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 of the Stolen Boxcar CHAPTER 5 The Tantrum

时间:2017-08-17 07:08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)

Henry, Jessie, Violet, Benny, and Soo Lee were coming out of the hardware store the next morning with more paint and supplies for the boxcar, when a voice said, “Hush, Becky. If you’re good, I’ll ask these nice children to tell you about their boxcar. Remember? You saw their picture in the newspaper this morning!”

The Aldens turned to see a young woman holding the hand of a little girl with golden curls and blue eyes. The little girl was wearing a pink dress with a big white sash, lacy pink tights, and white shoes with silver buckles1. She was wearing a pink coat that exactly matched her dress.

“Oh! How pretty you look!” exclaimed Violet. “Just like a picture in a magazine.”

“Say thank you, Becky,” said the young woman.

Becky pushed out her lip and pouted2.

“This is Becky Jennings and I’m her baby-sitter, Martha. We saw your picture in the newspaper with the article about the parade,” Martha went on. “It was a very nice picture, wasn’t it, Becky?”

Becky still didn’t say anything.

“Thank you,” said Henry.

“Becky liked your boxcar, didn’t you Becky?”

Suddenly Becky’s face turned very red. Her eyes screwed shut. Then she began to scream!

“I want it!” she screamed. “Mine, mine, mine! My boxcar! I want the boxcar! MINE. GIVE IT TO ME!”

Everyone was so shocked that they didn’t know what to do.

Becky jerked her hand out of her baby-sitter’s hand. Then she flung herself down on the ground and began to kick her heels and pound her fists in the dirt. “MINE. OOOOH!” she wailed3.

Suddenly, she didn’t look like a picture in a magazine anymore.

Martha’s cheeks burned with embarrassment4. She bent5 over and picked Becky up. “Stop that!” she pleaded.

Becky screamed louder. Martha turned and began to carry the screaming child away. “I’m sorry about this,” she called over her shoulder to the Aldens. “It was nice meeting you. . . .”

As she left, the Aldens heard her say, “Becky! Stop screaming! Your father will buy you a nice, new playhouse of your own! You don’t need the boxcar! He’ll . . . he’ll buy you your own boxcar for a playhouse! You know he will. ...”

The two disappeared around the corner as the Aldens watched. Two women who were standing6 nearby, and had seen the whole thing, shook their heads in disapproval7, and a short man with a plaid jacket just stared after Becky and her baby-sitter.

One of the women sniffed8 loudly. “Well,” she said. “Mr. Harold Jennings may be one of the richest men in Greenfield. But all that money and that fancy house on Mansion9 Road hasn’t given his daughter good manners!” The two women walked away.

Jessie said, “What a spoiled girl!”

“I’m glad she’s not my sister!” said Benny.

“Or my cousin!” said Soo Lee.

Still shaking their heads in amazement10, the Aldens hurried home.

They’d just reached the hill near their house when Henry stopped and pointed11. “Look!” he said.

Down below, at the bottom of the hill, stood Susie. She was wearing her harness, but she wasn’t pulling the wagon12. She kept shaking her mane and snorting as if she was upset.

“What happened to Sam? Where is his wagon?” said Violet in a worried voice. Then her eyes widened. “Oh, no!” she exclaimed.

The others gasped13. They’d seen it, too.

Sam’s wagon had crashed against a tree at the bottom of the hill. It was in what seemed like millions of pieces. One of the wheels lay in the road. Ice cream was melting on the sidewalk.

Just then, Sam came out into the road from the bushes where he had gone to pick up another wheel. He looked up and saw the Aldens and waved.

They hurried to the bottom of the hill.

“Sam! What happened?” asked Jessie.

Sam shook his head. “I’m not sure. We were just going up the hill when somehow the wagon got loose and slid right back down! I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m lucky I wasn’t in it — and that Susie wasn’t hurt!”

“Can you fix it?” asked Henry.

Again Sam shook his head. “Don’t know if I can,” he said. “But I’m sure gonna try.” He looked sadly around at the pieces of his wagon and at the melting ice cream. “I’m trying to gather up as much stuff as I can to take home. Then I’ll come back with my truck to get the rest.”

“We’ll help you,’ said Henry.

“Of course,” said Jessie.

The children helped Sam gather up some of his belongings14 while he tied a few of the bigger items from the wagon on Susie’s back. Then, holding Susie’s bridle15, Sam led the way to his home. They put everything in the red barn behind Sam’s house.

“After I get Susie out of her harness and settled into her stall in the barn here, I’ll go get the rest of the wagon pieces,” said Sam. “I appreciate your help.”

“Don’t worry, Sam. You’ll be able to fix your wagon,” said Soo Lee.

“Maybe,” said Sam. But he didn’t sound as if he believed it.

The last thing the children saw as they left was Sam standing in front of the barn, holding the wheel of the wagon and shaking his head sorrowfully.

“Time for me to go,” said Soo Lee, late that afternoon. She sighed. “I wish I could have finished.”

“We didn’t expect to finish today, Soo Lee,” said Henry. “Don’t worry. We’re almost done and we’ve got plenty of time before the parade.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” said Soo Lee. She got on her bicycle and pedaled away.

The Aldens began putting away the paint and washing the paintbrushes. Watch, who’d been sleeping inside the boxcar under the table, came to the door and barked. He was hoping that now it was time to play.

Benny picked up a stick. “Here boy! Catch!” Watch jumped out of the boxcar and he and Benny began to play a game of catch-the-stick.

“What a smart little dog!” said a man’s voice.

Jessie was so startled that she jumped up. “Who are you?” she blurted16 out to the short, slight man who was standing there. He had on a plaid jacket and brown pants, and had three thin strands17 of brown hair combed over a bald spot on the top of his head. His nose was long and red at the end.

Watch heard how surprised Jessie sounded and stopped playing catch with Benny. He ran over to stand beside Jessie. He lowered his head and growled18 at the man.

“Good dog! Nice dog!” said the man. “Er, I’m sorry if I scared you. My name is, er, Ralph. Ralph Winters. I, er . . .” Ralph stopped and looked at Watch nervously19. “He’s not going to bite me, is he?”

“No,” said Jessie. Then she added honestly, “At least, I don’t think he is.”

Watch stopped growling20. But he still watched Mr. Winters carefully.

Just then Henry and Violet came out of the boxcar.

Jessie introduced them to Mr. Winters.

Still glancing at Watch, Mr. Winters nodded. “I’m glad to meet you all. I wondered if you could help me?” he said.

“We will if we can,” said Violet.

“It’s about your boxcar,” said Mr. Winters. “I saw the article in the paper and I want to buy it!”

“Oh, no!” Benny cried. “Did Mr. Chessy send you!”

Now it was Mr. Winters’ turn to be surprised. “Mr. Chessy? Who is Mr. Chessy?” he asked. “I represent Senator Teacher. She is running for office and she wants to use your boxcar as part of her campaign!” Mr. Winters threw out his arms as if he were making a wonderful announcement.

The four children stared at him in disbelief. Henry finally said, “Our boxcar’s not for sale.”

“Oh, but wait until I tell you about it,” said Mr. Winters eagerly. “She’s conducting an old-fashioned whistle-stop tour. That means that she is going to ride the train from town to town and make speeches from the back of the last car on the train, just like President Harry21 Truman did in 1948. The car will be specially22 designed with a platform attached to the back for her to stand on. Your boxcar would be perfect — with a little redesigning, of course.”

Mr. Winters rubbed his hands together. He licked his lips. His eyes shifted nervously from side to side. “What do you think?” he asked. “Are you going to help Senator Teacher?”

“I’m sorry,” said Henry firmly. “We’d like to help you. But the boxcar isn’t for sale — at any price.”

“Please! Just think about it!” cried Mr. Winters. “Here’s my business card at the senator’s offices in Greenfield. Like I said, think about it and give me a call.”

“We have thought about it,” said Benny. “Lots. And we’ve said ‘no’ lots, too.”

“Thank you for your offer,” said Jessie firmly. “Good-bye.”

Suddenly Mr. Winters looked angry. “It’s very selfish of you not to want to help,” he said. He turned around and stomped23 away.

“Good grief,” said Jessie. “Can you believe it?”

“He was not a nice man,” said Benny. “He was mean. I didn’t like him and Watch didn’t like him. We’re glad he went away.”

At that, Jessie had to laugh. “We are, too, Benny. Now let’s go get ready for dinner. We have a lot more work to do tomorrow on our boxcar!”

It rained the next morning, but in the afternoon the Aldens got back to work. The first coat of paint had dried and it was time to put on a second coat.

After they gave the boxcar its second coat of paint, they would have to paint the trim. The floor needed sanding and the metal parts needed polishing.

Meanwhile, Mrs. McGregor was planning the special Founders’ Day dinner. The Aldens were going to be in the parade in the morning on Founders’ Day. Then they were going to come home and have their special dinner that afternoon.

For several days the Aldens worked hard on their boxcar. They began to worry that they wouldn’t finish in time for the parade.

But they did. At last the wood of the boxcar was smooth from sanding, and shiny with new paint. All the rusty24 metal hinges and latches25 had been polished until they shone. The wheels had been oiled so that they would turn smoothly26 and the spokes27 of the wheels had been painted, too. It was hard work, but the Aldens loved seeing the old boxcar look so shiny and new. They were very proud of it.

“I knew we would finish with plenty of time for the parade,” said Henry, smiling.

Violet clasped her hands together. “It looks wonderful.”

“Let’s get Grandfather,” said Jessie. She and Henry went to get Grandfather Alden.

When they came out, they all stood in front of the boxcar except Watch. He sat proudly inside, his ears up and his tail wagging. He seemed to know how special the boxcar looked.

“You’ve done a wonderful job,” said Grandfather. “You’ll be the stars of the parade.”

“Our boxcar will!” said Henry, Everyone was very pleased. It would be good, however, to take a few days off from working on the boxcar, before it was time for the parade.

Benny gave the boxcar a pat as he left. “See you tomorrow, old boxcar,” he said. Then he followed his brother and sisters and Grandfather into the house for dinner.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 buckles 9b6f57ea84ab184d0a14e4f889795f56     
搭扣,扣环( buckle的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • She gazed proudly at the shiny buckles on her shoes. 她骄傲地注视着鞋上闪亮的扣环。
  • When the plate becomes unstable, it buckles laterally. 当板失去稳定时,就发生横向屈曲。
2 pouted 25946cdee5db0ed0b7659cea8201f849     
v.撅(嘴)( pout的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Her lips pouted invitingly. 她挑逗地撮起双唇。
  • I pouted my lips at him, hinting that he should speak first. 我向他努了努嘴,让他先说。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
3 wailed e27902fd534535a9f82ffa06a5b6937a     
v.哭叫,哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She wailed over her father's remains. 她对着父亲的遗体嚎啕大哭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The women of the town wailed over the war victims. 城里的妇女为战争的死难者们痛哭。 来自辞典例句
4 embarrassment fj9z8     
n.尴尬;使人为难的人(事物);障碍;窘迫
参考例句:
  • She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
  • Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。
5 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。
6 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。
7 disapproval VuTx4     
n.反对,不赞成
参考例句:
  • The teacher made an outward show of disapproval.老师表面上表示不同意。
  • They shouted their disapproval.他们喊叫表示反对。
8 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》
9 mansion 8BYxn     
n.大厦,大楼;宅第
参考例句:
  • The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
  • The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。
10 amazement 7zlzBK     
n.惊奇,惊讶
参考例句:
  • All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
  • He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。
11 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。
12 wagon XhUwP     
n.四轮马车,手推车,面包车;无盖运货列车
参考例句:
  • We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
  • The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。
13 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》
14 belongings oy6zMv     
n.私人物品,私人财物
参考例句:
  • I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
  • Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。
15 bridle 4sLzt     
n.笼头,束缚;vt.抑制,约束;动怒
参考例句:
  • He learned to bridle his temper.他学会了控制脾气。
  • I told my wife to put a bridle on her tongue.我告诉妻子说话要谨慎。
16 blurted fa8352b3313c0b88e537aab1fcd30988     
v.突然说出,脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She blurted it out before I could stop her. 我还没来得及制止,她已脱口而出。
  • He blurted out the truth, that he committed the crime. 他不慎说出了真相,说是他犯了那个罪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
17 strands d184598ceee8e1af7dbf43b53087d58b     
n.(线、绳、金属线、毛发等的)股( strand的名词复数 );缕;海洋、湖或河的)岸;(观点、计划、故事等的)部份v.使滞留,使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • Twist a length of rope from strands of hemp. 用几股麻搓成了一段绳子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • She laced strands into a braid. 她把几股线编织成一根穗带。 来自《简明英汉词典》
18 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》
19 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。
20 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。
21 harry heBxS     
vt.掠夺,蹂躏,使苦恼
参考例句:
  • Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天,人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
  • Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。
22 specially Hviwq     
adv.特定地;特殊地;明确地
参考例句:
  • They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
  • The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。
23 stomped 0884b29fb612cae5a9e4eb0d1a257b4a     
v.跺脚,践踏,重踏( stomp的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She stomped angrily out of the office. 她怒气冲冲,重步走出办公室。
  • She slammed the door and stomped (off) out of the house. 她砰的一声关上了门,暮暮地走出了屋了。 来自辞典例句
24 rusty hYlxq     
adj.生锈的;锈色的;荒废了的
参考例句:
  • The lock on the door is rusty and won't open.门上的锁锈住了。
  • I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty.几个月不用,我的法语又荒疏了。
25 latches 72e582024c502f75cdd8b1b4d69a127f     
n.(门窗的)门闩( latch的名词复数 );碰锁v.理解( latch的第三人称单数 );纠缠;用碰锁锁上(门等);附着(在某物上)
参考例句:
  • The virus latches onto the red blood cells. 这种病毒附着在红细胞上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The opposite end latches onto the pathogen. 相对的一端锁在病原体上。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 预防生物武器
26 smoothly iiUzLG     
adv.平滑地,顺利地,流利地,流畅地
参考例句:
  • The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作,所以工作进展顺利。
  • Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。
27 spokes 6eff3c46e9c3a82f787a7c99669b9bfb     
n.(车轮的)辐条( spoke的名词复数 );轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动
参考例句:
  • Her baby caught his fingers in the spokes of the pram wheel. 她宝宝的手指被婴儿车轮的辐条卡住了。 来自辞典例句
  • The new edges are called the spokes of the wheel. 新的边称为轮的辐。 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