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儿童英语读物 The Outer Space Mystery CHAPTER 3 Pictures in the Sky

时间:2017-09-01 06:44来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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“We shouldn’t have gone down this trail,” Violet said. “No one knows where we are.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll find our way back,” Henry assured her.

“I’m hungry,” Benny said. Lost or not, he wasn’t about to miss lunch. Looking around, he spotted1 a faint path twisting through the trees. “I think this is it!”

“Benny, you’re right!” Jessie gave him a quick hug.

The children hurried through the dense2 underbrush. Soon the narrow track widened into the main driveway. Within minutes, they were back on the campus of Mountvale College.

Streams of people poured from the main building.

“Just in time for lunch,” Henry said. “The conference must be over for the morning.”

“And there’s Grandfather,” Violet exclaimed, running over to him. “Grandfather, are you eating with us?”

“I’m sorry, Violet. I’ve been asked to sit with today’s guest speakers,” James Alden replied. “You children go ahead. I’ll see you later this evening.”

The Aldens entered the dining room and quickly staked out a table. Rachel Cunningham brought over four menus.

Jessie tried to be friendly. “Hi, Rachel. How are you doing?”

“Fair,” replied the young woman. She popped her chewing gum impatiently. “What’ll it be?”

Jessie hadn’t even had time to read the menu. She noticed a group of students at the next table. They were snapping their fingers at Rachel.

“I think those people over there want you,” she said. “You can take their order first.”

Rachel barely glanced in their direction. “Rich kids,” she said with a sniff3. “Just because their parents have a lot of money doesn’t mean they can treat me like a maid.”

“Hey, Rachel,” called one of the young men. “What’s good today?”

“I don’t cook the food,” she said over her shoulder. “I just serve it.” Then she took an order pad and pencil from her skirt pocket.

Benny noticed the big ring of keys attached to her belt. “You sure have a lot of keys,” he said admiringly. “Do you know what they all go to?”

“I should,” Rachel replied with a sigh. “I have to clean each of those rooms every day.”

“You have keys to all the dorm rooms?” Henry asked, suddenly interested.

“All the rooms in the Seneca Building,” she said. “Now, what do you want for lunch?”

Henry ordered a chicken salad sandwich with potato chips and milk. So did everyone else.

When Rachel left, Henry leaned forward. “She has keys to all the rooms,” he said. “Rachel could have been the one in our room last night. She was at the cookout. And she got caught in the storm.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” said Jessie. “But why would Rachel break into your room? Was she looking for something? Nothing was taken.”

“One of my apples,” Benny reminded her.

Violet smiled. “That’s not a very big crime, Benny. Maybe Rachel didn’t have anything to eat at the cookout and she was hungry.”

“But why break into our room to steal an apple?” Henry asked. “She works near the kitchen — she could have anything she wants.”

“Henry’s right,” Jessie agreed. “It doesn’t really make sense. Rachel’s kind of touchy4, but I think she’s okay, deep down inside.”

“I don’t think it’s Rachel, either,” Violet said.

“Well, even if it doesn’t make sense, right now she’s our number one suspect,” said Henry.

Just then their lunches came. The children were so hungry that they didn’t speak until there were only potato chip crumbs5 on their plates.

The students were leaving. It was time for the afternoon session to begin.

As the Aldens were getting up, they saw Eugene Scott pull his chair out in front of a group heading for the door. Mark Jacobs was hit by the chair.

“Sorry,” Eugene said.

Mark rubbed his shin. “It’s okay. It was an accident.”

But Henry wasn’t so sure. To him, it looked as if Eugene had done it on purpose.

Then Eugene hurried out of the dining room with a triumphant6 smirk7 on his face.

Mark waved to the Aldens. “Hey, are you guys coming to the observatory8 tonight? The sky should be perfect.”

“We’ll be there,” Jessie answered. She was excited about looking through the big telescope.

“Will we see the moon?” Benny wanted to know. He didn’t believe the moon was made of Swiss cheese, but he wanted to make sure.

“You bet,” Mark said. “There are many secrets in the heavens. I might even show you mine!”

With that, he disappeared into the crowd.

At the reception desk, Henry picked up a map showing the trails around the campus.

“The trail we were on isn’t marked,” he said.

“But we know it’s there,” said Violet. “Maybe it’s an old trail nobody is supposed to use anymore.”

Jessie had been thinking. “It’s almost like that trail is a secret.”

“Another mystery to solve!” Benny crowed. “We’re going to be busy this week!”

The evening was cool and clear when the Aldens hiked up the trail to the observatory. Frogs cheeped and crickets chirped9 along the path. An owl10 hooted11 in the distance.

“Whoever said the woods were quiet?” Violet remarked. She was glad when they reached the white building at the top. The owl’s eerie12 cry made her a little jumpy.

Randy Merchant met them at the door.

“I’m on my way out,” he told them. “Mark is at the ’scope. He’s expecting you.”

He climbed into the school van parked on the side of a narrow road. People who didn’t want to walk the trail could drive up the road instead.

Inside the observatory, the dome13 was open, allowing the huge telescope to poke14 into the night sky.

Mark Jacobs stood at the top of a set of rolling metal stairs, adjusting some knobs on the telescope.

“Hi!” he said as he waved them toward the stairs. “Come on up.”

“These steps won’t move, will they?” Jessie wondered nervously15.

“The wheels have brakes,” Mark told her. “It’s safe.”

One by one, the children climbed up onto the platform.

Mark moved away from the eyepiece. “Who wants to see Jupiter?”

“I do!” Benny said eagerly. Then he asked, “What’s Jupiter?”

“Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system,” Mark replied. He positioned Benny beneath the eyepiece. “Now, look through there. Do you see a yellowish sphere with grayish stripes?”

Benny stared a moment. Then he cried, “Yes, I do! It’s got a red dot in the center!”

The others took turns peering through the eyepiece.

“Wow!” Henry said, awed16. “It looks so close.”

“It isn’t,” Mark said. “It takes Jupiter twelve years to orbit the sun. It’s that far away! Our solar system is made up of several planets that orbit the sun.”

“Like Mars,” Violet continued. “And Venus.”

“Can we see the moon?” Benny asked.

Mark shook his head. “Not yet. Moonrise will be in a little while.”

Violet thought moonrise was a beautiful word. She gazed at the sky through the open roof. “There are a zillion stars when you look through the telescope. I can see a lot with just my eyes, but not that many.”

“You can see about two thousand stars on a clear night,” Mark said. “The telescope allows us to see hundreds of thousands more.”

“I want to see outer space!” Benny declared.

Mark laughed. “You’re looking at it! Here’s something else — just wait until I bring it into focus.” He pushed some buttons. The telescope made a whirring sound as it moved very slightly.

This time Jessie looked first. “I don’t see anything.”

“Look to your left,” Mark instructed. “See that bright cluster of stars?”

“Oh!” she said. “They’re so pretty — like jewels.”

“That’s what they are called,” Mark said. “The Jewel Box. If you saw the cluster with the unaided eye, it would appear to be a hazy17 spot.”

While the others viewed the Jewel Box, Mark told them more about stars. “Before man invented the telescope, he used to stare at the sky. He connected the spaces between the stars with imaginary lines and made pictures of animals or objects. Those pictures are called constellations19.”

Now Mark pushed another button. The dome slowly opened wider, revealing more of the night sky.

“There’s a constellation18,” Henry said. “The Big Dipper.” He pointed20 to the ladle-shaped group of stars in the north.

“I don’t see it,” Benny said.

“It’s right up there,” Violet told him. “It looks like a cup with a bent21 handle.”

“The Big Dipper is a good constellation to know,” said Mark. “The two outer stars of the cup point to the North Star. If you keep the North Star in your sight, you’ll always know which direction you’re going.”

At that moment, footsteps rang on the hardwood floor.

“Is the lecture over, Jacobs?” said a familiar voice.

Mark leaned over the railing. “Hey, Eugene,” he said to the figure standing22 at the base of the rolling stairs. “Have you met the Aldens?”

“I’ve seen them around,” Eugene said moodily23. “You’re on my time, Mark.”

Mark looked at the clock. “I still have two hours.”

“No, you don’t,” Eugene argued. “It’s my turn at the telescope.”

“Astronomers sign up for time,” Mark explained to the children. “We can only work at night, so we sign up a day ahead. But I’m positive I signed up for this block of time.”

Eugene tapped a notebook on the desk against the wall. “Check Randy’s log if you don’t believe me.”

“I will.” Mark took the stairs two at a time. The children followed. At the desk, they all stared at the notebook.

Henry read the entry. “It says, ‘Eugene Scott, nine till twelve.’ ”

Mark shook his head. “I can’t believe I made such a mistake. . . . Well, you kids can stay. The moon will be rising soon. I know Benny wants to see it.”

Eugene clattered24 up the metal stairs. “I’ve got important work to do. I can’t babysit.”

“It’s time for us to go anyway,” Henry said to Mark. “Thanks for letting us look through the telescope.”

It was obvious Eugene Scott didn’t want them around.

Outside they saw a dashing red sports car in the parking lot.

“That’s Eugene’s car,” Mark said, as he walked the Aldens down the trail. “He rarely walks up here.”

It wasn’t until they were in their dorm room that Henry realized something.

Mark Jacobs hadn’t shown them his secret discovery.
 


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 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。
2 dense aONzX     
a.密集的,稠密的,浓密的;密度大的
参考例句:
  • The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
  • The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。
3 sniff PF7zs     
vi.嗅…味道;抽鼻涕;对嗤之以鼻,蔑视
参考例句:
  • The police used dogs to sniff out the criminals in their hiding - place.警察使用警犬查出了罪犯的藏身地点。
  • When Munchie meets a dog on the beach, they sniff each other for a while.当麦奇在海滩上碰到另一条狗的时候,他们会彼此嗅一会儿。
4 touchy PJfz6     
adj.易怒的;棘手的
参考例句:
  • Be careful what you say because he's touchy.你说话小心,因为他容易生气。
  • He's a little touchy about his weight.他对自己的体重感到有点儿苦恼。
5 crumbs crumbs     
int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式
参考例句:
  • She stood up and brushed the crumbs from her sweater. 她站起身掸掉了毛衣上的面包屑。
  • Oh crumbs! Is that the time? 啊,天哪!都这会儿啦?
6 triumphant JpQys     
adj.胜利的,成功的;狂欢的,喜悦的
参考例句:
  • The army made a triumphant entry into the enemy's capital.部队胜利地进入了敌方首都。
  • There was a positively triumphant note in her voice.她的声音里带有一种极为得意的语气。
7 smirk GE8zY     
n.得意地笑;v.傻笑;假笑着说
参考例句:
  • He made no attempt to conceal his smirk.他毫不掩饰自鸣得意的笑容。
  • She had a selfsatisfied smirk on her face.她脸上带着自鸣得意的微笑。
8 observatory hRgzP     
n.天文台,气象台,瞭望台,观测台
参考例句:
  • Guy's house was close to the observatory.盖伊的房子离天文台很近。
  • Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.格林威治天文台的职员们每天对大钟检查两次。
9 chirped 2d76a8bfe4602c9719744234606acfc8     
鸟叫,虫鸣( chirp的过去式 )
参考例句:
  • So chirped fiber gratings have broad reflection bandwidth. 所以chirped光纤光栅具有宽的反射带宽,在反射带宽内具有渐变的群时延等其它类型的光纤光栅所不具备的特点。
  • The crickets chirped faster and louder. 蟋蟀叫得更欢了。
10 owl 7KFxk     
n.猫头鹰,枭
参考例句:
  • Her new glasses make her look like an owl.她的新眼镜让她看上去像只猫头鹰。
  • I'm a night owl and seldom go to bed until after midnight.我睡得很晚,经常半夜后才睡觉。
11 hooted 8df924a716d9d67e78a021e69df38ba5     
(使)作汽笛声响,作汽车喇叭声( hoot的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • An owl hooted nearby. 一只猫头鹰在附近啼叫。
  • The crowd hooted and jeered at the speaker. 群众向那演讲人发出轻蔑的叫嚣和嘲笑。
12 eerie N8gy0     
adj.怪诞的;奇异的;可怕的;胆怯的
参考例句:
  • It's eerie to walk through a dark wood at night.夜晚在漆黑的森林中行走很是恐怖。
  • I walked down the eerie dark path.我走在那条漆黑恐怖的小路上。
13 dome 7s2xC     
n.圆屋顶,拱顶
参考例句:
  • The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
  • They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。
14 poke 5SFz9     
n.刺,戳,袋;vt.拨开,刺,戳;vi.戳,刺,捅,搜索,伸出,行动散慢
参考例句:
  • We never thought she would poke her nose into this.想不到她会插上一手。
  • Don't poke fun at me.别拿我凑趣儿。
15 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。
16 awed a0ab9008d911a954b6ce264ddc63f5c8     
adj.充满敬畏的,表示敬畏的v.使敬畏,使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The audience was awed into silence by her stunning performance. 观众席上鸦雀无声,人们对他出色的表演感到惊叹。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I was awed by the huge gorilla. 那只大猩猩使我惊惧。 来自《简明英汉词典》
17 hazy h53ya     
adj.有薄雾的,朦胧的;不肯定的,模糊的
参考例句:
  • We couldn't see far because it was so hazy.雾气蒙蒙妨碍了我们的视线。
  • I have a hazy memory of those early years.对那些早先的岁月我有着朦胧的记忆。
18 constellation CptzI     
n.星座n.灿烂的一群
参考例句:
  • A constellation is a pattern of stars as seen from the earth. 一个星座只是从地球上看到的某些恒星的一种样子。
  • The Big Dipper is not by itself a constellation. 北斗七星本身不是一个星座。
19 constellations ee34f7988ee4aa80f9502f825177c85d     
n.星座( constellation的名词复数 );一群杰出人物;一系列(相关的想法、事物);一群(相关的人)
参考例句:
  • The map of the heavens showed all the northern constellations. 这份天体图标明了北半部所有的星座。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • His time was coming, he would move in the constellations of power. 他时来运转,要进入权力中心了。 来自教父部分
20 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。
21 bent QQ8yD     
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的
参考例句:
  • He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
  • We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
22 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。
23 moodily 830ff6e3db19016ccfc088bb2ad40745     
adv.喜怒无常地;情绪多变地;心情不稳地;易生气地
参考例句:
  • Pork slipped from the room as she remained staring moodily into the distance. 阿宝从房间里溜了出来,留她独个人站在那里瞪着眼睛忧郁地望着远处。 来自辞典例句
  • He climbed moodily into the cab, relieved and distressed. 他忧郁地上了马车,既松了一口气,又忧心忡忡。 来自互联网
24 clattered 84556c54ff175194afe62f5473519d5a     
发出咔哒声(clatter的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • He dropped the knife and it clattered on the stone floor. 他一失手,刀子当啷一声掉到石头地面上。
  • His hand went limp and the knife clattered to the ground. 他的手一软,刀子当啷一声掉到地上。
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