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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Apple or pumpkin1?” Jessie Alden asked her little brother as they sat in Cooke’s Drugstore reading the menu.
Six-year-old Benny squeezed his eyes shut. It was hard to choose. He liked both kinds of pie. In fact, he liked all kinds of pie!
“Mrs. McGregor made us a pumpkin pie last week,” he said, opening his eyes. “So . . . apple!”
“Good choice, Benny,” agreed Grandfather Alden. “I’ll also have apple pie.”
“Me, too,” echoed ten-year-old Violet in her soft voice.
‘I’ll have the same,” Jessie said briskly. An orderly twelve-year-old, she rarely had trouble making up her mind. “What about you, Henry?”
At fourteen, Henry was the oldest of the Alden children. When their parents died years ago, Henry helped care for his younger brother and sisters.
Now Henry studied the other items on the menu. Then he closed the plastic-covered folder2 and announced, “I’m having something different.”
Benny stared at his older brother. It wasn’t like Henry to order something different from the rest of the Aldens.
“What are you getting?” he asked.
“Apple pie with ice cream!” Henry laughed at the surprise on Benny’s face.
Mrs. Turner bustled3 over to clear away their lunch dishes. “Has anybody left room for dessert?” she asked with a knowing wink4.
“Five apple pies,” said Grandfather Alden. “One with a big scoop5 of vanilla6 ice cream, if it’s not too much trouble.”
“It’s always a pleasure to wait on the Aldens,” the waitress said with a hearty7 laugh.
“And it’s always a pleasure to come here,” Grandfather said, smiling.
Cooke’s Drugstore was one of Greenfield’s oldest establishments. The Aldens often stopped in for ice cream sundaes and little things like suntan lotion8.
On one side of the store was a long lunch counter with red leather stools. The pharmacy9 counter stood opposite. A big plate glass window looked out on the town square.
“You know,” said Jessie, “this place reminds me of our boxcar.”
“It does!” said Violet. “It’s long like our boxcar.”
“Only our boxcar doesn’t have seats that move,” said Benny, spinning his stool. “Or a milk shake machine.”
Henry laughed. “It’s a good thing! You’d be fixing milk shakes anytime you wanted one!”
“I could make milk shakes and sell them from our boxcar,” Benny said. “The boxcar could be my drugstore.”
“The boxcar can be anything we want it to be,” Violet said.
The Alden children spoke10 fondly of their old home. After they were orphaned11, they moved into an abandoned railroad car. When their grandfather found them, he brought the children and their boxcar to his big Connecticut home.
The boxcar held a place of honor in the backyard. The children played in it when they weren’t off on another exciting adventure with their grandfather.
Mrs. Turner set a tray of apple pies on the counter. “Sorry this took so long,” she said. “But I had to sign for a parcel.” She lowered her voice. “I’ll sure be glad when Mr. Cooke gets back. That substitute knows about medicine, but he doesn’t know much about running this drugstore.”
Jessie watched the substitute druggist measure pills into a bottle. Mr. Kirby was a young man with black, bushy hair and thick eyebrows12. His hand shook as he poured, causing the pills to rattle13.
“He’s awfully14 nervous,” Henry observed. “I wonder why.”
“You should see the back room,” said Mrs. Turner. “Looks like a cyclone15 hit it. Cartons and mail everyplace. Mr. Cooke will have a fit when he sees the mess.”
Grandfather held out his coffee cup for a refill. “I hope John comes back soon from visiting his mother. The Winter Festival is Saturday. Only five days away.”
The waitress shook her head. “I don’t expect Mr. Cooke back anytime soon. His mother is better, but she’s still in the hospital.”
James Alden sighed. “We need every member of the town council. There’s a lot of work to do.”
“We’ll help,” Benny volunteered.
“I’ll take you up on that offer,” Grandfather said, smiling. “In fact, we’ll start tomorrow. The four of you could clean the Minuteman statue.”
“Okay. The Winter Festival sounds like fun,” Violet said. “I hope everybody comes.”
“That reminds me,” Mrs. Turner said. “Your poster isn’t up.” She called across the room, “Mr. Kirby, did you put up the festival poster?”
The druggist frowned, drawing his bushy brows together. “Mrs. Turner, I have better things to do than hang posters.”
“But the festival is important!” Benny said.
James Alden added, “We’re trying to raise money to make repairs in the town square. It’s a worthy16 cause.”
Henry spotted17 a corner of orange card-board beneath a pile of advertising18 circulars. “Here’s the poster,” he declared. “If you give me some tape, I’ll hang it.”
The waitress handed him a roll of tape. “Put it on the door. That way everybody will see it.”
“I’ll help you, Henry.” Violet slid off her stool and held the poster against the door. Henry secured the corners with tape.
“ ‘Fun for everyone,’ ” Violet read. “ ‘Handicraft booths, refreshments19, games, and prizes.’ ”
“I hope I win a prize,” Benny said, scraping up the last of his pie.
“I hope we raise a lot of money,” said his grandfather. “Josiah Wade21 will topple in the middle of the square if we don’t replace his base soon.”
The statue of Josiah Wade had guarded the center of Greenfield Square for as long as anyone could remember. With his musket22 at his side, the Revolutionary War hero stood staunchly on a base of granite23 blocks.
“The base is crumbling24,” Jessie said, looking out the window. “Little pieces of rock have fallen off.”
“After the festival, we’ll have a new base made for the statue,” said Grandfather. “But the town still has to decide whether to move Old Josiah.”
“Why move it?” asked Violet. She liked the statue just where it was. The Minuteman wasn’t very tall — just a little taller than Grandfather — and it was nice to lean against while eating an ice-cream cone25.
“Some people would like to repave the square,” answered Grandfather. “And put a fountain where the statue is.”
“Where would the statue go?” Henry asked, returning the roll of tape to Mrs. Turner.
Grandfather shrugged26. “That’s another question. But first the town must vote whether or not to move the statue. As director of the festival, I’ll announce the result the day of the festival.”
The ballot27 box was mounted outside the door of the drugstore. The wooden box had a slot in its hinged lid. Voters slipped ballots28 into the slot.
“I sent in my ballot,” said Mrs. Turner. “Guess which way I voted.”
Benny swung around on his stool to face her. “You’re not supposed to tell! A vote is secret!”
The other Aldens laughed. Benny was famous for not keeping secrets.
“It’s no secret,” said the waitress. “Both Mr. Cooke and I want to keep old Josiah in the square where he belongs.”
“What about you, Mr. Kirby?” Henry asked the druggist. “What do you think we should do with the statue? Leave it in the square or move it?”
Mr. Kirby said, “I don’t live in this town. So it doesn’t matter to me. I’m only here until Mr. Cooke returns.”
“You can still vote,” Benny told him. He felt everyone should be concerned about the fate of the statue.
Grandfather paid the bill. Then he said to the children, “We’ve got a lot of festival work to do. We’d better get started.”
“At least Mrs. McGregor won’t have to feed us lunch,” said Jessie. Mrs. McGregor was their housekeeper29.
It was so chilly30 out that Violet had worn her warm, purple jacket. As they went outside, she put her hands in her jacket pockets. Her fingers touched a scrap20 of paper.
“My pictures!” she said. “I forgot to pick up my photographs. That’s the main reason we ate lunch at the drugstore.”
Ever since Grandfather gave Violet a camera, she had become the family photographer.
Grandfather handed Violet a ten-dollar bill. “You children go back inside and pick them up. I’m going next door to talk to Miss Pepper about the festival.”
“Back again?” Mrs. Turner said when the Aldens pushed through the door. “Need a refill on pie?”
Benny giggled31. “Violet forgot to pick up her pictures.”
Violet went up to the pharmacy counter. “Here’s my ticket, Mr. Kirby.”
Mr. Kirby frowned at the ticket. “Yes, there was a shipment from the photo lab earlier this morning. If I can remember where I put those envelopes — ”
“They’re right where you left them,” Mrs. Turner said. “In the back room on the table.”
Mr. Kirby disappeared into the back and came out again with a white envelope.
“That’ll be nine ninety-five,” he told Violet.
“Thank you,” she said. After receiving her change, she hurried outside. Looking at her photos was always an exciting moment.
Benny was even more impatient. “Where are the pictures of me?” he asked eagerly, patting Violet on her arm.
“Benny, don’t jiggle my arm,” Violet said, laughing. “I can’t open the envelope.”
“Let’s go over by the statue,” Jessie suggested. “Then we can all look at them.”
They moved to the center of the square. The statue’s base was crumbling, but it was still a good place to sit.
Violet opened the white envelope and thumbed through her photographs.
“Oh, that’s a cute picture of Watch,” Jessie commented. Watch was the Alden family’s dog.
“This one didn’t turn out.” Violet wrinkled her nose at a picture of Grandfather. She had accidentally cut off his feet in the shot.
Then she came across something that made her gasp32.
“What is it?” Henry asked.
Violet held up a photograph.
“This isn’t mine,” she said. “I never took this picture.”
收听单词发音 |
1
pumpkin
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| n.南瓜 | |
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2
folder
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| n.纸夹，文件夹 | |
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bustled
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| 闹哄哄地忙乱，奔忙( bustle的过去式和过去分词 )； 催促 | |
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wink
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| n.眨眼，使眼色，瞬间；v.眨眼，使眼色，闪烁 | |
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scoop
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| n.铲子，舀取，独家新闻；v.汲取，舀取，抢先登出 | |
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vanilla
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| n.香子兰，香草 | |
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hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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lotion
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| n.洗剂 | |
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9
pharmacy
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| n.药房，药剂学，制药业，配药业，一批备用药品 | |
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10
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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11
orphaned
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| [计][修]孤立 | |
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eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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13
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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14
awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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cyclone
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| n.旋风，龙卷风 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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advertising
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| n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的 | |
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19
refreshments
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| n.点心,便餐;(会议后的)简单茶点招 待 | |
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20
scrap
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| n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废 | |
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wade
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| v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉 | |
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22
musket
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| n.滑膛枪 | |
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23
granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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24
crumbling
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| adj.摇摇欲坠的 | |
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25
cone
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| n.圆锥体，圆锥形东西，球果 | |
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shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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ballot
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| n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票 | |
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28
ballots
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| n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 ) | |
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housekeeper
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| n.管理家务的主妇，女管家 | |
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chilly
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| adj.凉快的，寒冷的 | |
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31
giggled
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| v.咯咯地笑( giggle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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32
gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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