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儿童英语读物 The Mystery in the Cave CHAPTER 4 A Mysterious Visitor

时间:2017-08-18 08:36来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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The next day, the Aldens didn’t want to waste a minute. They were going back to the “monster” cave. They had a quick breakfast of cold cereal and milk instead of going to Dragon’s Mouth Coffee Shop.

“Today we wear our oldest jeans and tops,” Jessie told her brothers and sister. “And boots. It’s muddy in that cave. You never know when you might come across an underground stream.”

“Or even a lake,” Henry said. “Let’s see. I think I’ve got everything—ropes, flashlights, candles, a roll of reflective tape, and a first-aid kit1, too. It’s a perfect caving day—no rain in the weather forecast, so we won’t have to worry about flooding.”

Jessie helped Violet and Benny zip up their backpacks. “While Henry and I finish packing, you two run down to Mr. Howe. Tell him where we’re going and when we’ll be back. Careful cavers always do that before they set out.”

“Do careful cavers always bring food along, too?” Benny asked.

“Of course,” Jessie said, “so don’t worry about that.”

By the time Violet and Benny reached the coffee shop, it was nearly empty. Mr. Howe was at the register ringing up Nelly Stoner’s bill.

“Jessie said to tell you we’re going caving,” Benny announced.

Mrs. Stoner smiled at the two children. “Are you now? And what cave are you going to?”

Violet looked up at Mrs. Stoner. “A cave that—”

“Has a monster in it!” Benny cried out before Violet could answer. “A monster with big feet and a tail and everything. I found a sinkhole to a cave. It has monster tracks in it.”

Mrs. Stoner’s eyebrows2 shot up. “Whoa, slow down, Benny. You don’t mean the dragon monster? Why, that’s only the name of one of the shapes in the big cavern3. We do have a few live critters in our caves, but they’re small—salamanders, bats, and such. Occasionally some other animals wander in.”

“A man wandered into the cave we were in,” Violet explained. “But he wouldn’t tell us his name.”

“I called him Joe Caveman,” Benny said. “He wouldn’t tell us what was in his big sack, either.”

Mr. Howe scratched his chin. “Hmm. Could be any number of local spelunkers.”

“Lunkers?” Benny asked. “What are those?”

“I’m a spelunker,” Mrs. Stoner said. “And so is Mr. Howe and a lot of other folks around here. Spelunkers are people who explore caves. That’s their hobby. I bet your Joe Caveman is a spelunker. His sack was probably full of caving supplies,”

“But what about the monster tracks?” Violet asked. “Henry and Jessie saw them, too.”

Mr. Howe shook his head, smiling. “Well, you children will just have to become spelunkers and find out all about that monster. I’ll want a full report. In the meantime, I have an important job for you when you visit your cave.”

“What is it?” Benny asked in an excited voice. “We like important jobs.”

Mr. Howe leaned on the counter. “Here’s what you do. Get a stick a few feet long and tie a handkerchief at the top. Then poke4 it in the ground right by the sinkhole entrance before you go down again.”

“I know why!” Violet cried. “If we’re gone too long, someone can find us. But don’t worry, Mr. Howe. Henry and Jessie won’t let us get lost.”

“I’m sure they won’t,” Mrs. Stoner said as she left the coffee shop with the children. “I know you Aldens will have fun. The caves around here don’t go too far, so you’ll be just fine. Besides, I know from your Aunt Jane that you children know how to take care of yourselves no matter where you go. Good luck.”

The Aldens had plenty of good luck. After coming down Little Nose Cliff they spotted5 the sinkhole with no trouble at all. This time Benny didn’t fall in.

“There!” Benny said when they reached the entrance. He poked6 a long stick in the ground.

Violet tied a purple bandana to Benny’s marker. “It looks just like a flag in case anyone wants to find us.”

Henry held up a roll of silver tape. “We won’t be needing a rescue with this. We’re going to stick pieces of this reflective tape on the walls as we go in. Then we’ll follow them when we come out. It’s simple.”

“You forgot something,” Benny said before Henry could say anything else.

“What’s that?” Henry asked.

“Good cavers always bring plenty of food and water,” Benny answered.

Henry handed everyone their backpacks. “Good thinking, Benny. Ready? Put your hats on now so we don’t get drips in our eyes.”

One by one, the Aldens threw their packs down the sinkhole then lowered themselves into the cave. Today, the four heavy-duty flashlights they carried made it easy to see that the cave stretched out quite a ways.

The Aldens were careful. At every turn, Henry put up a small piece of tape to mark the place.

Benny aimed his flashlight at the cave floor. “There are those monster tracks again! Can we follow them, Jessie?”

Jessie turned around. “Not just yet. Since this is our first time in this cave, we’d better not go off on a wild goose chase.”

“I wonder if we’ll see Joe Caveman today,” Benny said after the children began walking.

Violet shivered. “I wish we would see some other cavers. It’s so quiet down here. There could be a storm outside or even a truck driving over where we’re standing7, but we wouldn’t know it.”

Step by step, Jessie led the group deeper into the cave. Suddenly she stopped so fast, Benny bumped smack8 into her. “Wait!” she whispered. “I hear a clinking sound. And there’s a speck9 of light up ahead, too.”

Henry squeezed by to get a look. “Shh. Let’s turn off our flashlights for a minute.”

Except for the light in the distance, the cave was pitch-black. The children felt their way along the walls with their hands. Everyone took small steps so they wouldn’t slip or bump into each other. Finally, they got close enough to see where the bright light was coming from.

Benny tapped Jessie on the shoulder. “Is it Joe Caveman?”

“No, it’s a woman,” Jessie whispered. “She’s wearing a hard hat. She just put down something. Should we say anything, Henry? I don’t want to scare her.”

“Let’s turn our flashlights back on soshe can see us,” Henry suggested.

“Hello? Hello?” Jessie called out. “Coming through.”

Blinded by the flashlights, the blond young woman couldn’t see the Aldens very well. “Who’s there?” she yelled. Before getting an answer, the Aldens saw her put away a camera and some other equipment in a duffel bag. Then the woman turned off all but one spotlight10.

Jessie walked ahead of the others. “We’re the Aldens. We’re caving down here. How about you?”

The woman zipped up the bag and shoved it back with her foot. She stared a long time at the Aldens before answering. “I’m—uh—Crystal Hollowell. I just discovered this cave while I was out hiking and decided11 to come in. I’m a—a—biologist—at the Rockville Community College. I wanted to see what kind of animal life there is down here.”

Benny looked up at the woman. “Did you fall down the hole, too?”

Crystal didn’t bother to answer Benny’s question. In fact, she looked upset to see the Aldens there at all. “Children shouldn’t be allowed down here by themselves. Caves are delicate environments. They get damaged easily. I advise you to stay away from these caves.”

“Our family is friends with Nelly Stoner, who runs the Dragon’s Mouth Cavern. She told us all about caves and rocks and how to be careful around them. And I’ve done some caving myself,” Henry reassured12 her.

The young woman’s jaw13 tightened14. “You didn’t tell this Mrs. Stoner person about this cave, did you?”

“Sure we did. And Mr. Howe, too,” Benny piped up. “Henry and Jessie said you always have to tell somebody when you’re going caving. Did you do that?”

“I most certainly did not,” Miss Hollowell answered back. “Otherwise people who don’t know anything would be down here ruining everything.”

Jessie tried to figure out why Miss Hollowell seemed so annoyed. “I thought you found this cave by accident,” Jessie said, staring at the duffel bag. “You brought tools and lights.”

Miss Hollowell nudged her bag even farther back. “These aren’t tools, young lady. As for the lights, well—uh—I bring them with me whenever I go hiking just in case I have to go into dark places to study—uh—animal tracks and so forth15.”

Benny whirled around and pointed16 down the cave. “Did you see the giant monster tracks back there? We did yesterday and today.”

This annoyed Miss Hollowell even more. “You were in here yesterday, snooping around? Was anyone else with you?”

“Nope,” Benny answered. “But we met Joe Caveman.”

“Joe Caveman?” Miss Hollowell said. “Someone else was down here? Who was it? Was he alone?”

The children looked at one another. Why did this woman mind that other people liked to visit this cave too?

“Benny made up the name when the man wouldn’t tell us who he was,” Henry explained. “He was the only person we saw.”

“Did he have anything with him? Tools and such?” the young woman demanded.

Jessie shrugged17. “He had a big bag. That’s all we saw.”

Crystal Hollowell gathered up her belongings18.

“I wish we had spotlights19 like that,” Benny said. “Or a headlamp. Henry had one, almost like yours, but it disappeared. I bet we could find the monster if we had lots more lights.”

“What nonsense. This equipment is for scientists, not children,” Miss Hollowell told the Aldens.

“Did you find any animals?” Violet asked.

Miss Hollowell looked puzzled. “Animals? What animals? Now, can you please make room so I can get by? All of you should leave, too. There’s supposed to be a big rainstorm today. This cave could get flooded.” With that, Miss Hollowell disappeared down the cave without even saying good-bye.

The Aldens decided to leave, too. They turned back, this time with Henry in the lead. “Boy, Crystal Hollowell sure thinks she owns this cave, don’t you think, Jessie?”

Jessie didn’t answer Henry’s question. She hadn’t moved a step yet except to shine her flashlight on the cave wall that Crystal Hollowell had just been standing near. “Take a look at this wall,” Jessie said.

The others came over to see what Jessie was talking about.

“It looks as if someone chipped away at it,” Henry said. “There are stone chunks20 all over the floor. And she was the one who said people shouldn’t come down here and ruin things.”

Jessie ran her fingers over the stone. “It seems odd for someone who studies plants and animals to be hammering cave walls.”

“Let’s ask Mrs. Stoner or Mr. Howe about Crystal Hollowell,” Henry suggested. “If she teaches at the local college, they probably know who she is.”

“ ’Specially if she’s one of those ’lunkers,” Benny said. “Like we are.”

The other three children laughed as they made their way back to the entrance.

“Okay, you two,” Henry said to Benny and Violet. “I’ve got a game. I stuck eleven pieces of tape on the walls when we came in. I want Benny to find each piece with his flashlight, and Violet can peel them off. We have to take everything out that we brought in just the way we do on our hikes.”

Finally the Aldens reached the circle of sunlight shining down on the cave floor.

“Hey, that’s another thing,” Henry said, when he saw the sunlight. “Miss Hollowell said we should get out of the cave because a rainstorm’s coming. But there isn’t a cloud out today. She doesn’t want anybody down in this cave, that’s for sure.”

Henry cradled his hands to give the younger children a boost up. One by one, they popped up from the sinkhole. Everyone was glad to get out and stretch in the warm sun after their chilly21 underground visit.

“Hey, look what I found,” Benny said when they started toward the cliff. “A shovel22.”

Jessie looked at the shiny red shovel. “It looks new. Maybe Crystal Hollowell dropped it on her way out.”

“Or maybe somebody else was here but left when they saw our stick and flag,” Benny said.

“That could be,” Jessie said. “People seem to want this cave to themselves. I wonder why?”


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 kit D2Rxp     
n.用具包,成套工具;随身携带物
参考例句:
  • The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
  • The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。
2 eyebrows a0e6fb1330e9cfecfd1c7a4d00030ed5     
眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
  • His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。
3 cavern Ec2yO     
n.洞穴,大山洞
参考例句:
  • The cavern walls echoed his cries.大山洞的四壁回响着他的喊声。
  • It suddenly began to shower,and we took refuge in the cavern.天突然下起雨来,我们在一个山洞里避雨。
4 poke 5SFz9     
n.刺,戳,袋;vt.拨开,刺,戳;vi.戳,刺,捅,搜索,伸出,行动散慢
参考例句:
  • We never thought she would poke her nose into this.想不到她会插上一手。
  • Don't poke fun at me.别拿我凑趣儿。
5 spotted 7FEyj     
adj.有斑点的,斑纹的,弄污了的
参考例句:
  • The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
  • Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。
6 poked 87f534f05a838d18eb50660766da4122     
v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 );戳出;拨弄;与(某人)性交
参考例句:
  • She poked him in the ribs with her elbow. 她用胳膊肘顶他的肋部。
  • His elbow poked out through his torn shirt sleeve. 他的胳膊从衬衫的破袖子中露了出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 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。
8 smack XEqzV     
vt.拍,打,掴;咂嘴;vi.含有…意味;n.拍
参考例句:
  • She gave him a smack on the face.她打了他一个嘴巴。
  • I gave the fly a smack with the magazine.我用杂志拍了一下苍蝇。
9 speck sFqzM     
n.微粒,小污点,小斑点
参考例句:
  • I have not a speck of interest in it.我对它没有任何兴趣。
  • The sky is clear and bright without a speck of cloud.天空晴朗,一星星云彩也没有。
10 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。
11 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。
12 reassured ff7466d942d18e727fb4d5473e62a235     
adj.使消除疑虑的;使放心的v.再保证,恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词)
参考例句:
  • The captain's confidence during the storm reassured the passengers. 在风暴中船长的信念使旅客们恢复了信心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • The doctor reassured the old lady. 医生叫那位老妇人放心。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 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。
14 tightened bd3d8363419d9ff838bae0ba51722ee9     
收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 ); (使)变紧; (使)绷紧; 加紧
参考例句:
  • The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
  • His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机,然后又松开了。
15 forth Hzdz2     
adv.向前;向外,往外
参考例句:
  • The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
  • He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
16 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。
17 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》
18 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。
19 spotlights c4053b79301cdb37721ff8e9049b61ef     
n.聚光灯(的光)( spotlight的名词复数 );公众注意的中心v.聚光照明( spotlight的第三人称单数 );使公众注意,使突出醒目
参考例句:
  • The room was lit by spotlights. 房间被聚光灯照亮。
  • The dazzle of the spotlights made him ill at ease. 聚光灯的耀眼强光使他局促不安。 来自辞典例句
20 chunks a0e6aa3f5109dc15b489f628b2f01028     
厚厚的一块( chunk的名词复数 ); (某物)相当大的数量或部分
参考例句:
  • a tin of pineapple chunks 一罐菠萝块
  • Those chunks of meat are rather large—could you chop them up a bIt'smaller? 这些肉块相当大,还能再切小一点吗?
21 chilly pOfzl     
adj.凉快的,寒冷的
参考例句:
  • I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
  • I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后,寒气逼人。
22 shovel cELzg     
n.铁锨,铲子,一铲之量;v.铲,铲出
参考例句:
  • He was working with a pick and shovel.他在用镐和铲干活。
  • He seized a shovel and set to.他拿起一把铲就干上了。
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