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儿童英语读物 The Mystery of the Mixed-Up Zoo CHAPTER 2 The Mix-Up

时间:2017-07-17 08:51来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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Benny, awakening1 before anyone else, climbed down the bunk’s ladder and tiptoed to the closet. He pulled on pants and a shirt. Then he sat by the window to wait until Henry woke up.

After a few minutes, unable to wait any longer, he went over to Henry and whispered, “Henry, Henry, are you awake?”

Groaning2 softly, Henry rolled over and opened his eyes. “I am now,” he said.

“Get ready. We’re going to the zoo,” Benny urged. Sitting up, Henry said. “Look at you, Benny. You’re dressed and ready to go.”

Benny nodded.

“Okay,” Henry said, swinging his legs over and rubbing his eyes. “I’ll bet we’re the first ones at the breakfast table.”

But he was wrong. Coming into the kitchen, he was surprised to see Violet setting the table and Jessie mixing pancakes. Henry pitched in and broiled3 bacon while Benny poured orange juice.

Edward and Grandfather soon joined them. Edward’s bushy eyebrows4 shot up. “Well, well, what have we here?” he said. “What a treat.” He chuckled5. “I only keep a few groceries on hand, but I see you’ve found a use for them.”

“Edward,” Jessie began as she set a stack of pancakes on the table, “I wonder if …”

“Yes?” he looked at her expectantly, pulling a chair to the table and sitting down.

“All of us like to cook and clean and garden.” Jessie paused, passing the syrup6. “And, well, we’d like to do a few things for you.”

Edward chewed his bacon. “That would be wonderful. An old bachelor like me doesn’t pay much attention to the house. Or have many home-cooked meals.”

“Could we stack up your newspapers and magazines?” Violet asked.

“Of course.” Edward thoughtfully rubbed his chin. “You know, there’s an old cabinet in the basement. Maybe you could bring it up and hide them in there. Anything else you find down there that might be useful,” he added, “haul it up.”

“Thanks,” Henry said. “If you like, we could plant a few shrubs7 and flowers, too.”

“I’d like to have a hand in that, too,” Grandfather said.

“Great!” Edward said, smiling. “I’ve got plenty of cash in that cookie jar.” He pointed8 to an orange glass pumpkin9 with a green stem for the lid. “Help yourselves to whatever you need to buy.”

“Thank you!” Benny said eagerly. “We won’t waste it. I’ll help weed and plant flowers.”

Edward threw back his head and laughed.

“I can see your visit is going to be the best thing that’s happened around here for a long time.” Then he patted his stomach. “That was delicious. Usually I eat a bowl of dry cereal.” He rose. “And now, are you ready for your tour of the zoo?”

“I’m ready!” Benny said promptly10, jumping up from the table.

“I think we all are,” Grandfather Alden said. “Lead the way, Edward.”

And so on a beautiful morning with the sun streaming through the leaves, they walked to Marlow’s Zoo.

Going through the iron-grilled gates, they walked down a tree-lined path. Birds sang and tigers rumbled11.

A young woman carrying a bucket walked toward them. She wore khaki knee-length shorts and a matching shirt.

Edward waved. “Pat!” he shouted. “Come meet my friends.”

She hurried over. “Hi,” she said. “This must be the Alden family.” A smile lit her tanned face. “Edward’s been talking about your visit for weeks.”

“This is Pat Kramer” Edward said, introducing each of the Aldens. “Pat’s the best animal keeper this side of the St. Louis Zoo. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

Pat shook James Alden’s hand and then each of the children’s. “If I can explain anything about the animals, let me know,” she offered pleasantly.

“Thanks,” Benny said.

“And that goes for all of us,” Henry added.

Pat smiled. “I have to get back to Leona.”

“Leona?” Violet questioned.

“Leona, the lion,” Pat said. “She hasn’t been herself lately, so I’m giving her a special diet.”

“Let me know how she reacts,” Edward said.

“I will,” she promised and went on her way.

Looking over the zoo, the Aldens could see that many animals were not in cages.

“I think it’s wonderful that many of the animals aren’t behind bars,” Jessie said.

Edward, strolling along, said, “Each animal has an area that is as close to its home in the wild as we can make it.” He stopped before three giraffes. “In some cases a moat separates visitors from the animals,” Edward explained, pointing to a deep ditch between them and the long-necked giraffes, who munched12 contentedly13 on tree leaves. Once they stopped to stare at their visitors, their soft eyes with long lashes14 blinking at the Aldens.

“Wow! Look how tall they are,” Benny said, leaning back and looking down. “They have a longer neck than Miss Harrington, my first-grade teacher.”

Violet read the sign. “ ‘Grizzly Bear.’ ” Puzzled, she glanced at Edward. “Grizzly bear?” she repeated.

Edward bent15 over to read the sign for himself. “Grizzly Bear!” He shook his head. “Well, now, we can see that’s not right.”

“Let’s see what it says by the elephants,” Benny shouted, running ahead.

He read the square card in front of the four adult elephants and one baby. “This sign says ‘Monkeys’!” Placing his hands on his hips16, he said, “Did I read it wrong?”

“No,” Violet said. “You’re right, the card is wrong.”

“Well, I’ll be,” Edward said, catching17 up. Bewildered, he hurried to the Bird House. “Look at this,” he said to the others who followed.

Jessie peered at the sign. “Why, the birds are all labeled ‘Panthers,’ ‘Lions,’ and ‘Tigers.’ ” As if in protest, the birds shrilled18 and screeched19.

Outside the Bird House, Benny passed a desertlike area on which a black snake slithered over the sand. “This card says ‘Fox,’ ” Benny said.

Jessie, Violet, and Henry laughed. “Someone is playing a funny prank20 on Edward.”

But Edward didn’t laugh. “What’s going on?” he asked. “This is an awful mix-up!”

Grandfather stepped forward, a smile twitching21 at the corners of his mouth. “It’s a joke, Edward. Don’t worry.”

“Well,” Edward growled22. “I don’t find it very funny.”

“We’ll put the signs in their right places,” Violet said, snatching up the FOX sign. Soon all of them had been returned.

“Good, good,” Edward murmured. “I hope there are no more pranks23!”

On the way home, Jessie glanced at Edward and could see he was still upset. “How about a nice dinner at home?” she asked. “We’ll cook your favorite.”

Edward’s smile wiped away his gloom. “I like a good steak, baked potatoes, and tossed salad.”

“That’s easy,” Henry said.

When they arrived at the house, Edward said, “But you’ll need to go to the store. Mike’s Grocery is only two blocks that way.” Pointing in the opposite direction from the zoo, he dug in his pocket and pulled out some money, giving it to Jessie. “Now you can buy whatever you need.”

Violet and Jessie, not wasting any time, hurried down the road.

Before long they were back and went directly to the kitchen.

Jessie stopped, her mouth dropping open. “Henry! Benny! You’ve cleaned the whole kitchen!”

Violet smiled. “Even the floor has been mopped.”

“We wanted to surprise you,” Benny said.

“You certainly did,” Jessie said.

Henry unloaded the groceries while Violet made a salad and Jessie scrubbed six big potatoes and wrapped them in foil.

That evening everyone was seated at the dining room table. When the thick seared steaks and steaming potatoes were served, Edward’s eyes lit up.

Cutting into his steak, Edward beamed. The children could see he felt a lot better than when he saw the mixed-up signs. They were glad they could cheer him up.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 awakening 9ytzdV     
n.觉醒,醒悟 adj.觉醒中的;唤醒的
参考例句:
  • the awakening of interest in the environment 对环境产生的兴趣
  • People are gradually awakening to their rights. 人们正逐渐意识到自己的权利。
2 groaning groaning     
adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • She's always groaning on about how much she has to do. 她总抱怨自己干很多活儿。
  • The wounded man lay there groaning, with no one to help him. 受伤者躺在那里呻吟着,无人救助。
3 broiled 8xgz4L     
a.烤过的
参考例句:
  • They broiled turkey over a charcoal flame. 他们在木炭上烤火鸡。
  • The desert sun broiled the travelers in the caravan. 沙漠上空灼人的太阳把旅行队成员晒得浑身燥热。
4 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。
5 chuckled 8ce1383c838073977a08258a1f3e30f8     
轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
  • She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情,她就轻轻地暗自发笑。
6 syrup hguzup     
n.糖浆,糖水
参考例句:
  • I skimmed the foam from the boiling syrup.我撇去了煮沸糖浆上的泡沫。
  • Tinned fruit usually has a lot of syrup with it.罐头水果通常都有许多糖浆。
7 shrubs b480276f8eea44e011d42320b17c3619     
灌木( shrub的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The gardener spent a complete morning in trimming those two shrubs. 园丁花了整个上午的时间修剪那两处灌木林。
  • These shrubs will need more light to produce flowering shoots. 这些灌木需要更多的光照才能抽出开花的新枝。
8 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。
9 pumpkin NtKy8     
n.南瓜
参考例句:
  • They ate turkey and pumpkin pie.他们吃了火鸡和南瓜馅饼。
  • It looks like there is a person looking out of the pumpkin!看起来就像南瓜里有人在看着你!
10 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。
11 rumbled e155775f10a34eef1cb1235a085c6253     
发出隆隆声,发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 ); 轰鸣着缓慢行进; 发现…的真相; 看穿(阴谋)
参考例句:
  • The machine rumbled as it started up. 机器轰鸣着发动起来。
  • Things rapidly became calm, though beneath the surface the argument rumbled on. 事情迅速平静下来了,然而,在这种平静的表面背后争论如隆隆雷声,持续不断。
12 munched c9456f71965a082375ac004c60e40170     
v.用力咀嚼(某物),大嚼( munch的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She munched on an apple. 她在大口啃苹果。
  • The rabbit munched on the fresh carrots. 兔子咯吱咯吱地嚼着新鲜胡萝卜。 来自辞典例句
13 contentedly a0af12176ca79b27d4028fdbaf1b5f64     
adv.心满意足地
参考例句:
  • My father sat puffing contentedly on his pipe.父亲坐着心满意足地抽着烟斗。
  • "This is brother John's writing,"said Sally,contentedly,as she opened the letter.
14 lashes e2e13f8d3a7c0021226bb2f94d6a15ec     
n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 );鞭子;突然猛烈的一击;急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 );煽动;紧系;怒斥
参考例句:
  • Mother always lashes out food for the children's party. 孩子们聚会时,母亲总是给他们许多吃的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Never walk behind a horse in case it lashes out. 绝对不要跟在马后面,以防它突然猛踢。 来自《简明英汉词典》
15 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。
16 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》
17 catching cwVztY     
adj.易传染的,有魅力的,迷人的,接住
参考例句:
  • There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
  • Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。
18 shrilled 279faa2c22e7fe755d14e94e19d7bb10     
(声音)尖锐的,刺耳的,高频率的( shrill的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Behind him, the telephone shrilled. 在他身后,电话铃刺耳地响了起来。
  • The phone shrilled, making her jump. 电话铃声刺耳地响起,惊得她跳了起来。
19 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》
20 prank 51azg     
n.开玩笑,恶作剧;v.装饰;打扮;炫耀自己
参考例句:
  • It was thought that the fire alarm had been set off as a prank.人们认为火警报警器响是个恶作剧。
  • The dean was ranking the boys for pulling the prank.系主任正在惩罚那些恶作剧的男学生。
21 twitching 97f99ba519862a2bc691c280cee4d4cf     
n.颤搐
参考例句:
  • The child in a spasm kept twitching his arms and legs. 那个害痉挛的孩子四肢不断地抽搐。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • My eyelids keep twitching all the time. 我眼皮老是跳。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
22 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》
23 pranks cba7670310bdd53033e32d6c01506817     
n.玩笑,恶作剧( prank的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Frank's errancy consisted mostly of pranks. 法兰克错在老喜欢恶作剧。 来自辞典例句
  • He always leads in pranks and capers. 他老是带头胡闹和开玩笑。 来自辞典例句
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