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儿童英语读物 The Midnight Mystery CHAPTER 8 Henry’s New Invention

时间:2017-11-07 06:30来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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When the Aldens returned to the Putter house, they saw three parked cars in the driveway. They checked the garage, but no one was there. From a porch window, they saw Martha in the library room pulling books from the bottom shelves.

“Hi, Martha,” Jessie called through the open window. “Need some help in there?”

Martha quickly stood up. “Wait, I’ll be out in a second.”

“Guess what.” Benny said when Martha came out to the   porch. “Your friend dropped his card at the Red Rooster. The waitress asked us to give it to you.”

Martha looked down at Benny, then at the other children. “The Red Rooster?” She looked a bit alarmed. “Were you there?”

Jessie stepped forward and handed Martha the business card. “We were sitting behind you. You left before we could say hello.”

Martha quickly snatched the card but said nothing about it. “Brad, Mr. Percy and I are working indoors this afternoon. I have some outdoor work for all of you.” She pointed1 out some large cartons and folded tables stacked on the lawn. “The rental2 company dropped off the tent canopies3 and display tables. That’s where we’ll put the inventions we don’t have room for in the house. I need you to set up the canopies and tables.”

“See what I mean?” Jessie said after Martha went back inside. “Why is she poking4 around in the house? There’s so much paperwork to do with the inventions in the garage.”

The children unpacked5 the display tents. They had done a lot of camping, so they knew how to put the poles together.

As the Aldens put together the tents, Henry thought of something. “These poles just gave me a fan idea! Remember that periscope6 I made in science class a couple years ago? I could make a few more out of these cardboard tubes that the tent poles came in. We can use them to see around corners.”

Right away, Benny wanted one. “How about a periscope to go on my hat?”

Henry laughed. “You won’t even be able to lift your head if you put anything else on your hat. I’m going to get our toolbox from the kitchen. I’ll be right back.”

“Go in the side way,” Jessie advised, “Martha told us to stay out here. I don’t want her to get upset with us.”

Martha didn’t concern Henry much. “I’ll just tell her I had to run inside to get something I needed.”

As he ran up the side steps, Henry heard tapping and banging sounds coming from the house. “Hey, Brad/’ he said when he stepped inside.

Brad looked up. “I thought you kids would be outside all day,” he said. “Don’t expect to work in here. I’ve got nails and my electric equipment going. No place for kids.”

Henry grabbed Grandfather’s toolbox from the counter. “We just needed some tools and materials. We’re still working on our inventions.”

More tapping started up in the entryway.

Curious about the sounds, Henry took a few steps toward the swinging door.

“Go out the way you came in,” Brad advised. “Martha’s in a bad mood about something she lost. Better not get in her way.”

Henry hesitated. “Oh, I don’t think that’s Martha. She was working in the library just a little while ago. It’s probably Mr. Percy. I saw his car in the driveway.”

“Well, never mind,” Brad said. “Just get yourself back outside. Martha’s going to have somebody’s head if those tents and tables don’t go up this afternoon.”

Henry returned to his brother and sisters. They had set up the tables already. “Here’s the toolbox. Boy, people can’t get us out of that house fast enough today.”

Henry wasn’t one to stay in a grouchy8 mood, not when he had a plan. Soon he was busy searching through Mr. Alden’s toolbox. “Aha!” he said, and pulled out just what he was looking for — a tangled9 bunch of old eyeglasses. He spread them on one of the tables.

Henry didn’t waste time. He carefully cut one of the long cardboard tubes into four shorter lengths. Then he cut a hole in the side of each tube. “This is the end I’ll look into,” he explained to Benny, pointing at the opening at the end of one tube. “But this” he pointed to the hole he had just cut in the side, “is what I’ll see out of.”

“How can you look in the end and see out the side?” asked Benny.

“By putting mirrors inside,” Henry explained. “Watch.”

Henry reached back into the toolbox and pulled out several small old mirrors. “Perfect,” he said.

“Thank goodness I didn’t throw out the glass cutter that came with the crafts kit7 Aunt Jane gave me for my birthday,” Violet said.

“Mrs. McGregor always says we never throw away anything,” Benny said proudly.

This was true. The Aldens were savers. Good thing Grandfather had a huge cellar and garage, plus the old boxcar for storing all the things the children had to save.

Henry carefully measured and cut the old mirrors and fitted them inside the cardboard tubes.

“Done!” he announced and handed a periscope to each of his siblings10.

Jessie squinted11 into hers. “I kind of see ... oh, wait. I do see something. The dogs are on the porch.”

Benny could spot Ruff and Tumble without the help of the periscope, but he still wanted to try Henry’s contraption. “Wow!” he said, peering through. “Hey, if I hold it this way, I can see things up high.”

Periscopes12 in hand, the Aldens set off to explore.

Since Benny was the shortest Alden, Henry had given him the longest periscope. He immediately discovered a bird’s nest under some porch shingles13. “Everybody’s flown away,” he said to himself as he peered into the empty nest. He decided14 against looking any closer at a hornet’s nest poking from behind some shutters15. “No way.”

Benny walked along the side of the house, turning his periscope this way and that to see what else he could discover. He decided to look through one of the tall first-floor windows. Balancing the periscope carefully, he gazed through the hole. The view he saw was a little wavy16. It looked like the bottom half of a person. If only he were a little taller.

Benny ran over to Henry, who was using his periscope to look around a corner of the house. “Can you put me on your shoulders? I’m looking in a high-up window over here, but I can only see half a person.”

“Maybe whoever it is lost her head!” Henry joked.

Benny giggled17. “I can’t tell if it’s a him or a her. I need you to boost me up.”

“Ugh,” Henry said as he lifted Benny. “Next time we do this, let’s try it before lunch, not afterward18. You feel as if you have stones in your pocket.”

“I do,” Benny said. “For skipping stones on the pond. I can throw them out if I’m too heavy.”

Henry grunted19. “Nope. I can hold you,” he said. He carefully carried Benny over to the side of the house.

Benny held the periscope to the window. “It’s Mr. Percy,” he whispered to Henry. “He’s tapping on walls. Uh-oh. He just went out to the entryway. I can’t see him anymore. Okay, you can let me down. I thought we could see if somebody was sneaking20 around.”

Henry laughed. “Somebody was. You! I wonder what Mr. Percy is up to.”

Jessie and Violet walked over, holding empty dog bowls. Ruff and Tumble trailed happily behind.

“I spotted21 these empty water bowls on the porch using my periscope,” Violet announced.

“We can fill them from the outside faucet22 near the entryway,” Jessie said.

“Good idea,” Henry said. “You know, I like to see things with my own eyes. They’re a lot sharper than my periscope.”

The Aldens went to the side of the house, but the garden faucet didn’t work.

Henry grinned. “Now we have to get water from the house.”

“Let’s just go in,” Jessie suggested. “We can come right out as soon as we get the water.” She walked over to the front door, pushed it open, and stood there, staring. “Mr. Percy!”

The Aldens couldn’t believe their eyes. Mr. Percy was trying to pry23 open the front of the grandfather clock with a screwdriver24!

Violet stepped forward. “What are you doing to the clock, Mr. Percy?”

“Please don’t break it,” Jessie said. It looked as if Mr. Percy was trying to force the panel open. “It’s one of Alice Putter’s most beautiful clocks.”

Mr. Percy faced the Aldens. “Break one of Alice Putter’s clocks? I’m here to fix them, not break them. But this one has stumped25 me since the day I laid eyeson it. Every time I’m in the house, I puzzle over it.”

“You do?” Violet asked. “I thought you knew about all of Alice Putter’s inventions.”

Mr. Percy pushed down his glasses and looked at Violet. “Well, you see, that’s the great thing about Alice Putter’s inventions, especially her clocks. Nobody knows everything about them, not even me. What keeps me going in circles with this grandfather clock is how to get inside the wood panel. It’s locked tight — I can’t get to the gears to clean them! I’ve tried tapping the walls behind it in case Alice somehow built it against an opening in the wall. I even wondered if there were a secret space or some such thing behind it. Can you kids figure the thing?”

Benny looked up. “Not yet. We’re too afraid to touch it.”

Mr. Percy packed up his screwdriver. “Well, if you think of anything, let me know. And good luck with your inventions.”

“Thanks, you, too!” Jessie said.

Mr. Percy stared at Jessie. “Me, too? I’m not an inventor!”

“Oh,” Henry said. “We just thought you might be inventing something, too, since you seemed so interested in the other inventions coming in.”

“And since you didn’t want us to look in your box,” Benny added.

“I like to check out everything that comes in — I’m always interested in new gadgets26 and ideas,” Mr. Percy said. “But I’m not an inventor myself—I’m a Mr. Fix-it.”

“What about Brad?” Henry asked. “Is he an inventor?”

Mr. Percy sighed. “He’d like to be. I don’t know that he can come up with anything original and make it work. But good luck to him.” Mr. Percy looked up at the grandfather clock again. “Now there’s an invention to beat! Alice Putter’s last puzzle.”

“Or riddle,” Henry said after Mr. Percy went out the front door.


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 rental cBezh     
n.租赁,出租,出租业
参考例句:
  • The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。
  • We can organise car rental from Chicago O'Hare Airport.我们可以安排提供从芝加哥奥黑尔机场出发的租车服务。
3 canopies 0533e7f03f4b0748ce18316d9f2390ce     
(宝座或床等上面的)华盖( canopy的名词复数 ); (飞行器上的)座舱罩; 任何悬于上空的覆盖物; 森林中天棚似的树荫
参考例句:
  • Golf carts with bright canvas canopies wandered the raingreen fairways. 一场雨后显得愈加葱绿的高尔夫球场草地上,散放着一些带有色彩缤纷的帆布华盖的高尔夫小车。
  • Rock permitted seven canopies, cornices floors, decorative glass, Ambilight, momentum magnificent, magnificent. 七檐佛殿背倚山岩,楼层飞檐翘角,殿顶琉璃装饰,流光溢彩,气势恢宏,蔚为壮观。
4 poking poking     
n. 刺,戳,袋 vt. 拨开,刺,戳 vi. 戳,刺,捅,搜索,伸出,行动散慢
参考例句:
  • He was poking at the rubbish with his stick. 他正用手杖拨动垃圾。
  • He spent his weekends poking around dusty old bookshops. 他周末都泡在布满尘埃的旧书店里。
5 unpacked 78a068b187a564f21b93e72acffcebc3     
v.从(包裹等)中取出(所装的东西),打开行李取出( unpack的过去式和过去分词 );拆包;解除…的负担;吐露(心事等)
参考例句:
  • I unpacked my bags as soon as I arrived. 我一到达就打开行李,整理衣物。
  • Our guide unpacked a picnic of ham sandwiches and offered us tea. 我们的导游打开装着火腿三明治的野餐盒,并给我们倒了些茶水。 来自辞典例句
6 periscope IMhx2     
n. 潜望镜
参考例句:
  • The captain aligned the periscope on the bearing.船长使潜望镜对准方位。
  • Now,peering through the periscope he remarked in businesslike tones.现在,他一面从潜望镜里观察,一面用精干踏实的口吻说话。
7 kit D2Rxp     
n.用具包,成套工具;随身携带物
参考例句:
  • The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
  • The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。
8 grouchy NQez8     
adj.好抱怨的;愠怒的
参考例句:
  • Grouchy people are always complaining for no reason.满腹牢骚的人总是毫无理由地抱怨。
  • Sometimes she is grouchy, but all in all she is an excellent teacher.有时候她的脾气很坏,但总的来说她还是一位好老师。
9 tangled e487ee1bc1477d6c2828d91e94c01c6e     
adj. 纠缠的,紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • Your hair's so tangled that I can't comb it. 你的头发太乱了,我梳不动。
  • A movement caught his eye in the tangled undergrowth. 乱灌木丛里的晃动引起了他的注意。
10 siblings 709961e45d6808c7c9131573b3a8874b     
n.兄弟,姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分
11 squinted aaf7c56a51bf19a5f429b7a9ddca2e9b     
斜视( squint的过去式和过去分词 ); 眯着眼睛; 瞟; 从小孔或缝隙里看
参考例句:
  • Pulling his rifle to his shoulder he squinted along the barrel. 他把枪顶肩,眯起眼睛瞄准。
  • I squinted through the keyhole. 我从锁眼窥看。
12 periscopes af6a57056e7edb64f215ba71560585d8     
n.潜望镜( periscope的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Periscopes at various heights and apparatus of visual relationship between the departed and the living souls. 借助不同高度和方位的潜望镜,人们可以看到逝去与活着的灵魂之间的视觉关系。 来自互联网
13 shingles 75dc0873f0e58f74873350b9953ef329     
n.带状疱疹;(布满海边的)小圆石( shingle的名词复数 );屋顶板;木瓦(板);墙面板
参考例句:
  • Shingles are often dipped in creosote. 屋顶板常浸涂木焦油。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • The roofs had shingles missing. 一些屋顶板不见了。 来自辞典例句
14 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
15 shutters 74d48a88b636ca064333022eb3458e1f     
百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 ); (照相机的)快门
参考例句:
  • The shop-front is fitted with rolling shutters. 那商店的店门装有卷门。
  • The shutters thumped the wall in the wind. 在风中百叶窗砰砰地碰在墙上。
16 wavy 7gFyX     
adj.有波浪的,多浪的,波浪状的,波动的,不稳定的
参考例句:
  • She drew a wavy line under the word.她在这个词的下面画了一条波纹线。
  • His wavy hair was too long and flopped just beneath his brow.他的波浪式头发太长了,正好垂在他的眉毛下。
17 giggled 72ecd6e6dbf913b285d28ec3ba1edb12     
v.咯咯地笑( giggle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The girls giggled at the joke. 女孩子们让这笑话逗得咯咯笑。
  • The children giggled hysterically. 孩子们歇斯底里地傻笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
18 afterward fK6y3     
adv.后来;以后
参考例句:
  • Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏,然后吃饭。
  • Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来,这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。
19 grunted f18a3a8ced1d857427f2252db2abbeaf     
(猪等)作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 ); (指人)发出类似的哼声; 咕哝着说
参考例句:
  • She just grunted, not deigning to look up from the page. 她只咕哝了一声,继续看书,不屑抬起头来看一眼。
  • She grunted some incomprehensible reply. 她咕噜着回答了些令人费解的话。
20 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。
21 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。
22 faucet wzFyh     
n.水龙头
参考例句:
  • The faucet has developed a drip.那个水龙头已经开始滴水了。
  • She turned off the faucet and dried her hands.她关掉水龙头,把手擦干。
23 pry yBqyX     
vi.窥(刺)探,打听;vt.撬动(开,起)
参考例句:
  • He's always ready to pry into other people's business.他总爱探听别人的事。
  • We use an iron bar to pry open the box.我们用铁棍撬开箱子。
24 screwdriver rDpza     
n.螺丝起子;伏特加橙汁鸡尾酒
参考例句:
  • He took a screwdriver and teased out the remaining screws.他拿出螺丝刀把其余的螺丝卸了下来。
  • The electric drill can also be used as a screwdriver.这把电钻也可用作螺丝刀。
25 stumped bf2a34ab92a06b6878a74288580b8031     
僵直地行走,跺步行走( stump的过去式和过去分词 ); 把(某人)难住; 使为难; (选举前)在某一地区作政治性巡回演说
参考例句:
  • Jack huffed himself up and stumped out of the room. 杰克气喘吁吁地干完活,然后很艰难地走出房间。
  • He was stumped by the questions and remained tongue-tied for a good while. 他被问得张口结舌,半天说不出话来。
26 gadgets 7239f3f3f78d7b7d8bbb906e62f300b4     
n.小机械,小器具( gadget的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Certainly. The idea is not to have a house full of gadgets. 当然。设想是房屋不再充满小配件。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
  • This meant more gadgets and more experiments. 这意味着要设计出更多的装置,做更多的实验。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
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