英语 英语 日语 日语 韩语 韩语 法语 法语 德语 德语 西班牙语 西班牙语 意大利语 意大利语 阿拉伯语 阿拉伯语 葡萄牙语 葡萄牙语 越南语 越南语 俄语 俄语 芬兰语 芬兰语 泰语 泰语 泰语 丹麦语 泰语 对外汉语

儿童英语读物 The Mystery on Stage CHAPTER 3 A Cast of Characters

时间:2017-08-09 05:36来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
特别声明:本栏目内容均从网络收集或者网友提供,供仅参考试用,我们无法保证内容完整和正确。如果资料损害了您的权益,请与站长联系,我们将及时删除并致以歉意。
    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)

“Why don’t we go to the park for a late lunch?” Henry suggested the next day. “This way we can be nearby when the results are posted.”

Soo Lee yawned and stretched her arms. She had spent the night with her cousins on a cot in Violet’s room. “What is there to eat in the park?” she asked.

Henry smiled at the little girl. “Grandfather gave me some money. We can buy lunch things at the grocery store on the way over.”

“That sounds good. I want peanut butter,” Benny said.

“Me, too,” Soo Lee agreed.

Benny put on his navy-blue jacket. “Why don’t we take Watch with us? Once Jim sees all he can do, he’ll give him Toto’s part right away.”

The others laughed. “It wouldn’t hurt to take him for a walk in the park,” Jessie said.

“Come here, boy. I hope you remember all the tricks I taught you,” Benny said. Watch held his paw up to shake Benny’s hand. Benny shook it and clipped on Watch’s red leash1.

“Jessie, did I tell you the stage manager said I could be an errand boy? And Soo Lee can help me,” Benny said.

Jessie laughed as she walked out the front door. “Yes, Benny, you did tell me.”

“Now we really can all work together,” Benny continued. “We may even have a mystery to solve again.”

“Yes, if that phone call was for real, we sure will,” Henry said. He stopped at the corner to wait for the light.

“Remember,” Jessie reminded her brothers. “I don’t have a part yet.”

“Oh, you will,” Henry said. “We heard what the director said when you finished reading. He didn’t say ‘that was well done’ to anyone else.”

“Except Sarah,” Jessie walked quickly to keep up with Henry. “He was so impressed with her, he didn’t know what to say.”

“I just hope Melody doesn’t get a part,” Benny said as he caught up with Jessie and Henry. “I wouldn’t want to spend the next month working with her.”

“I don’t know Benny, she might,” Jessie answered. “She has a very good voice.”

“So does the man in the tin costume,” Violet said. “I heard him practicing.”

“I wonder why he never wants to take his costume off,” Benny said as he held open the door to the deli.

“He must like his costume very much,” Soo Lee said.

The Aldens bought chicken salad, potato chips, apples, small cartons of orange juice, rye bread, slices of a chocolate layer cake Soo Lee admired, and paper plates. “You have a sweet tooth just like Benny,” Henry teased his cousin.

As the Aldens walked toward the park, they noticed Richard White farther down the street. He stopped at a store window to admire his reflection.

“Boy, he’s stuck up,” Henry muttered to Violet.

Violet nodded as the children all crossed the street to the park.

The Aldens settled themselves on the stone benches near the Community Playhouse, and carefully made their sandwiches. An actress they had met the day before walked by and smiled. “The results should be posted soon,” she said.

Benny swallowed a bite of his apple. “Maybe we should go see,” he suggested.

Soo Lee looked longingly2 at the slices of chocolate layer cake. Jessie smiled at her. “We can wait until you’ve had your cake. The results probably aren’t posted this early.”

“That’s fine with me.” Benny grinned.

“We thought it would be.” Henry tickled3 his brother playfully in the ribs4. Benny laughed. “Don’t do that while I’m eating,” he protested.

“Okay, I’ll wait until you’re finished,” Henry promised, reaching for a slice of cake.

“Well, I’m glad you’re finding something to laugh about,” a girl said. Benny looked up from his plate and swallowed.

“Melody?” he said surprised.

Melody’s eyes and nose were puffy and red. Benny was afraid Melody would yell at him again, but to his relief she ignored him and turned to Jessie.

“I didn’t get the part of Dorothy,” Melody said angrily. “How could Jim give the best part to that rude girl who wouldn’t even wait for the rest of us to finish?”

“Sarah has the part of Dorothy?” Jessie asked. She wasn’t at all surprised. “So, the results are posted,” she said more loudly.

Melody sniffed5 and dabbed6 her eyes with a pink tissue. “Yes, they want me to be the Scarecrow, but I haven’t decided7 whether or not I’ll even act in this dopey play.” Melody gulped8. “It would serve them right if I just left.”

“We should go see the results,” Henry said, paying no attention to Melody. He gathered the remains9 of the picnic in a paper bag and walked away. Melody stared after him and blew her nose.

“I really wish she hadn’t gotten a part,” Benny muttered as the Aldens entered the Playhouse. Inside, several people clustered around a bulletin board on the far wall.

“Henry, you’re the tallest, why don’t you see if you can read it?” Jessie suggested. She suddenly felt as if she had butterflies in her stomach.

Soon Henry rejoined his family. He was all smiles. “Jessie,” he said proudly, “you have the part of the Cowardly Lion.”

“Oh, Jessie, that’s my favorite character in the whole play!” Benny patted his sister on the back.

“You’ll have a much better costume than if you were Dorothy.” Violet grinned, thinking of the fun she’d have making Jessie a furry10 suit with a long lion’s tail.

“I’ve been assigned to work on scenery and lighting11. You’re to work on costumes, Violet. We have a meeting with the stage manager this afternoon,” Henry said.

“What about me and Soo Lee?” Benny asked.

“You’re down as a ‘gofer,’ Benny,” answered Henry.

“What?” Benny raised his eyebrows12.

“That means you run errands for the director. He might ask you to deliver packages or messages.”

“That sounds like an important job.” Benny stood up, proudly.

“Soo Lee is going to help with scenery,” Henry continued.

Soo Lee smiled. “That’s good.”

“And when the play opens, Soo Lee, they want you to be one of the ushers13.” Soo Lee looked at Henry.

“An usher14 is someone who shows people to their seats,” Henry explained. Soo Lee nodded.

“Who got the part of the Wizard?” Jessie asked.

“Richard,” Henry answered. “Harold is the Tinman.”

“Look, he’s over there.” Benny nudged Jessie. “And he’s still wearing his tin costume. Isn’t that funny?”

“What about Toto?” Jessie asked her brother.

“That part is still open. This may be Watch’s big chance.” Henry smiled, thinking of Watch on the stage.

“What are we waiting for?” Benny asked. “We need to get Watch an audition15.”

“They also need someone to play Aunty Em, Dorothy’s aunt,” Henry added.

Jessie was quiet a moment. “You know, Mrs. McGregor would be a wonderful Aunty Em,” she said slowly. “She even knows most of the lines after helping16 me for my audition.”

“That’s a wonderful idea, Jessie,” Violet said.

“Do you think she’d do it?” Henry wondered.

“It wouldn’t hurt to ask her. Why don’t we call her right now?” Jessie suggested.

Henry fished in his pockets for some change, as they all walked to a phone booth. “I’ll call,” Violet offered. The others crowded around as she put the change into the phone.

At first Mrs. McGregor sounded a little flustered17 at the thought of acting18 on the stage, but Violet finally convinced her to come down to the Playhouse and meet the director.

“She’ll be here in a few minutes,” Violet said as she hung up the phone. “She’s driving.”

“I’ll go get Jim and tell him about Mrs. McGregor and Watch,” Jessie said.

When Mrs. McGregor arrived, the children could tell she was pleased even though she kept saying she couldn’t really act.

“We’ll see about that,” Jim said. He picked a scene for her to read and had Jessie read Dorothy’s lines.

“Just pretend you’re practicing with Jessie again at the kitchen table,” Henry suggested.

Mrs. McGregor nodded and began to read. The children could tell Jim liked her voice. When he told Mrs. McGregor she had the part, she beamed.

“You’re becoming a real acting family,” Jim said. He liked the Aldens. “Even your dog has a part.”

“Hooray!” Benny almost shouted. “Did you audition him?”

Jim laughed. “Not really. I just watched him with Jessie. I just hope when he’s on stage, he’ll follow Dorothy around and not the Cowardly Lion.”

“We can train him,” Benny said. He felt sure Watch could do anything. He patted the dog’s head. “You’re such a good dog, Watch.”

Watch barked and wagged his tail. Everyone laughed.

Jim looked at his watch. “It’s almost time for our cast meeting in the auditorium19.” He nodded to Mrs. McGregor and Jessie. “Bring Watch to the meeting with you.”

Jessie took Watch’s leash from Benny. “I think we better put this on him,” she said.

“The crew has a meeting with Nancy Wu backstage,” Jim told the others. “She’s going to give you a tour and get you started on your assignments.”

“I guess we’re crew, Soo Lee,” Benny said. Together, they followed Henry and Violet backstage.

“Henry and Stuart will be working on lighting,” Nancy Wu was saying during the backstage tour. She nodded toward Henry and an older boy named Stuart. Then she motioned toward the large gray panel that had numerous controls and switches.

“This lighting board controls all the lights used during the play,” Nancy continued. “The rest of you must not touch this board, or any of the lights, either. That’s very important.” Nancy made sure everyone was listening before she continued.

“Okay, this way,” she directed, as she pulled a thick electrical cord out of the way. The crew walked past the lighting board and down three steps. Piles of wooden planks20 and rolls of canvas were stacked along the gray walls of the large backstage area. “We’ll be building the sets here,” Nancy said.

“Have the sets been designed?” Violet asked shyly.

“Yes, we’re using the designs from another production of The Wizard of Oz that Jim directed. But we still have to build the sets.”

Henry looked at all the tools stacked on a shelf near the lumber21. He could already tell he was going to like working on this play. He loved to build things.

“Violet, you’ll be especially interested in this part of the tour.” Nancy opened the door to the costume room. Dresses, pants, jackets, animal costumes, even suits of armor hung on racks, closet bars, or hooks. Shelves on one side of the room held hats, helmets, caps, and shoes in all shapes and sizes.

“Oh, some of these costumes are so beautiful!” Violet stepped into the room so she could see some of the dresses better. She gently touched the sleeve of a long red velvet22 gown.

The group continued up three steps to the other side of the stage. The crew could hear some of the performers rehearsing behind the curtain. All of a sudden, a loud shriek23 could be heard from every corner of the auditorium.

“They must be rehearsing the tornado24 scene,” Henry suggested.

Nancy shook her head. “There isn’t a scream like that anywhere in this script.”

Now they recognized Melody’s voice. “Look what you did,” Melody was saying very loudly. “I won’t act with someone so clumsy! I bet you made me fall on purpose.”

The children looked at one another. “I might have known it was Melody who screamed,” Nancy said.

“Should we see if we can help?” Henry asked.

Nancy shook her head. The crew could hear the voice of the director and Sarah’s voice trying to calm Melody.

“Don’t come near me,” Melody yelled before she burst into tears and rushed offstage. Jim came after her. Some of the other performers followed, including Jessie and Sarah.

“What happened?” Violet asked Jessie.

“Melody fell when she was practicing the dance the Scarecrow does with Dorothy. She’s blaming Sarah.”

“Is she hurt?” Violet asked.

“I don’t think so.” Jessie shook her head. “In fact, I don’t think Sarah even touched Melody.”

In the meantime, Melody had found a phone backstage.

“Mom,” Melody said. “I need you to come pick me up right away. Something awful has happened.”

Jim sighed and looked at Nancy. “I think we’ve done enough for today. I’ll see all the performers tomorrow.”

“You might not see me!” Melody said angrily as she hung up the receiver. “My mother will probably want to talk to you.”

Jim ignored her. “You all have the rehearsal25 schedules. We’ll be practicing almost every day.” The director turned away without waiting for anyone to answer. He looked even more tired than yesterday.

Nancy quickly gave the crew last-minute instructions about their various jobs. She expected them tomorrow as well.

The Aldens left Melody sitting on the couch in the dressing26 room. As they walked through the main lobby, Jessie gasped27.

The large poster listing the results of the audition was torn. Someone had crossed Sarah’s name off the list. In pink crayon, these words were written next to her name:

Don’t Go On With The Show!

Henry and Soo Lee stared at the sign. Violet asked shakily, “Has Sarah seen this?”

“I don’t know,” Jessie said, looking around. “I think she left through the backstage door while Melody was calling her mother.”

“Could Melody have written this?” Benny asked.

“She likes pink,” Soo Lee said.

Benny said, “I hadn’t thought of that!”

Suddenly, Jim strode into the lobby with Nancy at his heels. He stopped when he saw the note and gave a low whistle. “Who did this?” he exclaimed.

“We don’t know,” Henry answered.

Jim and Nancy exchanged glances. “Melody?” Jessie suggested. “She’s so jealous of Sarah for getting the lead role.”

“Maybe,” Jim said slowly, but he didn’t sound convinced. “But when could she have done it? She was on stage all evening.”

“That’s true,” Henry said, nodding.

“I’ll have to talk to Melody and some of the other performers personally,” Jim said frowning.

He turned to the Aldens. “Can I count on you not to say anything until I’ve gotten to the bottom of this?”

They nodded solemnly.

“Good. I’ll let you know what happens,” Jim said. “Right now, I don’t want to upset the rest of the cast and crew.” He pressed his fingers to his forehead.

“Most people left the building through the door backstage. We’re probably the only ones who have seen it,” Jessie said, trying to make Jim feel better.

“There must be an explanation,” Henry said. “Whoever wrote this note may be the same person who threatened Jim yesterday on the phone. Somebody, somewhere, doesn’t want this show to go on.”


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 leash M9rz1     
n.牵狗的皮带,束缚;v.用皮带系住
参考例句:
  • I reached for the leash,but the dog got in between.我伸手去拿系狗绳,但被狗挡住了路。
  • The dog strains at the leash,eager to be off.狗拼命地扯拉皮带,想挣脱开去。
2 longingly 2015a05d76baba3c9d884d5f144fac69     
adv. 渴望地 热望地
参考例句:
  • He looked longingly at the food on the table. 他眼巴巴地盯着桌上的食物。
  • Over drinks,he speaks longingly of his trip to Latin America. 他带着留恋的心情,一边喝酒一边叙述他的拉丁美洲之行。
3 tickled 2db1470d48948f1aa50b3cf234843b26     
(使)发痒( tickle的过去式和过去分词 ); (使)愉快,逗乐
参考例句:
  • We were tickled pink to see our friends on television. 在电视中看到我们的一些朋友,我们高兴极了。
  • I tickled the baby's feet and made her laugh. 我胳肢孩子的脚,使她发笑。
4 ribs 24fc137444401001077773555802b280     
n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 );(船或屋顶等的)肋拱;肋骨状的东西;(织物的)凸条花纹
参考例句:
  • He suffered cracked ribs and bruising. 他断了肋骨还有挫伤。
  • Make a small incision below the ribs. 在肋骨下方切开一个小口。
5 sniffed ccb6bd83c4e9592715e6230a90f76b72     
v.以鼻吸气,嗅,闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 );抽鼻子(尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气);抱怨,不以为然地说
参考例句:
  • When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣,吸了吸鼻子,擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 dabbed c669891a6c15c8a38e0e41e9d8a2804d     
(用某物)轻触( dab的过去式和过去分词 ); 轻而快地擦掉(或抹掉); 快速擦拭; (用某物)轻而快地涂上(或点上)…
参考例句:
  • She dabbed her eyes and blew her nose. 她轻轻擦了几下眼睛,擤了擤鼻涕。
  • He dabbed at the spot on his tie with a napkin. 他用餐巾快速擦去领带上的污点。
7 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。
8 gulped 4873fe497201edc23bc8dcb50aa6eb2c     
v.狼吞虎咽地吃,吞咽( gulp的过去式和过去分词 );大口地吸(气);哽住
参考例句:
  • He gulped down the rest of his tea and went out. 他把剩下的茶一饮而尽便出去了。
  • She gulped nervously, as if the question bothered her. 她紧张地咽了一下,似乎那问题把她难住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
参考例句:
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
10 furry Rssz2D     
adj.毛皮的;似毛皮的;毛皮制的
参考例句:
  • This furry material will make a warm coat for the winter.这件毛皮料在冬天会是一件保暖的大衣。
  • Mugsy is a big furry brown dog,who wiggles when she is happy.马格斯是一只棕色大长毛狗,当她高兴得时候她会摇尾巴。
11 lighting CpszPL     
n.照明,光线的明暗,舞台灯光
参考例句:
  • The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
  • The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。
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 ushers 4d39dce0f047e8d64962e1a6e93054d1     
n.引座员( usher的名词复数 );招待员;门房;助理教员v.引,领,陪同( usher的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • Seats clicked, ushers bowed while he looked blandly on. 座位发出啪啦啪啦的声响,领座员朝客人们鞠躬,而他在一边温和殷勤地看着。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
  • The minister then offers a brief prayer of dedication, and the ushers return to their seats. 于是牧师又做了一个简短的奉献的祈祷,各招待员也各自回座位。 来自辞典例句
14 usher sK2zJ     
n.带位员,招待员;vt.引导,护送;vi.做招待,担任引座员
参考例句:
  • The usher seated us in the front row.引座员让我们在前排就座。
  • They were quickly ushered away.他们被迅速领开。
15 audition 8uazw     
n.(对志愿艺人等的)面试(指试读、试唱等)
参考例句:
  • I'm going to the audition but I don't expect I'll get a part.我去试音,可并不指望会给我个角色演出。
  • At first,they said he was too young,but later they called him for an audition.起初,他们说他太小,但后来他们叫他去试听。
16 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
17 flustered b7071533c424b7fbe8eb745856b8c537     
adj.慌张的;激动不安的v.使慌乱,使不安( fluster的过去式和过去分词)
参考例句:
  • The honking of horns flustered the boy. 汽车喇叭的叫声使男孩感到慌乱。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • She was so flustered that she forgot her reply. 她太紧张了,都忘记了该如何作答。 来自辞典例句
18 acting czRzoc     
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的
参考例句:
  • Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她,她只是假装的。
  • During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代,她的表演生涯黯然失色。
19 auditorium HO6yK     
n.观众席,听众席;会堂,礼堂
参考例句:
  • The teacher gathered all the pupils in the auditorium.老师把全体同学集合在礼堂内。
  • The stage is thrust forward into the auditorium.舞台向前突出,伸入观众席。
20 planks 534a8a63823ed0880db6e2c2bc03ee4a     
(厚)木板( plank的名词复数 ); 政纲条目,政策要点
参考例句:
  • The house was built solidly of rough wooden planks. 这房子是用粗木板牢固地建造的。
  • We sawed the log into planks. 我们把木头锯成了木板。
21 lumber a8Jz6     
n.木材,木料;v.以破旧东西堆满;伐木;笨重移动
参考例句:
  • The truck was sent to carry lumber.卡车被派出去运木材。
  • They slapped together a cabin out of old lumber.他们利用旧木料草草地盖起了一间小屋。
22 velvet 5gqyO     
n.丝绒,天鹅绒;adj.丝绒制的,柔软的
参考例句:
  • This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
  • The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。
23 shriek fEgya     
v./n.尖叫,叫喊
参考例句:
  • Suddenly he began to shriek loudly.突然他开始大声尖叫起来。
  • People sometimes shriek because of terror,anger,or pain.人们有时会因为恐惧,气愤或疼痛而尖叫。
24 tornado inowl     
n.飓风,龙卷风
参考例句:
  • A tornado whirled into the town last week.龙卷风上周袭击了这座城市。
  • The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。
25 rehearsal AVaxu     
n.排练,排演;练习
参考例句:
  • I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
  • You can sharpen your skills with rehearsal.排练可以让技巧更加纯熟。
26 dressing 1uOzJG     
n.(食物)调料;包扎伤口的用品,敷料
参考例句:
  • Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
  • The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。
27 gasped e6af294d8a7477229d6749fa9e8f5b80     
v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 );喘息;倒抽气;很想要
参考例句:
  • She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
  • People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
本文本内容来源于互联网抓取和网友提交,仅供参考,部分栏目没有内容,如果您有更合适的内容,欢迎点击提交分享给大家。
------分隔线----------------------------
顶一下
(0)
0%
踩一下
(0)
0%
最新评论 查看所有评论
发表评论 查看所有评论
请自觉遵守互联网相关的政策法规,严禁发布色情、暴力、反动的言论。
评价:
表情:
验证码:
听力搜索
推荐频道
论坛新贴