-
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Sam, the neighbor, woke the girls the next morning, bringing the milk. The girls could hear Maggie in the kitchen, “Shh, Shh! Sam Weeks! You’ll wake those girls.”
“I want to wake them,” said Sam. “I want to see them.” He began to whistle1.
The girls laughed while they washed their faces in the big wash bowl in their room. They dressed quickly. They wanted to see Sam, too.
“Well, well!” he said, as they came into the kitchen. “I hear you came to see your Aunt Jane. Are you planning to stay here all summer?”
“Sam!” cried Maggie. “How do they know?”
“We really don’t know how long we’ll stay,” said Jessie. “We don’t know how long Aunt Jane will want us.”
“I’m worried about you,” Sam said. “I’m afraid you won’t get enough food. Maggie had to eat at our house when she got real hungry.”
“Well,” answered Jessie, dropping some eggs into hot water, “We can buy food. Grandfather gave me some money.”
“I hope your aunt will let you eat it after you get it,” said Sam. He turned to go.
He stopped at the door and turned to Maggie.
“A stranger2 got off the train last night,” he said.
“Yes, we know!” cried both girls.
“That’s right, you would know,” said Sam.
“We call him our Mystery3 Man,” said Jessie.
“He’s a mystery, all right,” said Sam. “I noticed him because not very many people get off that fast train.”
Sam watched the three people sit down at the pretty table. He turned and walked quickly out the kitchen door.
Jessie smiled as she poured4 hot milk on a piece of toast.
“A little salt,” she laughed, “and Aunt Jane’s breakfast is ready.”
She carried the plate into Aunt Jane’s bedroom.
“More food, I suppose,” said Aunt Jane.
“That’s right,” said Jessie. “It’s milk toast. Delicious! Now, while you eat, I’ll tell you our plan. Maggie is taking us to the store this morning to buy food. And while we are near the station, we’ll send a telegram5 to Grandfather. We’ll tell him we are having a fine time.”
“A fine time? Pooh!” said Aunt Jane.
“But it’s true, Aunt Jane,” said Jessie quietly. “We love the ranch6 already. It’s a beautiful place!”
“I’m the only person who has ever really liked this ranch,” her aunt said. She began to eat her breakfast. Jessie watched her.
“She seems almost starved7. If she is hungry, why doesn’t she want to eat?” Jessie said to herself.
Jessie picked up the empty plate and left the room quietly.
When Jessie came into the kitchen, she saw Maggie at the back door with the horse and wagon8. To her surprise, Violet9 was already on the seat.
“Don’t we lock the door?” she asked.
“No, we never do. Nobody ever comes here,” said Maggie. “Go on, old boy!”
As the horse walked slowly along, the girls made up a telegram to send to their grandfather. Tom Young, the station agent, sent the telegram.
“A telegram every day. Quite an exciting town!” he said.
Just then they heard a train whistle. “The train goes the other way every morning,” said Maggie. “Do you want to watch it come in?”
They saw the train come into the station. Nobody got on and nobody got off.
“That’s the way it always is,” said Maggie. “Soon the train won’t stop at Centerville any more. It doesn’t pay.”
Maggie and the girls went to the store. They bought enough groceries10 to last a week and loaded12 them into the wagon. The old horse walked even slower than usual going home, because of the load11.
When they came back to the ranch, they found Aunt Jane very cross.
“Humph!” she said to Maggie. “You go off riding all over the country and leave me here alone so that anything can happen!”
“But, Miss Jane,” Maggie said, “what could possibly happen to you out here?”
“I was nearly fooled into selling this ranch! That’s what could happen,” the little old lady answered.
“Now, Miss Jane, this must be another one of your strange ideas,” Maggie said.
“Strange, is it? Well, look at this.” She pulled a paper from beneath14 her pillow15. Maggie and the girls came closer to the bed to see what it said. It was an offer to buy the ranch for ten thousand dollars.
“Think of it!” Aunt Jane said. “Ten thousand dollars for my ranch! But I told those three men that my ranch isn’t for sale at any price. I have other plans for it.”
“Dear Aunt Jane,” said Violet softly16, “do you mean three men came into your room?”
“Yes,” replied Aunt Jane. “But don’t you worry, my dear. I could manage them.”
Aunt Jane leaned17 her head back on her pillows18 again.
“Go away, now. All this excitement19 has made me tired.”
Maggie and the girls went into the kitchen.
“I’d think she would be glad to get rid13 of the place at any price,” said Maggie.
“I’m glad she didn’t sell it, though,” said Violet. “It’s such a beautiful ranch. I wonder what plans she has for it.”
收听单词发音 |
1
whistle
|
|
| n.口哨，汽笛，啸啸声，口哨声；vi. 吹口哨，鸣汽笛，发嘘嘘声；vt.用口哨通知 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
stranger
|
|
| n.陌生人；外地人，异乡人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
mystery
|
|
| n.神秘，奥秘，秘密，玄妙，不可思议的事 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
poured
|
|
| 涌出( pour的过去式和过去分词 )； 倾，倒； 涌流； 倾泻 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
telegram
|
|
| n.电报；vt.用电报发送(打电报) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
ranch
|
|
| n.大牧场，大农场 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
starved
|
|
| v.（使）挨饿，饥饿( starve的过去式和过去分词 )；缺乏，急需；缺胶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
wagon
|
|
| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
violet
|
|
| adj.紫色的；n.紫罗兰 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
groceries
|
|
| n.食品，杂货；杂货业( grocery的名词复数 )；杂货店；杂品 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
load
|
|
| n.负荷，重担，装载量；v.装载，装填，担负 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
loaded
|
|
| adj.载重的，有负荷的；充满…的；〈美俚〉喝醉了的；〈美俚〉富有的v.把…装上车[船]( load的过去式)；装… | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
rid
|
|
| v.摆脱，除掉，克服，干掉，消灭；vt.使摆脱，使去掉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
beneath
|
|
| prep.在…下面；adv.在下面，在下方 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
pillow
|
|
| n.枕头；枕垫；vt.作…的枕头；垫；枕于；vi.靠在枕上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
softly
|
|
| adv.柔和地，静静地，温柔地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
leaned
|
|
| v.（使）倾斜，屈身( lean的过去式和过去分词 )；倚；依赖；使斜靠 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
pillows
|
|
| n.枕头( pillow的名词复数 )；用作枕头的东西 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
excitement
|
|
| n.刺激；兴奋；激动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
购买
在百度中搜索