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儿童英语读物 The Great Bicycle Race Mystery CHAPTER 2 The Mean Limousine

时间:2017-09-27 06:12来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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A tanned boy with shaggy brown hair had just stopped at the lemonade stand as Henry, Benny and Jessie arrived. He’d loosened the straps1 of his blue bicycle helmet and had it pushed back. He was wearing dark glasses and shiny black bicycling shorts.

“Hi,” said Henry.

The boy scowled2 at them.

“Have some lemonade,” suggested Jessie. “You look like you could use it.”

“I changed my mind. I’m not thirsty,” he said.

“It’s for a good cause,” Soo Lee said. “Did you see our sign?”

“I know about the ride,” the young man said.

“We’re all going to be in it,” said Benny. “Even our grandfather.”

But the young man wasn’t paying attention to Benny. He was eyeing Henry. He pointed3. “Is that your bike?” he asked.

“Yes,” said Henry proudly. He’d bought the bicycle at a yard sale. It had been rusty4 and dented6 and missing its chain. Henry had repaired the bike. He’d given it a new chain, fixed7 the gears, and then he’d scrubbed away all the rust5 and painted the bike fire-engine red.

“What a hunk of junk!” the young man said.

Henry’s face reddened.

“It’s a beautiful bike!” declared Jessie, with her hands on her hips9.

“Ha,” said the boy. “You’ll be lucky if you finish the first day of the race.”

With that, he swung his leg back over his own sleek10, shiny bicycle and pedaled away.

For a moment, everyone was too stunned11 to speak. Then Jessie said, “That’s two rude people in one day.”

“What else happened?” asked Soo Lee.

“When we were collecting money, we had one man who is a friend of May Whatney’s practically throw us out of his store,” Jessie explained.

“Grrr,” said Watch.

“That’s how I felt, too,” said Benny, patting Watch.

“But he wasn’t the only one you talked to, right?” Soo Lee said. “Did you raise any money?”

“We did,” said Jessie. “Everybody else was pretty nice. What about you?”

“We almost sold out,” Violet said proudly. “We have just enough lemonade left to give everybody a free glass.” She poured out the lemonade and handed it around.

Benny finished his in one long gulp12. “I’m hungry,” he announced. “I need dessert.”

That made Henry laugh. “Okay, Benny,” he said. “You can have dessert. But first you have to eat lunch!”

After lunch, the Aldens counted their money. “We’re getting closer to our goal, the entrance fees plus one dollar a mile,” said Jessie, “but we still have a ways to go.”

“I have an idea to raise more money,” suggested Benny. “Let’s have a car wash.”

“It’s worked in the past,” agreed Henry. “It should work again.”

The Aldens gathered sponges and buckets and soap. They took the lemonade sign and turned it over and wrote on the back, HELP SAVE EAGLE MOUNTAIN. HAVE YOUR CAR WASHED AND MAKE A DONATION.

They went out to the end of the driveway by the street. At first no cars stopped. Then a pickup13 truck pulled into the car wash. “I’ll give you a big donation if you can get the back of my pickup truck clean,” the woman inside said. “I’ve been hauling manure14 for my garden.”

Violet wrinkled her nose. The truck smelled like manure.

But the smell didn’t stop Henry. “You’ve got a deal,” he said. The Aldens went to work.

Soon the whole truck was sparkling clean—and all of the Aldens were soaking wet. Even Watch, who wasn’t very fond of baths, had somehow gotten wet.

“Good job,” said the woman as Henry gave a side mirror a last polish with a dry cloth. She reached into her hip8 pocket, pulled out her wallet, and took out several bills. She handed the money to Violet and Violet gasped15.

“Thank you!” Violet said. “That’s the biggest donation we’ve had so far.”

“A clean truck and a good cause,” the woman said with a smile. “It’s worth it.” She waved as she drove away.

After that the Aldens washed a blue van, an old maroon16 Chevy, another pickup truck, and a station wagon17.

Then a long black car pulled up to the curb18. The window hummed down and a thin-faced man peered out from the driver’s side of the car.

“How sweet,” said the man. “But do you really think your little car wash is going to prevent people from taking Eagle Mountain to its full financial and developmental potential?”

“Well ...” said Benny. He wasn’t sure what the man had just said.

The man jerked his head in the direction of the bicycles propped19 against the front porch of the Aldens’ house. “And I suppose those are the vehicles you plan to use in this bike race that’s being talked about?”

“Those are our bikes,” said Benny.

“We may not finish first, but every little bit helps,” Jessie put in cheerfully. “Would you like us to wash your car?”

The man seemed to shudder20 as he answered, “I don’t think so.”

From the backseat, a woman leaned forward. The Aldens caught a glimpse of smartly cut brown hair streaked21 with blond and gray, and a pair of half glasses perched on the end of an upturned nose. “Ronald, that will do,” the woman said.

“You don’t want to make a donation, either?” Soo Lee asked.

The man called Ronald gave a snort. “Certainly not,” he snapped. “Although it looks as if you could use one for those pathetic machines you call bicycles.”

“That’s enough. Drive on,” the woman’s voice commanded and she leaned back, disappearing from view.

“Yes, Ms. Whatney,” Ronald said.

He rolled up the window and the car purred away.

“Ms. Whatney!” exclaimed Jessie, staring after the car. “So that’s the developer who is trying to buy Eagle Mountain.”

“And that man named Ronald must be her chauffeur,” said Henry.

Violet said, “I guess she’s very, very rich. She can probably pay lots of money for Eagle Mountain. How can we ever raise enough to stop her?”

She sounded unhappy. Henry patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Violet. She’s only one person and there are lots and lots of us who are raising money. And if we can show how many people want the mountain saved, the governor might help, too. We’ll be able to do it.”

“I hope so,” said Violet.

Just then, another car pulled up to the car wash, and the Aldens had to get back to work.

At the end of the day, they sat, tired and content, on the front steps of the house. “We can work on raising more money tomorrow,” said Henry. “Maybe we can ride over to Silver City and see if we can get some donations there.”

“That’ll be fun. But I have to go home now,” said Soo Lee. “I’ll be back first thing tomorrow morning to help.”

The Aldens worked hard for the next few weeks raising money and practicing for the ride. In the mornings they would ride their bikes, going farther and farther each day to get used to riding long distances.

Grandfather rented a bicycle from Greenfield Wheels and practiced with them often. Sometimes Soo Lee, Aunt Alice, and Uncle Joe came along, too. Jessie put a special basket on the back of her bicycle so even Watch could come along. His legs were too short for him to run alongside during the long bike rides.

In the afternoons, the Aldens collected donations and held car washes and did chores for people in the neighborhood. They walked dogs and pulled weeds. They watered plants for people who went on vacation. They spent two days cleaning out a garage for a family that was moving.

Finally, two days before the race began, they sat on the front porch to count their money. “We did it!” said Jessie. “We have enough money for all of us, even Grandfather: entrance fees and one dollar per mile each.”

Soo Lee sighed with relief. “Good. I was beginning to get worried.”

“I knew we’d make it,” Benny boasted.

“We even have a little extra,” Jessie went on.

“The more money we have to help save Eagle Mountain, the better,” said Violet.

Henry stood up. “Let’s put the money away and go do some riding.”

“Good idea,” said Jessie.

“Not too far,” Soo Lee warned. “Remember what Thelma told us. Right before the race we’re just supposed to take short rides.”

“We’ll go to the park and back,” said Henry.

“And tomorrow, we pack and get ready for the race,” said Benny. “I can hardly wait. Then it will only be one more day. Isn’t it great, Watch?”

Watch, who was standing22 beside Jessie’s bicycle, wagged his tail. He was ready to go for a ride, too.

The Aldens pedaled away, with Watch hanging out of Jessie’s basket, his ears flying.

“Eagle Mountain, here we come!” shouted Benny.
 


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 straps 1412cf4c15adaea5261be8ae3e7edf8e     
n.带子( strap的名词复数 );挎带;肩带;背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 );用皮带抽打;包扎;给…打绷带
参考例句:
  • the shoulder straps of her dress 她连衣裙上的肩带
  • The straps can be adjusted to suit the wearer. 这些背带可进行调整以适合使用者。
2 scowled b83aa6db95e414d3ef876bc7fd16d80d     
怒视,生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He scowled his displeasure. 他满脸嗔色。
  • The teacher scowled at his noisy class. 老师对他那喧闹的课堂板着脸。
3 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。
4 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。
5 rust XYIxu     
n.锈;v.生锈;(脑子)衰退
参考例句:
  • She scraped the rust off the kitchen knife.她擦掉了菜刀上的锈。
  • The rain will rust the iron roof.雨水会使铁皮屋顶生锈。
6 dented dented     
v.使产生凹痕( dent的过去式和过去分词 );损害;伤害;挫伤(信心、名誉等)
参考例句:
  • The back of the car was badly dented in the collision. 汽车尾部被撞后严重凹陷。
  • I'm afraid I've dented the car. 恐怕我把车子撞瘪了一些。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 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。
8 hip 1dOxX     
n.臀部,髋;屋脊
参考例句:
  • The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
  • The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。
9 hips f8c80f9a170ee6ab52ed1e87054f32d4     
abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯,耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 );[建筑学]屋脊;臀围(尺寸);臀部…的
参考例句:
  • She stood with her hands on her hips. 她双手叉腰站着。
  • They wiggled their hips to the sound of pop music. 他们随着流行音乐的声音摇晃着臀部。 来自《简明英汉词典》
10 sleek zESzJ     
adj.光滑的,井然有序的;v.使光滑,梳拢
参考例句:
  • Women preferred sleek,shiny hair with little decoration.女士们更喜欢略加修饰的光滑闪亮型秀发。
  • The horse's coat was sleek and glossy.这匹马全身润泽有光。
11 stunned 735ec6d53723be15b1737edd89183ec2     
adj. 震惊的,惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
  • The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。
12 gulp yQ0z6     
vt.吞咽,大口地吸(气);vi.哽住;n.吞咽
参考例句:
  • She took down the tablets in one gulp.她把那些药片一口吞了下去。
  • Don't gulp your food,chew it before you swallow it.吃东西不要狼吞虎咽,要嚼碎了再咽下去。
13 pickup ANkxA     
n.拾起,获得
参考例句:
  • I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。
14 manure R7Yzr     
n.粪,肥,肥粒;vt.施肥
参考例句:
  • The farmers were distributing manure over the field.农民们正在田间施肥。
  • The farmers used manure to keep up the fertility of their land.农夫们用粪保持其土质的肥沃。
15 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》
16 maroon kBvxb     
v.困住,使(人)处于孤独无助之境;n.逃亡黑奴;孤立的人;酱紫色,褐红色;adj.酱紫色的,褐红色的
参考例句:
  • Five couples were marooned in their caravans when the River Avon broke its banks.埃文河决堤的时候,有5对夫妇被困在了他们的房车里。
  • Robinson Crusoe has been marooned on a desert island for 26 years.鲁滨逊在荒岛上被困了26年。
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 curb LmRyy     
n.场外证券市场,场外交易;vt.制止,抑制
参考例句:
  • I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
  • You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。
19 propped 557c00b5b2517b407d1d2ef6ba321b0e     
支撑,支持,维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He sat propped up in the bed by pillows. 他靠着枕头坐在床上。
  • This fence should be propped up. 这栅栏该用东西支一支。
20 shudder JEqy8     
v.战粟,震动,剧烈地摇晃;n.战粟,抖动
参考例句:
  • The sight of the coffin sent a shudder through him.看到那副棺材,他浑身一阵战栗。
  • We all shudder at the thought of the dreadful dirty place.我们一想到那可怕的肮脏地方就浑身战惊。
21 streaked d67e6c987d5339547c7938f1950b8295     
adj.有条斑纹的,不安的v.快速移动( streak的过去式和过去分词 );使布满条纹
参考例句:
  • The children streaked off as fast as they could. 孩子们拔脚飞跑 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • His face was pale and streaked with dirt. 他脸色苍白,脸上有一道道的污痕。 来自辞典例句
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。
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