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儿童英语读物 The Mystery Cruise CHAPTER 6 Sightseeing in San Juan

时间:2017-07-20 09:02来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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Max’s problems were soon forgotten when the children arrived in San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. It was late afternoon, but they had a number of hours before the ship left at midnight.

The Aldens hurried down the ramp1 onto the narrow cobblestoned streets of Old San Juan. El Morro, the sixteenth-century fort, loomed2 ahead. The Aldens climbed up to the fort, now a museum. After exploring its many rooms, Grandfather urged them to go outside and wait for him. “I want to study this treaty,” he said, indicating a yellow parchment in a glass case.

“We’ll be resting under the trees,” Benny said.

“Good,” Grandfather replied. “Then we’ll have our dinner at the Cat’s Paw in New San Juan.”

Once outside, Henry leaned back against a tree, a slight frown on his face. “I wonder what Max meant when he said he hoped he hadn’t put us in any danger.”

“I wonder, too,” Violet said. “It’s all very strange.”

Benny’s eyes widened. “I hope we don’t have a shipwreck3.”

“I don’t think we need to worry about that,” Henry said with a chuckle4.

Jessie said, “I’m sure Max knows what’s behind all this.”

Violet shook her head. “I hate to think he could be causing these things.” She hesitated, then added, “But he’s always in the middle of any problem.”

Henry nodded. “Remember when we overheard Max on the phone? He said, ‘I will, but only because you think I should. Yes, I’ll do everything you told me.’ ” Henry rubbed his forehead. “I don’t like to admit it, but those words sound pretty suspicious to me.”

“I still say it’s one of the new passengers,” Jessie said. “Maybe it’s Tom. He’s strong and quick, too. He could pull out wires before anyone caught sight of him.”

“Not Tom,” Benny protested. “He’s a good weight lifter, and exercise is all he cares about.”

Violet sighed. “It’s all very confusing. And the Rands are new passengers, but they’re such a sweet family.”

“Yes,” Jessie said. “But they used to work for another cruise line.”

“Maybe they’re trying to hurt the West Wind,” Benny said. “So their ship could get more passengers than ours!”

Henry shrugged5. “I doubt it. I think Heather could be the one. Like the Rands, she’s sweet, too. You need to remember that she knows the ship and, being a crew member, she can go anywhere she wants, and she’s the one who heard the splash.”

“She’s always nervous,” Jessie added, “and she never wants to talk to us for very long.”

“And she received a telegram from C,” Violet said.

“Yes,” Henry said. “She could be working for this C. Remember the message she sent saying that everything was going along fine?”

Soberly, Jessie nodded. She hated to think that Heather could be so sneaky and underhanded, but she certainly acted very mysterious.

“Here comes Grandfather!” Benny shouted, standing6 and waving.

“Well, well,” Grandfather said, coming nearer. “Are you solving all the ship’s troubles?”

“Not really,” Violet said, smiling. She rose and gazed about at the city below. “Isn’t San Juan beautiful?”

“Yes, I just wish we had more time here,” Jessie added.

“We’ll make the best of the time we have,” Grandfather assured her. “Let’s go to our cafe.”

“Yes!” Benny said. “I’m hungry.”

They all laughed at the familiar words as they wended their way down to the narrow street below. The busy sidewalks were filled with people and the small shops were busy.

The Cat’s Paw, a tiny cafe tucked away in an alley7, had a small marimba band and a singer who sang in Spanish.

When they had finished eating a dinner of broiled8 chicken, browned rice with fresh pineapple, and a creamy pudding with caramel sauce for dessert, they walked back to the ship.

They arrived an hour before sailing and sat on the deck, waiting for the boat to sail.

“This is fun,” Benny said. “I don’t get to stay up this late very often.”

At midnight, as the ship glided9 away from the dock, the Aldens watched the harbor lights gradually disappear into the darkness.

On Thursday morning, Jessie picked up the morning’s bulletin which had been slid under the door and quickly scanned it. All at once she stopped and stared at the paper.

“What is it?” Violet asked anxiously.

Quietly, Jessie handed her the paper. “Due to engine trouble the ship will be delayed by a day.”

“Another problem!” Violet said, shaking her head.

Jessie said slowly, “I’m getting scared. Not that I’d mind staying an extra day on the cruise, but do you think someone has deliberately10 tampered11 with the engine?”

“Let’s see what Grandfather says,” Violet said, opening the door. “He’ll be at breakfast.”

“No, let’s not worry him. He’s enjoying the cruise so much,” Jessie said.

The girls met Henry, Benny, and Grandfather at their favorite table. As usual Benny’s plate was heaped with pancakes, bacon, muffins, and fruit.

Ralph Rand stopped at their table. “Good morning,” he said, holding a sleepy Robin12. “How are the Aldens?”

“We’re fine,” Jessie said, smiling at the baby.

“Where’s Melissa?” Violet asked, glancing around.

“Over there,” Ralph motioned with his head, “loading up food on our breakfast tray.”

“The chefs give a person enough to eat, don’t they?” Henry said.

“Oh, I suppose so,” Ralph replied. “But the French ship that we worked on had more delicious food.” He gave a low chuckle. “And now this ship has engine trouble!”

“Oh, I’m sure we won’t be delayed very much over a day,” Grandfather said reassuringly13.

“I’d like an extra day,” Benny said. He looked up at Ralph. “Were you a chef?” Benny inquired.

“I was a steward14, and Melissa was the social director. In fact, that’s where we met.”

“What’s a social director?” Benny said curiously15.

“Oh, she does things like planning Scrabble tournaments and dance contests,” Ralph explained, shifting Robin’s weight.

Melissa came up behind her husband and blew her baby a kiss. She said happily, “Isn’t it a beautiful day?”

“The best!” Benny answered.

Ralph said, “We’ll see you later. Have fun.” The small family moved to an empty table.

“I like the Rands,” Benny said. “But they act like the ship they worked on had better food than ours.”

“I don’t think that’s possible, do you?” Henry asked, taking a bite of his spinach16 omelette.

“This food is the best I’ve ever tasted,”Violet agreed.

Max paused at their table, his face white. “Hello,” he said, attempting a smile. “How is everyone? Did you see the bulletin? We’ll be delayed a whole day!”

“Sit down, Max,” Grandfather urged. “Have some breakfast. It might calm your nerves.”

Max sat down, folding and unfolding his hands. He gazed at each Alden. “You’ve been so kind to me.” He smiled briefly17. “Even when I’ve behaved rather strangely.”

“What’s wrong, Max?” Henry questioned gently.

Max’s blue eyes grew dark. “I think I owe every one of you an explanation. Do you have time to listen to my story?”

“Oh, yes,” Jessie said, leaning forward. “Please tell us.”

And so Max began his story.
 


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 ramp QTgxf     
n.暴怒,斜坡,坡道;vi.作恐吓姿势,暴怒,加速;vt.加速
参考例句:
  • That driver drove the car up the ramp.那司机将车开上了斜坡。
  • The factory don't have that capacity to ramp up.这家工厂没有能力加速生产。
2 loomed 9423e616fe6b658c9a341ebc71833279     
v.隐约出现,阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 );隐约出现,阴森地逼近
参考例句:
  • A dark shape loomed up ahead of us. 一个黑糊糊的影子隐隐出现在我们的前面。
  • The prospect of war loomed large in everyone's mind. 战事将起的庞大阴影占据每个人的心。 来自《简明英汉词典》
3 shipwreck eypwo     
n.船舶失事,海难
参考例句:
  • He walked away from the shipwreck.他船难中平安地脱险了。
  • The shipwreck was a harrowing experience.那次船难是一个惨痛的经历。
4 chuckle Tr1zZ     
vi./n.轻声笑,咯咯笑
参考例句:
  • He shook his head with a soft chuckle.他轻轻地笑着摇了摇头。
  • I couldn't suppress a soft chuckle at the thought of it.想到这个,我忍不住轻轻地笑起来。
5 shrugged 497904474a48f991a3d1961b0476ebce     
vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀,什么也没说。
  • She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩,装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 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。
7 alley Cx2zK     
n.小巷,胡同;小径,小路
参考例句:
  • 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。
8 broiled 8xgz4L     
a.烤过的
参考例句:
  • They broiled turkey over a charcoal flame. 他们在木炭上烤火鸡。
  • The desert sun broiled the travelers in the caravan. 沙漠上空灼人的太阳把旅行队成员晒得浑身燥热。
9 glided dc24e51e27cfc17f7f45752acf858ed1     
v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 );掠过;(鸟或飞机 ) 滑翔
参考例句:
  • 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》
10 deliberately Gulzvq     
adv.审慎地;蓄意地;故意地
参考例句:
  • The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
  • They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。
11 tampered 07b218b924120d49a725c36b06556000     
v.窜改( tamper的过去式 );篡改;(用不正当手段)影响;瞎摆弄
参考例句:
  • The records of the meeting had been tampered with. 会议记录已被人擅自改动。 来自辞典例句
  • The old man's will has been tampered with. 老人的遗嘱已被窜改。 来自辞典例句
12 robin Oj7zme     
n.知更鸟,红襟鸟
参考例句:
  • The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
  • We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟,知道春天要到了。
13 reassuringly YTqxW     
ad.安心,可靠
参考例句:
  • He patted her knee reassuringly. 他轻拍她的膝盖让她放心。
  • The doctor smiled reassuringly. 医生笑了笑,让人心里很踏实。
14 steward uUtzw     
n.乘务员,服务员;看管人;膳食管理员
参考例句:
  • He's the steward of the club.他是这家俱乐部的管理员。
  • He went around the world as a ship's steward.他当客船服务员,到过世界各地。
15 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。
16 spinach Dhuzr5     
n.菠菜
参考例句:
  • Eating spinach is supposed to make you strong.据说吃菠菜能使人强壮。
  • You should eat such vegetables as carrot,celery and spinach.你应该吃胡萝卜、芹菜和菠菜这类的蔬菜。
17 briefly 9Styo     
adv.简单地,简短地
参考例句:
  • I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
  • He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。
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