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儿童英语读物 The Mystery of the Haunted Boxcar CHAPTER 7 Inside the Box

时间:2017-11-14 08:28来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)

Henry set the box down gently beside the hole.

“Is it heavy?” asked Benny excitedly.

“No, it’s not,” said Henry.

“What’s inside?” Benny asked.

“We’ll soon see.” Reaching around in front, Henry carefully unlatched the top. Then he lifted the lid.

Inside the box there was only one object. It was a leatherbound book.

“A book?” said Benny. “What kind of treasure is that?”

Violet1 grinned. “I think books are the best kind of treasure there is!”

Jessie carefully lifted the book from the box. It looked very old and delicate2. She opened the cover and read aloud, “My Story, by Isabel Wile3.”

“It’s handwritten,” said Violet, peering4 over her sister’s shoulder. “It looks like a diary.”

Jessie turned to the next page. “You’re right. Isabel Wile’s diary, I guess. I wonder who she was.”

“There’s a date on the first page,” Violet pointed5 out. “Wow, this was written a long time ago!”

“Isabel must have been the owner of the doll,” Henry said. “She wrote the diary, buried it here, and put the note in the doll’s apron6. Then she hid the doll in the boxcar.”

“And we found it!” cried Benny.

“I wonder why she did all that,” said Jessie.

“Maybe if we read the diary we’ll find out,” said Henry.

“Is it okay to read someone else’s diary?” Violet asked.

“In this case it is,” Jessie assured7 her. “This diary is very old and it seems that Isabel — or somebody — wanted us to find it.”

“Okay,” said Benny. “Only … could we eat our lunch first?”

“Sure,” Henry said. The bike ride and all the digging had made them hungry.

The children washed their hands in the stream, just as they had when they’d lived there. Then they spread out the picnic blanket beside the space where the boxcar had been. Jessie gave everyone a napkin and Violet passed out the sandwiches. Henry poured lemonade for all of them.

“Shall I start reading the diary?” Jessie asked, once she had eaten some of her sandwich.

The others nodded eagerly.

“June 2,” Jessie began. “Papa still has not found another job. We can no longer pay the rent on our apartment, so we’ve had to move out. But the good news is, Mama and Papa have found us a wonderful place to stay. It’s an old boxcar.”

“Isabel lived in our boxcar?” said Benny, his eyes wide.

“Actually, I think we lived in her boxcar,” said Henry. “She was there first.”

“Go on,” Violet urged.

“It is snug8 and dry inside,” Jessie read. “Mama folded up some blankets and made a cozy9 bed for me and Rebecca on the floor in one corner. Louis is sleeping in the other corner. Mama and Papa have a bed along the front wall.”

“Rebecca and Louis must be her sister and brother,” Violet said.

Jessie read, “We had our first dinner in the boxcar tonight. We sat on the ground like a picnic and ate bread and cheese and milk.”

“Sounds like what we used to eat,” said Henry.

Jessie went on, “And for dessert we picked blueberries.”

“Hey! I remember those bushes,” said Benny, springing to his feet. “There they are — still full of berries10.”

“Let’s pick some!” said Jessie, setting11 the diary aside.

They collected a large bunch of blueberries in a napkin and ate them with the peaches and the delicious cookies.

“Just as sweet as I remembered them,” said Henry, popping a large handful12 of blueberries into his mouth.

Jessie continued reading. “Soon Papa will find a new job, and we’ll be in a regular house again. But for now, it’s fun living here in the woods, in our little boxcar home.”

“That’s what we thought, too,” said Benny.

Jessie turned the page and began the next entry. “Today Rebecca got covered in mud, so Mama told me to give her a bath in the stream. I don’t think she liked it very much.”

“Rebecca must be her little sister,” said Benny.

“This sounds odd,” said Jessie. “It says, ‘I put Rebecca on a rock to dry.’”

“That is strange,” said Violet.

“Then Papa took me to the library,” Jessie read. “I got a new mystery story. I’ll read it to Rebecca tonight. Then maybe tomorrow Rebecca and I can make up our own mystery.”

“Hey, Isabel likes mysteries, just like us!” said Benny.

Jessie went on to the next entry. “Today I cut Rebecca’s hair. Mama was very angry with me.”

“I’ll bet13 she was,” said Henry with a laugh.

“Mama reminded me that Rebecca’s hair won’t grow back.” Jessie stopped and looked at the others.

“That’s really weird,” said Benny.

Jessie read ahead a little bit and then she started to laugh. “Now I get it! Listen to this — ‘Mama gave me some thick brown yarn14 to make Rebecca some more hair.’ Rebecca must be her doll!”

“That’s the doll we found!” said Violet. “That’s Rebecca.”

Jessie read several more entries from Isabel’s diary. Isabel and Rebecca had lots of fun together, making up mysteries to solve.

Sometimes Isabel played with Louis. They helped her mother keep the boxcar clean and cook the meals. Their father was usually off looking for a new job. At night, they would read mysteries together.

The children were all enjoying Isabel’s story, but it was getting late. At last Jessie closed the book, marking her place with a leaf. “We’d better head home.”

“Yes,” said Henry. “Mrs. McGregor will be worried.”

“I can’t wait to show her the diary,” said Violet.

The Aldens packed up what was left of their lunch and put it in Jessie’s backpack, along with the diary. Then they rode home.

When the children were just up the street from their house, Violet slowed down.

“Tired?” Jessie asked.

“No, look,” her sister said, motioning15 to the car parked in front of the Aldens’ house. It was a little purple car. “Do you think that’s Amelia?”

Jessie nodded. “How many people drive purple cars?”

“I wonder what she’s doing here,” Violet said.

As the Aldens rode up alongside16 the car, they could see that no one was inside.

“Hey, look!” Benny cried, pointing into Amelia’s car. “A flashlight!”

“Maybe she’s going camping,” said Violet. “I see she has a sleeping bag, too.”

“Or maybe she’s the one who was snooping around the boxcar at night,” Benny said.

“Maybe … but lots of people have flashlights,” Jessie reminded him.

Just then the Aldens saw Amelia walking across their front lawn17. She looked surprised when she saw them near her car, but then she waved.

“Hello!” Amelia called as she got closer. “I hope you don’t mind — I was just taking another look at your boxcar.”

The Aldens looked at one another. She was back to look at it again? And she’d just walked into their backyard without asking?

As if she’d heard what they were thinking, Amelia said, “I asked Mrs. McGregor if it was okay, and she said yes.”

“Sure, that’s fine,” said Jessie.

“Say, have you ever found anything … unusual in the boxcar?” Amelia asked.

“Unusual?” Henry repeated. “Like what?”

“Oh, I don’t know … never mind,” said Amelia with a quick smile. “I’d better get going now.” She got into her car and drove off.

The Aldens walked their bikes up the driveway.

“Do you think she was trying to ask about the doll?” asked Violet.

The others shrugged18 their shoulders, uncertain. “How would she know about it?” Jessie said.

They had reached the garage and were putting their bikes away and hanging up their helmets.

“Well, there must be some reason she keeps coming back to look at our boxcar,” said Benny. “Especially if she was there in the middle of the night.”

“I don’t know what it is,” said Jessie, “but I think there’s something Amelia is not telling us.”

When the Aldens went inside, Mrs. McGregor was setting the table for dinner. “Amelia was just here to look at the boxcar,” she told them.

“We saw her as she was coming out,” said Violet.

“Look what we found!” said Jessie, taking off her backpack and pulling out the diary.

Mrs. McGregor put down the silverware she was holding and looked at the diary in amazement19. “Oh my! You really did find a treasure.”

Jessie handed the diary to Mrs. McGregor. She took it and studied the cover carefully before opening it and turning the pages very gently.

“Isabel Wile,” Mrs. McGregor said to herself. “I wonder who she was.”

“The doll we found belonged to her,” Violet said.

“She lived in the boxcar,” said Benny. “Our boxcar!”

“Isn’t that amazing!” Mrs. McGregor said. “Did you read her diary?”

“Part of it,” said Jessie. “Until it was time to come home for dinner.”

“Which reminds me … ” Mrs. McGregor said, giving the diary back and hurrying into the kitchen.

After washing their hands, the Aldens finished setting the table as Mrs. McGregor brought in a steaming hot casserole.

“Oh no, I just remembered,” said Violet, “we told Claire we’d come by when we got home.”

“Now it’s too late,” said Henry. “We can stop by there tomorrow.”

“But let’s not tell her about the diary yet,” said Jessie.

“Why not?” Benny asked.

“I would rather show it to Grandfather first,” Jessie said. “We’ll see what he thinks before we tell anyone else.”

The others agreed.

That night the children decided20 to sleep in the house. Even Benny was now convinced21 that the strange things in the boxcar probably weren’t caused by a ghost. Also, they were tired from their long bike ride to Silver City and wanted the comfort of their own beds.

“Can you read me some of the diary?” Benny asked Jessie as she tucked22 him into bed.

“In the morning,” Jessie said. “I’m too tired now. Besides, we shouldn’t read it without the others.” She shut Benny’s door behind her.

In his room, Henry was just getting into bed when a light in the backyard caught his attention. He went to the window and raised the shade.

“Benny was right!” he said to himself.
 


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 violet 8h3wm     
adj.紫色的;n.紫罗兰
参考例句:
  • She likes to wear violet dresses.他喜欢穿紫色的衣服。
  • Violet is the color of wisdom,peace and strength.紫色是智慧的,和平的和力量的颜色。
2 delicate Hx1xS     
adj.巧妙的,敏感的;易损的,娇嫩的
参考例句:
  • Be careful with those wine cups — they are very delicate.当心那些酒杯—它们很容易碎。
  • The delicate handicraft works will not bear rough handling.精致的手工艺品经不起粗鲁的摆弄。
3 wile PgcwT     
v.诡计,引诱;n.欺骗,欺诈
参考例句:
  • The music wiled him from his study.诱人的音乐使他无心学习下去。
  • The sunshine wiled me from my work.阳光引诱我放下了工作。
4 peering 72e9eac15aeff738ffda1b4c51092b24     
v.凝视( peer的现在分词 );盯着看;同等;比得上
参考例句:
  • He was peering down the well. 他细看下面的井。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • The sun was peering through the clouds. 太阳从云中隐约出现。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
5 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。
6 apron Lvzzo     
n.围裙;工作裙
参考例句:
  • We were waited on by a pretty girl in a pink apron.招待我们的是一位穿粉红色围裙的漂亮姑娘。
  • She stitched a pocket on the new apron.她在新围裙上缝上一只口袋。
7 assured wy6znN     
a.确实的,深信的
参考例句:
  • He spoke in a calm, assured voice. 他冷静自信地说。
  • The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
8 snug 3TvzG     
adj.温暖舒适的,合身的,安全的;v.使整洁干净,舒适地依靠,紧贴;n.(英)酒吧里的私房
参考例句:
  • He showed us into a snug little sitting room.他领我们走进了一间温暖而舒适的小客厅。
  • She had a small but snug home.她有个小小的但很舒适的家。
9 cozy ozdx0     
adj.亲如手足的,密切的,暖和舒服的
参考例句:
  • I like blankets because they are cozy.我喜欢毛毯,因为他们是舒适的。
  • We spent a cozy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。
10 berries 45b8db8c564e04c80f032c96ba1d920d     
n.浆果( berry的名词复数 );(葡萄,番茄等)浆果;干果仁;干种子
参考例句:
  • Birds feed on nuts and berries in the winter. 鸟类靠坚果和浆果过冬。
  • We went here and there looking for berries. 我们四处寻找浆果。 来自《简明英汉词典》
11 setting 7i5zmt     
n.背景
参考例句:
  • The play has its setting in Vienna.该剧以维也纳为背景。
  • Where and when a story takes place is called the setting.故事发生的地点和时间称为故事背景。
12 handful 0eGx2     
n.一把;少量,少数,一小撮
参考例句:
  • We invited 30 people, but only a handful came.我们邀请了30人,但是只到了几个人。
  • He pulled out a handful of coins from his pocket.他从口袋里掏出一把硬币。
13 bet ddZy8     
v.打赌,以(与)...打赌;n.赌注,赌金;打赌
参考例句:
  • I bet you can't do this puzzle.我敢说,你解决不了这个难题。
  • I offered to bet with him.我提出与他打赌。
14 yarn LMpzM     
n.纱,纱线,纺线;奇闻漫谈,旅行轶事
参考例句:
  • I stopped to have a yarn with him.我停下来跟他聊天。
  • The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。
15 motioning c1c02ff86fb23710293a2ca7828d8e8a     
vt.打手势(motion的现在分词形式)
参考例句:
  • Crossing a forest, he saw a lion motioning him to stop. 穿过一片森林的时候,他看到一只狮子向他示意,让他停下来。 来自互联网
  • The next man hurriedly motioning with his hand, said: "no, no. " 旁边那人连忙一边摆手,一边说:“不,不。” 来自互联网
16 alongside XLWym     
adv.在旁边;prep.和...在一起,在...旁边
参考例句:
  • There was a butcher's shop alongside the theatre.剧院旁边有一家肉店。
  • Alongside of him stood his uncle.他的身旁站着他叔叔。
17 lawn u9Bz4     
n.草地,草坪,上等细麻布
参考例句:
  • The lawn was crawling with ants.草坪上爬满了蚂蚁。
  • They are lying on a grassy lawn.他们躺在绿草如茵的草坪上。
18 shrugged 497904474a48f991a3d1961b0476ebce     
vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀,什么也没说。
  • She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩,装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
19 amazement 7zlzBK     
n.惊奇,惊讶
参考例句:
  • All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
  • He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。
20 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。
21 convinced IvFzlG     
adj.确信的;深信的;有坚定信仰的v.使确信(convince的过去分词);说服
参考例句:
  • I am convinced of her innocence. 我坚信她是清白无辜的。
  • I'm convinced there's a jinx on this car. 我看这辆汽车是灾星。
22 tucked 33959fcef78ea8033c2079d9ef67ff32     
塞进( tuck的过去式和过去分词 ); 翻折; 盖住; 卷起
参考例句:
  • She tucked up her skirt and waded into the river. 她撩起裙子蹚水走进河里。
  • She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears. 她把一缕散发夹到了耳后。
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