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儿童英语读物 The Mystery of the Midnight Dog CHAPTER 5 Tourists Keep Out?

时间:2017-10-10 05:27来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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The next morning, as the Aldens walked toward the Elbow Bend State Park visitors’ center, they saw Dr. Sage1 and Brad. Henry and Jessie had told Violet and Benny about the scientist, and Lainey and Kate Frances had promised to introduce them.

But the two girls didn’t get a chance.

Dr. Sage turned toward them as they came up, put her hands on her hips2, and said, “You children didn’t do any volunteer digging last night, did you?”

“No!” said Henry.

“Why? What’s wrong?” Lainey asked.

“Someone’s been at the site. Whoever it was made several holes. We just reported it,” Brad said.

“May we see?” asked Jessie.

“I guess so,” Dr. Sage agreed. “Come on.”

When everyone reached the site, Dr. Sage led the way on a worn footpath3 lined by vivid yellow nylon cord strung between metal stakes. Signs taped to the cord said, OFFICIAL STATE HISTORIC SITE and KEEP OFF.

Brad said, “Over here.” He stepped over the cord and raised it up so that the others could duck under. Walking carefully around the edge of a shallow rectangle in the earth, Brad pointed4.

Next to the rectangle was a deep hole, with dirt flung up messily all around it.

Benny squatted5 down next to the hole. “Wow,” he said. “It looks just like the holes Watch digs. Only bigger.”

“It’s no dog or wild animal,” Dr. Sage said. “That’s not typical behavior for a dog—to go around digging holes all over the place like this.”

“And in just one night,” said Brad. “Plus, there are no dog or fox footprints. No animal tracks of any kind.”

“Did anything get stolen?” Violet asked as they walked from one place to another, examining all the holes.

“No,” said Brad. “In fact, I found several pieces of pottery6 at one of the sites, scattered7 around with the dirt that had been scooped8 out.”

“Look at this,” Benny said as they reached the last hole, on the edge of the site. “It’s a bone!”

Everyone peered over Benny’s shoulder into the bucket-sized hole in the red dirt. Brad leaned down and picked up the small white object.

Brad sniffed9 the bone. “It’s a chicken bone. From a fried chicken dinner, unless I’m mistaken. But what’s it doing way out here?”

“I know,” said Benny. He looked around at the others, his eyes wide. “It’s the ghost dog! It was burying a bone—but then morning came and scared it away!”

“Ghost dog?” Dr. Sage’s features seemed to grow sharper. “Not at my dig!”

“I know that old ghost dog story,” Brad said. He smiled. “I don’t think it was a ghost dog, Benny. I think someone is playing a stupid joke.”

“If I catch who did it, I’ll make them sorry they ever thought of doing something like this,” growled10 Dr. Sage. She looked at Brad. “Let’s get to work. We’ll leave the holes. No use disturbing the site even more.”

“We need to get to work, too,” Kate Frances agreed.

They all headed back to the visitors’ center.

“That’s the second time in two days that something weird11 has happened in the park,” noted12 Henry. “First the garbage getting dumped all over the trails. Then all those holes.”

“It does sound a little like something a dog would do, doesn’t it?” Jessie said.

“But it’s not,” Violet said. “It’s definitely a person.”

“The park is locked at night, or at least the entrance gate is,” Kate Frances said. “Whoever did it would have had to sneak13 in here at night, and there would be ...”

“Snakes.” Lainey shuddered14. “They come out at night. I’m afraid of them. We do have rattlesnakes around here.”

“Not many,” said Kate Frances. “And besides, they’re more afraid of you than you are of them. They won’t hurt you unless you try to hurt them.”

“Huh,” said Lainey. “I don’t want to try to hurt a snake. I don’t even want to go near one.”

They all thought hard for a moment. Then Jessie said, “Maybe someone is mad at the park. Have you fired anyone lately?”

“No,” said Kate Frances. “Everyone has worked here for years, except for the summer students, like Lainey and me.”

“Maybe it’s one of the tourists,” said Henry.

“But why?” asked Lainey.

“You could ask Joshua that,” suggested Violet. “He thinks tourists are annoying, remember? He would believe they’d turn over trash cans and dig holes in the middle of the night.”

“Yes ... or maybe Joshua is doing it to make it look like the tourists did it,” Henry said.

Lainey looked puzzled. “I don’t get it,” she said.

“To get the park to limit the number of tourists,” Jessie said.

Kate Frances shook her head. “It’s an interesting idea, but I don’t think Joshua would do that. I just can’t see him sneaking15 around in the middle of the night, for one thing.”

“Well,” said Jessie, “somebody’s doing it.”

“Or some ghost,” Benny said under his breath.

“So it looks like we have a mystery to solve after all,” Jessie concluded.

No dogs howled that night. Benny and Watch and everyone else in Mrs. Wade16’s house slept without being awakened17 until the sun came up the next morning.

But when they got to the park, they found Ms. Hedge talking to Dr. Sage.

“Dr. Sage looks really unhappy,” said Violet softly in Jessie’s ear.

Although Violet hadn’t meant for Dr. Sage to hear, she did. She turned, folded her arms, and narrowed her eyes at the Aldens. “Dr. Sage is unhappy,” she stated.

She turned back to Ms. Hedge. “Well. Do we get a night guard? Some kind of security?”

“I’m afraid we can’t afford that right now,” Ms. Hedge said. “We—”

Dr. Sage snorted. “Figures,” she said. Without waiting for Ms. Hedge to reply, Dr. Sage turned and walked away.

The Aldens promptly18 followed.

“What’s wrong?” Henry asked the archaeologist.

“Holes,” she said. She was walking so fast that the Aldens almost had to run to keep up.

“More holes at the site?” asked Jessie, panting a little.

“No. Different holes,” Dr. Sage answered.

“What do you mean?” said Benny.

She didn’t reply but just kept walking.

And since she didn’t object, the Aldens stayed with her. When they reached the site, Dr. Sage led them straight back to where the first hole had been. Brad was squatting19 by the dig, sifting20 dirt through what appeared to be a large strainer.

“The detectives are back,” said Dr. Sage.

Brad looked up. “Oh,” he said. “Uh, did Lainey come with you?”

“Just us,” said Benny.

“Well, take a look,” said Dr. Sage.

The Aldens went into the roped-off area. The holes from the day before had been filled in, more or less—but other holes had been dug nearby.

“Take a look around,” Dr. Sage said. “But watch where you put your feet. Just because someone is dancing around here at night digging holes doesn’t mean you can trample21 over our hard work.”

She stalked away.

“Did you find any clues?” Henry asked Brad.

Brad shook his head. “No. Nothing. Not even a chicken bone this time.”

The Aldens examined each new hole carefully. All of the original holes had been filled in with dirt. Now there were brand-new holes!

“Why would someone do all this?” Violet wondered.

“Maybe they’re looking for something,” said Jessie.

Benny saw something in the dirt. He leaned down and gingerly picked up a small scrap22 of leather. He held it up. It was twisted and covered with dirt. But even so, he knew what it was.

“Look!” he cried. “A dog collar!”

“A dog collar!” exclaimed Violet. “What’s a dog collar doing here?”

Brad looked surprised at Benny’s find.

“Wow,” he said. “If it’s real, it’ll be a great little piece of history. This is the sort of thing that you put on display for tourists, you know? Perfect for the kind of exhibits they’d pay to see. ...”

“Is it a really old collar?” asked Henry.

“Hard to say,” Brad mused23. “Not very much of it left. It’s worn. But it’s in very good condition for something that would have to have been in the ground for over a hundred years. If it still had any metalwork on it, I could tell right away. They made dog collars by hand back then.”

He stood up. “Thanks,” he said to Benny, and wandered away toward the small trailer pulled up nearby, where Dr. Sage was reading on the steps.

“I found a clue,” Benny said triumphantly24.

“You did,” agreed Henry. “And maybe two other suspects.”

“What do you mean?” Violet asked.

“I know,” said Jessie. “You mean that maybe Dr. Sage and Brad dug those holes.”

“That’s right. To get some publicity25. And maybe to force whoever’s in charge to give them some more money for their research,” Henry said.

“And I’ve thought of one more,” Jessie said.

“Who?” asked Benny. “Did I find that clue, too?”

“Sorry, no, Benny,” Jessie told him. “It’s Lainey. I think we have to add her to our list of suspects.”

“Lainey!” exclaimed Violet. “Oh, no.”

But Henry was nodding. “Because she likes to play jokes, like that joke about the ghost dog she played on me with Benny.”

“That’s right,” agreed Jessie. “Lainey could be doing all of this as a practical joke, a sort of challenge to us as detectives.”

Violet said reluctantly, “I guess she could. She was awfully26 interested in the stories about solving mysteries that we told her at dinner our first night here.”

“It could even be Lainey and Brad,” Henry mused. “After all, they seem to like each other.”

“They do seem to like each other,” said Jessie. “If Lainey thought it would help Brad’s work at the dig, she might help him dig holes to get extra publicity.”

“Or even to help Dr. Sage!” added Benny.

Holding up her hand, Violet said, “So we have how many suspects? One: Joshua, the head of the grounds crew. Two: Dr. Sage. Three: Lainey. Four: Brad.”

“We have a lot more suspects than clues,” said Jessie.

“That’s happened before,” Henry said. “Don’t worry. We’ll solve this mystery.”

“Meanwhile,” Jessie said, “let’s get to work. And everybody, be sure and keep your eyes and ears open for more clues. You never know when one will turn up!”

Although the Aldens did just what Jessie had suggested, they found no more clues. It was hot outdoors and lots of tourists were visiting the park. As the day was ending, even more began to show up.

“They’re here for the storytelling hour,” Henry said. “It’s a good thing we have special reserved seats.”

“Grandfather and Mrs. Wade will be here soon, too,” said Benny. “I hope they don’t forget our picnic dinner.”

“They won’t, Benny. Don’t worry,” Violet reassured27 him.

Just then they passed Joshua Wilson, who was pushing a wheelbarrow toward the tool and gardening shed.

“Good evening, Joshua,” said Jessie.

He looked up. Then he looked over at the people following the signs that said, STORIES UNDER THE STARS. He shook his head. “This place will be a mess tomorrow,” he said. “Trampled. Full of garbage. Storytelling. Bah!” He pushed the wheelbarrow away to the shed and put it away, still grumbling28.

Benny said, “Look. There’s Grandfather.”

The Aldens hurried to join Grandfather Alden and Mrs. Wade as they made their way toward the outdoor theater. The trail wound through the woods and stopped at a small clearing. In it stood a small wooden stage beneath a curved roof that looked like a large half clamshell. Facing the stage were rows of wooden benches.

Kate Frances waved at them and they made their way to a section of seats near the front. “Here we go,” she said. “Just in time for dinner and storytelling.”

“Where’s Lainey?” asked Henry.

“She’s up at the parking lot, directing people,” Mrs. Wade answered. “She’ll join us if she can.”

Henry nodded.

They ate dinner and watched as more and more people arrived. Some had brought picnic dinners, too. As it grew later and darker, soft lights began to shine around the edges of the theater.

Then all the lights went dark for a moment. When they came back on, a hush29 had fallen over the audience. Spotlighted30 on the stage was a small woman dressed in a bonnet31 and old-fashioned clothes.

People applauded and cheered. And then everyone grew still so that the only sounds were the wind in the trees and the voice of the storyteller.

It had grown late and the storyteller was just finishing when a mournful howl filled the night.

The storyteller stopped. Everyone froze.

Benny grabbed Violet’s arm. “The ghost dog!” he cried.

No sooner had he spoken than someone screamed. A man jumped to his feet and pointed. “A ghost. It’s a ghost!” he shouted.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 sage sCUz2     
n.圣人,哲人;adj.贤明的,明智的
参考例句:
  • I was grateful for the old man's sage advice.我很感激那位老人贤明的忠告。
  • The sage is the instructor of a hundred ages.这位哲人是百代之师。
2 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》
3 footpath 9gzzO     
n.小路,人行道
参考例句:
  • Owners who allow their dogs to foul the footpath will be fined.主人若放任狗弄脏人行道将受处罚。
  • They rambled on the footpath in the woods.他俩漫步在林间蹊径上。
4 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。
5 squatted 45deb990f8c5186c854d710c535327b0     
v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 );非法擅自占用(土地或房屋);为获得其所有权;而占用某片公共用地。
参考例句:
  • He squatted down beside the footprints and examined them closely. 他蹲在脚印旁仔细地观察。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He squatted in the grass discussing with someone. 他蹲在草地上与一个人谈话。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 pottery OPFxi     
n.陶器,陶器场
参考例句:
  • My sister likes to learn art pottery in her spare time.我妹妹喜欢在空余时间学习陶艺。
  • The pottery was left to bake in the hot sun.陶器放在外面让炎热的太阳烘晒焙干。
7 scattered 7jgzKF     
adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的
参考例句:
  • Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来,塞进文件夹里。
8 scooped a4cb36a9a46ab2830b09e95772d85c96     
v.抢先报道( scoop的过去式和过去分词 );(敏捷地)抱起;抢先获得;用铲[勺]等挖(洞等)
参考例句:
  • They scooped the other newspapers by revealing the matter. 他们抢先报道了这件事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The wheels scooped up stones which hammered ominously under the car. 车轮搅起的石块,在车身下发出不吉祥的锤击声。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 sniffed ccb6bd83c4e9592715e6230a90f76b72     
v.以鼻吸气,嗅,闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 );抽鼻子(尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气);抱怨,不以为然地说
参考例句:
  • When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣,吸了吸鼻子,擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
10 growled 65a0c9cac661e85023a63631d6dab8a3     
v.(动物)发狺狺声, (雷)作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 );低声咆哮着说
参考例句:
  • \"They ought to be birched, \" growled the old man. 老人咆哮道:“他们应受到鞭打。” 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He growled out an answer. 他低声威胁着回答。 来自《简明英汉词典》
11 weird bghw8     
adj.古怪的,离奇的;怪诞的,神秘而可怕的
参考例句:
  • From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来,他好像有点怪。
  • His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。
12 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
13 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。
14 shuddered 70137c95ff493fbfede89987ee46ab86     
v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 );发抖;(机器、车辆等)突然震动;颤动
参考例句:
  • He slammed on the brakes and the car shuddered to a halt. 他猛踩刹车,车颤抖着停住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I shuddered at the sight of the dead body. 我一看见那尸体就战栗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
15 sneaking iibzMu     
a.秘密的,不公开的
参考例句:
  • She had always had a sneaking affection for him. 以前她一直暗暗倾心于他。
  • She ducked the interviewers by sneaking out the back door. 她从后门偷偷溜走,躲开采访者。
16 wade nMgzu     
v.跋涉,涉水;n.跋涉
参考例句:
  • We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
  • We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。
17 awakened de71059d0b3cd8a1de21151c9166f9f0     
v.(使)醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 );(使)觉醒;弄醒;(使)意识到
参考例句:
  • She awakened to the sound of birds singing. 她醒来听到鸟的叫声。
  • The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation. 公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。 来自《简明英汉词典》
18 promptly LRMxm     
adv.及时地,敏捷地
参考例句:
  • He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
  • She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。
19 squatting 3b8211561352d6f8fafb6c7eeabd0288     
v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的现在分词 );非法擅自占用(土地或房屋);为获得其所有权;而占用某片公共用地。
参考例句:
  • They ended up squatting in the empty houses on Oxford Road. 他们落得在牛津路偷住空房的境地。
  • They've been squatting in an apartment for the past two years. 他们过去两年来一直擅自占用一套公寓。 来自《简明英汉词典》
20 sifting 6c53b58bc891cb3e1536d7f574e1996f     
n.筛,过滤v.筛( sift的现在分词 );筛滤;细查;详审
参考例句:
  • He lay on the beach, sifting the sand through his fingers. 他躺在沙滩上用手筛砂子玩。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I was sifting the cinders when she came in. 她进来时,我正在筛煤渣。 来自辞典例句
21 trample 9Jmz0     
vt.踩,践踏;无视,伤害,侵犯
参考例句:
  • Don't trample on the grass. 勿踏草地。
  • Don't trample on the flowers when you play in the garden. 在花园里玩耍时,不要踩坏花。
22 scrap JDFzf     
n.碎片;废料;v.废弃,报废
参考例句:
  • A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
  • Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。
23 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
24 triumphantly 9fhzuv     
ad.得意洋洋地;得胜地;成功地
参考例句:
  • The lion was roaring triumphantly. 狮子正在发出胜利的吼叫。
  • Robert was looking at me triumphantly. 罗伯特正得意扬扬地看着我。
25 publicity ASmxx     
n.众所周知,闻名;宣传,广告
参考例句:
  • The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
  • He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事,只当它是一种宣传手法。
26 awfully MPkym     
adv.可怕地,非常地,极端地
参考例句:
  • Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
  • I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。
27 reassured ff7466d942d18e727fb4d5473e62a235     
adj.使消除疑虑的;使放心的v.再保证,恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词)
参考例句:
  • The captain's confidence during the storm reassured the passengers. 在风暴中船长的信念使旅客们恢复了信心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • The doctor reassured the old lady. 医生叫那位老妇人放心。 来自《简明英汉词典》
28 grumbling grumbling     
adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的
参考例句:
  • She's always grumbling to me about how badly she's treated at work. 她总是向我抱怨她在工作中如何受亏待。
  • We didn't hear any grumbling about the food. 我们没听到过对食物的抱怨。
29 hush ecMzv     
int.嘘,别出声;n.沉默,静寂;v.使安静
参考例句:
  • A hush fell over the onlookers.旁观者们突然静了下来。
  • Do hush up the scandal!不要把这丑事声张出去!
30 spotlighted 2f63261d6153171ed25bfd9b10d51d8c     
v.聚光照明( spotlight的过去式和过去分词 );使公众注意,使突出醒目
参考例句:
  • The report has spotlighted real deprivation in the inner cities. 这篇报道披露了旧城区的贫困真相。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The paintings were spotlighted from below. 这些画用下面的聚光灯来照明。 来自《简明英汉词典》
31 bonnet AtSzQ     
n.无边女帽;童帽
参考例句:
  • The baby's bonnet keeps the sun out of her eyes.婴孩的帽子遮住阳光,使之不刺眼。
  • She wore a faded black bonnet garnished with faded artificial flowers.她戴着一顶褪了色的黑色无边帽,帽上缀着褪了色的假花。
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