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儿童英语读物 The Mystery of the Lost Mine CHAPTER 9 One Mystery Solved

时间:2017-08-22 06:49来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)

The others gathered around Violet.

“It’s a letter from Tom,” she said. “It’s to somebody named Frank. See? It’s signed Tom Parker.’ ”

Violet squinted1 at the messy handwriting. “ ‘My great-uncle Jake,’ ” she began, then gasped2. “ ‘My great-uncle Jake, the prospector3, has no idea who I am . . . can’t wait to get my hands on his mine. Then I’ll have a new address—Easy Street.’ ”

Her eyes huge, she glanced up from the page. “Tom is Jake’s great-nephew. And Jake doesn’t know it!”

“Where’s Easy Street?” Benny asked. “Maybe that’s where Tom is now.”

“It’s an expression,” Jessie answered. “It means he’ll have plenty of money.”

“This sounds like trouble,” Henry said. “First we find that advertisement with the letters cut out—”

“—just like Jake’s warning note,” Luis broke in. “And now this letter.” His tone became serious. “If Tom wants Jake’s mine, then that means Jake has found the Lost Dutchman’s mine!”

“But where is Jake?” Jessie asked. “Did Tom go to his great-uncle’s camp? Was he the man who left the footprints—and the man we saw on the rocks—” Her words trailed off. She was really afraid something bad had happened to Jake.

“We need to find Tom,” Henry said firmly. “Tom is the key.”

“He’s sure not here,” Benny said, peering into the deserted4 bunkhouse. “Let’s go back to the restaurant and see if he’s there. Besides,” he added, “I could use a piece of apple pie right about now.”

Despite their worries, the others laughed. No matter what the crisis, Benny was always hungry!

They didn’t find Tom in the restaurant. But the stranger who had driven up in the shiny black car sat perched on a stool. His white shirt was stuck to his back with sweat and his striped tie was flopped5 over one shoulder. He guzzled6 a large iced tea.

When he saw the Aldens and Luis, he swiveled around.

“Just the people I want to talk to,” he said. “You’re the Aldens from Two-D, correct?”

Henry answered, “That’s right.”

“Do you know anything about your neighbors taking off? You know, the Clarks, in that big RV?”

Jessie shook her head. “No, sir. We saw them this morning at breakfast, but then we went riding. When we came back, they had already left.”

The man sighed. “It’s the same old story.”

“What story? How come you’re looking for Mr. and Mrs. Clark?” Benny asked. “Are you a relative?”

“No, I represent a bank. The Clarks borrowed money from our bank to buy that motor home.” He frowned. “They never made any payments on their loan. They kept moving from state to state. So the bank sent me to track them down and take back the motor home.”

Benny hopped7 up on the stool next to the man. “It doesn’t sound like a very fun job.”

The man smiled wanly8. “It’s not. But people like the Clarks make jobs like mine necessary. They also bought a lot of expensive jewelry9 on credit that they’ve never paid for, either.”

“I didn’t think newlyweds were supposed to have much money,” Jessie said.

“They don’t, usually,” the man said. “Most couples save until they can afford luxuries. The Clarks didn’t want to wait. They made a habit of buying things they couldn’t afford and then skipping out.”

“They seemed like such nice, happy people,” Violet said wistfully, remembering Mrs. Clark’s smile.

“They won’t be so happy when I catch up to them,” the man said. “And I will find them. A motor home like theirs isn’t easy to hide. I’ll stay on their trail.”

The man left then, after wishing them all a good day.

“I can’t believe people buy things and never intend to pay for them,” Jessie said, indignant. She wondered if Tom Parker had skipped town with the Clarks. He fit into the puzzle somewhere.

“People do it all the time,” Janine remarked, dropping the man’s change in the cash register drawer. “Just like old Jake.”

“But Jake says he’ll pay you back,” Benny insisted. “With interest. That’s what he says.”

“Yes, he does.” Janine softened10 a moment. “I wonder where the old guy is? He hasn’t been in here for a cup of coffee in days.”

“That’s what we want to—” Henry began, then stopped as the cowbell on the door jangled.

Mr. Tobias came inside. He wore a wrinkled white T-shirt and jeans. Under his eyes were blue smudges, as if he hadn’t slept in a long time.

“Coffee, Janine,” he said to the waitress. “Make it extra strong, please.”

He chose a stool at the counter, then looked at the Aldens, who stared back at him.

“Mr. Tobias,” Violet stated. She recognized the pale face she had seen in the window of the silver trailer as they left for the desert hike last night.

“Yes, I am,” Mr. Tobias answered. “Can I do something for you, young lady?”

“Do you know where Jake is?” she asked at last.

Mr. Tobias sipped11 his coffee. “Who? I don’t know any Jake.”

“He’s the old prospector,” Henry said. “He comes in here to buy groceries. He’s looking for the Lost Dutchman’s mine. And Tom Parker is his nephew.”

“Great-nephew,” Jessie corrected. “But Jake doesn’t know this.”

Mr. Tobias furrowed12 his brow. “Wait a minute. You kids are going too fast for me. Tom Parker is related to this Jake character?”

“Yes,” Luis spoke13 up. “And we think Tom wants to get Jake’s mine. Maybe he did something to his great-uncle. They’ve both disappeared.”

“Well, if Jake is a prospector, he’ll be just fine,” Mr. Tobias speculated. “But that Tom Parker won’t last five minutes if he’s lost in the hills.”

“Why?” asked Benny. “Tom’s a real cowboy.”

Mr. Tobias laughed so hard, his coffee spluttered. “Tom Parker a real cowboy! What a joke! The man is no more a westerner than I am.”

“But those outfits14 he wears . . . and the way he talks,” Jessie said. But then she remembered how Tom’s desert lecture sounded as if he was reading from a textbook.

“Fake. Everything Tom Parker knows about the West he read in books. And you can buy those clothes in Phoenix,” said Mr. Tobias.

“How do you know this?” Henry asked suspiciously.

“For one thing, his clothes are too new-looking. Real cowboys look rugged15, like they’ve been riding the trail. And real cowboys don’t go around calling everybody ‘pardner.’ Tom must get his lingo16 from old westerns.”

“He tricked us!” Benny exclaimed.

Janine set the coffeepot down with a thump17. “He fooled me, too. That slick talker! No wonder he couldn’t fix the filter on the pool or take care of the grounds around here. He probably doesn’t know how.”

“Where is he now?” Henry asked, going to the window.

Outside the raging wind chased debris18 across the parking lot.

Luis joined him. “We’re in for a real dust storm. If anybody’s out in that, they’d better take cover.”

“I hope poor Jake is okay,” said Jessie. “Tom is probably miles away with the Clarks.”

At that moment, the door burst open in a gust19 of stinging sand. Two figures stumbled in, one shoving the other ahead of him.

“Any coffee on?” said a familiar voice. “I sure could use a cup.”

Benny launched himself off the stool. “Jake!” he cried. “Where have you been?”

“Out hunting,” said the old man, flapping his dust-covered hat. He pushed a surly-looking Tom Parker into the nearest booth. “Look at the varmint I caught.” Jake laughed hoarsely20.

Tom scowled21 at the floor. His jeans were filthy22 and his silver-studded cowboy shirt was ripped. His hat was nearly as battered23 as Jake’s old felt hat.

“What’s going on?” Janine demanded. “Jake, is it true Tom is your great-nephew?”

The old man snorted. “Yes, I suppose he truly is related, though I’m ashamed to claim him.”

“What happened?” Henry asked. “How do you know this?”

“Well, you saw that note I got a few days ago. Then I noticed somebody had been nosing around my camp.” Jake gratefully accepted the mug of coffee Janine handed him. “So I set a trap for him.”

“Like a mousetrap?” Benny asked.

Jake smiled through his brushy mustache. “I hid out for a couple of days, waiting to see if he’d come back. Sure enough, he did. Then I caught him.”

Jake went on. “Turns out Tom has a bad case of gold fever. He thought he would waltz in and take my claim, after all my hard work.”

“Tom said he wanted to live on Easy Street,” Benny put in.

Jake threw back his head in laughter. “Guess I showed him!”

The Aldens were full of questions.

“Did you break into Luis’s RV?” Benny asked Tom.

“The door was open,” Tom said.

“You stole the pictures of the stone maps,” Henry accused. “And you cut off our electricity to get us all outside.”

“And left a messy camp in the mountains,” Benny added.

Tom didn’t deny it. “Mrs. Clark told me about the map pictures. She heard the Garcia kid talking to you about it and she knew I was looking for the Dutchman’s mine.”

“Did you know the Clarks are gone?” Jessie asked.

“Who do you think tipped them off about the man from the bank?” Tom smiled thinly. “The Clarks and I had a deal. I’d keep their little secret and they’d help me.”

“How did you know the Clarks were in trouble with the bank?” Mr. Tobias asked.

“I checked them in the day they came. Thought something was funny about them. Mrs. Clark had a wallet full of brand-new credit cards.” Tom laughed. “What they say about crooks24 is true. It takes one to know one.”

“So you became friends,” Henry said.

“Let’s just say we were useful to each other,” Tom replied. “The Clarks brought supplies to my camp, little things like that. In town yesterday I saw the man from the bank asking about a couple with a fancy trailer. I knew he’d pay RV Haven25 a visit, so I warned the Clarks.”

Janine pointed26 her finger at Tom. “I don’t know what else you’ve done, but you’re through at RV Haven. Pack your things and be gone by nightfall.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be glad to get back to civilization.” Tom stalked out the door without a backward glance.

“Good for you,” Jake said to Janine.

The waitress smiled. “How about some apple pie a la mode? On the house?”

“For me?” Jake seemed touched by her gesture.

“For everyone!” Janine said generously.

“Yay!” cried Benny. Apple pie was exactly what he needed.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 squinted aaf7c56a51bf19a5f429b7a9ddca2e9b     
斜视( squint的过去式和过去分词 ); 眯着眼睛; 瞟; 从小孔或缝隙里看
参考例句:
  • Pulling his rifle to his shoulder he squinted along the barrel. 他把枪顶肩,眯起眼睛瞄准。
  • I squinted through the keyhole. 我从锁眼窥看。
2 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》
3 prospector JRhxB     
n.探矿者
参考例句:
  • Although he failed as a prospector, he succeeded as a journalist.他作为采矿者遭遇失败,但作为记者大获成功。
  • The prospector staked his claim to the mine he discovered.那个勘探者立桩标出他所发现的矿区地以示归己所有。
4 deserted GukzoL     
adj.荒芜的,荒废的,无人的,被遗弃的
参考例句:
  • The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
  • The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。
5 flopped e5b342a0b376036c32e5cd7aa560c15e     
v.(指书、戏剧等)彻底失败( flop的过去式和过去分词 );(因疲惫而)猛然坐下;(笨拙地、不由自主地或松弛地)移动或落下;砸锅
参考例句:
  • Exhausted, he flopped down into a chair. 他筋疲力尽,一屁股坐到椅子上。
  • It was a surprise to us when his play flopped. 他那出戏一败涂地,出乎我们的预料。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 guzzled a38ee0340505977097d9a9430c317b39     
v.狂吃暴饮,大吃大喝( guzzle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The children guzzled down all the cakes. 孩子们大吃一通,把蛋糕都吃光了。 来自互联网
  • The boys guzzled the cheap Vodka. 这些男孩狂饮廉价的伏特加酒。 来自互联网
7 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。
8 wanly 3f5a0aa4725257f8a91c855f18e55a93     
adv.虚弱地;苍白地,无血色地
参考例句:
  • She was smiling wanly. 她苍白无力地笑着。 来自互联网
9 jewelry 0auz1     
n.(jewllery)(总称)珠宝
参考例句:
  • The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
  • Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。
10 softened 19151c4e3297eb1618bed6a05d92b4fe     
(使)变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 ); 缓解打击; 缓和; 安慰
参考例句:
  • His smile softened slightly. 他的微笑稍柔和了些。
  • The ice cream softened and began to melt. 冰淇淋开始变软并开始融化。
11 sipped 22d1585d494ccee63c7bff47191289f6     
v.小口喝,呷,抿( sip的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He sipped his coffee pleasurably. 他怡然地品味着咖啡。
  • I sipped the hot chocolate she had made. 我小口喝着她调制的巧克力热饮。 来自辞典例句
12 furrowed furrowed     
v.犁田,开沟( furrow的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Overhead hung a summer sky furrowed with the rash of rockets. 头顶上的夏日夜空纵横着急疾而过的焰火。 来自辞典例句
  • The car furrowed the loose sand as it crossed the desert. 车子横过沙漠,在松软的沙土上犁出了一道车辙。 来自辞典例句
13 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。
14 outfits ed01b85fb10ede2eb7d337e0ea2d0bb3     
n.全套装备( outfit的名词复数 );一套服装;集体;组织v.装备,配置设备,供给服装( outfit的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • He jobbed out the contract to a number of small outfits. 他把承包工程分包给许多小单位。 来自辞典例句
  • Some cyclists carry repair outfits because they may have a puncture. 有些骑自行车的人带修理工具,因为他们车胎可能小孔。 来自辞典例句
15 rugged yXVxX     
adj.高低不平的,粗糙的,粗壮的,强健的
参考例句:
  • 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。
16 lingo S0exp     
n.语言不知所云,外国话,隐语
参考例句:
  • If you live abroad it helps to know the local lingo.住在国外,学一点当地的语言自有好处。
  • Don't use all that technical lingo try and explain in plain English.别尽用那种专门术语,用普通的词语解释吧。
17 thump sq2yM     
v.重击,砰然地响;n.重击,重击声
参考例句:
  • The thief hit him a thump on the head.贼在他的头上重击一下。
  • The excitement made her heart thump.她兴奋得心怦怦地跳。
18 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。
19 gust q5Zyu     
n.阵风,突然一阵(雨、烟等),(感情的)迸发
参考例句:
  • A gust of wind blew the front door shut.一阵大风吹来,把前门关上了。
  • A gust of happiness swept through her.一股幸福的暖流流遍她的全身。
20 hoarsely hoarsely     
adv.嘶哑地
参考例句:
  • "Excuse me," he said hoarsely. “对不起。”他用嘶哑的嗓子说。
  • Jerry hoarsely professed himself at Miss Pross's service. 杰瑞嘶声嘶气地表示愿为普洛丝小姐效劳。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
21 scowled b83aa6db95e414d3ef876bc7fd16d80d     
怒视,生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He scowled his displeasure. 他满脸嗔色。
  • The teacher scowled at his noisy class. 老师对他那喧闹的课堂板着脸。
22 filthy ZgOzj     
adj.卑劣的;恶劣的,肮脏的
参考例句:
  • The whole river has been fouled up with filthy waste from factories.整条河都被工厂的污秽废物污染了。
  • You really should throw out that filthy old sofa and get a new one.你真的应该扔掉那张肮脏的旧沙发,然后再去买张新的。
23 battered NyezEM     
adj.磨损的;v.连续猛击;磨损
参考例句:
  • He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
  • The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。
24 crooks 31060be9089be1fcdd3ac8530c248b55     
n.骗子( crook的名词复数 );罪犯;弯曲部分;(牧羊人或主教用的)弯拐杖v.弯成钩形( crook的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • The police are getting after the crooks in the city. 警察在城里追捕小偷。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The cops got the crooks. 警察捉到了那些罪犯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
25 haven 8dhzp     
n.安全的地方,避难所,庇护所
参考例句:
  • It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后,这真是一个安乐窝。
  • The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。
26 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。
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