英语 英语 日语 日语 韩语 韩语 法语 法语 德语 德语 西班牙语 西班牙语 意大利语 意大利语 阿拉伯语 阿拉伯语 葡萄牙语 葡萄牙语 越南语 越南语 俄语 俄语 芬兰语 芬兰语 泰语 泰语 泰语 丹麦语 泰语 对外汉语

儿童英语读物 The Mystery Girl CHAPTER 7 Worries About Nancy

时间:2017-07-19 08:17来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
特别声明:本栏目内容均从网络收集或者网友提供,供仅参考试用,我们无法保证内容完整和正确。如果资料损害了您的权益,请与站长联系,我们将及时删除并致以歉意。
    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)

At seven o’clock in the morning, Jessie and Violet were awakened1 by a knock on the door. Jessie threw back the soft yellow quilt and got out of bed. She peered2 out the window and then hurried to open the door.

“Aunt Jane!” she said, giving her aunt a hug. “Violet, Benny, Henry!” she called out, “Aunt Jane’s here!”

Violet was already out of bed, and in a few minutes, Henry and Benny came in from the back room. Everyone was happy to see Aunt Jane.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” Aunt Jane said, sitting down at the table. “But I got up very early this morning missing you. So I decided3 to drive out and see how you are.”

“We’re great,” Benny said. “Working in Mr. Taylor’s store is fun. I know how to use the scale now.”

“Good for you, Benny,” Aunt Jane said. She smiled at everyone. “Jerry was in Elmford last evening and he stopped by for a few minutes. He said the four of you are doing fine work.”

Jessie poured some orange juice for everyone. “Have you made the curtains for the den4 yet?” she asked.

“I’m almost finished,” Aunt Jane said. “They’re going to look wonderful.”

“I can’t wait to see them,” Violet said. “Andy is going to be so surprised.”

“Yes, he is,” Aunt Jane agreed, looking pleased. “Oh, I spoke5 to your Grandfather on the phone last night. He sends all of you his love.”

“I miss him,” Benny said. “Does he miss us?”

“Of course he does, Benny,” Aunt Jane said.

“He’s going to want us to come back to Greenfield soon,” Henry said. “I hope Mr. Taylor finds someone to work in the store before we have to leave.”

“I hope so, too,” Aunt Jane said. “I’ve been talking to people in Elmford about the job. Maybe someone will be interested in it.”

Jessie looked at the clock on the stove. “We better hurry and have breakfast,” she said. “It’s almost time to go to work.”

“Can we have pancakes tonight?” Benny asked. “We still haven’t had pancakes,” he told Aunt Jane. “Violet said we could have them for dinner.”

“That sounds good,” Aunt Jane said. “And that reminds me. When we came out here the other day, I forgot to buy some more maple6 syrup7. So I’ll go along to the store with you when you’re ready.”

The Aldens ate a breakfast of fruit, toast with honey, and milk. Then they got dressed and walked to the general store with Aunt Jane.

Jerry Taylor was sweeping8 the porch9 when the Aldens and Aunt Jane arrived. “Good morning,” he said with a smile.

“I came to buy some of your delicious maple syrup, Jerry,” Aunt Jane said. “It looks like I’m your first customer of the day.”

“The first of many, I hope,” Mr. Taylor said. He suddenly looked worried.

“You aren’t losing business, are you?” Aunt Jane asked.

“There were a lot of customers yesterday,” Jessie said.

“You’re right, Jessie. But not all of them buy things,” Mr. Taylor said. “And everyone keeps talking about the new shopping center.”

“I went there yesterday to see what it was like,” Aunt Jane said. “It certainly is fancy. But it is also very expensive. And the things they sell aren’t any better than what I can find right here.”

Mr. Taylor smiled again. “You’re not only my first customer, Jane,” he said. “You’re my best customer.”

Everyone went into the store then. Aunt Jane bought the syrup and stayed for a while, talking to the Aldens. Then she looked at her watch. “I think I’d better get back,” she said. “It’s almost an hour’s drive to Elmford, and I want to finish those curtains today.”

“Come back and see us again soon,” Jessie said.

“I will,” Aunt Jane promised. She gave all the Aldens a hug, and said good-bye.

Soon after Aunt Jane left, a farmer drove up in his truck. Henry helped him unload the fresh tomatoes he had brought. Jessie and Violet put them on the table in the store. Benny dusted the counter and made sure all the candy jars were full.

“A man’s coming soon about the job,” Mr. Taylor said to the Aldens. “Nancy told me that he called yesterday.” He stopped talking and looked around. “Where is Nancy?”

Henry looked around too. “I’ve been so busy, I didn’t even notice that she wasn’t here.”

“I hope she isn’t sick,” Jessie said. “I’ll go to her cabin and see.”

“I’ll go with you,” Violet said.

“If she isn’t feeling well, tell her to stay in bed,” Mr. Taylor called after the two girls.

But Nancy wasn’t sick. When Jessie and Violet knocked on the door, Nancy opened it and smiled. But her short red hair was not combed, she had only one shoe on, and she was holding her toothbrush.

“I overslept!” she cried, pulling the door open wider. “My clock stopped during the night and the alarm didn’t go off. It’s a brand-new clock, too!”

“We were afraid you were sick,” Jessie said as she and Violet stepped inside.

“I’m fine, but I’m a mess,” Nancy laughed. “Let me brush my teeth and comb my hair. Then I’ll walk back to the store with you.” She hurried into the bathroom.

Violet and Jessie waited in the big front room. “This room is just like ours,” Jessie said. “I guess all the cabins are alike.”

“But there’s something strange about it,” Violet said quietly, looking around. “I don’t know what it is. But this room doesn’t look right.”

On the stone mantel of the fireplace10 were two photographs in silver frames. Violet walked over and looked at them. One was a picture of a man and a woman. The second was a picture of a young boy and girl. They were standing11 near a tree, and the boy’s face was in shadow. But the girl’s face was in sunlight. “This girl looks a little like Nancy,” Violet said. “But she has long, brown hair. Nancy’s is red and short.”

Jessie didn’t answer. She was staring at a small shopping bag on the kitchen counter. “Look,” she said to Violet, pointing.

The bag was white, with green letters that spelled the words Elmford Shopping Center.

Just then, Nancy came into the room, ready to go. Jessie and Violet didn’t say anymore to each other. But they both wondered why Nancy would buy things at the new shopping center when she knew how worried Mr. Taylor was about it.

There were a lot of customers at the general store in the morning. But the afternoon wasn’t very busy. Violet decided to make a new sign. When she finished, she showed it to Mr. Taylor.

“Something Aunt Jane said made me think of it,” Violet told him. On the sign, she had drawn12 a picture of the general store. It looked just like the real one. Below the picture were the words, Taylor’s General Store. Old-fashioned Quality. Old-fashioned Prices.

Jessie said to Mr. Taylor, “Aunt Jane said your things were just as good as the ones in the new shopping center. But not as expensive.”

“It’s a perfect sign, Violet,” Mr. Taylor said. “Thank you. I’m going to put it out on that tree by the road.”

“I’ll help you hang it up,” Henry said.

Violet went out with Mr. Taylor and Henry. Jessie stayed inside to help Benny fill one of the candy jars with sour balls.

“I haven’t tried one of these yet,” Benny said, as he held the jar steady. When Jessie was finished pouring the candy, he took a penny out of his pocket and put it on the counter. Then he popped a sour ball into his mouth.

“Benny!” Jessie said, laughing. “You should see the face you’re making.”

“It is sour,” Benny mumbled13 because his mouth was full. “But I like it.”

“I don’t think there is any candy you don’t like.” Jessie was still laughing. But when she looked across the room, she saw Nancy, and she stopped laughing.

Nancy was standing by the shelves of clothes. A new shipment14 of T-shirts had arrived that morning. As Jessie watched, Nancy took a yellow shirt off the shelf. Then she rolled it up and tucked15 it under the shirt she was wearing. It hardly showed.

Jessie could hardly believe that Nancy was really stealing something. But she had seen it. She was so shocked that she gasped16, and Benny heard her.

“What’s wrong, Jessie?” he asked.

Jessie shook her head. She didn’t want to tell Benny about it now. “I’ll explain later,” she said.

Just then, Mr. Taylor, Henry, and Violet came back inside. “Time to close up for the day,” Mr. Taylor said. “Remember, Nancy, you have tomorrow morning off.”

“I haven’t forgotten, Mr. Taylor,” Nancy said. “Maybe I’ll go see a movie tonight.”

Everyone helped to clean up the store for the day. As Henry swept the floor, he noticed that Jessie was very quiet.

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

“I asked her the same thing,” Benny said. “But she wouldn’t tell me.”

“I can’t right now,” Jessie said. She looked at Nancy, who was nearby, dusting the counter. “I’ll have to tell you . . .”

“Later,” Benny finished. He made a face. “I’m always having to wait.”

Henry smiled. “This time, we both have to wait, Benny.”

Jessie tried to smile, too, but it was hard. She couldn’t forget that she had seen Nancy Baldwin stealing from Mr. Taylor’s store.
 


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 awakened de71059d0b3cd8a1de21151c9166f9f0     
v.(使)醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 );(使)觉醒;弄醒;(使)意识到
参考例句:
  • She awakened to the sound of birds singing. 她醒来听到鸟的叫声。
  • The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation. 公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 peered 20df74dd9059112f4ef8506d8ece8b43     
去皮的
参考例句:
  • He peeled away the plastic wrapping. 他去掉塑料包装。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The paint on the wall has peeled off. 墙上涂料已剥落了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
3 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。
4 den 5w9xk     
n.兽穴;秘密地方;安静的小房间,私室
参考例句:
  • There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。
  • The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。
5 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
6 maple BBpxj     
n.槭树,枫树,槭木
参考例句:
  • Maple sugar is made from the sap of maple trees.枫糖是由枫树的树液制成的。
  • The maple leaves are tinge with autumn red.枫叶染上了秋天的红色。
7 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。
8 sweeping ihCzZ4     
adj.范围广大的,一扫无遗的
参考例句:
  • The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
  • Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗?
9 porch ju9yM     
n.门廊,入口处,走廊,游廊
参考例句:
  • There are thousands of pages of advertising on our porch.有成千上万页广告堆在我们的门廊上。
  • The porch is supported by six immense pillars.门廊由六根大柱子支撑着。
10 fireplace YjUxz     
n.壁炉,炉灶
参考例句:
  • The fireplace smokes badly.这壁炉冒烟太多。
  • I think we should wall up the fireplace.我想应该封住壁炉。
11 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。
12 drawn MuXzIi     
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的
参考例句:
  • All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
  • Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。
13 mumbled 3855fd60b1f055fa928ebec8bcf3f539     
含糊地说某事,叽咕,咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He mumbled something to me which I did not quite catch. 他对我叽咕了几句话,可我没太听清楚。
  • George mumbled incoherently to himself. 乔治语无伦次地喃喃自语。
14 shipment cyVwp     
n.装货,装载的货物
参考例句:
  • The goods are done up in bundles for shipment.货物已打包以备装船。
  • Please advise the date of shipment as soon as possible.请尽快通知装货日期。
15 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。
16 gasped e6af294d8a7477229d6749fa9e8f5b80     
v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 );喘息;倒抽气;很想要
参考例句:
  • She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
  • People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
本文本内容来源于互联网抓取和网友提交,仅供参考,部分栏目没有内容,如果您有更合适的内容,欢迎点击提交分享给大家。
------分隔线----------------------------
顶一下
(0)
0%
踩一下
(0)
0%
最新评论 查看所有评论
发表评论 查看所有评论
请自觉遵守互联网相关的政策法规,严禁发布色情、暴力、反动的言论。
评价:
表情:
验证码:
听力搜索
推荐频道
论坛新贴