火里。
  • She flattened out the crumpled letter on the desk. 她在写字台上把皱巴巴的信展平。
5 shreds 0288daa27f5fcbe882c0eaedf23db832     
v.撕碎,切碎( shred的第三人称单数 );用撕毁机撕毁(文件)
参考例句:
  • Peel the carrots and cut them into shreds. 将胡罗卜削皮,切成丝。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I want to take this diary and rip it into shreds. 我真想一赌气扯了这日记。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说
6 hips f8c80f9a170ee6ab52ed1e87054f32d4     
abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯,耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 );[建筑学]屋脊;臀围(尺寸);臀部…的
参考例句:
  • She stood with her hands on her hips. 她双手叉腰站着。
  • They wiggled their hips to the sound of pop music. 他们随着流行音乐的声音摇晃着臀部。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 tattered bgSzkG     
adj.破旧的,衣衫破的
参考例句:
  • Her tattered clothes in no way detracted from her beauty.她的破衣烂衫丝毫没有影响她的美貌。
  • Their tattered clothing and broken furniture indicated their poverty.他们褴褛的衣服和破烂的家具显出他们的贫穷。
8 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • 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。
9 fixed JsKzzj     
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的
参考例句:
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
10 curiously 3v0zIc     
adv.有求知欲地;好问地;奇特地
参考例句:
  • He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
  • He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。
11 slash Hrsyq     
vi.大幅度削减;vt.猛砍,尖锐抨击,大幅减少;n.猛砍,斜线,长切口,衣衩
参考例句:
  • The shop plans to slash fur prices after Spring Festival.该店计划在春节之后把皮货降价。
  • Don't slash your horse in that cruel way.不要那样残忍地鞭打你的马。
12 eyebrows a0e6fb1330e9cfecfd1c7a4d00030ed5     
眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
  • His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。
13 landmark j2DxG     
n.陆标,划时代的事,地界标
参考例句:
  • The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
  • The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。
14 tilted 3gtzE5     
v. 倾斜的
参考例句:
  • 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。
15 neatly ynZzBp     
adv.整洁地,干净地,灵巧地,熟练地
参考例句:
  • Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
  • The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。
16 debris debris     
n.瓦砾堆,废墟,碎片
参考例句:
  • After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
  • Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上,导致蛀牙。
17 pebble c3Rzo     
n.卵石,小圆石
参考例句:
  • The bird mistook the pebble for egg and tried to hatch it.这只鸟错把卵石当蛋,想去孵它。
  • The pebble made a ripple on the surface of the lake.石子在湖面上激起一个涟漪。
18 crunching crunching     
v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的现在分词 );嘎吱作响;(快速大量地)处理信息;数字捣弄
参考例句:
  • The horses were crunching their straw at their manger. 这些马在嘎吱嘎吱地吃槽里的草。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The dog was crunching a bone. 狗正嘎吱嘎吱地嚼骨头。 来自《简明英汉词典》
19 shrubs b480276f8eea44e011d42320b17c3619     
灌木( shrub的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The gardener spent a complete morning in trimming those two shrubs. 园丁花了整个上午的时间修剪那两处灌木林。
  • These shrubs will need more light to produce flowering shoots. 这些灌木需要更多的光照才能抽出开花的新枝。
20 chuckled 8ce1383c838073977a08258a1f3e30f8     
轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
  • She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情,她就轻轻地暗自发笑。
21 nervously tn6zFp     
adv.神情激动地,不安地
参考例句:
  • 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。
22 racing 1ksz3w     
n.竞赛,赛马;adj.竞赛用的,赛马用的
参考例句:
  • I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
  • The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。
23 vowed 6996270667378281d2f9ee561353c089     
起誓,发誓(vow的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
  • I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。
24 chattering chattering     
n. (机器振动发出的)咔嗒声,(鸟等)鸣,啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的,啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • The teacher told the children to stop chattering in class. 老师叫孩子们在课堂上不要叽叽喳喳讲话。
  • I was so cold that my teeth were chattering. 我冷得牙齿直打战。
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