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儿童英语读物 The Basketball Mystery CHAPTER 8 Sneaky Sneakers

时间:2017-09-14 08:11来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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When Jessie and Violet walked into the sports center the next day, Tom Hooper was up on his ladder painting the ceiling.

“Hi, Tom,” Tipper called out. “Looks as if you’re almost done. How are you?”

Tom didn’t answer, so Tipper and the Aldens kept walking down the hall.

“Hey, wait!” Tom called after them. “I just remembered something. Frank gave me a note for you, Tipper.”

Everyone turned around. Tom came down from his ladder. He searched the pocket of his painter’s pants. “Now, what did I do with it?”

“Do with what?” Jessie asked.

“Frank’s piece of paper . . . mmm . . . let me see.” Tom emptied his pockets but found nothing. Finally he picked up a piece of paper from the floor. “Whew. It fell out of my pocket. Frank says this is very important. Sorry, I almost forgot.” He handed Tipper a paint-splattered, wrinkled1 note.

Tipper read it aloud.

Dear Tipper,

The Blue Stars’ coach just came down with the flu. Since the Fast Breakers team has two coaches, you and Courtney, I have assigned Courtney to coach the Blue Stars until the championship game.

Frank Fowler

“Looks as if it’s just us Fast Breakers chickens,” Tipper told the girls.

Violet and Jessie looked at each other. They didn’t mind this new change of plans at all. They knew one thing: Practice with Tipper alone would be a lot more fun from now on.

All their other teammates, except one, cheered when Tipper announced that she was now the Fast Breakers’ only coach. Only Patsy Cutter seemed to mind. She loved Tipper, but she also loved having two coaches to give her lots of attention.

All through practice Patsy followed Tipper around and begged for extra help. But that wasn’t Tipper’s way of doing things.

“Sorry, Patsy,” Tipper repeated. “I know you want me to work with you on the power drill again, but that’s a one-player drill. Today we’re only doing team drills. Now that Courtney’s with the Blue Stars, I have to work more with our whole team.”

“But . . . but . . .” Patsy protested. “If the really good players don’t get special drills, we might not be the best like you.”

Tipper put her arm around Patsy’s shoulders. “Being the best player means helping2 the team to be the best.”

Patsy sighed. She couldn’t help it. She wanted Tipper Nettleton to herself. But Patsy didn’t have any choice. She lined up behind the other Fast Breakers. It was time for a team drill.

The Fast Breakers practiced for an hour. Then the lights flickered3 on and off. The girls stopped playing.

“Time for the Blue Stars’ practice,” Courtney yelled4 across the gym. Her hand was still on the light switch. “It’s two o’clock.”

Patsy, Violet, Jessie, and some of the other girls went over to say hello to their old coach.

“I wish we still had two coaches,” Patsy complained to Courtney. “I need special help. We only have one coach now. I can’t work on my power drill or the wall drill.”

“That’s the way it goes,” Courtney said, none too friendly to the Fast Breakers now. “Tell your teammates to move along. The Blue Stars have to practice now.”

Right up to the playoffs, Courtney treated the Fast Breakers like strangers. If their practice ran over just a few seconds, she complained.

“Don’t mind Courtney,” Tipper told the Fast Breakers. “Some coaches are tough like that. They want everyone to be afraid of their team. That’s the way Courtney’s old Warwick High School team played. We were terrified of them. In the end, they won some games, and we won some others. It’s two different ways of coaching.”

“We like your way,” Violet said.

Patsy Cutter wasn’t so sure. “I like your way, too, Tipper. But don’t you think it’s a good idea to build up some players the other team is afraid of?” she asked. “You know — make some of us so awesome5, the other team gets nervous?”

Tipper laughed. “Do you have anybody in mind?”

Patsy finally laughed, too. “Well, if you change your mind, I can be pretty scary.”

Tipper Nettleton laughed. “I don’t want scary players, just good ones like you who work as a team.”

When the day of the championship game arrived, the Aldens were excited, but also a little nervous.

At breakfast that morning, Violet pushed her scrambled6 eggs around her plate, unable to eat them. “I can’t believe we’re going to play in front of all those people,” she said. “I’m so nervous. I almost wish Patsy and Jessie and the other best players would play the whole game.”

“Hush!” Tipper said. “Put that thought from your mind, Violet. I know what will make you feel better. Let’s do a quick workout in back. When you see how well you practice, your confidence will bounce right back. Come on now.”

Out in back, Violet tried out everything Tipper had taught her. Tipper helped her guard and pass and dribble7 and shoot until she was playing smoothly8.

“You’re right,” Violet told Tipper when they finally stopped. “Now I know I can play against anyone, even the Blue Stars.”

“Especially the Blue Stars,” Tipper said before she and Violet went inside.

Jessie looked at the clock. “Only an hour and a half. What will we do until then?”

“Let’s head over to the sports center to pick up our uniforms and basketball sneakers,” Tipper suggested. “We have to take our things over to the Greenfield High gym before our game there.”

“Good idea,” Jessie said. “I’m too fidgety to stay home.”

On the way over, Tipper helped the girls relax with some quiet music. “It’s important to work yourselves hard, but it’s also good to get your mind calm before a big game. That’s what I always do.”

But that wasn’t what Courtney Post did with the Blue Stars. When Tipper and the Aldens walked into the sports center, Courtney was supervising9 some last-minute practice with two of her players. “Harder! Dribble it harder!” she yelled. “You don’t want everybody to think you’re the Blue Marshmallows, do you? Don’t be afraid to look a little mean. It throws everybody off guard.”

“They look scary,” Violet whispered, starting to lose a little of her confidence.

“No, not scary, miserable,” Jessie said.

Courtney noticed Tipper and the Aldens standing10 there.

“The office is unlocked11,” Courtney shouted at Tipper. “I sent my team’s things over to the Greenfield High School gym with Frank. He’s going to be the referee12. We’re leaving for the high school in a minute. Make sure you get your players there on time, too. You don’t want to forfeit13 the game!”

“Ugh!” Tipper said with a groan14 after Courtney left. “Now, why did Courtney have to go and say that? I’m totally confident about everybody’s playing. What I don’t like much is getting everything ready — the equipment, the paperwork, the scoring sheets. I wish the sports center was ready so we could play the game here.”

Violet patted Tipper’s arm. “Don’t worry. Jessie can help. She’s always super-organized. She even lines up her slippers15 in one direction next to her bed every night.”

Jessie laughed. “I thought everyone did that!”

The girls followed Tipper into the office. The room was still a little messy, with construction equipment cluttering16 up the small area.

“Can you get both duffel bags from the closet?” Tipper asked Jessie and Violet. “The uniforms and sneakers are in the bags. Oh, and grab17 a couple basketballs, just in case. You never know. I’ll get the stopwatch and the papers we need for the game.”

Jessie opened the closet door. “Did you mean this closet, Tipper?” she said. “There are only a couple of ladders and a bunch of paint cans in here.”

Tipper came over. “Oh, no! The duffel bags were right here when we finished practice last night. I even put a name tag on each of them so no one would take them by mistake. I didn’t want the team bags to get mixed up with anybody else’s things.”

“We’ll go find Tom or Courtney,” Jessie told Tipper.

“Tom? Tom?” Jessie called out. But the only answer she heard was the sound of her own voice echoing18 back.

Violet ran to the lobby19. She looked out the front doors. “Oh, no, Courtney just left.”

Tipper and the Aldens were alone in the empty building.

“What should we do?” Jessie asked.

Tipper checked her watch. “Let’s split20 up and check every unlocked room and closet in this building. Maybe the painters moved our bags somewhere else.”

The girls split up. They raced through the dark halls. Most of the rooms and closets were locked.

When Violet and Jessie met Tipper in the lobby again, they were all empty-handed.

“All I can guess is that Tom or Frank took our duffel bags to the high school gym earlier,” Tipper said, checking her watch again. “Let’s keep our fingers crossed. We’d better get a move on. The game starts in about forty-five minutes.”
 


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 wrinkled qeQzK4     
adj.有皱纹的v.使起皱纹( wrinkle的过去式和过去分词 );(尤指皮肤)起皱纹
参考例句:
  • She smoothed down a wrinkled tablecloth. 她把起皱的桌布熨平了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • A wrinkled purse,a wrinkled face. 手中无钱,愁容满面。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 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。
3 flickered 93ec527d68268e88777d6ca26683cc82     
(通常指灯光)闪烁,摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The lights flickered and went out. 灯光闪了闪就熄了。
  • These lights flickered continuously like traffic lights which have gone mad. 这些灯象发狂的交通灯一样不停地闪动着。
4 yelled aeee2b86b284e7fbd44f45779d6073c1     
v.叫喊,号叫,叫着说( yell的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He yelled at the other driver. 他冲着另一位司机大叫。
  • The lost man yelled, hoping someone in the woods would hear him. 迷路的人大声喊着,希望林子里的人会听见。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 awesome CyCzdV     
adj.令人惊叹的,难得吓人的,很好的
参考例句:
  • The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
  • That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.
6 scrambled 2e4a1c533c25a82f8e80e696225a73f2     
v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 );攀登;争夺;(军事飞机)紧急起飞
参考例句:
  • Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 dribble DZTzb     
v.点滴留下,流口水;n.口水
参考例句:
  • Melted wax dribbled down the side of the candle.熔化了的蜡一滴滴从蜡烛边上流下。
  • He wiped a dribble of saliva from his chin.他擦掉了下巴上的几滴口水。
8 smoothly iiUzLG     
adv.平滑地,顺利地,流利地,流畅地
参考例句:
  • The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作,所以工作进展顺利。
  • Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。
9 supervising d5279d2ad6a17d3600fa632b054358e0     
v.监督,管理( supervise的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • She had something to do in the house, supervising that native. 她待在家里,究竟还有点儿事情可以做做,可以监视那个土人。 来自辞典例句
  • In addition, nuisance law fails to provide a systematic mechanism for supervising emissions. 另外,妨害法不能提供一个监督排放的系统性机制。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
10 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。
11 unlocked d821dbe5ef2db3d805cd0f7eea0ec33f     
v.开锁( unlock的过去式和过去分词 );开启;揭开;开着,解开
参考例句:
  • Don't leave your desk unlocked. 请不要忘记锁好办公桌。
  • On no account should you leave the door unlocked. 你无论如何也不应该不锁门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
12 referee lAqzU     
n.裁判员.仲裁人,代表人,鉴定人
参考例句:
  • The team was left raging at the referee's decision.队员们对裁判员的裁决感到非常气愤。
  • The referee blew a whistle at the end of the game.裁判在比赛结束时吹响了哨子。
13 forfeit YzCyA     
vt.丧失;n.罚金,罚款,没收物
参考例句:
  • If you continue to tell lies,you will forfeit the good opinion of everyone.你如果继续撒谎,就会失掉大家对你的好感。
  • Please pay for the forfeit before you borrow book.在你借书之前请先付清罚款。
14 groan LfXxU     
vi./n.呻吟,抱怨;(发出)呻吟般的声音
参考例句:
  • The wounded man uttered a groan.那个受伤的人发出呻吟。
  • The people groan under the burden of taxes.人民在重税下痛苦呻吟。
15 slippers oiPzHV     
n. 拖鞋
参考例句:
  • a pair of slippers 一双拖鞋
  • He kicked his slippers off and dropped on to the bed. 他踢掉了拖鞋,倒在床上。
16 cluttering ce29ad13a3c80a1ddda31f8d37cb4866     
v.杂物,零乱的东西零乱vt.( clutter的现在分词 );乱糟糟地堆满,把…弄得很乱;(以…) 塞满…
参考例句:
  • I'm sick of all these books cluttering up my office. 我讨厌办公室里乱糟糟地堆放着这些书。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Some goals will need to be daily-say, drinking water, or exercise, or perhaps de cluttering. 对这些目标,需要把他们变成我们日常事务的一部分。 来自互联网
17 grab ef0xd     
vt./n.攫取,抓取;vi.攫取,抓住(at)
参考例句:
  • It is rude to grab a seat.抢占座位是不礼貌的。
  • The thief made a grab at my bag but I pushed him away.贼想抢我的手提包,但被我推开了。
18 echoing echoing     
n. 回声现象 动词echo的现在分词
参考例句:
  • The cave was echoing with shouts. 山洞内回荡着叫喊声。
  • A long peal of thunder came echoing across the sky. 缓慢的拖着尾巴的雷声也来了。 来自子夜部分
19 lobby lobby     
n.前厅,(剧院的)门廊
参考例句:
  • As he walked through the lobby,he skirted a group of ladies.他穿过门厅时,绕过了一群女士。
  • The delegates entered the assembly hall by way of the lobby.代表们通过大厅进入会场。
20 split avXwG     
n.劈开,裂片,裂口;adj.分散的;v.分离,分开,劈开
参考例句:
  • Who told you that Mary and I had split up?谁告诉你玛丽和我已经离婚了?
  • The teacher split the class up into six groups.老师把班级分成6个小组。
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