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儿童英语读物 The Guide Dog Mystery CHAPTER 7 A Late Night for Benny

时间:2017-08-23 05:44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)

That night, the Aldens decided1 to keep watch out the window, to see if anything strange happened — like moving lights or fleeting2 shadows or barking dogs. They each agreed to take a two-hour shift while the others slept.

Benny had the first shift, from ten o’clock to midnight. While the others curled up in their beds, he sat by the window, looking out. At first it was fun staying up so late. He played cards and sipped3 a cup of juice and checked the window every few minutes.

But soon Benny began to feel sleepy. The room was dark, and the sound of Henry’s slow, peaceful breathing made him want to crawl into his own bed. Looking out the window, he could see nothing out of the ordinary. All the windows across the way were dark. Benny knew everyone was probably asleep, just as he wished he were.

He looked at his watch. It was only eleven-thirty — he still had another half hour to go! His eyelids4 felt so heavy. He let out one long slow yawn, and then another. Each time he blinked, it was harder to open his eyes again.

Benny forced his eyes open wide and stared out the window, trying not to blink. But it was no use. Soon his eyes were closing again.

He didn’t want to let the others down. What if something important happened and they missed it because Benny couldn’t stay awake? He knew he had to do something or he would fall asleep.

Benny went into the bathroom. He turned on the cold water and splashed some on his face. That helped a lot.

He went back to his seat by the window feeling better, but soon his eyelids were heavy again. He leaned his elbows on the windowsill and put his head in his hands. He wanted so much to put his head down — just for five minutes. What could be the harm? Benny crossed his arms on the windowsill and rested his head on top.

Suddenly he woke with a start. His arm had slipped off the sill. For a moment, he didn’t know where he was. Then he remembered. He was supposed to be keeping watch. How long had he been asleep? he wondered.

Benny peered at the clock and saw that it was twelve o’clock. He smiled. It was time to wake up Henry, who was doing the next shift.

Before he woke Henry, Benny took one last peek5 out the window. There were no lights in the rooms across the way. He checked the kennel6 off to the left. And then he spotted7 something. From behind a tree, a shadow moved.

The shadow moved again, and this time Benny was sure he’d seen it. As if to prove this fact, the dogs began barking.

“Henry, Henry, wake up!” Benny called, his eyes glued to the window.

Henry stirred slowly. “Is it my shift already?” he asked.

“Yes, but I think I see something!”

Henry bolted out of bed and in a moment he was standing8 next to his brother. The two boys looked out the window.

“I saw a shadow by the kennel, and — ” Benny began. “Look! There’s a light moving around in the kennel! Someone’s in there!”

Henry ran to get the girls while Benny kept watch.

When the girls joined them, they all agreed. It appeared that someone was snooping around in the kennel with a flashlight.

“If they’re using a flashlight, I’m sure they’re not supposed to be there,” said Jessie.

“I bet it’s the person who stole Jason’s key!” cried Jessie.

“We’d better go tell somebody!” Benny said.

“Jason!” said Henry.

The children ran out of the room and all the way down the hall. They ran and ran, around two corners, to Jason’s room.

“Jason! Jason! Wake up!” the Aldens called as they pounded on his door.

In a moment the door was opened by a very sleepy-looking Jason. “What is it?” he wanted to know.

“Come quickly! Someone’s broken into the kennel!” Jessie said.

Jason looked confused. “What are you talking about?”

“Jason!” Henry said. “There’s no time to explain. Come on!”

Jason sighed heavily. “You kids and your imaginations.”

“It’s not our imagination,” Jessie said. “But if you don’t believe us, we’ll go by ourselves.” The children started down the hallway.

“All right, I’m coming,” Jason said, following them.

When they reached the kennel, they found the door was open, and the sound of barking dogs was deafening9. As they peered into the dark building, they could see a flashlight shining down the hallway ahead of them.

Jason flicked10 on the overhead light, and the Aldens saw someone down the hall duck behind a large box. “Hello? Is there somebody there?” Jason called out. “Please come out at once!”

There was no response at first. Suddenly a figure darted11 out and began running down the hall away from them.

“He’s heading for the back exit,” said Jason. “I’ll go around that way and try to head him off!”

The others ran down the hall after the figure. But before they could catch him, he’d run out the back exit. The heavy door slammed shut behind him.

The Aldens pushed open the door and looked out. There was a rustling12 in the woods. Jason stood next to the door, out of breath.

“Whoever it was, he took off into the woods before I could get to him,” Jason said when he’d caught his breath.

“We’d better make sure the dogs are okay and that everything is in order,” Jessie said.

The Aldens helped Jason go through the building and check each dog. Zach, Ginger13, and the other dogs were all in their individual pens, just as they were supposed to be.

“Let’s get back to bed,” Jason said.

“Wait a minute,” called Violet, who had gone back to take another peek at Ginger. “What are all these scratch marks on the gate to Ginger’s pen?”

Jason came over to take a closer look. “That’s odd,” he said. “It looks as if someone was trying to break into her pen. There’s a special latch14 on every pen so that the dogs can’t get out. I guess the person who was in here was after Ginger.” Jason twisted the latch and opened the gate. Ginger came out and began sniffing15 at Jason. “Are you okay, girl?” Jason said, rubbing her back. When he was satisfied that she was unharmed, he led her back into her pen.

 

“What are we going to do? The person that sneaked16 in here probably used your key,” Henry said. “He could come back.”

“I’ll camp out here tonight,” said Jason, “and I’ll talk to Mrs. Carter in the morning. We’ll have to have the locks changed.”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Violet asked.

“We’ll bring you some blankets and a pillow,” Jessie suggested.

“We could stay with you,” Benny offered.

“No sense in all of us staying up,” Jason said.

After making sure that Jason was settled for the night, the Aldens returned to their rooms.

“It’s a good thing you were on watch, Benny,” Jessie told her brother.

“I can’t believe you were able to stay awake so late,” Violet said.

“Aw, it was easy,” Benny said, hiding a smile.

“I shouldn’t tell you this, but we all thought you’d fall asleep for sure,” Jessie said.

Benny gave her a look. “What? I can’t believe you’d think that.”

Violet noticed that Henry had been walking along quietly beside them. “Thinking about something, Henry?” she asked.

“What?” Henry had been deep in his own thoughts. “Oh, well . . . I was just wondering . . . did anyone else think that Jason acted strangely tonight?”

“Not really,” Jessie answered. “What do you mean?”

They had reached their rooms. Jessie opened the door to the girls’ room and they all went inside and sat down on the beds to talk for a moment.

“Remember when we first told him someone had broken into the kennel?” Henry asked. “He kept saying he didn’t believe us, before he finally came along. I wonder if he was stalling.”

“Why would he do that?” Violet asked.

“Maybe he knew someone was going to break into the kennel,” Henry said slowly. “Maybe he wanted to make sure we didn’t get there before they finished whatever it was they were up to.”

“Then why did he come with us after all?” Jessie asked.

“He knew we were going, so he had to come,” Henry said. “Then when we got there, remember he went around the outside to head off the person inside? He said he couldn’t catch the person — but maybe he wasn’t even trying.”

“But he seemed so out of breath,” Violet said.

“That’s just it,” Henry said. “I wonder if it was all an act.”

“Do you think that’s why he offered to keep guard?” Jessie asked.

“And he didn’t want us to stay with him. . . .” Benny said.

“I can’t believe Jason is up to anything bad,” Violet said.

Jessie sighed. “It’s possible. But we really haven’t got any proof.

“Tomorrow we’ll have to do more detective work.”
 


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 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。
2 fleeting k7zyS     
adj.短暂的,飞逝的
参考例句:
  • The girls caught only a fleeting glimpse of the driver.女孩们只匆匆瞥了一眼司机。
  • Knowing the life fleeting,she set herself to enjoy if as best as she could.她知道这种日子转瞬即逝,于是让自已尽情地享受。
3 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
4 eyelids 86ece0ca18a95664f58bda5de252f4e7     
n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 );眼睛也不眨一下;不露声色;面不改色
参考例句:
  • She was so tired, her eyelids were beginning to droop. 她太疲倦了,眼睑开始往下垂。
  • Her eyelids drooped as if she were on the verge of sleep. 她眼睑低垂好像快要睡着的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 peek ULZxW     
vi.偷看,窥视;n.偷偷的一看,一瞥
参考例句:
  • Larry takes a peek out of the window.赖瑞往窗外偷看了一下。
  • Cover your eyes and don't peek.捂上眼睛,别偷看。
6 kennel axay6     
n.狗舍,狗窝
参考例句:
  • Sporting dogs should be kept out of doors in a kennel.猎狗应该养在户外的狗窝中。
  • Rescued dogs are housed in a standard kennel block.获救的狗被装在一个标准的犬舍里。
7 spotted 7FEyj     
adj.有斑点的,斑纹的,弄污了的
参考例句:
  • The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
  • Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。
8 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。
9 deafening deafening     
adj. 振耳欲聋的, 极喧闹的 动词deafen的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • The noise of the siren was deafening her. 汽笛声震得她耳朵都快聋了。
  • The noise of the machine was deafening. 机器的轰鸣声震耳欲聋。
10 flicked 7c535fef6da8b8c191b1d1548e9e790a     
(尤指用手指或手快速地)轻击( flick的过去式和过去分词 ); (用…)轻挥; (快速地)按开关; 向…笑了一下(或瞥了一眼等)
参考例句:
  • She flicked the dust off her collar. 她轻轻弹掉了衣领上的灰尘。
  • I idly picked up a magazine and flicked through it. 我漫不经心地拿起一本杂志翻看着。
11 darted d83f9716cd75da6af48046d29f4dd248     
v.投掷,投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 );向前冲,飞奔
参考例句:
  • The lizard darted out its tongue at the insect. 蜥蜴伸出舌头去吃小昆虫。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The old man was displeased and darted an angry look at me. 老人不高兴了,瞪了我一眼。 来自《简明英汉词典》
12 rustling c6f5c8086fbaf68296f60e8adb292798     
n. 瑟瑟声,沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的
参考例句:
  • the sound of the trees rustling in the breeze 树木在微风中发出的沙沙声
  • the soft rustling of leaves 树叶柔和的沙沙声
13 ginger bzryX     
n.姜,精力,淡赤黄色;adj.淡赤黄色的;vt.使活泼,使有生气
参考例句:
  • There is no ginger in the young man.这个年轻人没有精神。
  • Ginger shall be hot in the mouth.生姜吃到嘴里总是辣的。
14 latch g2wxS     
n.门闩,窗闩;弹簧锁
参考例句:
  • She laid her hand on the latch of the door.她把手放在门闩上。
  • The repairman installed an iron latch on the door.修理工在门上安了铁门闩。
15 sniffing 50b6416c50a7d3793e6172a8514a0576     
n.探查法v.以鼻吸气,嗅,闻( sniff的现在分词 );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:
  • We all had colds and couldn't stop sniffing and sneezing. 我们都感冒了,一个劲地抽鼻子,打喷嚏。
  • They all had colds and were sniffing and sneezing. 他们都伤风了,呼呼喘气而且打喷嚏。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
16 sneaked fcb2f62c486b1c2ed19664da4b5204be     
v.潜行( sneak的过去式和过去分词 );偷偷溜走;(儿童向成人)打小报告;告状
参考例句:
  • I sneaked up the stairs. 我蹑手蹑脚地上了楼。
  • She sneaked a surreptitious glance at her watch. 她偷偷看了一眼手表。
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