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儿童英语读物 The Mystery on Stage CHAPTER 7 Problems on the Set

时间:2017-08-09 06:17来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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“Someone noticed a light on in the theater late last night,” Jim announced to the cast and crew the next day. He paused to nervously1 pull up the collar of his faded blue shirt.

“Are you sure it wasn’t the janitor2?” Richard asked.

“I was the last one in the building. I turned out all the lights and locked the door,” Jim said as he paced up and down the stage.

Violet was worried about Jim. He looked paler and thinner than ever.

“Okay, let’s get started,” Jim called. He suddenly seemed in a hurry to begin rehearsing. “I want Sarah, Jessie, Melody, Harold, and Richard on stage.”

As Benny made his way backstage, he noticed Sarah in the wings. She had a large manila folder3 tucked under one arm. When she noticed Benny looking at her, she quickly stuck the folder in her script.

“Did you ever find your script?” Benny asked, trying to sound friendly.

“Uh, yes. I mean no. Nancy found an extra script.” Sarah seemed anxious to get away from Benny.

“I really think there should be a softer light on me in this scene,” Richard was saying loudly to Henry and Jim on stage. “I see no need for a green gel.”

“A what?” Benny asked Jessie.

“It’s a piece of thick plastic you put over a stage light to make it change color,” Jessie explained softly.

“You have to look green.” Jim tried to sound patient with Richard. “We need to have green lighting4 in this scene. The Wizard does live in the Emerald City.”

“Why can’t there be a soft, white spotlight5 on me?” Richard demanded.

“Look, I give the lighting directions here,” Jim said firmly. “Now, please take your positions so we can get on with this scene.”

“Come on, Benny, you should be backstage,” Henry called softly. He pulled one of the levers on the lighting board down to low.

“I’m going,” Benny said. He did a few dance steps from his Munchkin routine.

“You’re showing off,” Henry teased him.

“Not as much as Richard is,” Benny pointed6 out. Henry couldn’t argue.

Backstage, Violet and Soo Lee were making the tail for Jessie’s lion costume. Benny went over to watch them.

“Oh, Violet,” Nancy called as she came into the costume room. “Could you make a big poster for the show? We open in a week and we need more advertising7.” Nancy sighed and looked at the jumble8 of materials spread out on the big table in front of the girls.

“I can make the poster right here. Remember, we found lots of crayons and paints in this drawer.” Violet opened the long thin drawer of the black dresser.

“Good, I know you’ll do a good job. All you Aldens are such a big help around here,” Nancy said, looking appreciatively at Benny and Soo Lee. “By the way, Benny, if you’re not busy, I’d like you to help Mrs. McGregor paint the Yellow Brick Road on the backdrop. I have to be in the wings all afternoon to give the actors their cues.”

“I’m coming,” Benny said cheerfully. He liked to paint.

When Violet had sketched9 and painted the poster, she left it on the table in the costume room so the paint would dry. Then she went with Soo Lee to help Benny finish painting the Yellow Brick Road.

“Oh, good, I’m glad you’re here to help.” Mrs. McGregor brushed a wisp of hair off her forehead with her arm. “Benny has to go on stage now. They’re rehearsing the Munchkin scene.”

As she worked on the Yellow Brick Road, Violet noticed people going in and out of the costume room. When Richard came out, Violet asked, “Can I help you?”

“Oh, no.” Richard sounded a little embarrassed. “I, uh, was just looking for my costume.”

“It’s hanging on a hook near the wardrobe,” Violet said as she dabbed10 yellow paint on the big canvas backdrop in front of her.

“Yes, I saw it.” Richard played nervously with his bow tie. “It’s too bad I have to wear a brown suit during most of the play when all the others have such colorful costumes.”

“You have a colorful part,” Mrs. McGregor reminded him.

“Well, yes,” Richard admitted. “But a brighter suit would make me stand out more in the Emerald City.”

Violet didn’t know what to say. She nodded a little and continued painting. By the time rehearsal11 was over, the Yellow Brick Road was finished.

“Tomorrow, after the paint dries, they’ll put the canvas on the big wooden frame Henry made,” Mrs. McGregor said.

Before she left, Violet went to the costume room to get her coat. She carefully checked all the costumes. Mrs. Adams had made Dorothy a new blue-checked pinafore, and it hung crisply on a hook. The Lion and Scarecrow costumes lay finished on one of the tables. Nothing had been touched.

Violet breathed a sigh of relief, until she looked for the poster. It was missing!

“What’s the matter?” Nancy asked as she came into the costume room behind Violet. Violet’s eyes were very wide.

“The poster I made is gone!” Violet’s voice shook a little.

“It has to be somewhere,” Nancy pointed out. She began to look in the closet and under the table. “Did you notice anyone coming into the costume room when you were painting scenery?”

Violet frowned. “Well, yes,” she said. “Richard.”

Nancy nodded.

“And other people came in and out,” Violet continued, “but I didn’t pay much attention.”

Nancy sighed. “I’m going to look for the poster backstage, then I’ll make an announcement. Maybe someone already hung it outside.”

“No, I don’t think so,” a shrill12 voice said behind them. Melody had silently slipped into the room wearing her pink ballet slippers13. She waved her hands in front of her to show off her purple nail polish.

Nancy and Violet stared at her in surprise.

“What do you mean, you don’t think so?” Nancy asked. “Have you seen the poster?”

“Why, isn’t it over there?” Melody pointed with her purple-nailed index finger.

The poster stood in the far corner of the room facing the wall. Violet examined it carefully. Everything looked all right except someone had tried to make the letters in Richard’s name bigger!

“Of all the nerve!” Nancy exclaimed.

Violet stared at her poster in silence. “I think I can fix it,” she said after a few moments. “I’ll just have to make Sarah’s name a little bigger, too.”

Nancy just shook her head. “I’m going to have to have a talk with Richard.” She hurried out of the room.

Melody paid no attention to the conversation between Nancy and Violet. “I want to see my Scarecrow costume,” she insisted. “Now.”

“It’s right here.” Violet pointed to the patchwork14 jumpsuit filled with cotton and straw.

“It looks so itchy,” Melody complained.

Violet sighed. “It shouldn’t be,” she answered. “The straw won’t be touching15 your skin.”

“I wish I could wear one of these long dresses,” Melody said as she inspected one of the long pink silk gowns hanging on the rack.

“Melody?” Violet asked. “How did you know where the poster was?”

Melody played with one of the rings on her finger. “I just saw it there when I came in earlier to change into my ballet slippers.”

“Did you notice anyone fiddling16 with it?”

Melody held the pink gown to her body and examined her reflection in the full-length mirror. “What do you mean fiddling with it?” she asked without looking at Violet.

“I mean, did you see anyone changing the lettering on it?” Although Violet sounded polite, she was beginning to lose her patience.

“No.” Melody shook her long auburn curls. “The poster was just sitting there against the wall. I didn’t touch it, if that’s what you mean. Why would I want to make Richard’s name bigger?”

Melody twirled in front of the mirror one more time before hanging the dress back on the rack. She left the room without saying another word to Violet.

When Nancy came back, she looked discouraged. “Richard’s left for the evening. I promise you, I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”

Violet sighed. “I think I’ll finish this poster at home. I have lots of paints there.”

“Don’t stay up too late,” Nancy advised as she put on her coat. “You’ll need your energy for all those costume fittings tomorrow.”

“I won’t,” Violet assured her as she gathered her things to leave.

As the Aldens walked out of the Community Playhouse, they noticed a big white car pulled up in front of the building. A man in a tweed coat sat behind the wheel drumming his fingers on the dashboard.

“Have you seen a girl named Sarah Bellamy?” the man called to the Aldens as they walked past his car.

“Yes, we know her. She’s staying late to practice her lines with Jim, the director,” Jessie answered.

The man shook his head impatiently. “I can’t wait here forever,” he complained as he leaned on his horn and honked17.

“I don’t think she can hear you,” Benny pointed out. The man glared in Benny’s direction.

“Would one of you mind going inside to find her?” The man tried to sound polite. “You see, I don’t want to lose my parking place,” he explained.

“I can go,” Benny said.

“I’ll go with you, Benny,” said Jessie. She didn’t notice any other cars parked nearby and wondered why the man was afraid of losing his parking place.

“We’ll meet you at the house, then,” Mrs. McGregor suggested. “I have to get dinner started, and Soo Lee and Violet are helping18 me. Aren’t you?” she added winking19 at them.

“I’ll help with dinner, too,” Henry said as he stamped his feet a little on the pavement to keep warm. He took the poster from Violet to carry.

It took Jessie and Benny longer than they thought to walk backstage because they met some cast members in the lobby.

“Have you seen Sarah?” they asked.

“No,” Mrs. Adams answered. “But she did say something a while ago about wanting to stay late for practice.”

Once Jessie and Benny reached the auditorium20, it was completely dark. “All the actors must have left,” Benny said.

The Aldens looked in the costume room, the dressing21 rooms, and on the stage. Jessie even turned on the house lights so she could see the whole auditorium, but Sarah was nowhere to be found.

“She must have gone home,” Jessie said finally as she turned off the lights. “Maybe she didn’t know she was getting picked up.”

“It’s funny Jim’s gone, too,” Benny said. “He usually likes to stay late!”

“We seem to be the only ones here,” Jessie said, looking out at the darkened auditorium.

Benny nodded. “Let’s go out and tell that man we can’t find Sarah,” he said. “Do you think he’s her father?” he added.

Jessie shrugged22. “He might be. He does look a little bit like her.”

“He has dark hair and blue eyes,” said Benny. “Sarah does, too.”

Before they left, Jessie made sure all the lights controlled by the lighting board were turned off. She took the red flashlight near the board so Benny and she could find their way to the door.

“It’s dark back here,” Benny said as he sidestepped a pile of lumber23 stacked near the wall. “I’m glad you found a flashlight.”

“Yes,” Jessie agreed. “I don’t know why they turned the night-light off.”

“Jessie!” Benny whispered loudly. He grabbed his sister’s arm. “I hear voices!”

Jessie moved closer to the backstage door. “Don’t worry, they’re just talking outside,” she whispered. “No one’s backstage.”

“I won’t let you do this!” a man’s voice said angrily.

“Do you think that’s Jim?” Benny whispered. “Who’s he talking to?”

Jessie put her finger to her lips and shook her head. “I can’t tell,” she said after a moment.

“You have to stop!” the man kept saying. The girl answered in low muffled24 tones.

“That’s Sarah’s voice!” Benny whispered. “But I can’t hear what she’s saying.”

Benny and Jessie looked at each other. Benny’s big eyes grew even rounder. “Do you think Sarah’s been the one doing all those things to the props25 and costumes … ?”

“And Jim’s telling her to stop?” Jessie finished the sentence for her brother. She shook her head. “It sounds that way, but we don’t know for sure.”

Jessie beamed the flashlight on the doorknob. “Why don’t we go outside and see what’s going on?” she suggested.

Suddenly the girl outside the stage door burst into tears. Jessie hesitated with her hand on the doorknob. “I don’t think we should interrupt their conversation,” she said finally.

Benny nodded. “Okay. We can go out the side door,” he said.

Jessie turned, but something caught her eye.

“Look, Benny,” she called in a low voice.

“What is it?” Benny asked.

Jessie pointed the flashlight at the backdrop of the wizard’s palace. “Somebody moved it,” Jessie whispered. “When we were working this afternoon on the Yellow Brick Road, I’m sure the Wizard’s palace was facing the wall near those boards.”

When Jessie shone the light on the Wizard’s palace, the Aldens could see it was splattered with big drops of black paint. Attached to the set was a big note written in red ink.

“Can you read what it says?” Benny asked. Jessie moved her flashlight. Softly she read the note aloud. It said:

Watch out, my pretty!


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 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。
2 janitor iaFz7     
n.看门人,管门人
参考例句:
  • The janitor wiped on the windows with his rags.看门人用褴褛的衣服擦着窗户。
  • The janitor swept the floors and locked up the building every night.那个看门人每天晚上负责打扫大楼的地板和锁门。
3 folder KjixL     
n.纸夹,文件夹
参考例句:
  • Peter returned the plan and charts to their folder.彼得把这份计划和表格放回文件夹中。
  • He draws the document from its folder.他把文件从硬纸夹里抽出来。
4 lighting CpszPL     
n.照明,光线的明暗,舞台灯光
参考例句:
  • The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
  • The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。
5 spotlight 6hBzmk     
n.公众注意的中心,聚光灯,探照灯,视听,注意,醒目
参考例句:
  • This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
  • The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。
6 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。
7 advertising 1zjzi3     
n.广告业;广告活动 a.广告的;广告业务的
参考例句:
  • Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
  • The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。
8 jumble I3lyi     
vt.使混乱,混杂;n.混乱;杂乱的一堆
参考例句:
  • Even the furniture remained the same jumble that it had always been.甚至家具还是象过去一样杂乱无章。
  • The things in the drawer were all in a jumble.抽屉里的东西很杂乱。
9 sketched 7209bf19355618c1eb5ca3c0fdf27631     
v.草拟(sketch的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • The historical article sketched the major events of the decade. 这篇有关历史的文章概述了这十年中的重大事件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He sketched the situation in a few vivid words. 他用几句生动的语言简述了局势。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
10 dabbed c669891a6c15c8a38e0e41e9d8a2804d     
(用某物)轻触( dab的过去式和过去分词 ); 轻而快地擦掉(或抹掉); 快速擦拭; (用某物)轻而快地涂上(或点上)…
参考例句:
  • She dabbed her eyes and blew her nose. 她轻轻擦了几下眼睛,擤了擤鼻涕。
  • He dabbed at the spot on his tie with a napkin. 他用餐巾快速擦去领带上的污点。
11 rehearsal AVaxu     
n.排练,排演;练习
参考例句:
  • I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
  • You can sharpen your skills with rehearsal.排练可以让技巧更加纯熟。
12 shrill EEize     
adj.尖声的;刺耳的;v尖叫
参考例句:
  • Whistles began to shrill outside the barn.哨声开始在谷仓外面尖叫。
  • The shrill ringing of a bell broke up the card game on the cutter.刺耳的铃声打散了小汽艇的牌局。
13 slippers oiPzHV     
n. 拖鞋
参考例句:
  • a pair of slippers 一双拖鞋
  • He kicked his slippers off and dropped on to the bed. 他踢掉了拖鞋,倒在床上。
14 patchwork yLsx6     
n.混杂物;拼缝物
参考例句:
  • That proposal is nothing else other than a patchwork.那个建议只是一个大杂烩而已。
  • She patched new cloth to the old coat,so It'seemed mere patchwork. 她把新布初到那件旧上衣上,所以那件衣服看上去就象拼凑起来的东西。
15 touching sg6zQ9     
adj.动人的,使人感伤的
参考例句:
  • It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
  • His letter was touching.他的信很感人。
16 fiddling XtWzRz     
微小的
参考例句:
  • He was fiddling with his keys while he talked to me. 和我谈话时他不停地摆弄钥匙。
  • All you're going to see is a lot of fiddling around. 你今天要看到的只是大量的胡摆乱弄。 来自英汉文学 - 廊桥遗梦
17 honked b787ca4a3834aa71da55df2b9bcafdfe     
v.(使)发出雁叫似的声音,鸣(喇叭),按(喇叭)( honk的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • I drove up in front of the house and honked. 我将车开到屋子前面然后按喇叭。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • He honked his horn as he went past. 他经过时按响了汽车喇叭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
18 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。
19 winking b599b2f7a74d5974507152324c7b8979     
n.瞬眼,目语v.使眼色( wink的现在分词 );递眼色(表示友好或高兴等);(指光)闪烁;闪亮
参考例句:
  • Anyone can do it; it's as easy as winking. 这谁都办得到,简直易如反掌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The stars were winking in the clear sky. 星星在明亮的天空中闪烁。 来自《简明英汉词典》
20 auditorium HO6yK     
n.观众席,听众席;会堂,礼堂
参考例句:
  • The teacher gathered all the pupils in the auditorium.老师把全体同学集合在礼堂内。
  • The stage is thrust forward into the auditorium.舞台向前突出,伸入观众席。
21 dressing 1uOzJG     
n.(食物)调料;包扎伤口的用品,敷料
参考例句:
  • Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
  • The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。
22 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》
23 lumber a8Jz6     
n.木材,木料;v.以破旧东西堆满;伐木;笨重移动
参考例句:
  • The truck was sent to carry lumber.卡车被派出去运木材。
  • They slapped together a cabin out of old lumber.他们利用旧木料草草地盖起了一间小屋。
24 muffled fnmzel     
adj.(声音)被隔的;听不太清的;(衣服)裹严的;蒙住的v.压抑,捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 );用厚厚的衣帽包着(自己)
参考例句:
  • muffled voices from the next room 从隔壁房间里传来的沉闷声音
  • There was a muffled explosion somewhere on their right. 在他们的右面什么地方有一声沉闷的爆炸声。 来自《简明英汉词典》
25 props 50fe03ab7bf37089a7e88da9b31ffb3b     
小道具; 支柱( prop的名词复数 ); 支持者; 道具; (橄榄球中的)支柱前锋
参考例句:
  • Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
  • The government props up the prices of farm products to support farmers' incomes. 政府保持农产品价格不变以保障农民们的收入。
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