英语 英语 日语 日语 韩语 韩语 法语 法语 德语 德语 西班牙语 西班牙语 意大利语 意大利语 阿拉伯语 阿拉伯语 葡萄牙语 葡萄牙语 越南语 越南语 俄语 俄语 芬兰语 芬兰语 泰语 泰语 泰语 丹麦语 泰语 对外汉语

儿童英语读物 The Mystery of the Wild Ponies CHAPTER 6 A Stranger at the Clambake

时间:2017-09-28 06:25来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
特别声明:本栏目内容均从网络收集或者网友提供,供仅参考试用,我们无法保证内容完整和正确。如果资料损害了您的权益,请与站长联系,我们将及时删除并致以歉意。
    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)

The children gathered in the living room to discuss what they should do next.

“But how can we prove that Winifred took Midnight?” Violet asked.

“We can’t,” said Henry. “Not yet, at least. We’ll need to look for evidence that Midnight was stolen.”

“But we can’t let Winifred know that we’re suspicious,” Jessie pointed1 out. “We need to act ordinary, like we’re on vacation.”

“Well, we are on vacation!” Benny said with a laugh.

Grandfather came into the room just then.

“We’re going to have a clambake for dinner tonight,” he said. “Would you like to come with me to the seafood3 market?”

“Oh, boy!” said Benny, jumping up and down. “A clambake!” Then he stopped hopping4. “What’s a clambake?”

Everyone laughed.

“You’ll see,” said Grandfather with a mysterious wink5.

The kids changed quickly. Grandfather had promised they could eat lunch out.

The seafood market was located in a group of little stores. The stores were connected by a series of boardwalks along the Sound.

“Can we do some shopping first?” asked Jessie. She had some money saved from her allowance.

“Of course. I’d like to wander around myself,” Grandfather said. “Let’s meet here in half an hour. Then we can eat at that sandwich place over there.”

The four children hurried down the wooden ramp6. Henry and Benny went into a shop that sold only games. Jessie and Violet browsed7 in a jewelry8 store next door.

“That ring looks good on you,” Violet told Jessie, who was trying on a silver dolphin band.

“I think I’ll get it,” Jessie said, pleased. “What are you buying?”

After much deliberation, Violet chose a dainty chain of silver links.

As the girls were leaving with their purchases, Jessie spotted9 some odd necklaces on a rack. Dark gray pointed objects dangled10 from chains.

“These look like teeth!” she remarked.

Violet read the sign. “They are. Ancient sharks’ teeth.” She shivered. “I don’t think I’d want a shark’s tooth around my neck!”

Outside, Benny showed them the trick deck of cards he had bought.

Henry had gotten a pocket chess set.

“I’m going to teach myself how to play,” he said.

They found Grandfather at the sandwich shop. It was crowded, so the Aldens took a number. They sat on high stools along one counter to wait.

Benny twirled on his stool. When it stopped, he was facing a poster on the wall. It showed a picture of a black horse.

“Look,” he said, tugging11 on Jessie’s sleeve. “Is that Midnight?”

Jessie scanned the poster. “Yes, it says Midnight is missing.”

“I bet these posters are all over the place,” said Violet. “Officer Hyde probably had them made.”

When their club sandwiches and sodas12 came, the children filled Grandfather in on the missing stallion.

“I hope Officer Hyde finds him soon,” James Alden said.

The children looked at one another. Grandfather didn’t know anything about their suspicions. Better to keep it a secret, since Grandfather was hoping for a mystery-free vacation.

After eating, they walked to the seafood market. Grandfather bought a big bucket of clams13. Jessie picked out fresh corn, potatoes, and tomatoes.

They returned to the cottage and took the food down to the beach.

Benny was puzzled when he saw the pit Grandfather had dug in the sand earlier in the day.

“Are we going to eat in that hole?” he asked.

Grandfather laughed. “No, the food will steam in this pit. Now I need rocks and wood for a fire.”

The girls collected stones and driftwood, while the boys wrapped the potatoes in foil. Then Grandfather laid the rocks in the bottom of the pit. Henry added the driftwood and lit a fire.

“The trick is to let the rocks get hot,” said James Alden. “Then we will cover them with wet seaweed.”

Henry nodded. “Which makes steam.”

“What about the food?” Benny wanted to know. This was certainly a strange way to cook!

“You’ll see when the fire burns down and heats the rocks,” said Grandfather.

While the fire burned with Grandfather watching over it, Henry, Jessie, Benny, and Violet took a long walk down the beach to collect seaweed. When they returned, the firewood had burned down to a fine ash and the rocks were good and hot. Grandfather carefully laid the weed on the rocks. Then he set the foil-wrapped potatoes on top of the seaweed, then the corn, still in the husk. The clams in their thick shells went on last.

Henry covered the pit with a sheet of heavy canvas and shoveled14 sand over it to weigh it down.

“Now we can have fun while our dinner cooks,” said Grandfather. “It’ll be ready in a while.”

The afternoon passed quickly. Everyone swam in the ocean, then stretched out under the umbrella to read or nap. Violet drew in her sketchbook.

Jessie was reaching for the sunblock when she saw a figure on the dune15. It was a boy with hair so blond it was nearly white. The boy was staring at them. When he saw Jessie sit up, he ducked behind the dune.

Jessie frowned. People here were usually very friendly. And she had the feeling she’d seen him before, but where?

“Food’s ready!” Benny called. He and Grandfather were checking under the tarp without lifting it all the way off the steaming mound16.

“Not quite yet, Benny,” said Grandfather. “But we can bring down plates and drinks.”

Jessie and Henry went back to the cottage. She told him about the mysterious boy.

“He was right there,” she said, looking up and down the empty dune.

“Well, he’s gone now,” said Henry.

“I wish I could remember where I’d seen him before,” she said.

“It’s probably not important,” Henry told her. Inside the cottage, he sliced tomatoes while Jessie put silverware, plates, glasses, and napkins into a big basket.

Henry carried the basket down to their blanket on the beach. Jessie followed with a huge thermos17 of iced tea, a box of chocolate cookies, and a container of butter.

Opening the clambake was exciting. First Henry shoveled off all the sand. Then Grandfather peeled back the heavy canvas. Underneath18 were sweet, steamed clams, then a layer of juicy corn on the cob, and then the potatoes. The delicious smell of the cooked food filled the air.

They sat cross-legged on the blanket to eat. Jessie finished an ear of corn and as she reached for another she saw the mysterious blond boy peering at them from over the dune’s edge again. And again he ducked out of sight when he saw Jessie looking his way.

“This is delicious!” Benny exclaimed, licking butter off his fingers.

“It is good,” agreed Violet with a contented19 sigh, and they all ate in silence for a while.

Jessie was thinking about the mysterious boy. Suppose he was still nearby, hiding somewhere. It seemed sad, the boy alone while they were all together, happily eating.

While the others were cleaning up, Jessie fixed20 a plate of leftover21 clams, corn, tomatoes, and a baked potato. She set the plate on the upturned plastic clam2 bucket and covered it with another plate. She put a rock on top to hold the plate down.

Then everyone went back to the cottage to take a much-needed shower.

“You should see how much butter and sand you have on you,” Violet said to Benny with a giggle22.

After they showered, it was still too early to go to bed, so the children asked if they could walk on the beach. Grandfather stayed behind to read the paper.

On the boardwalk, Jessie told the others that she had put out a plate of food just behind the dune for the mysterious boy.

“There’s something about that boy,” she said. “I know I’ve seen him somewhere before. I thought he might be hungry, the way he was staring at our clambake.”

“He might have been just curious,” said Henry. “But it was a good idea, Jessie.”

Thick gray mist rolled in from the ocean. Tatters of fog blew across the dune like ghostly flags.

Through the mist Jessie spied a figure walking down the beach ahead of them. The person was carrying a bucket.

“I bet that’s him!” she exclaimed. “He’s carrying the bucket I put the plate on.”

Violet stared into the fog. “I can’t tell if it’s a boy or not. And the bucket looks heavy, the way he’s carrying it. What could be in it?”

Beside her, Benny froze.

“What is it?” she asked him.

A break in the wispy23 clouds unveiled a silvery moon. Bathed in moonlight, a horse galloped24 across the sand. Puffs25 of sand shot up from its hoofs26.

The horse pelted27 down the beach, well beyond the figure with the bucket.

“It’s Magic, the ghost horse!” Benny cried.

And then the horse was gone, vanished like a breath in the mist.

“I just had a glimpse,” said Henry. “Too foggy to tell what color it was.”

“Let’s follow him,” Benny suggested. “Maybe we can catch him!”

Ragged28 clouds closed over the moon, shutting out the light. Like ghostly smoke, fog blanketed the beach.

“The fog is even heavier now,” Henry said. “It’s too dangerous. We have to go back.”

Jessie shivered. What had they just seen?

The next morning was clear, with no sign of fog. After a quick breakfast, the Alden children hurried to the beach.

“I put the bucket right here,” said Jessie. “It’s gone! So is my plate of food.”

“The person we saw last night was walking up here,” said Henry. Soon he found a line of prints. He put his own foot next to one. “A little bigger than mine.”

“It could be an older boy,” said Jessie. “Like Jeremy or one of his friends.”

“Those prints could also belong to a woman,” Violet pointed out. “Like Winifred. We’re in front of her house.”

“Shad’s feet aren’t very big, either,” Benny added. “Let’s see if we can find hoofprints.”

But last night’s tide had washed the shoreline clean.

“We definitely saw a horse,” said Jessie. “We couldn’t have all been dreaming.”

“But who was the person?” Violet asked.

“Let’s go visit Winifred,” suggested Henry. “We can ask her if she was out walking last night. And we can look at the size of her shoe at the same time.”

For once, Winifred Gorman seemed to be waiting for the Aldens. She was standing29 in her carport, hands on her hips30.

“There you are!” she said, her face angry under the straw hat. “I have a bone to pick with you kids!”


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 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。
2 clam Fq3zk     
n.蛤,蛤肉
参考例句:
  • Yup!I also like clam soup and sea cucumbers.对呀!我还喜欢蛤仔汤和海参。
  • The barnacle and the clam are two examples of filter feeders.藤壶和蛤类是滤过觅食者的两种例子。
3 seafood 7j6zUl     
n.海产食品,海味,海鲜
参考例句:
  • There's an excellent seafood restaurant near here.离这儿不远有家非常不错的海鲜馆。
  • Shrimps are a popular type of seafood.小虾是比较普遍的一种海味。
4 hopping hopping     
n. 跳跃 动词hop的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • The clubs in town are really hopping. 城里的俱乐部真够热闹的。
  • I'm hopping over to Paris for the weekend. 我要去巴黎度周末。
5 wink 4MGz3     
n.眨眼,使眼色,瞬间;v.眨眼,使眼色,闪烁
参考例句:
  • He tipped me the wink not to buy at that price.他眨眼暗示我按那个价格就不要买。
  • The satellite disappeared in a wink.瞬息之间,那颗卫星就消失了。
6 ramp QTgxf     
n.暴怒,斜坡,坡道;vi.作恐吓姿势,暴怒,加速;vt.加速
参考例句:
  • That driver drove the car up the ramp.那司机将车开上了斜坡。
  • The factory don't have that capacity to ramp up.这家工厂没有能力加速生产。
7 browsed 86f80e78b89bd7dd8de908c9e6adfe44     
v.吃草( browse的过去式和过去分词 );随意翻阅;(在商店里)随便看看;(在计算机上)浏览信息
参考例句:
  • I browsed through some magazines while I waited. 我边等边浏览几本杂志。 来自辞典例句
  • I browsed through the book, looking at page after page. 我翻开了一下全书,一页又一页。 来自互联网
8 jewelry 0auz1     
n.(jewllery)(总称)珠宝
参考例句:
  • The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
  • Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。
9 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。
10 dangled 52e4f94459442522b9888158698b7623     
悬吊着( dangle的过去式和过去分词 ); 摆动不定; 用某事物诱惑…; 吊胃口
参考例句:
  • Gold charms dangled from her bracelet. 她的手镯上挂着许多金饰物。
  • It's the biggest financial incentive ever dangled before British footballers. 这是历来对英国足球运动员的最大经济诱惑。
11 tugging 1b03c4e07db34ec7462f2931af418753     
n.牵引感v.用力拉,使劲拉,猛扯( tug的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • Tom was tugging at a button-hole and looking sheepish. 汤姆捏住一个钮扣眼使劲地拉,样子显得很害羞。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
  • She kicked him, tugging his thick hair. 她一边踢他,一边扯着他那浓密的头发。 来自辞典例句
12 sodas c10ddd4eedc33e2ce63fa8dfafd61880     
n.苏打( soda的名词复数 );碱;苏打水;汽水
参考例句:
  • There are plenty of sodas in the refrigerator. 冰箱里有很多碳酸饮料。 来自辞典例句
  • Two whisky and sodas, please. 请来两杯威士忌苏打。 来自辞典例句
13 clams 0940cacadaf01e94ba47fd333a69de59     
n.蛤;蚌,蛤( clam的名词复数 )v.(在沙滩上)挖蛤( clam的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • The restaurant's specialities are fried clams. 这个餐厅的特色菜是炸蚌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • We dug clams in the flats et low tide. 退潮时我们在浅滩挖蛤蜊。 来自辞典例句
14 shoveled e51ace92204ed91d8925ad365fab25a3     
vt.铲,铲出(shovel的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • The hungry man greedily shoveled the food into his mouth. 那个饥饿的人贪婪地、大口大口地吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • They shoveled a path through the snow. 他们在雪中铲出一条小路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
15 dune arHx6     
n.(由风吹积而成的)沙丘
参考例句:
  • The sand massed to form a dune.沙积集起来成了沙丘。
  • Cute Jim sat on the dune eating a prune in June.可爱的吉姆在六月天坐在沙丘上吃着话梅。
16 mound unCzhy     
n.土墩,堤,小山;v.筑堤,用土堆防卫
参考例句:
  • The explorers climbed a mound to survey the land around them.勘探者爬上土丘去勘测周围的土地。
  • The mound can be used as our screen.这个土丘可做我们的掩蔽物。
17 thermos TqjyE     
n.保湿瓶,热水瓶
参考例句:
  • Can I borrow your thermos?我可以借用你的暖水瓶吗?
  • It's handy to have the thermos here.暖瓶放在这儿好拿。
18 underneath VKRz2     
adj.在...下面,在...底下;adv.在下面
参考例句:
  • Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
  • She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣,里面套着一条连衣裙。
19 contented Gvxzof     
adj.满意的,安心的,知足的
参考例句:
  • He won't be contented until he's upset everyone in the office.不把办公室里的每个人弄得心烦意乱他就不会满足。
  • The people are making a good living and are contented,each in his station.人民安居乐业。
20 fixed JsKzzj     
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的
参考例句:
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
21 leftover V97zC     
n.剩货,残留物,剩饭;adj.残余的
参考例句:
  • These narrow roads are a leftover from the days of horse-drawn carriages.这些小道是从马车时代沿用下来的。
  • Wonder if that bakery lets us take leftover home.不知道那家糕饼店会不会让我们把卖剩的带回家。
22 giggle 4eNzz     
n.痴笑,咯咯地笑;v.咯咯地笑着说
参考例句:
  • Both girls began to giggle.两个女孩都咯咯地笑了起来。
  • All that giggle and whisper is too much for me.我受不了那些咯咯的笑声和交头接耳的样子。
23 wispy wispy     
adj.模糊的;纤细的
参考例句:
  • Grey wispy hair straggled down to her shoulders.稀疏的灰白头发披散在她肩头。
  • The half moon is hidden behind some wispy clouds.半轮月亮躲在淡淡的云彩之后。
24 galloped 4411170e828312c33945e27bb9dce358     
(使马)飞奔,奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 ); 快速做[说]某事
参考例句:
  • Jo galloped across the field towards him. 乔骑马穿过田野向他奔去。
  • The children galloped home as soon as the class was over. 孩子们一下课便飞奔回家了。
25 puffs cb3699ccb6e175dfc305ea6255d392d6     
n.吸( puff的名词复数 );(烟斗或香烟的)一吸;一缕(烟、蒸汽等);(呼吸或风的)呼v.使喷出( puff的第三人称单数 );喷着汽(或烟)移动;吹嘘;吹捧
参考例句:
  • We sat exchanging puffs from that wild pipe of his. 我们坐在那里,轮番抽着他那支野里野气的烟斗。 来自辞典例句
  • Puffs of steam and smoke came from the engine. 一股股蒸汽和烟雾从那火车头里冒出来。 来自辞典例句
26 hoofs ffcc3c14b1369cfeb4617ce36882c891     
n.(兽的)蹄,马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.(兽的)蹄,马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • The stamp of the horse's hoofs on the wooden floor was loud. 马蹄踏在木头地板上的声音很响。 来自辞典例句
  • The noise of hoofs called him back to the other window. 马蹄声把他又唤回那扇窗子口。 来自辞典例句
27 pelted 06668f3db8b57fcc7cffd5559df5ec21     
(连续地)投掷( pelt的过去式和过去分词 ); 连续抨击; 攻击; 剥去…的皮
参考例句:
  • The children pelted him with snowballs. 孩子们向他投掷雪球。
  • The rain pelted down. 天下着大雨。
28 ragged KC0y8     
adj.衣衫褴褛的,粗糙的,刺耳的
参考例句:
  • A ragged shout went up from the small crowd.这一小群人发出了刺耳的喊叫。
  • Ragged clothing infers poverty.破衣烂衫意味着贫穷。
29 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。
30 hips f8c80f9a170ee6ab52ed1e87054f32d4     
abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯,耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 );[建筑学]屋脊;臀围(尺寸);臀部…的
参考例句:
  • She stood with her hands on her hips. 她双手叉腰站着。
  • They wiggled their hips to the sound of pop music. 他们随着流行音乐的声音摇晃着臀部。 来自《简明英汉词典》
本文本内容来源于互联网抓取和网友提交,仅供参考,部分栏目没有内容,如果您有更合适的内容,欢迎点击提交分享给大家。
------分隔线----------------------------
顶一下
(1)
100%
踩一下
(0)
0%
最新评论 查看所有评论
发表评论 查看所有评论
请自觉遵守互联网相关的政策法规,严禁发布色情、暴力、反动的言论。
评价:
表情:
验证码:
听力搜索
推荐频道
论坛新贴