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儿童英语读物 The Soccer Mystery CHAPTER 9 Trapped!

时间:2017-09-04 07:57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)

Footsteps crossed the parking lot. For a moment it seemed as if they were heading toward the van. Then, nearby, the children heard a car door open.

It stayed open for what seemed like a very long time. Then the car door shut and the footsteps moved away, back across the parking lot and out toward the soccer field.

Jessie let out a long, slow sigh of relief. She stood up so she could see through the van’s window.

Robert was walking back toward the soccer field carrying his gear bag.

“Whew,” said Henry. “It’s a good thing we weren’t looking in Stan’s car. Robert must have forgotten his gear bag.”

“Yes. And he would have caught us for sure,” said Jessie.

“Maybe we should go,” suggested Violet nervously1. “There aren’t any clues here.”

The Aldens looked around the parking lot. But no one was there. In the distance, they could see Robert walking toward his team, still holding his gear bag.

The Aldens left the parking lot as fast as they could without running. They had just reached the far end of the soccer field where the Bears were going to play the Rockets, when Soo Lee said, “There he is.”

They all stopped and stared. The stranger was walking toward them. As he passed Robert, Robert spoke2 to the stranger.

The stranger stopped. He didn’t look pleased for a moment. Then he gave Robert a small smile and nodded.

“Look at that!” Violet gasped3. “Robert is smiling! And it’s a nice smile. I’ve never seen him do that!”

“I don’t think anybody has,” said Henry.

The stranger walked on. He came straight toward the Aldens. They kept walking, too.

He barely glanced at them as he walked by. But Robert stayed where he was a moment longer, staring after the stranger. Then he turned and went to join his team.

“Wow,” breathed Jessie. “That really was a close call. If we had stayed much longer, the stranger would definitely have caught us.”

“Does Robert know him?” asked Benny. “Is Robert working with the spy? Is Robert a spy, too?”

“It’s a possibility, Benny,” said Henry. “But I still don’t know why. It doesn’t make sense.”

The Bears were standing4 on the sidelines. Robert straightened up as the Aldens and Soo Lee passed. Robert reached into his bag and pulled out his goalie gloves. He began putting them on.

Suddenly he stopped. “Oh, no!” he said.

In spite of himself, Henry stopped. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t believe this!” said Robert in a loud voice. “Someone smeared5 peanut butter all over my goalie gloves. They’re ruined!”

“Peanut butter on your gloves?” said Benny. He wrinkled his nose. “Yuk.”

Stan came over. “What’s wrong here?”

Robert showed his brother the gloves.

“When did this happen?” Stan demanded.

“It must have happened when I left my gear bag in the car,” said Robert. “It’s the only time it’s been out of my sight. Someone was watching, and they went to the car and sabotaged6 my gloves.”

“Do you have another pair?” asked Stan.

“No,” said Robert. “I — ”

“Get a pair,” said Stan.

“But I — ”

“I don’t want to hear excuses. The game is about to begin. Just do it,” Stan snapped, and walked away.

“I have a pair of gloves you can borrow,” said Henry.

Robert swung around to face them. He drew back his upper lip. “Oh, yeah?” he said, with a sneer7 in his voice. Then he looked past Henry. “You do?” he said, in a much nicer tone. “Would you mind if I used them? I’d really appreciate it.”

“Sure,” said Henry. He unzipped his own gear bag and took out his gloves. He handed them to Robert.

Robert smiled. It was another nice, normal, friendly smile. “Thanks, Henry,” he said. “Thanks a lot.”

He put the gloves on and ran out on the field to the goal.

“Why did Robert get so friendly all of a sudden?” wondered Soo Lee aloud.

“You did a good thing,” Benny told Henry. “You were a good sport.”

Henry laughed. “It’s a lot more fun than being a bad sport. Come on, let’s go sit with Grandfather.” The Aldens headed up to the bleachers.

A gust8 of wind whipped across the field. A familiar blue-and-gold cap suddenly whisked by Jessie’s foot. She reached down and grabbed it. She turned and froze.

The stranger was standing right behind them. He was holding his binoculars9 in one hand. He held out his other hand to Jessie. “You caught my cap,” he said. “Thank you.”

“Y-you’re welcome,” said Jessie. She handed the man his cap, then turned and hurried after the others.

As they sat down, Jessie watched the stranger out of the corner of her eye. He climbed to the top corner of the bleachers and sat down. He pulled his cap down and raised his binoculars to his eyes.

She nudged Henry. “There he is,” she said. “He was right behind us when you gave your gloves to Robert. I think he went to the van to get his binoculars.”

“Hmmm,” said Henry.

Violet said in a puzzled voice, “Who would sneak10 out to the parking lot and put peanut butter on Robert’s gloves? It couldn’t have been Benny’s spy, could it have?”

“You’re right, Violet, it couldn’t have been,” said Soo Lee. “We went into the parking lot just as Robert and Stan left it. And we were there the whole time, even when Robert came back to get his gear bag.”

“Well, if the spy didn’t do it, that means he didn’t do any of those other bad things, right?” asked Benny.

Jessie’s thoughts were whirling. “I don’t know,” she said. She put one hand on her forehead and tried to figure it out. She concentrated with all her might.

She lowered her hand and looked over at the stranger. Then she repeated, “I don’t know who’s done the bad things. But I think I do know how we can find out who your spy is, Benny!”

The man behind the counter was stuffing envelopes.

“Excuse me,” said Jessie.

The man looked at Jessie over the tops of his glasses. “Yes?” he said.

“We’d like some information, please,” said Jessie.

The Aldens had ridden their bikes over to the university. It had been a long ride, and they were very tired. Soo Lee hadn’t been able to come with them.

“What sort of information?” asked the man.

“We’d like to find out who a car registration11 number belongs to,” said Henry.

“Number one-two-three-four-five-seven,” chimed in Benny proudly. “It’s like counting, except that the last number is wrong.”

The man got up from his desk and crossed the room to a file cabinet. He opened a drawer and rifled through some files. Finally he said, “Yes, we have a vehicle registered at the university under that number.”

“Who is it?” asked Violet.

The man swung around and peered at Violet now. “Why do you want to know?” he asked. “Has there been an accident?”

“Not exactly,” said Jessie. “I don’t think the things that have been happening have been accidents.”

The man peered at them all for a moment longer. Then he said, “I’m not supposed to give out that information without proper authorization12.”

“What?” said Benny.

“He can’t tell us,” said Henry.

“No,” said the man. “I can’t. Not without permission.”

“How can we get permission?” asked Jessie.

“From the office manager,” said the man. He added, “She’s not in today. She’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow!” cried Benny. “That’s too long.”

“That’s the best I can do,” said the man.

The Aldens walked slowly out of the office. They were very discouraged. They walked down the front steps of the building and across the campus to the bike rack where they had parked their bikes.

The university had big stone buildings, smooth green lawns, and majestic13 oak trees lining14 the sidewalks. But the Aldens didn’t notice.

“That’s not fair,” said Benny.

“We could ride our bikes back over tomorrow,” said Violet.

“I guess that’s what we’ll have to do,” said Jessie.

“No,” said Henry. “We won’t.”

They all looked at him in amazement15.

“Why not?” asked Violet.

“If the blue van is here,” said Henry, “it is parked in the Athletic16 Center parking lot. Remember? It was an athletic staff parking sticker.”

“You’re right,” said Jessie, getting excited. “And even if it is not there, maybe we can ask people who work there and they will know who the blue van belongs to.”

“Yes!” cried Henry.

“Oh, good,” said Violet as the Aldens got on their bikes and began to pedal to the Athletic Center. “I’m glad we don’t have to ride our bikes all the way back here tomorrow.”

As they reached the parking lot for the Athletic Center, Jessie slowed her bike to a halt. The others pulled up behind her.

Benny pointed17. “There it is,” he said. “There’s the blue van.”

“Yes, it is,” said Henry. “And we’re not going to have to ask anyone who it belongs to.”

“Why not?” asked Benny.

“Because the parking place it is in has someone’s name on it,” Violet explained, staring.

“Who? Who is it?” cried Benny.

“Anthony Della,” said Jessie. Then she read aloud the sign on the parking place where the blue van sat: “Reserved Parking. Coach Anthony Della.”

Although it was a long ride home from the university, the Aldens didn’t feel tired. They had too much to think about. When they finally did get home, they got a pitcher18 of lemonade from Mrs. McGregor and took it out to the boxcar. They sat on the grass next to the boxcar, with the pitcher on the stump19, and talked about the mystery.

“Coach Della couldn’t have done all those things,” said Violet.

“No, he couldn’t have,” said Henry. “He has no reason to.”

Benny picked up a stick and threw it for Watch. “Then why is Coach Della spying on us?” he asked.

“He’s not spying on us, Benny,” said Jessie. “But you’re right, he is a spy.”

Benny’s eyes widened. “He is?” he asked.

With a laugh, Jessie said, “Not a bad spy, Benny. But remember? He is hiring a new assistant coach at the university.”

“And Stan, Gillian, and Craig have all applied20 for the job,” said Henry. “So Coach Della has been coming to watch them coach. But he didn’t want them to know he was watching, so he has been careful not to be seen or recognized.”

“But if Coach Della didn’t do it, and Gillian didn’t do it, who did? Craig?”

“Craig couldn’t have been the one who put peanut butter on Robert’s gloves,” said Henry. “Don’t forget, Craig and Gillian had already left when Robert got there.”

“And Robert said that the only time his gear bag was out of his sight was when he left it in the car,” said Violet.

“But wait a minute,” said Jessie. “No one came into the parking lot after Robert and Stan left Stan’s car. We were there and we would have seen them. No one came near Stan’s car except . . .”

“Robert!” said Henry.

“Robert? Robert is mean, but why would he do all those bad things?” asked Benny. “And why would he put peanut butter on his own gloves?”

“So no one would suspect him,” said Violet.

Henry said, “But we’ve figured it out. And I think I know how we can trap him!”

“How?” asked Jessie eagerly.

“Like this,” said Henry. “Listen . . .”
 


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 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。
2 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。
3 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》
4 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。
5 smeared c767e97773b70cc726f08526efd20e83     
弄脏; 玷污; 涂抹; 擦上
参考例句:
  • The children had smeared mud on the walls. 那几个孩子往墙上抹了泥巴。
  • A few words were smeared. 有写字被涂模糊了。
6 sabotaged 033e2d75029aeb415d2358fe4bf61adb     
阴谋破坏(某事物)( sabotage的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The main pipeline supplying water was sabotaged by rebels. 供水主管道被叛乱分子蓄意破坏了。
  • They had no competition because competitors found their trucks burned and sabotaged. 他们之所以没有竞争对象,那是因为竞争对象老是发现自己的卡车遭火烧或被破坏。 来自教父部分
7 sneer YFdzu     
v.轻蔑;嘲笑;n.嘲笑,讥讽的言语
参考例句:
  • He said with a sneer.他的话中带有嘲笑之意。
  • You may sneer,but a lot of people like this kind of music.你可以嗤之以鼻,但很多人喜欢这种音乐。
8 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。
9 binoculars IybzWh     
n.双筒望远镜
参考例句:
  • He watched the play through his binoculars.他用双筒望远镜看戏。
  • If I had binoculars,I could see that comet clearly.如果我有望远镜,我就可以清楚地看见那颗彗星。
10 sneak vr2yk     
vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝);偷偷摸摸做;n.潜行;adj.暗中进行
参考例句:
  • He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。
  • I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。
11 registration ASKzO     
n.登记,注册,挂号
参考例句:
  • Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
  • What's your registration number?你挂的是几号?
12 authorization wOxyV     
n.授权,委任状
参考例句:
  • Anglers are required to obtain prior authorization from the park keeper.垂钓者必须事先得到公园管理者的许可。
  • You cannot take a day off without authorization.未经批准你不得休假。
13 majestic GAZxK     
adj.雄伟的,壮丽的,庄严的,威严的,崇高的
参考例句:
  • In the distance rose the majestic Alps.远处耸立着雄伟的阿尔卑斯山。
  • He looks majestic in uniform.他穿上军装显得很威风。
14 lining kpgzTO     
n.衬里,衬料
参考例句:
  • The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
  • Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。
15 amazement 7zlzBK     
n.惊奇,惊讶
参考例句:
  • All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
  • He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。
16 athletic sOPy8     
adj.擅长运动的,强健的;活跃的,体格健壮的
参考例句:
  • This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
  • He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。
17 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。
18 pitcher S2Gz7     
n.(有嘴和柄的)大水罐;(棒球)投手
参考例句:
  • He poured the milk out of the pitcher.他从大罐中倒出牛奶。
  • Any pitcher is liable to crack during a tight game.任何投手在紧张的比赛中都可能会失常。
19 stump hGbzY     
n.残株,烟蒂,讲演台;v.砍断,蹒跚而走
参考例句:
  • He went on the stump in his home state.他到故乡所在的州去发表演说。
  • He used the stump as a table.他把树桩用作桌子。
20 applied Tz2zXA     
adj.应用的;v.应用,适用
参考例句:
  • She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
  • This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。
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