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儿童英语读物 The Secret of the Mask CHAPTER 3 Missing!

时间:2017-11-28 05:33来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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The dinner table buzzed with excited voices as the children told Grandfather about the yard sale and the old blue house and the mask Benny found.

“Wait, I’ll show you!” Benny dashed to his room and brought back the mask. “Look,” he said.

“Grandfather,” said Violet. “We don’t have much left to sell tomorrow. Could you donate a few old things for our yard sale?”

“Hmmm,” Grandfather tried to think. “I’m not sure I …”

“You most certainly do,” said Mrs. McGregor, the housekeeper1, whisking in from the kitchen.

Grandfather looked puzzled. “I do?”

Mrs. McGregor set down a fresh-baked orange cake and bowl of strawberries. “All that clutter2 in the garage. It’s been years since those shelves had a good cleaning!” She sliced cake for the children and piled strawberries on top. “I’d do it myself, except it’s not for me to decide what needs keeping and what needs throwing away.” She cut a nice big slice for Grandfather and slid it in front of him. “I always say that many hands make light work. The five of you could clean that garage in no time, and the children might find things for their sale.”

Grandfather looked around the table at the children’s hopeful faces. “Well,” he said, smiling as he lifted a forkful of cake, “we’d better finish eating as fast as we can. It seems we have a great deal of work to do.”

What riches awaited them in the big old garage! Grandfather climbed a ladder, passing down rusty3 golf clubs, typewriters, paintings, dishes, garden tools, skis for snow and water, tools, and model airplane kits4. They cleared shelf after shelf, filling their yard-sale tables with things they could sell, throwing the rest into garbage bags.

When they finally finished, Henry lugged5 the heavy bags to the alley6. The orange pickup7 truck he’d seen on Locust8 rolled by. Henry noticed the truck still had the same swing set and bicycles in the back as the day before. The pickup slowed to a stop. Henry thought the driver’s black beard looked as scruffy9 as Watch’s coat did before a bath.

The driver stared at Henry. “Hey,” he said, “aren’t you one of the kids I saw in the alley over at—”

“Henry!” Grandfather called from the garage.

The driver’s head jerked up as if he were surprised someone else was around.

“I’m in the alley,” Henry called back.

Grandfather rounded the corner carrying an armful of fishing poles as the orange truck sped off.

The second day of the sale was even busier than the first. From early morning, people crowded the yard, buying everything in sight. At first, Benny set the mask on his table between Grandfather’s postcard collection and a shoebox full of plastic dinosaurs10. But, every time someone came to look at the mask, Benny’s stomach felt all fluttery. Don’t buy it, don’t buy it, don’t buy it, he’d think.

The truth was, he couldn’t bear to sell it— not for five dollars, or fifty dollars, or a hundred million “bajillion” dollars. He wanted to keep it for his very own—forever. Benny put the mask in its white box and hid it under an old blanket on a shelf in the garage.

Mr. Robbins came by, stopping at Henry’s cashier table. “Just checking to see how you’re doing,” he said. “Looks like the Alden children run a mighty11 fine sale.”

“It’s a lot of work,” said Henry, “but it’s also a lot of fun.”

The orange pickup pulled to a stop in front of the house, and the driver climbed out.

“That’s the man I saw over on Locust,” said Benny, “the day we found the mask.”

“I saw him last night,” Henry said, “while we were cleaning out the garage.”

The man walked into the yard, quickly moving from table to table as if looking for something in particular. Henry pointed12 out the man to Mr. Robbins. “He’s been driving through the alleys,” said Henry. “Do you know him?”

Mr. Robbins studied the man. “Can’t say I do. I guess he’s not an early bird, like me. I’ve never seen him selling at the flea13 market, either. Must be new around here. Well, I think I’ll go treat myself to some of your sister’s lemonade and a cookie or two.”

The floppy14-hat lady wheeled her shopping cart into the yard. Once again it overflowed15 with yard-sale items. She peered over the tops of her owlish glasses. “You have new things, I see. These look much more interesting.”

Jessie watched as the woman brushed her hand across a few items on one of their tables and marched straight into the garage. Jessie followed her and found her thumbing through their neatly16 stacked boxes.

Jessie walked over to the woman and politely tapped her on the shoulder, “Excuse me.”

The woman jumped, surprised to see Jessie standing17 next to her.

“Only the things on the tables are for sale,” Jessie told her.

“Humph,” the woman said as she quickly walked away from Jessie towards the boxcar.

Violet was so busy pouring lemonade and selling cookies that she didn’t notice a man approach.

“I’d like a lemonade, please,” said a strong voice. She looked up, right into the eyes of the man with the braid she’d seen at the library computer. He was wearing the same silver bracelet18 with the dark and light silver decorations.

“That’s a beautiful bracelet,” said Violet, handing him his drink. “Is it Hopi?”

The man’s eyebrows19 shot up. “And how would you know that?”

“From my Prairie Girls books. The Hopis are famous for making jewelry20 that has light silver on top of dark silver. It’s called … it’s called …,” she tried to remember.

“Overlay,” he said. “Silver overlay. And, yes, this is Hopi.” He sipped21 his lemonade thoughtfully. “Do you have any Hopi items for sale?”

“Oh, no, mostly just stuff from the garage. Although, my brother found an old mask yesterday that looks a lot like a kachina mask. Probably an old souvenir.” Violet glanced at Benny’s table, but the mask was gone. “I guess he sold it,” she said. “Sorry.”

“Hey,” a little boy tugged22 Violet’s shirt and held up a quarter. “Can I have a cookie?”

Violet looked down at the empty cookie platter. “Oops, I’ll bring some right out.” She ran to the house, pulling open the screen door.

That was the exact moment the neighbor’s cat decided23 to prance24 through their yard. Watch dashed out the screen door before Violet could stop him. The cat ran, Watch chased, the cat screeched25, Watch barked. They ran in and out, over and under, upsetting tables, knocking over baskets.

“Stop,” shouted Henry, trying to catch them. “Watch, stop!” Finally, Jessie ran one way and Henry ran the other until, together, they trapped Watch. “You’re grounded,” said Henry, grabbing Watch’s collar and pulling him into the house. “I’ll let you out when the sale is over.”

At day’s end, Benny flopped26 down on the grass, too tired to move. Grandfather came out of the house. “I just received word that a friend in Florida needs my help. I need to fly there late tonight. But I had planned a surprise to thank you for helping27 me clean out the garage.” He glanced at his watch. “If we hurry, we’ll get there with just enough time for hamburgers and a round of miniature golf. That is,” he smiled at Benny, “if you’re not too tired.”

“Miniature golf!” Benny jumped up. His second favorite thing in the world, after eating, was playing miniature golf. As it happened, they had time for two games of golf. Benny made the hardest shot of the day—hitting his golf ball through a turning windmill and under a bridge—on his very first try.

By the time Grandfather pulled up in front of their house, night stars filled the sky. “I’ll be home in a couple of days,” he said. “Take care of Mrs. McGregor.” And he waved as he drove off.

The weary children walked up the driveway. “Hey,” said Henry, “it looks like the garage door’s open. Did anyone lock it?”

None of them had.

“Let me get my mask,” said Benny, running inside. “Oh, no” he cried. It looked as if a tornado28 had ripped through the garage—boxes tipped over, old clothing thrown all around.

Jessie stared, wide-eyed. “Who would do this?”

“We just cleaned this garage,” said Violet.

“My mask,” wailed29 Benny, digging through the rubble30. “My mask! Somebody stole my mask.”

“It must be here,” said Henry. The children searched and searched, but the mask was gone.

“What else did they steal?” Jessie asked.

“Our money!” Henry clambered through the clutter to the workbench, digging through a pile of old clothes. “Here!” he said as he lifted the tackle box, quickly opening the latches31. All their money was still stacked neatly inside. “Whew,” he said. “It’s a good thing the thief didn’t see this.”

“What about the homeless shelter donations?” cried Jessie, running to the boxcar.

The tree stump32 was empty. The thief had stolen the green Crispy Cracker33 can. “How could they?” she said.

“Look!” said Benny. Moonlight shone on a trail of white popcorn34. The children followed it from the garage to the alley, where it suddenly stopped.

“It looks like the thief carried the box with the mask this far,” said Henry, “then climbed into a car.”

A sudden gust35 of wind stirred scraps36 of white cardboard that were scattered37 around the alley. Benny picked one up. “This is the box the mask was in.” They searched all around, finding more scraps and a few popcorn crumbs38, but no mask.

Henry thought about the man in the orange truck. The man had seen them in the alley on Locust where they’d found the mask. Then he’d come by last night when they were cleaning the garage. And he was at the yard sale today. Could he have known they had the mask and come to steal it?

“What if our mask wasn’t a copy?” said Henry, “What if it was a real kachina mask like the ones we saw in the library book?”

“I think I saw a man looking at kachina masks online when we were at the library,” said Violet. She told them about the man with the braid who wore a Hopi bracelet. He had been at the library, and he had also come to their yard sale. “He asked if we had any Hopi things for sale. Maybe he knew about the mask. Maybe he came back to steal it.”

“And don’t forget the lady with the big glasses and floppy hat,” said Jessie. “She was only interested in old things. And I saw her going through boxes of stuff in the garage. Maybe she saw the mask and knew it was valuable. Maybe she came back to take it.”

This time, the children locked the garage door good and tight before going into the house. One thing was for sure, a thief had come while they were away, a thief who thought their mask was worth stealing. Now the children had to find out why. It was just the sort of mystery the Alden children loved.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 housekeeper 6q2zxl     
n.管理家务的主妇,女管家
参考例句:
  • A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.炉子清洁无瑕就表明他母亲是个勤劳的主妇。
  • She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她节约持家,一家人吃得很省。
2 clutter HWoym     
n.零乱,杂乱;vt.弄乱,把…弄得杂乱
参考例句:
  • The garage is in such a clutter that we can't find anything.车库如此凌乱,我们什么也找不到。
  • We'll have to clear up all this clutter.我们得把这一切凌乱的东西整理清楚。
3 rusty hYlxq     
adj.生锈的;锈色的;荒废了的
参考例句:
  • The lock on the door is rusty and won't open.门上的锁锈住了。
  • I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty.几个月不用,我的法语又荒疏了。
4 kits e16d4ffa0f9467cd8d2db7d706f0a7a5     
衣物和装备( kit的名词复数 ); 成套用品; 配套元件
参考例句:
  • Keep your kits closed and locked when not in use. 不用的话把你的装备都锁好放好。
  • Gifts Articles, Toy and Games, Wooden Toys, Puzzles, Craft Kits. 采购产品礼品,玩具和游戏,木制的玩具,智力玩具,手艺装备。
5 lugged 7fb1dd67f4967af8775a26954a9353c5     
vt.用力拖拉(lug的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • She lugged the heavy case up the stairs. 她把那只沉甸甸的箱子拖上了楼梯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • They used to yell that at football when you lugged the ball. 踢足球的时候,逢着你抢到球,人们总是对你这样嚷嚷。 来自辞典例句
6 alley Cx2zK     
n.小巷,胡同;小径,小路
参考例句:
  • We live in the same alley.我们住在同一条小巷里。
  • The blind alley ended in a brick wall.这条死胡同的尽头是砖墙。
7 pickup ANkxA     
n.拾起,获得
参考例句:
  • I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。
8 locust m8Dzk     
n.蝗虫;洋槐,刺槐
参考例句:
  • A locust is a kind of destructive insect.蝗虫是一种害虫。
  • This illustration shows a vertical section through the locust.本图所示为蝗虫的纵剖面。
9 scruffy YsWyG     
adj.肮脏的,不洁的
参考例句:
  • Despite her scruffy clothes,there was an air of sophistication about her.尽管她衣衫褴褛,但神态老练世故。
  • His scruffy appearance does not reflect his character.他邋遢的外表并不反映他的性格。
10 dinosaurs 87f9c39b9e3f358174d58a584c2727b4     
n.恐龙( dinosaur的名词复数 );守旧落伍的人,过时落后的东西
参考例句:
  • The brontosaurus was one of the largest of all dinosaurs. 雷龙是所有恐龙中最大的一种。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. 恐龙绝种已有几百万年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
11 mighty YDWxl     
adj.强有力的;巨大的
参考例句:
  • A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
  • The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。
12 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。
13 flea dgSz3     
n.跳蚤
参考例句:
  • I'll put a flea in his ear if he bothers me once more.如果他再来打扰的话,我就要对他不客气了。
  • Hunter has an interest in prowling around a flea market.亨特对逛跳蚤市场很感兴趣。
14 floppy xjGx1     
adj.松软的,衰弱的
参考例句:
  • She was wearing a big floppy hat.她戴了顶松软的大帽子。
  • Can you copy those files onto this floppy disk?你能把那些文件复制到这张软盘上吗?
15 overflowed 4cc5ae8d4154672c8a8539b5a1f1842f     
溢出的
参考例句:
  • Plates overflowed with party food. 聚会上的食物碟满盘盈。
  • A great throng packed out the theater and overflowed into the corridors. 一大群人坐满剧院并且还有人涌到了走廊上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
16 neatly ynZzBp     
adv.整洁地,干净地,灵巧地,熟练地
参考例句:
  • Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
  • The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。
17 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。
18 bracelet nWdzD     
n.手镯,臂镯
参考例句:
  • The jeweler charges lots of money to set diamonds in a bracelet.珠宝匠要很多钱才肯把钻石镶在手镯上。
  • She left her gold bracelet as a pledge.她留下她的金手镯作抵押品。
19 eyebrows a0e6fb1330e9cfecfd1c7a4d00030ed5     
眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
  • His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。
20 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。
21 sipped 22d1585d494ccee63c7bff47191289f6     
v.小口喝,呷,抿( sip的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He sipped his coffee pleasurably. 他怡然地品味着咖啡。
  • I sipped the hot chocolate she had made. 我小口喝着她调制的巧克力热饮。 来自辞典例句
22 tugged 8a37eb349f3c6615c56706726966d38e     
v.用力拉,使劲拉,猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She tugged at his sleeve to get his attention. 她拽了拽他的袖子引起他的注意。
  • A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. 他的嘴角带一丝苦笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
23 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。
24 prance u1zzg     
v.(马)腾跃,(人)神气活现地走
参考例句:
  • Their horses pranced and whinnied.他们的马奔腾着、嘶鸣着。
  • He was horrified at the thought of his son prancing about on a stage in tights.一想到儿子身穿紧身衣在舞台上神气活现地走来走去,他就感到震惊。
25 screeched 975e59058e1a37cd28bce7afac3d562c     
v.发出尖叫声( screech的过去式和过去分词 );发出粗而刺耳的声音;高叫
参考例句:
  • She screeched her disapproval. 她尖叫着不同意。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The car screeched to a stop. 汽车嚓的一声停住了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
26 flopped e5b342a0b376036c32e5cd7aa560c15e     
v.(指书、戏剧等)彻底失败( flop的过去式和过去分词 );(因疲惫而)猛然坐下;(笨拙地、不由自主地或松弛地)移动或落下;砸锅
参考例句:
  • Exhausted, he flopped down into a chair. 他筋疲力尽,一屁股坐到椅子上。
  • It was a surprise to us when his play flopped. 他那出戏一败涂地,出乎我们的预料。 来自《简明英汉词典》
27 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
28 tornado inowl     
n.飓风,龙卷风
参考例句:
  • A tornado whirled into the town last week.龙卷风上周袭击了这座城市。
  • The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。
29 wailed e27902fd534535a9f82ffa06a5b6937a     
v.哭叫,哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She wailed over her father's remains. 她对着父亲的遗体嚎啕大哭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The women of the town wailed over the war victims. 城里的妇女为战争的死难者们痛哭。 来自辞典例句
30 rubble 8XjxP     
n.(一堆)碎石,瓦砾
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后,花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
  • After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。
31 latches 72e582024c502f75cdd8b1b4d69a127f     
n.(门窗的)门闩( latch的名词复数 );碰锁v.理解( latch的第三人称单数 );纠缠;用碰锁锁上(门等);附着(在某物上)
参考例句:
  • The virus latches onto the red blood cells. 这种病毒附着在红细胞上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The opposite end latches onto the pathogen. 相对的一端锁在病原体上。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 预防生物武器
32 stump hGbzY     
n.残株,烟蒂,讲演台;v.砍断,蹒跚而走
参考例句:
  • He went on the stump in his home state.他到故乡所在的州去发表演说。
  • He used the stump as a table.他把树桩用作桌子。
33 cracker svCz5a     
n.(无甜味的)薄脆饼干
参考例句:
  • Buy me some peanuts and cracker.给我买一些花生和饼干。
  • There was a cracker beside every place at the table.桌上每个位置旁都有彩包爆竹。
34 popcorn 8lUzJI     
n.爆米花
参考例句:
  • I like to eat popcorn when I am watching TV play at home.当我在家观看电视剧时,喜欢吃爆米花。
  • He still stood behind his cash register stuffing his mouth with popcorn.他仍站在收银机后,嘴里塞满了爆米花。
35 gust q5Zyu     
n.阵风,突然一阵(雨、烟等),(感情的)迸发
参考例句:
  • A gust of wind blew the front door shut.一阵大风吹来,把前门关上了。
  • A gust of happiness swept through her.一股幸福的暖流流遍她的全身。
36 scraps 737e4017931b7285cdd1fa3eb9dd77a3     
油渣
参考例句:
  • Don't litter up the floor with scraps of paper. 不要在地板上乱扔纸屑。
  • A patchwork quilt is a good way of using up scraps of material. 做杂拼花布棉被是利用零碎布料的好办法。
37 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。
38 crumbs crumbs     
int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式
参考例句:
  • She stood up and brushed the crumbs from her sweater. 她站起身掸掉了毛衣上的面包屑。
  • Oh crumbs! Is that the time? 啊,天哪!都这会儿啦?
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