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儿童英语读物 The Great Bicycle Race Mystery CHAPTER 6 A Bad Sign

时间:2017-09-27 06:15来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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“That was so mean of him,” said Jessie angrily as soon as they were out of his hearing.

“I know. He shouldn’t make fun of us for being thirsty,” said Soo Lee.

“Well, he doesn’t like us. Or the bike race,” Henry said.

“And maybe he’s the one who emptied all the water out of the jugs,” said Violet. “Maybe he and Ms. Whatney did it.”

“He was wearing a navy blue T-shirt, almost the exact same color as the crew members’,” Violet said.

“He could have slipped up onto the truck and into the back of it and opened all the spigots,” Jessie said. “I wonder if anybody noticed anything suspicious.”

“We can ask when we reach the riders’ camp tonight,” said Benny. “And look for clues.”

“I think that is an excellent idea,” agreed Henry. “But first we have to get there.”

At the next stop, in a small park by a river, the Aldens found lunch waiting for them and all the riders.

“This is good,” said Benny, eating the graham crackers1 he’d found in the lunch bag he’d taken off a lunch table. “And look! An orange. And a sandwich. And the sign says I can go back for seconds.”

“I don’t think we have to worry about you going hungry on this ride,” said Henry, smiling at his younger brother.

“No,” agreed Benny happily. “And now there’s plenty of water, too.”

He and Henry ate slowly. Grandfather, who had been riding in the back, came to join them. But Soo Lee, Violet, and Jessie finished quickly.

Jessie jumped up. “Let’s get going!” she said. “I’m not tired anymore.”

“Having lunch helped,” agreed Soo Lee.

Violet stood up and stretched. “You want me to wait with you?” she asked her brothers and grandfather.

“Go on ahead,” Henry said. “We’ll catch up with you later.”

“Okay,” said Violet. She threw away her trash from lunch, fastened her helmet, and followed Soo Lee and Jessie out of the picnic grounds.

The riders were more spread out now, pedaling in clumps2 of two or three. They stopped more frequently to rest.

They passed a mileage3 marker and Violet checked her map. “We don’t have much farther to go,” she said.

“Good,” said Soo Lee. “We’ll get to camp in plenty of time, and we won’t have to ride in the sweep wagon4.”

“Yeah,” said Jessie. “No sweep wagon for me!”

They rode on. And on. The sun began to go down. Violet’s legs ached and Jessie had finished all her water. Soo Lee gave Jessie some of her water, but Soo Lee’s bottle was getting low on water, too.

Violet slowed to a stop. “We haven’t passed any other riders in a long time,” she said.

“We must be way ahead of them,” said Jessie.

But Violet shook her head. She said, “We haven’t passed the last water stop, either. We should have reached that by now. And we haven’t seen anyone along the side of the road with signs to cheer us on, like we did before.”

“There’s another arrow,” said Soo Lee. “It’s pointing straight ahead.” Then she said slowly, “Wait a minute.” Soo Lee walked her bike up to the sign. She leaned over to look at it. She could see it was torn at the corners—it must have been stapled5 down. But there weren’t any staples6 on the old wooden post. Instead, the paper had been stuck hastily on the end of a rusty7 nail.

“This sign looks like it came from somewhere else,” she said. “As if it had been just torn off and placed here.”

“You’re right!” said Jessie.

Violet had pulled out her map. She studied it. She looked up. “We’re supposed to be on County Road Eighteen,” she said.

Jessie said, “Uh-oh.” All three of them turned to stare at the street sign they had just passed. It said ROUTE 76.

Henry, Benny, and Grandfather waited by the entrance to the camp. Henry kept looking at his watch. Benny waved and cheered as a rider pedaled slowly in.

“It’ll be dark soon,” said Henry. “Where can they be?”

“They’ll be here,” Grandfather said.

Henry glanced at his grandfather and Benny. He was sure Grandfather was right. He had nothing to worry about. But he couldn’t help it. He knew how fast Jessie had been riding. And all three of them had left right after lunch. He hadn’t seen them since then.

“If they had a flat tire or bike trouble, wouldn’t we have passed them on the road?” he said.

“Maybe they stopped for water at someone’s house,” Benny said. “And we passed them then and didn’t see them.”

“Maybe,” said Henry.

Grandfather said, “Even if they are having problems, the sweep wagon will pick them up.”

“Not the sweep wagon!” Benny said. “Then they can’t be in the raffle8.”

The sun was down. It would be dark soon. A few riders were still trickling9 in as the other riders who had gathered cheered them on.

A crew member said to another crew member, “I bet the next thing we see is a sweep wagon fall of riders.”

“You’re right. I see it, just coming over that hill way up the road,” said the other crew member.

“Jessie!” cried Benny, jumping up and down.

Sure enough, Jessie came pedaling into the camp. Right behind her were Soo Lee and Violet.

Jessie pulled to a stop and spun10 to look back down the road. “We beat it!” she gasped11. “We beat the sweep wagon.”

She, Violet, and Soo Lee were all breathing hard.

“What took you so long?” Henry asked.

“We were getting just a little bit worried,” put in Grandfather.

“Got lost,” panted Soo Lee. “Tell you about it at dinner.”

“Dinner,” said Benny. “Where’s dinner?”

“This way, Benny,” said Grandfather.

“I’ll show you where to check your bikes at the bike corral,” said Henry. “And walk you to your tents. They’re right across the row from Grandfather’s and mine.”

“I’m staying with you, Jessie,” said Benny.

Jessie managed a smile.

The sweep wagon rolled into camp and the crew began to close the camp gates.

Jessie turned. Her eyes widened. “It’s a whole tent city,” she said. “It’s huge.”

“I guess you’d better show us around, Henry/’ said Violet, “or we might get lost again!”

Grandfather smiled and took Benny’s hand. “We’ll meet you at dinner,” he said.

“Someone changed the signs,” Jessie concluded. She, Soo Lee, Henry, and Violet stood in a long, long line that snaked from the dining tent all the way across the park where the tent city had been set up.

The line hadn’t moved in a long time. Some of the riders had sprawled12 in the grass, waiting for dinner. The last light of day was fading in the west.

“We weren’t the only ones who got lost,” Violet said. “But we met the others on our way back and told them, and they turned around. So they didn’t have to ride as far as we did.”

“Sabotage,” said Henry. “Someone wanted you to get lost. Or to not finish.”

“Maybe they wanted to wreck13 the whole ride,” said Benny.

“Maybe—” Violet broke off. “Look,” she said. “Remember that man we saw this morning, talking to Ms. Whatney and Ronald? He just walked out from behind the dining wagon. And he’s headed this way.”

The man was still wearing his scruffy14 coat and backward hat. He walked slowly, his eyes traveling over the tent city: the riders, the tents set up for dining and repairing bicycles and selling Eagle Mountain T-shirts. The man saw the Aldens watching him and raised his eyebrows15.

The outdoor lights came on, and now they could see him clearly. He was older than he had first appeared to be.

“Are you a rider?” Benny blurted16 out.

“No,” said the man. “But I can see that you all are. How’s it going?”

“We’ve had some bad luck today, but it’s fine,” said Jessie stoutly17.

The man’s eyebrows rose higher. “Bad luck? You’ve had good weather. Looks like a great volunteer crew.”

“Not enough water at the first stop,” said Henry. “Someone sabotaged18 it.” He watched the man closely as he spoke19. The man didn’t appear surprised.

“Really,” he said.

“And someone put up signs that made us get lost,” Soo Lee said. “We almost didn’t make it back to camp before the sweep wagon.”

“Oh?” the man said.

“And someone stole my brother’s bike the night before the race and wrecked20 it,” Benny put in.

“Hmmm,” said the man, looking at Henry. “But you’re here.”

“The bike shop gave us a tandy bike,” Benny explained.

Now the man changed expression. He looked puzzled.

“A tandem21 bike,” Henry explained. “Lent to us by our bike shop, Greenfield Wheels.”

“Ah,” said the man. “Well, you’ve had some tough luck. But it could be worse.” He drew back one corner of his mouth in what might have been a smile and walked away.

“He’s weird,” said Soo Lee.

“Definitely,” agreed Jessie.

“Do you think he sabotaged the water and moved the signs?” Henry mused22. “Nothing we told him seemed to surprise him.”

“You’re right,” Jessie said, staring after him. The man went around the corner of a tent and, following two signs that said BIKE CORRAL and INFORMATION TENT, he disappeared.

Jessie shivered. “Did you hear what else he said?” she asked. “He said, ‘It could be worse.’ That sounded like a threat.”

“It did,” Soo Lee said softly. And although it was a warm night, she shivered a little, too.
 


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 crackers nvvz5e     
adj.精神错乱的,癫狂的n.爆竹( cracker的名词复数 );薄脆饼干;(认为)十分愉快的事;迷人的姑娘
参考例句:
  • That noise is driving me crackers. 那噪声闹得我简直要疯了。
  • We served some crackers and cheese as an appetiser. 我们上了些饼干和奶酪作为开胃品。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 clumps a9a186997b6161c6394b07405cf2f2aa     
n.(树、灌木、植物等的)丛、簇( clump的名词复数 );(土、泥等)团;块;笨重的脚步声v.(树、灌木、植物等的)丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 );(土、泥等)团;块;笨重的脚步声
参考例句:
  • These plants quickly form dense clumps. 这些植物很快形成了浓密的树丛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The bulbs were over. All that remained of them were clumps of brown leaves. 这些鳞茎死了,剩下的只是一丛丛的黃叶子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
3 mileage doOzUs     
n.里程,英里数;好处,利润
参考例句:
  • He doesn't think there's any mileage in that type of advertising.他认为做那种广告毫无效益。
  • What mileage has your car done?你的汽车跑了多少英里?
4 wagon XhUwP     
n.四轮马车,手推车,面包车;无盖运货列车
参考例句:
  • We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
  • The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。
5 stapled 214b16946d835ee84f23c29ab8689fa8     
v.用钉书钉钉住( staple的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The letter was stapled to the other documents in the file. 这封信与案卷里的其他文件钉在一起。 来自辞典例句
  • He said with smooth bluntness and shoved a stack of stapled sheets across his desk. 他以一种圆滑、率直的口气说着,并把一叠订好了的稿纸从他办公桌那边递过来。 来自辞典例句
6 staples a4d18fc84a927940d1294e253001ce3d     
n.(某国的)主要产品( staple的名词复数 );钉书钉;U 形钉;主要部份v.用钉书钉钉住( staple的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • The anvil onto which the staples are pressed was not assemble correctly. 订书机上的铁砧安装错位。 来自辞典例句
  • I'm trying to make an analysis of the staples of his talk. 我在试行分析他的谈话的要旨。 来自辞典例句
7 rusty hYlxq     
adj.生锈的;锈色的;荒废了的
参考例句:
  • The lock on the door is rusty and won't open.门上的锁锈住了。
  • I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty.几个月不用,我的法语又荒疏了。
8 raffle xAHzs     
n.废物,垃圾,抽奖售卖;v.以抽彩出售
参考例句:
  • The money was raised by the sale of raffle tickets.这笔款子是通过出售购物彩券筹集的。
  • He won a car in the raffle.他在兑奖售物活动中赢得了一辆汽车。
9 trickling 24aeffc8684b1cc6b8fa417e730cc8dc     
n.油画底色含油太多而成泡沫状突起v.滴( trickle的现在分词 );淌;使)慢慢走;缓慢移动
参考例句:
  • Tears were trickling down her cheeks. 眼泪顺着她的面颊流了下来。
  • The engine was trickling oil. 发动机在滴油。 来自《简明英汉词典》
10 spun kvjwT     
v.纺,杜撰,急转身
参考例句:
  • His grandmother spun him a yarn at the fire.他奶奶在火炉边给他讲故事。
  • Her skilful fingers spun the wool out to a fine thread.她那灵巧的手指把羊毛纺成了细毛线。
11 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》
12 sprawled 6cc8223777584147c0ae6b08b9304472     
v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词);蔓延;杂乱无序地拓展;四肢伸展坐着(或躺着)
参考例句:
  • He was sprawled full-length across the bed. 他手脚摊开横躺在床上。
  • He was lying sprawled in an armchair, watching TV. 他四肢伸开正懒散地靠在扶手椅上看电视。
13 wreck QMjzE     
n.失事,遇难;沉船;vt.(船等)失事,遇难
参考例句:
  • Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
  • No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。
14 scruffy YsWyG     
adj.肮脏的,不洁的
参考例句:
  • Despite her scruffy clothes,there was an air of sophistication about her.尽管她衣衫褴褛,但神态老练世故。
  • His scruffy appearance does not reflect his character.他邋遢的外表并不反映他的性格。
15 eyebrows a0e6fb1330e9cfecfd1c7a4d00030ed5     
眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
  • His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。
16 blurted fa8352b3313c0b88e537aab1fcd30988     
v.突然说出,脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She blurted it out before I could stop her. 我还没来得及制止,她已脱口而出。
  • He blurted out the truth, that he committed the crime. 他不慎说出了真相,说是他犯了那个罪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
17 stoutly Xhpz3l     
adv.牢固地,粗壮的
参考例句:
  • He stoutly denied his guilt.他断然否认自己有罪。
  • Burgess was taxed with this and stoutly denied it.伯杰斯为此受到了责难,但是他自己坚决否认有这回事。
18 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
19 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。
20 wrecked ze0zKI     
adj.失事的,遇难的
参考例句:
  • the hulk of a wrecked ship 遇难轮船的残骸
  • the salvage of the wrecked tanker 对失事油轮的打捞
21 tandem 6Ibzp     
n.同时发生;配合;adv.一个跟着一个地;纵排地;adj.(两匹马)前后纵列的
参考例句:
  • Malcolm's contract will run in tandem with his existing one.马尔科姆的合同将与他手头的合同同时生效。
  • He is working in tandem with officials of the Serious Fraud Office.他正配合欺诈重案办公室的官员工作。
22 mused 0affe9d5c3a243690cca6d4248d41a85     
v.沉思,冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 );沉思自语说(某事)
参考例句:
  • \"I wonder if I shall ever see them again, \"he mused. “我不知道是否还可以再见到他们,”他沉思自问。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • \"Where are we going from here?\" mused one of Rutherford's guests. 卢瑟福的一位客人忍不住说道:‘我们这是在干什么?” 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
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