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 Great Bicycle Race Mystery CHAPTER 1 And Grandfather, Too

时间:2017-09-27 06:12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)

“H ... e ... l ... p ...”

Benny Alden spelled out the letters of the first word on the sign in the front window. He looked up at his oldest sister, Jessie. “Help! That’s what it says, doesn’t it?” he cried. “Is someone in trouble?”

Twelve-year-old Jessie laughed. “Don’t worry Benny,” she told her youngest brother. “No one’s in trouble. From what the sign says, it’s a mountain that needs help.”

“A mountain?” asked Benny, who was six. “How can you help a mountain?”

The four Aldens—Benny, Jessie, Violet, and Henry—had just stopped their bicycles in front of Greenfield Wheels. It was a bicycle shop in their hometown of Greenfield. But they hadn’t ridden their bikes to the shop. They’d walked, because Henry’s bicycle had gotten a flat tire as they were riding into town.

Violet, who was ten, came to Benny’s rescue. “The sign says, ‘Help Save Eagle Mountain. Join the Race to Save the Park. Ask Inside and Thelma Will Tell You How to Sign Up.’ ”

“Let’s ask, then,” said Benny.

“We can do that while I get a new tube to fix my flat tire,” agreed fourteen-year-old Henry.

Violet held the door open for Henry and his bike, and they all went into the shop.

Inside, bicycles of every kind and color lined both walls: rows of bikes on the floor and rows of bikes hanging from the ceiling on hooks. There were racks displaying wheels and seats and water bottles and helmets and all kinds of bike equipment.

Benny stared. He’d been in the bike shop before, but he always forgot how many bikes it had. As they walked down the narrow aisle1 at the center of the store, Jessie ran her hand over the cool silver of a handlebar. Violet stopped to admire a purple bicycle. Purple was Violet’s favorite color.

Just as they reached the counter at the back, a voice said, “I’m Louis. What can I do for you?”

Henry looked around. He couldn’t see who had spoken. “I have a flat tire,” he said.

“Ah.” A short, wiry man popped out from around an open door at the back of the narrow space behind the counter. A sign taped to the wall by the door read REPAIR AREA. EMPLOYEES ONLY. The man wiped his grease-stained hands on a rag that hung on a hook below the sign.

He peered over the counter at Henry’s flat tire. “Hmmm,” he said. “Interesting old bike you’ve got there.”

“Thank you,” said Henry. “I want to fix the flat tire.”

The man nodded. He said, “Okay. Bring it on back. But I have to tell you, I’m not sure a patch will work. That tire is almost worn out. You need a new tire.”

“I thought I might,” said Henry.

Opening the half door at one end of the counter, the man motioned for Henry to push his bike through.

“We need to know about helping3 the mountain, too,” Benny spoke2 up.

“Helping the mountain?” said the man, looking puzzled.

“Like the sign in the window says,” explained Benny.

“Oh!” said the man. “You want to know about the bike ride. Thelma!” He shouted out the name so suddenly that all the Aldens jumped a little.

A voice shouted back, “Don’t shout! I’m busy. I’m in the middle of a broken spoke.”

“That’s Thelma,” the man said. “Replacing a broken spoke. If she can’t fix your bike, it can’t be fixed4.”

“That’s right!” she said, popping into the doorway5. She paused to wipe her hands. Unlike Louis, she wasn’t covered in smudges of grease. She was a little taller than Louis, with sandy hair pulled back in a French braid. Tiny silver earrings6 shaped like bicycles dangled7 from her ears.

“What’s up?” she asked, stepping aside so Louis could wheel Henry’s bike into the repair area.

“We want to know about the mountain,” Benny said.

“Eagle Mountain?” asked Thelma.

“Yes, and the bike race,” Violet said.

Thelma smiled. She said, “It’s not really a race. The race is against time. We’re running out of time to raise money to save Eagle Mountain. This is a bike ride to raise money to help buy it.”

“What’s going to happen to the mountain?” asked Violet.

“A developer is trying to buy it,” said Thelma, wrinkling her nose as if the word had a bad smell. “Her name is May Whatney and she wants to buy Eagle Mountain, cut down most of the trees, and put in lots of roads and a golf course and a bunch of big houses. The present owner has always let the public hike through his property, but now he needs money and wants to sell Eagle Mountain to the highest bidder8. If we can raise enough money, we might be able to convince the state to buy it and turn it into a wilderness9 park.”

“How will the bike ride help?” Henry asked.

“It’s a three-day ride. It starts at Eagle Mountain and it ends up at the state capitol. We’ll hold a rally on the steps of the capitol building and give the money we’ve raised to the governor,” Thelma said.

“But how does that make money?” Jessie questioned.

“Every rider will have to pay an entry fee and raise at least a dollar a mile for the trip,” Thelma went on. “The riders will ride a certain number of miles each day and camp each night at a camp set up by the volunteers. Tents and food have been donated by different organizations, but all the riders have to provide their own sleeping bag, clothes, and bike.”

“Don’t forget the raffle10!” Louis called from the back.

“Right,” said Thelma. “For every five dollars over the minimum amount you raise, you get a raffle ticket with your name on it. At the end of the ride, there will be a drawing and one of the riders will win a custom-made Sergio Spokes11 titanium racing12 bike. The only rule is that you have to ride the whole way to be eligible13 for the raffle.”

“Wow,” said Henry. “It sounds great.”

Violet nodded, and Benny said, “I want to save the mountain.”

“Where do we sign up?” asked Jessie.

Thelma pulled a stack of papers from a drawer. “Here are the forms. Just fill them out and mail them in with the entry fee. You can hand in the money you raise on the day of the race or you can mail it in, too.”

“Great,” said Henry.

“Bike’s fixed,” said Louis, reappearing in the doorway with Henry’s bike.

“That was fast,” said Jessie.

“Practice,” said Louis. He smiled, revealing a chipped front tooth. “I’ll show you how to do it if you sign up for the race. Every bike rider should know how to fix a flat tire.”

Benny gave a little skip of excitement. “This will be fun,” he declared. “We’ll ride for miles and miles and miles and camp out in tents and raise lots of money for the mountain and we’ll fix flat tires. I can hardly wait.”

The other Aldens laughed. So did Thelma and Louis. “That’s the spirit,” Thelma said. “I can tell that this is going to be a great bike race.”

“Sounds like a terrific idea,” said Grandfather later that night at dinner. “Eagle Mountain is a wonderful place. We used to go hiking there when I was a boy.”

“I want to ride in the race, too,” said Soo Lee. “My dad says I’m an expert rider!” Soo Lee was a cousin of the Aldens. She lived in Greenfield with their uncle Joe and aunt Alice, who’d adopted her.

The Aldens had been orphans14, too. They’d lived in an old abandoned boxcar in the woods. That was where they had found their dog, Watch. And that was where their grandfather, who had been searching for his grandchildren, had found them. He’d taken them to live with him in his big old house in Greenfield and put the boxcar behind the house so they could visit it whenever they wanted.

Now Soo Lee was spending the night at her cousins’ house, as she often did. Soo Lee and Violet were good friends, and she was sitting next to Violet at the dinner table. Mrs. McGregor, their housekeeper15, had just finished serving them fried chicken, mashed16 potatoes, and corn on the cob.

But Jessie was frowning. “I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t know if any of us can go on the bike ride, come to think of it.”

“What? Why not?” cried Violet.

“Because it says on the forms that you have to be eighteen to ride, or you have to have an adult ride with you,” Jessie said.

For a moment, everyone was silent.

Then Benny cried, “It’s not fair!”

Henry glanced at Soo Lee. “Maybe we could ask Aunt Alice or Uncle Joe to come with us,” he said.

“Maybe,” said Soo Lee. But she didn’t sound as if she thought they would be able to do it.

But then Grandfather Alden smiled and said, “I’ll go on the bike ride with you.”

Benny was so surprised that he dropped the ear of corn he’d been holding. “You will?” he exclaimed.

“Why not?” said Grandfather. He smiled at Benny. “I haven’t been on a bicycle in a while, but I think I can remember how to ride it. It’s something you never forget.”

“That’s great!” said Soo Lee.

“But what will you do for a bike, Grandfather?” asked Jessie.

“I can rent one at Greenfield Wheels,” said Grandfather. “That shouldn’t be any problem.” He glanced around the table. “But you have to do your own fund-raising.”

“We can do that,” said Benny. He picked up his ear of corn and looked over at his grandfather. “You should eat everything on your plate,” Benny told him. “And dessert. You have to get good and strong for the bike ride.”

The next morning, the Aldens began thinking of ways to raise money for the bike ride. They started in the kitchen, right after breakfast.

“Soo Lee and I are going to have a lemonade stand. Mrs. McGregor said she could help us with the lemonade,” said Violet.

“And we’ll make a sign,” said Jessie. “To put in front of the stand.”

“While you are selling lemonade, we can ride our bikes to all the stores and ask for donations,” suggested Benny. “That way, we can practice for the bike ride, too.”

“Good idea,” said Henry.

Using a wagon17 and with Henry, Jessie, and Benny helping, Violet and Soo Lee took the lemonade, a table, two chairs, cups, napkins, and a sign to a busy corner near their house. Watch trotted18 along behind, and when the table had been set up, he sprawled19 out in the shade beneath it.

“Good dog,” said Benny. “You stay here and help sell lemonade, Watch. We’ll be back soon.”

Watch thumped20 his tail in agreement.

Henry, Benny, and Jessie rode their bikes up and down the streets of Greenfield. Dr. Scott, the veterinarian who took care of Watch, made a donation. Sam, the ice-cream man, whose Clydesdale horse pulled the ice-cream wagon, made a donation, too.

But not everybody was as kind as Sam and Dr. Scott. The owner of the card shop, who was reading a newspaper at the counter when they came in to ask for a donation, listened with a stony21 face as they told him about Eagle Mountain. Then he raised the newspaper. “See this? This is May Whatney. She’s a good customer and I’m not making a donation to you. That mountain doesn’t need saving from her; it needs saving from people like you who are against progress.”

“Thank you just the same,” said Jessie politely.

“May your bikes all have flat tires,” the man said. “Now go.”

The Aldens left quickly.

“Wow,” said Henry. “That wasn’t any fun. I guess some people have very strong feelings about the Eagle Mountain issue.”

“Yeah,” said Benny. He made a face.

“Let’s go in there,” said Jessie, pointing at the antiques store. “I think Mr. Bellows22 will make a donation.”

They were right. Will Bellows, like the veterinarian and Sam, had been part of one of the mysteries that the Aldens had solved and was happy to make a donation.

“So, are you going to solve any crimes on this bike ride?” Mr. Bellows asked.

“I don’t think so,” said Henry.

Jessie smiled. “We’ll probably be too busy riding our bikes to think about any mysteries,” she agreed.

“I bet we do find a mystery to solve,” said Benny. “Just wait and see!”


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 aisle qxPz3     
n.(教堂、教室、戏院等里的)过道,通道
参考例句:
  • The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
  • The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。
2 spoke XryyC     
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
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
3 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。
4 fixed JsKzzj     
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的
参考例句:
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
5 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。
6 earrings 9ukzSs     
n.耳环( earring的名词复数 );耳坠子
参考例句:
  • a pair of earrings 一对耳环
  • These earrings snap on with special fastener. 这付耳环是用特制的按扣扣上去的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 dangled 52e4f94459442522b9888158698b7623     
悬吊着( dangle的过去式和过去分词 ); 摆动不定; 用某事物诱惑…; 吊胃口
参考例句:
  • Gold charms dangled from her bracelet. 她的手镯上挂着许多金饰物。
  • It's the biggest financial incentive ever dangled before British footballers. 这是历来对英国足球运动员的最大经济诱惑。
8 bidder oyrzTm     
n.(拍卖时的)出价人,报价人,投标人
参考例句:
  • TV franchises will be auctioned to the highest bidder.电视特许经营权将拍卖给出价最高的投标人。
  • The bidder withdrew his bid after submission of his bid.投标者在投标之后撤销了投标书。
9 wilderness SgrwS     
n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等,荒漠
参考例句:
  • She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
  • Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。
10 raffle xAHzs     
n.废物,垃圾,抽奖售卖;v.以抽彩出售
参考例句:
  • The money was raised by the sale of raffle tickets.这笔款子是通过出售购物彩券筹集的。
  • He won a car in the raffle.他在兑奖售物活动中赢得了一辆汽车。
11 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
12 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。
13 eligible Cq6xL     
adj.有条件被选中的;(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的
参考例句:
  • He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
  • Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。
14 orphans edf841312acedba480123c467e505b2a     
孤儿( orphan的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The poor orphans were kept on short commons. 贫苦的孤儿们吃不饱饭。
  • Their uncle was declared guardian to the orphans. 这些孤儿的叔父成为他们的监护人。
15 housekeeper 6q2zxl     
n.管理家务的主妇,女管家
参考例句:
  • A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.炉子清洁无瑕就表明他母亲是个勤劳的主妇。
  • She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她节约持家,一家人吃得很省。
16 mashed Jotz5Y     
a.捣烂的
参考例句:
  • two scoops of mashed potato 两勺土豆泥
  • Just one scoop of mashed potato for me, please. 请给我盛一勺土豆泥。
17 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。
18 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。
19 sprawled 6cc8223777584147c0ae6b08b9304472     
v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词);蔓延;杂乱无序地拓展;四肢伸展坐着(或躺着)
参考例句:
  • He was sprawled full-length across the bed. 他手脚摊开横躺在床上。
  • He was lying sprawled in an armchair, watching TV. 他四肢伸开正懒散地靠在扶手椅上看电视。
20 thumped 0a7f1b69ec9ae1663cb5ed15c0a62795     
v.重击, (指心脏)急速跳动( thump的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Dave thumped the table in frustration . 戴夫懊恼得捶打桌子。
  • He thumped the table angrily. 他愤怒地用拳捶击桌子。
21 stony qu1wX     
adj.石头的,多石头的,冷酷的,无情的
参考例句:
  • The ground is too dry and stony.这块地太干,而且布满了石头。
  • He listened to her story with a stony expression.他带着冷漠的表情听她讲经历。
22 bellows Ly5zLV     
n.风箱;发出吼叫声,咆哮(尤指因痛苦)( bellow的名词复数 );(愤怒地)说出(某事),大叫v.发出吼叫声,咆哮(尤指因痛苦)( bellow的第三人称单数 );(愤怒地)说出(某事),大叫
参考例句:
  • His job is to blow the bellows for the blacksmith. 他的工作是给铁匠拉风箱。 来自辞典例句
  • You could, I suppose, compare me to a blacksmith's bellows. 我想,你可能把我比作铁匠的风箱。 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