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 Dinosaur Mystery CHAPTER 1 A Terrible Lizard

时间:2017-08-10 02:51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)

Five suitcases, three good-sized ones and two small ones, stood next to three good-sized children and two small ones. The children’s grandfather, James Alden, reached into the trunk of his car. They had just pulled up behind the Pickering Natural History Museum.

“Whoa!” Mr. Alden said as he dragged out a heavy box. “What’s in here, Benny?”

“Rocks!” six-year-old Benny Alden announced as he helped his grandfather lift the box from the trunk.

“My goodness, Benny,” twelve-year-old Jessie Alden teased, “I thought you were just bringing a small bag of your rocks.”

“I couldn’t decide, Jessie, so I brought all of them,” Benny told his oldest sister. “Mr. and Mrs. Diggs can help me make them into a real rock collection!”

“Do they know about birds’ nests, too?” Soo Lee asked her cousin Violet Alden.

“They know all about birds’ nests, too. And fossils and dinosaurs2 and all kinds of things.” She took her seven-year-old cousin by the hand.

Soo Lee smiled at Violet. The Aldens were part of her adopted family now. They were cousins of her parents, Joe and Alice Alden.

Mr. Alden closed the trunk of the car. “Well, children, I know the Pickering Museum will have a dinosaur1 skeleton or two and a few other things you children are going to like.” Mr. Alden and Henry moved the suitcases next to the side entrance to the museum, which was closed at this hour. “Now, let’s see. Where’s that buzzer3 Emma and Archie told me to ring for the night watchman?”

“Here it is!” Soo Lee cried.

“Then give it a ring,” Mr. Alden told her.

Soo Lee pressed, then pressed again. The Aldens could hear the bell echoing inside the museum. Soon they saw a light moving along the dark hall.

Benny and Soo Lee pressed their faces against the glass door.

“Benny,” Soo Lee whispered. “Can you see it? Can you see the dinosaur?”

Before Benny could answer, a large figure blocked the door.

“Museum’s closed!” the Aldens heard a man yell from inside.

Benny rang the bell this time. The guard aimed his flashlight at the Aldens.

“I said the museum’s closed!” the man repeated. “It doesn’t open until ten tomorrow.”

Before the Aldens could explain why they were there, the man disappeared.

“I’m going to drive around the block to the Diggses’ apartment,” Mr. Alden said. “Maybe they forgot to tell the guard when we were arriving.”

Mr. Alden drove off, and the Alden children sat down on their suitcases to wait.

“Here,” Violet said to Soo Lee. “You can lean against me. Soon we’ll be inside the Diggses’ apartment with our own beds to sleep in. Tomorrow there will be plenty of time for dinosaurs.”

Soo Lee nodded. She hugged the small teddy bear the Aldens had given her as a present when she’d arrived from Korea.

Benny tried to cover a yawn. “I’m not tired. I want to see the big old dinosaur that’s inside this museum!”

Fourteen-year-old Henry yawned too. “Well, I don’t think that dinosaur is going anywhere tonight, Benny.”

Benny leaned up against the door again. When he did, a loud alarm began to buzz over and over. The children covered their ears to muffle4 the terrible sound.

“What’s going on?” Henry yelled over the racket.

“Somebody’s here!” Benny yelled back.

The museum door whooshed5 open. A tall man in a uniform and hat waved his flashlight over the children like a spotlight6. Next to him, a large German shepherd pulled hard on a leash7 and growled8 at the children,

“I told you,” the man began. “The museum’s closed, and now you’ve set off the alarm!”

“I did?” Benny asked, surprised that he had caused all this ruckus.

The man pushed a button on the wall. The awful alarm finally stopped, but the dog’s growling9 did not.

Benny usually liked dogs, even big ones. They reminded him of the Aldens’ own wonderful dog, Watch. But Benny would rather have come face to face with a live dinosaur than this big dog!

“Down, Nosey!” the guard ordered.

“Nice dog,” Jessie said in her sweet voice. “He’s a watchdog. Just like our dog, Watch.”

Jessie’s soothing10 voice seemed to calm the animal. He stopped growling and began to sniff11 at the children.

“I bet he smells Watch’s fur on our clothes,” Henry explained to the guard. “We couldn’t bring him on this trip. Mr. and Mrs. Diggs don’t have room for our whole family and our dog.”

The guard gave the children a puzzled look. “You know Mr. and Mrs. Diggs? They are on the Board of Directors of the Pickering Museum!”

“They invited us to help set up the Dino World exhibit,” Jessie explained politely. “They’re friends of Grandfather’s. They were looking for volunteers to help out.”

The guard smacked12 his forehead. “Say, now I know what you’re talking about! Mrs. Diggs did say something yesterday about meeting you with the loading cart tonight. Forgot all about it, I did. Even wrote myself a note since I’m always forgetting things, but — oops — I lost the note!”

The Alden children felt better now.

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” the man said in a much friendlier voice. “I’m Pete, Pete Lawlor. And this is our watchdog, Nosey. He’s friendly when he knows you.”

A phone rang in the distance, and Nosey’s ears pricked13 up.

Pete Lawlor went off to answer the phone while the children gently stroked Nosey. He sniffed14 at the children’s shoes, their suitcases, and their clothes.

“That was Mrs. Diggs on the phone,” Pete said when he came back. “She told me to put your suitcases on this cart and bring you straight up to the apartment. I bet you don’t know how we’re going to get there.”

“Through a tunnel?” Soo Lee guessed.

“Grandfather told us about the tunnel before we got here,” Henry explained.

“Shucks!” Pete said. He pushed the cart down the dim hall past a wall of television screens that showed different rooms of the museum. “I wanted to surprise you. Just work people from the gas company and a few museum people use the tunnel. It runs underneath15 the museum and the apartment building across the way. That’s where Mr. and Mrs. Diggs live. There’s an entrance over this way,” Pete said. “Straight through Africa.”

Trailing behind Pete and Nosey, the children made their way through a large hall lit only by an exit sign. Up ahead were six huge humps.

Henry felt Soo Lee’s hand squeeze his own. “Are those dinosaurs?” she asked.

“Not exactly,” Henry answered. “Here, up you go.” He gave her a boost up to his shoulders. “See?”

“Elephants!” Soo Lee exclaimed.

The cart squeaked16 to a stop when Pete reached a doorway17. He pulled a crumpled18 map from his pocket. “Let’s see, is it this door or the one over there?” he mumbled19 to himself.

The children looked at each other, puzzled. For a museum guard, Pete Lawlor didn’t seem to know his way around very well.

“Let’s try Entomology,” he said.

“Ento what?” Soo Lee and Benny repeated together.

“Entomology,” Jessie said. “Where they study bugs21, I think.”

Sure enough, when Pete opened the door, the Aldens found themselves in a room full of insects, hundreds of them!

“Take a look at that one!” Pete said. His flashlight stopped in front of a glass display case standing22 apart from the others.

“Wow!” Benny cried when he got a closer look. “I’m glad it’s not alive and crawling around.” It was a crunchy-looking beetle23 nearly five inches long.

“It’s a Goliath beetle from Africa,” Pete said. “How’d you like to meet up with one of those?”

“I don’t think I would,” Violet answered.

“Me neither,” Henry agreed.

“Maybe I would!” Benny said, but his voice trailed away. Suddenly he felt tired after all. He’d had enough bugs for one night.

Benny’s big yawn was catching24, and the other children began to yawn, too.

“If you think that’s a scary critter, take a look at this one,” Pete said. He beamed his flashlight across the room to another display case.

Henry pointed25 to his watch. “You know what, Pete? We had a long car trip with our grandfather. How about a tour another time instead?”

“Sure,” Pete said. “I get carried away and forget what time it is. Now let’s see if I can find the right door. Give me a minute.”

Pete trotted26 off, jangling his keys. The children leaned on each other, too tired to think about being in a strange, dark room full of bugs!

Just as their eyes began to adjust to the dim light, they heard the alarm scream again. Nosey bolted out of the bug20 room, his toenails clicking against the marble floors.

Soo Lee held on to Violet, and Benny stayed close to Jessie.

“Wait here,” Henry said, racing27 after Nosey. “I’m going to see what set off that alarm. This time it wasn’t us.”

“I want to go, too,” Benny said, half scared and half excited.

Leaving the cart behind, the other children covered their ears and followed Henry.

“Look, somebody went in there!” Benny pointed to a door.

Henry pulled it open.

The children jumped back. Inside the huge, dim room was a giant dinosaur skeleton with a jaw28 big enough to eat a tree — or a person! Shadows loomed29 on the wall.

Suddenly the children heard panting, then keys jangling. But they couldn’t tell where the noises were coming from.

“Hey, how did you kids get in here?” Pete Lawlor said next. “I’m afraid it’s off-limits without Dr. Pettibone here to let you in. Even Mr. and Mrs. Diggs are careful not to upset Titus by coming in here without him.”

“Benny thought he saw somebody sneak30 in here,” Henry explained, “so we just followed. We thought maybe it was you.”

Pete shook his head. “No way! Titus Pettibone is the head of the fossil department, and nobody comes in here without his say-so. He doesn’t want anything to happen to T. rex here. This Tyrannosaurus is going to be the main attraction when Dino World opens. Titus has been working on this skeleton his whole life, and… .”

Pete forgot what he was saying. Instead, he beamed his flashlight up and down the skeleton as he walked around the huge creature. “I don’t get too much of a chance to see T. rex myself. What a beast! No wonder they called some dinosaurs terrible lizards31.”

“Come on, you two,” Jessie said. “Let’s go find Mr. and Mrs. Diggs.”

The children headed toward the exit. The door was about to click shut when Violet stopped.

“Where’s Pete?” she asked.

The children turned around. There were two dinosaurs in the room now, the huge real skeleton and the even larger shadow that covered the wall and ceiling. And Pete had forgotten all about the Aldens as he kept flashing his light over the dinosaur skeleton.

“Pete! Pete!” Henry’s voice echoed.

Finally Pete pulled away from the dinosaur, nearly tripping over its tailbones.

“Sorry, kids,” he apologized. “I just wanted another look. It seems bigger and more amazing at night.”

With Pete and Nosey leading the way, the children filed out of the dinosaur room, and did not see another shadow moving slowly across the wall.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 dinosaur xuSxp     
n.恐龙
参考例句:
  • Are you trying to tell me that David was attacked by a dinosaur?你是想要告诉我大卫被一支恐龙所攻击?
  • He stared at the faithful miniature of the dinosaur.他凝视著精确的恐龙缩小模型。
2 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》
3 buzzer 2x7zGi     
n.蜂鸣器;汽笛
参考例句:
  • The buzzer went off at eight o'clock.蜂鸣器在8点钟时响了。
  • Press the buzzer when you want to talk.你想讲话的时候就按蜂鸣器。
4 muffle gFjxn     
v.围裹;抑制;发低沉的声音
参考例句:
  • Mother made an effort to muffle her emotions.母亲努力控制自己的感情。
  • I put my hand over my mouth to muffle my words,so only my friend could hear. 我把手挡在嘴上,遮住声音,仅让我的朋友听到。
5 whooshed efbb33dba971e01f264f1c8d19e89ad2     
v.(使)飞快移动( whoosh的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Oil whooshed up when the drill hit the well. 当钻孔机钻井时,石油喷了出来。 来自互联网
  • Then his breath had whooshed out again, making Bianca's magic useless. 接着他终于发出一声低沉的呼吸,这让比安卡的魔法失去了作用。 来自互联网
6 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。
7 leash M9rz1     
n.牵狗的皮带,束缚;v.用皮带系住
参考例句:
  • I reached for the leash,but the dog got in between.我伸手去拿系狗绳,但被狗挡住了路。
  • The dog strains at the leash,eager to be off.狗拼命地扯拉皮带,想挣脱开去。
8 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》
9 growling growling     
n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼
参考例句:
  • We heard thunder growling in the distance. 我们听见远处有隆隆雷声。
  • The lay about the deck growling together in talk. 他们在甲板上到处游荡,聚集在一起发牢骚。
10 soothing soothing     
adj.慰藉的;使人宽心的;镇静的
参考例句:
  • Put on some nice soothing music.播放一些柔和舒缓的音乐。
  • His casual, relaxed manner was very soothing.他随意而放松的举动让人很快便平静下来。
11 sniff PF7zs     
vi.嗅…味道;抽鼻涕;对嗤之以鼻,蔑视
参考例句:
  • The police used dogs to sniff out the criminals in their hiding - place.警察使用警犬查出了罪犯的藏身地点。
  • When Munchie meets a dog on the beach, they sniff each other for a while.当麦奇在海滩上碰到另一条狗的时候,他们会彼此嗅一会儿。
12 smacked bb7869468e11f63a1506d730c1d2219e     
拍,打,掴( smack的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He smacked his lips but did not utter a word. 他吧嗒两下嘴,一声也不言语。
  • She smacked a child's bottom. 她打孩子的屁股。
13 pricked 1d0503c50da14dcb6603a2df2c2d4557     
刺,扎,戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 ); 刺伤; 刺痛; 使剧痛
参考例句:
  • The cook pricked a few holes in the pastry. 厨师在馅饼上戳了几个洞。
  • He was pricked by his conscience. 他受到良心的谴责。
14 sniffed ccb6bd83c4e9592715e6230a90f76b72     
v.以鼻吸气,嗅,闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 );抽鼻子(尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气);抱怨,不以为然地说
参考例句:
  • When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣,吸了吸鼻子,擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
15 underneath VKRz2     
adj.在...下面,在...底下;adv.在下面
参考例句:
  • Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
  • She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣,里面套着一条连衣裙。
16 squeaked edcf2299d227f1137981c7570482c7f7     
v.短促地尖叫( squeak的过去式和过去分词 );吱吱叫;告密;充当告密者
参考例句:
  • The radio squeaked five. 收音机里嘟嘟地发出五点钟报时讯号。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • Amy's shoes squeaked on the tiles as she walked down the corridor. 埃米走过走廊时,鞋子踩在地砖上嘎吱作响。 来自辞典例句
17 doorway 2s0xK     
n.门口,(喻)入门;门路,途径
参考例句:
  • They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
  • Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。
18 crumpled crumpled     
adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式
参考例句:
  • She crumpled the letter up into a ball and threw it on the fire. 她把那封信揉成一团扔进了火里。
  • She flattened out the crumpled letter on the desk. 她在写字台上把皱巴巴的信展平。
19 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。
20 bug 5skzf     
n.虫子;故障;窃听器;vt.纠缠;装窃听器
参考例句:
  • There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。
  • The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。
21 bugs e3255bae220613022d67e26d2e4fa689     
adj.疯狂的,发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 );病菌;虫子;[计算机](制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的)错误
参考例句:
  • All programs have bugs and need endless refinement. 所有的程序都有漏洞,都需要不断改进。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
22 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。
23 beetle QudzV     
n.甲虫,近视眼的人
参考例句:
  • A firefly is a type of beetle.萤火虫是一种甲虫。
  • He saw a shiny green beetle on a leaf.我看见树叶上有一只闪闪发光的绿色甲虫。
24 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。
25 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。
26 trotted 6df8e0ef20c10ef975433b4a0456e6e1     
小跑,急走( trot的过去分词 ); 匆匆忙忙地走
参考例句:
  • She trotted her pony around the field. 她骑着小马绕场慢跑。
  • Anne trotted obediently beside her mother. 安妮听话地跟在妈妈身边走。
27 racing 1ksz3w     
n.竞赛,赛马;adj.竞赛用的,赛马用的
参考例句:
  • I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
  • The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。
28 jaw 5xgy9     
n.颚,颌,说教,流言蜚语;v.喋喋不休,教训
参考例句:
  • He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
  • A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。
29 loomed 9423e616fe6b658c9a341ebc71833279     
v.隐约出现,阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 );隐约出现,阴森地逼近
参考例句:
  • A dark shape loomed up ahead of us. 一个黑糊糊的影子隐隐出现在我们的前面。
  • The prospect of war loomed large in everyone's mind. 战事将起的庞大阴影占据每个人的心。 来自《简明英汉词典》
30 sneak vr2yk     
vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝);偷偷摸摸做;n.潜行;adj.暗中进行
参考例句:
  • He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。
  • I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。
31 lizards 9e3fa64f20794483b9c33d06297dcbfb     
n.蜥蜴( lizard的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Nothing lives in Pompeii except crickets and beetles and lizards. 在庞培城里除了蟋蟀、甲壳虫和蜥蜴外,没有别的生物。 来自辞典例句
  • Can lizards reproduce their tails? 蜥蜴的尾巴断了以后能再生吗? 来自辞典例句
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