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儿童英语读物 The Game Store Mystery CHAPTER 4 More Missing Letters

时间:2017-11-20 05:19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)

“Uh, oh,” Benny said when he and Jessie and Henry came out of the drugstore a few minutes later.

“What’s the matter, Benny?” Jessie asked.

“Look!” Benny pointed1 to the sign in the parking lot. “More letters are missing.”

Benny was right. The sign that had read GRAND OPENING TODAY … THE GAME SPOT earlier this morning now read G_AND OP_NING … THE GAME SPOT.

“There’s an R and an E missing,” Henry said as he shifted his stack of flyers from one hand to the other.

“Did either of you notice whether the letters were all there when we went into the drugstore?” Jessie asked.

“I didn’t notice,” Benny said.

“Neither did I,” Henry said.

The children went back into the Game Spot. They handed Queenie the flyers and the spare keys, then told her about the sign. Violet heard what they were talking about and came over to see what was going on.

She and Queenie and Raina all stepped toward the window and peered outside.

“My goodness,” Queenie said. “There are more letters missing. Raina, you’ve been working in the front of the store all day. Did you see anyone over by that sign?”

“No,” Raina said. “But I wasn’t looking, either.”

“I wonder if Carter saw anything when he left?” Queenie asked. “It’s hard to believe someone would take letters off that sign in the middle of the day.”

“Why would someone take letters off that sign any time?” Violet asked.

“I don’t know,” Henry replied. “Someone probably thinks they’re being funny.”

“Well, I know George won’t be laughing when he hears about this,” Queenie said. “He was just out here replacing letters.”

“Why don’t we go outside and see if we can find any clues,” Henry suggested. “I’d like to find out who’s taking letters off that sign.”

“I would, too,” Jessie said. “Is that okay with you, Queenie?”

“Sure. You children go right ahead.”

So the Aldens went outside and walked across the parking lot. They searched the ground between the rosebushes and the sign, but they didn’t find anything.

“Maybe we could go in the other stores and see if anyone saw anything?” Violet suggested.

“That’s a good idea, Violet,” Henry said.

So they went into the jewelry2 store next to the Game Spot first. There was only one employee in there, a well-dressed woman who smiled at them.

“I didn’t see anything,” the woman said. Her gold hoop3 earrings4 glimmered5 in the light. “But I’ve been busy getting ready for our sale this weekend. I haven’t had time to be looking out the window.”

“I don’t know if anyone in the drugstore would have seen anything,” Jessie said after they left the jewelry store. “The only employee I saw in there was the man who helped us. And he was busy with us the whole time.”

“There might be other employees that we didn’t see,” Henry pointed out.

“And the letters could have been taken before we ever got to the drugstore,” Benny put in.

“You’re both right,” Jessie said. So they went back into the drugstore.

Bob, the guy who had helped them before, was stamping price tags onto bottles of shampoo. “Hello,” he smiled at the children. “You’re back.”

Jessie explained why they had returned.

“I didn’t even know there were letters missing from that sign,” Bob said. He waved toward his front door. “As you can see, I have so much stuff piled up around the windows, it’s hard to see out.”

“Thanks anyway,” Henry said.

That only left the Java Café. Chip Douglas was at the counter when the children walked in. They could see that there wasn’t a very good view of the sign from inside the coffee shop.

“I didn’t see anything,” Chip said. “But if something’s missing, I suggest you pay close attention to that girl your friend Queenie hired. I still say Raina Holt is trouble.”

“Raina’s not trouble,” Benny said. “She’s nice.”

Chip leaned closer to Benny. “Sometimes it’s the nice ones you have to watch out for,” he said.

Once the children were back outside, Jessie said, “Wow. Chip really doesn’t like Raina very much, does he?”

“No, he doesn’t,” Henry said. “But he’s pretty convinced she’s the one who broke into his safe. You wouldn’t like someone you thought had stolen from you, either.”

“That’s true,” Jessie agreed. “But Raina’s just so nice. It’s hard to believe she’s a thief.”

“I agree,” Henry said. “But then, if Raina didn’t break into Chip’s safe, who did?”

“That’s a good question,” Benny said.

On Thursday, the Aldens dressed in their old clothes. Violet had finished her sketch6, so it was time to start painting.

After a hearty7 breakfast of pancakes and fruit, Grandfather drove the children over to the Crossroads Mall. Once again there were some letters missing on the sign out front.

“Not again,” Benny said, slumping8 back against his seat. The sign read:

20% OFF _ALE

AT_ _ _ _’S JEWEL_ _ STOR_

“The L, A, K, and E are missing,” Jessie said.

“Hey, lake is a word!” Benny said. “Do you think someone might be taking letters so they can spell different words than what is on the sign?”

“I don’t know, Benny,” Henry replied. “Why would someone do that?”

“It might not be a bad idea to keep track of the letters that are taken,” Jessie said. She leaned forward in her seat. “Do you have some paper and a pencil, Grandfather?”

Grandfather opened the glove compartment9 and pulled out a small pad of paper and a pen. He handed both to Jessie.

“Thanks,” Jessie said, opening the notebook. She wrote down L, A, K, E.

“The R and the Y are missing in JEWELRY,” Violet said.

“And the S is missing in SALE and the E is missing in STORE,” Henry added.

Jessie added an R, Y, S and E to her list. Then she asked, “Does anybody remember what other letters have gone missing?”

“It was R and an E last time,” Violet said.

Jessie nodded. “And I remember I replaced the M and N in MONDAY and the P and O in SPOT,” she said as she added those letters to her list.

“I added an E to THE and an A and E to GAME,” Henry said.

“And if I remember right, the P, E, and I were missing in OPENING,” Grandfather put in.

Jessie added those letters, too. The children stared at Jessie’s list of letters: L A K E R Y S E R E M N P O E A E P E I. But they didn’t see any pattern to them.

“We should get inside,” Violet said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do today.”

So the children said goodbye to Grandfather and went inside the store.

Raina was bustling10 around at the counter, picking things up and looking under them, then frowning as she set them down.

“Hi, Raina,” the children greeted her.

“Oh. Hi, kids,” Raina replied as she bent11 down, then stood back up. She tapped her fingers nervously12 against the counter.

“I-is something wrong, Raina?” Jessie asked.

Raina bit her lip. “Well, I wrote down a special order a little while ago, but I don’t know what I did with the paper,” she replied.

“I’m sure it’ll turn up,” Violet said.

As the children headed toward the Kids’ Korner, they noticed Carter and Tony Silver sitting together at a table. A game of Word Master was spread out between them.

“Hey, Carter is supposed to be an expert at word games,” Henry said. “I wonder if he would see any pattern to the letters that have been taken from the sign? That’s kind of how you play Word Master.”

Jessie shrugged13. “I guess it doesn’t hurt to ask him.”

She pulled out her pad of paper and the children walked over to Carter and Tony.

The two men were in the middle of a conversation about the security of different kinds of safes.

“It’s got to be solid steel construction,” Carter said. “It’s got to have three-quarter-inch diameter steel chromed locking bolts and reinforced internal jambs. Anything less shouldn’t even be on the market.”

“I agree,” Tony said. “How do you know so much about safes, Carter?”

“Oh, my father was a safe manufacturer,” Carter said. “You could say it’s in my blood.” He smiled, but when he noticed the Aldens standing14 beside him, his smile fell.

“Sorry to bother you, Carter,” Jessie said. “But you know someone has been taking letters from that sign out front, right?”

“Yes,” Carter said impatiently. “What about it?”

“Well, we wrote down the letters that have gone missing. We know how good you are at word games, and we were wondering whether you might notice any pattern to these letters?”

Jessie held out the notebook for Carter to see, but he hardly looked at it. “I’m sure there’s no pattern to those letters,” he said gruffly. “The missing letters will probably turn up eventually.” He brushed the notebook aside and turned back to the game in front of him.

“Would you please just take a quick look?” Benny begged.

Carter scowled15. “Fine.” He picked up Jessie’s notebook and glanced at it. “Sorry. I don’t see anything. Now would you please let me get back to my game?”

“Sure,” Jessie said. “We’re sorry we bothered you.”

The Aldens left Carter and Tony and went to look for Queenie. They found her in the back room mixing paint.

“Oh good. You’re here,” Queenie said when she noticed them standing there. “I put some old sheets down where you’re going to be painting. And I got a bunch of brushes and all the paint colors you asked for. So I think we’re set.”

“Good,” Violet said. “I can’t wait to get started.”

The older children each carried some paint. Benny carried the brushes. And Queenie followed behind with a six-pack of sodas16. “In case you get thirsty,” she said.

Once Queenie was sure the Aldens had everything they needed, she went up to the cash register to check on Raina.

“Did you ever find that special order, Raina?” Queenie asked.

Raina held up a scrap17 of paper. “Right here,” she said with a smile. “I’ve already taken care of it.”

“Good.” Queenie nodded. “Then if you don’t need me out here, I’ve got some paperwork to do in the back.”

“That’s fine,” Raina said.

“We’ll let you know if we need anything,” Jessie said as she dipped her brush into a can of blue paint.

The Aldens spent the next hour painting. Benny painted triangle-shaped skirts on the girls and square-shaped pants and shirts on the boys. Jessie painted faces. Henry painted hair. And Violet outlined everything in black. Her picture was really coming to life.

“That’s looking really nice, kids,” Tony said when he and Carter finished their game.

“Yes, you’re doing a nice job,” Carter agreed.

“Thanks,” Violet said, pleased to receive praise from Carter. He never seemed very friendly around them.

“Thanks for a good game, Carter,” Tony said.

“My pleasure,” Carter replied. Then he went to join Queenie in the back room.

Tony stopped at the front of the store and bought a pack of gum.

Raina was on the phone when she rang up Tony’s gum. She had a very serious expression on her face. “Uh huh, I understand,” she said into the phone. “That’ll be sixty-five cents,” she told Tony.

Tony handed Raina a dollar, and she put it in the cash register. “Yes, I’m still here,” she said into the receiver.

Tony cleared his throat. “Uh, Raina? You forgot to give me my change.”

Raina covered the phone again. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, her face turning red. “Hang on a second,” she told the person she was talking to on the phone. She punched in some buttons on the cash register and the drawer opened.

“What do I owe you?” Raina asked.

“Thirty five-cents,” Tony replied.

Raina scooped18 up some coins and handed them to Tony. “Here you go.”

“Thanks,” Tony said.

Once he was gone, Raina turned back to her phone conversation. She listened for a while, then said, “Yes, I know. I know! Look, I don’t have the money now, but I can get it to you on Monday. Yes, Monday! I promise.” Then she slammed the phone down.

“Is everything okay, Raina?” Jessie asked for the second time that day.

Raina jumped. “What? Oh yes. Everything’s fine. I’m just a little behind on my rent. But I’ll have money on Monday. Everything will be fine.” She forced a smile, then hurried toward the back of the store.

“It seems like Raina’s got some money problems,” Violet said once Raina was gone.

“Yes, it does,” Jessie agreed. “But it sounds like everything will be okay next week.”

“I thought Queenie said she paid on the first and third Fridays of the month,” Benny said.

“Yes, I think she said that when she hired Raina,” Henry said.

“Today is only the second Friday of the month,” Benny said, pointing to the calendar behind the cash register. “Queenie isn’t paying today. And this is Raina’s only job. So where is she going to get money on Monday?”

“I don’t know,” Jessie said. “But Raina’s money problems really aren’t any of our business.”

“You’re right, Jessie,” Violet said. And the children got back to work.


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 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。
3 hoop wcFx9     
n.(篮球)篮圈,篮
参考例句:
  • The child was rolling a hoop.那个孩子在滚铁环。
  • The wooden tub is fitted with the iron hoop.木盆都用铁箍箍紧。
4 earrings 9ukzSs     
n.耳环( earring的名词复数 );耳坠子
参考例句:
  • a pair of earrings 一对耳环
  • These earrings snap on with special fastener. 这付耳环是用特制的按扣扣上去的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 glimmered 8dea896181075b2b225f0bf960cf3afd     
v.发闪光,发微光( glimmer的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • "There glimmered the embroidered letter, with comfort in its unearthly ray." 她胸前绣着的字母闪着的非凡的光辉,将温暖舒适带给他人。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学
  • The moon glimmered faintly through the mists. 月亮透过薄雾洒下微光。 来自辞典例句
6 sketch UEyyG     
n.草图;梗概;素描;v.素描;概述
参考例句:
  • My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。
  • I will send you a slight sketch of the house.我将给你寄去房屋的草图。
7 hearty Od1zn     
adj.热情友好的;衷心的;尽情的,纵情的
参考例句:
  • After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了,他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。
  • We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。
8 slumping 65cf3f92e0e7b986ced17e25a7abe6f9     
大幅度下降,暴跌( slump的现在分词 ); 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]
参考例句:
  • Hong Kong's slumping economy also caused a rise in bankruptcy applications. 香港经济低迷,破产申请个案随之上升。
  • And as with slumping, over-arching can also be a simple postural habit. 就像弯腰驼背,过度挺直也可能只是一种习惯性姿势。
9 compartment dOFz6     
n.卧车包房,隔间;分隔的空间
参考例句:
  • We were glad to have the whole compartment to ourselves.真高兴,整个客车隔间由我们独享。
  • The batteries are safely enclosed in a watertight compartment.电池被安全地置于一个防水的隔间里。
10 bustling LxgzEl     
adj.喧闹的
参考例句:
  • The market was bustling with life. 市场上生机勃勃。
  • This district is getting more and more prosperous and bustling. 这一带越来越繁华了。
11 bent QQ8yD     
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的
参考例句:
  • He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
  • We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
12 nervously tn6zFp     
adv.神情激动地,不安地
参考例句:
  • He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇,努力忍着不哭出来。
  • He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。
13 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》
14 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。
15 scowled b83aa6db95e414d3ef876bc7fd16d80d     
怒视,生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He scowled his displeasure. 他满脸嗔色。
  • The teacher scowled at his noisy class. 老师对他那喧闹的课堂板着脸。
16 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
17 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。
18 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》
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