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 Pizza Mystery CHAPTER 8 A Surprise Confession

时间:2017-07-26 07:43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)

The next morning, the sun was shining, and so was every light at Piccolos’ Pizza. The children ran outside to see how their “freezer in the snow” was working. The Piccolos were already packing up the frozen meats and sauces to bring inside.

“When did the power come back on?” Jessie asked.

“This morning at six,” Mr. Piccolo answered. “I came out early to cover your little freezer before the sun came out. When I arrived, the electricity was back on. The emergency people from the light company said a truck from the muffler company backed into the pole last night. This knocked out the electricity for a while. Now it’s all fixed1.”

Henry and Jessie walked back to the shed to get some carrying crates2.

“I’m glad the power is back on,” Jessie said. “I guess we were wrong to think that Laurie or Nick caused the blackout.”

Henry nodded. “Still, I can’t figure out why Laurie didn’t seem upset. She almost seemed glad to have to make the new sauces.”

When Henry and Jessie came back with the crates, they saw Laurie Baker3 coming up the driveway.

“I see everything was saved,” Laurie said without a smile. She only stopped frowning when she saw the Piccolos.

“Good morning, Laurie,” Mr. Piccolo cried. “I guess you know that Violet here rescued everything last night. My homemade sausages, Nina’s tomato sauces, everything is still frozen solid.”

“So I see,” Laurie said before she went inside.

Mr. Piccolo brought in the last of the freezer containers. “Well, now that everything is set for the day, Nina and I can go out for the morning shopping,” Mr. Piccolo told the children.

Mrs. Piccolo reached for the marketing4 basket she kept by the freezer. “With these children and Laurie and Nick working together, we could take the whole day off!”

But Mrs. Piccolo was wrong about everyone working together that day. The minute the Piccolos left, the phone rang in the dining room. When Jessie answered it, Nick told her he wasn’t going to be in.

“Who was that?” Laurie asked when Jessie hung up.

“Nick,” Jessie answered in a puzzled voice. “He can’t come in today. He didn’t say why.”

“Fine,” Laurie said. “It’s easier without him underfoot. Now I need all of you to hand out these flyers in town for today’s special. You don’t need to come back until eleven.”

The children knew what Laurie expected them to do. They put on their warm clothes and took the stack of flyers. When they went past the muffler factory, they handed out a few flyers to some of the workers going into the building.

Jessie tried to hand one young man a flyer, but he went by too fast. “Here, try our . . . Nick!” Jessie suddenly cried. “What are you doing here?”

Nick pulled down his hat and pulled up his scarf to cover his face before he disappeared into the building.

“Are you sure that was Nick?” Violet asked. “Why didn’t he answer you?”

“I’d know those blue eyes anywhere,” Jessie said. “I wonder if he’s started a job here. Maybe that’s why he didn’t come to the restaurant today.”

The children spent the rest of the morning trying to puzzle out what was going on with their old friend.

By ten-thirty, the Aldens were out of flyers. They didn’t want to upset Laurie by coming back too early, so they walked slowly.

“Something is still bothering me about last night,” Jessie said when she saw a Mighty5 Mufflers delivery truck go by. “Why was Laurie the only one who wasn’t upset?”

“She almost seemed glad that it happened because then she could help the Piccolos make more sauce,” Henry said.

“There’s so much work in the restaurant already, why would she want to make those sauces?” Violet asked. “That’s a lot of work.”

Benny shuffled6 along with his hands in his pockets. “And I bet she wouldn’t let us help. Or Nick either!”

“Nick is the other part of this puzzle,” Jessie said. “At first I thought he was acting7 strange because of Laurie. But he moved out of the apartment and stopped coming to Piccolos’ before she even started working there.”

“What if,” Henry began, “what if Mighty Mufflers hired Nick because he did work for the restaurant and knows all about it? If the factory wants to put Piccolos’ out of business for some reason, they could use Nick to hurt the restaurant.”

“No!” Violet broke in. “Nick would never help anyone harm the Piccolos. I just know he wouldn’t.”

The other children knew how much Violet liked Nick. She knew him better than any of the other children. He would never cause problems for the Piccolos. Violet was sure of that.

When the children finally reached the restaurant, there was a new problem to figure out. A truck from the county health department was parked in the driveway of the restaurant.

“What’s the health inspector8 doing here?” Violet asked.

“He goes around to restaurants and food stores to check that everything is neat and clean,” Jessie said.

“I know the dishes are neat and clean,” Benny said proudly.

The children weren’t a bit worried about the health inspector. They knew Piccolos’ Pizza was the cleanest restaurant in Silver Falls.

The Aldens heard a man’s loud voice coming from the kitchen. “Now take out every pot and pan! And all the canisters of flour, too! This freezer needs to be five degrees colder, so you’ll have to throw out what’s in there.”

“But, but,” Mrs. Piccolo began, “the freezer will be the right temperature in a few minutes. We lost our electricity last night and . . .”

“Your electrical problems are not my problems.” The man checked off something on his clipboard. “Everything in that freezer has to be thrown out!”

Henry wasn’t going to let this happen. “Sir, this food has been packed in ice all night. I think if you just open a few containers, you’ll see that everything is frozen colder than your requirements. As Mrs. Piccolo said, the freezer is nearly at the right level now. Please, could you check?”

“Hmph!” the inspector said. “I’ll check, but if it’s a tenth of a degree off, out this food goes. Understand?”

Henry nodded.

The man pulled the tops off several containers of tomato sauce. “All right,” the man muttered. “Now please run through the steps you follow to store your food and prepare your pizzas.”

Mr. and Mrs. Piccolo explained how they made their dough9 and grated their cheese fresh every day. Mrs. Piccolo showed off the gleaming jars of tomatoes she put up at the end of every summer from her garden full of tomatoes. She pointed10 to the pots of herbs sunning themselves on the kitchen window-sill.

As the inspector checked over and under the cabinets, the Piccolos explained everything from how far ahead they made their sauces to how long they let their pizza dough rise. By this time, the inspector had calmed down. He even looked a little hungry!

All this talk didn’t interest Benny much. He went out to the dining room. He was surprised to see Laurie Baker sitting at her usual table, right by the kitchen. She seemed to be listening in on the conversation coming from the kitchen, then writing things down in her notebook.

Before Laurie even saw Benny, he went back to get Jessie.

Right after the inspector left, Jessie came out to the dining room. “What are you writing down, Laurie?”

The young woman was so startled she slammed her notebook shut and dropped her pen. “Nothing—nothing important,” she answered. “Isn’t there something you two should be doing besides spying on people?”

“We weren’t spying,” Benny said. “I just came out to do my jobs.” As Laurie handed Benny the silverware tray, he brushed against her notebook. A piece of paper that was sticking out floated to the floor.

Jessie picked up the paper and read it out loud. “Two tablespoons of olive oil. Six cloves11 of garlic. Two jars of tomatoes. Four teaspoons12 of bay leaves.”

“It’s four teaspoons of basil,” Mrs. Piccolo said when she came into the dining room. “Not bay leaves. Why are you reading my recipe for tomato sauce, Jessie?”

Jessie stared at Laurie. “It was in Laurie’s notebook,” she said, puzzled.

Laurie took the paper from Jessie. “I didn’t. It’s . . . it’s something else.”

“May I see that, Laurie?” Mrs. Piccolo asked softly.

“It’s . . . I had a reason,” Laurie said when she finally handed Mrs. Piccolo the piece of paper.

Mrs. Piccolo looked hurt and confused. “Why? Why did you write this down? What are you hiding from us?”

Laurie sank back into her chair. Her voice trembled. “I needed the recipe for your sauce, Mrs. Piccolo.”

Mrs. Piccolo put her hand on Laurie’s shoulder. “My recipe? Why would you need such a thing?”

Laurie didn’t look up when she answered. “I wanted to help my parents reopen their restaurant in Maytown. It went out of business last year. I thought if they knew how to make your good pizza and how to run a restaurant like yours, they could make a go of it.”

“So you came to get experience here?” Mr. Piccolo said in a hurt voice. “Why didn’t you tell us when you started coming here for lunch? We would have offered you a job. Why have you lied to us?”

Laurie looked up and tried to explain. “I was afraid you wouldn’t hire me if you knew my parents had a restaurant, so I waited until you really needed someone. I know that was a terrible thing to do. I realize that, now that it’s too late.”

Everyone was silent.

Finally, Mr. Piccolo took a deep breath and spoke13 to Laurie. “If you had told us the truth, we would have taught you all our business. We’re not worried about a restaurant all the way out in Maytown competing with us! You didn’t have to sneak14 around trying to figure out Nina’s recipes.”

Mrs. Piccolo took Laurie’s hand. “My recipes are not a secret. That is just our joke.”

“I’m so sorry for the way I acted. You trusted me so much, and I didn’t deserve it,” Laurie said, looking up at Benny. “I’m sorry for the way I treated these wonderful children. I was afraid they would find out what I was doing.”

“You were trying to help your parents,” Mrs. Piccolo said. “I can understand that.”

“They only have one more month on their lease,” Laurie said. “I thought if I could reopen their restaurant in time, I would make enough money so they could sign a new lease.”

The Piccolos and Aldens listened closely as Laurie explained.

“Every time I came in to eat I took a few notes,” Laurie went on. “There was so much to remember—the contest Violet thought up, the new menu, all the dishes you needed. I took a menu home with me and peeked15 into the kitchen a few times when I sat at this table.”

“Were you the person at the window the first day we got here?” Benny asked.

“I was,” Laurie confessed. “I knew you were all in the dining room, so I tried to get a good look at the layout of the kitchen. But after your dog started barking, I left.”

“What about the fake orders?” Henry asked.

“And that man who said he ordered a plain pizza then left without paying?” Violet added.

Laurie shook her head. “I had nothing to do with those mix-ups. Please believe me.” She looked at the Piccolos. “I’m not sure I’ve been the only one sneaking16 around the restaurant. A few times when I came by after hours, I noticed a man watching the restaurant, too. I never saw his face. I don’t know if he’s the one who left without paying or the one who called in fake orders.” Laurie stopped then lowered her voice. “Maybe it’s someone you know already.”

“Now, now, no one would harm us,” Mrs. Piccolo said in her trusting way. “These are problems anybody could have.”

“What about getting the broken gas line fixed?” Henry asked. “The gas company said it was a woman who canceled the repair truck.”

Laurie paused. “I had nothing to do with the broken gas line or the blackout last night. I was down in the cellar getting more supplies. I did see that you might lose the sauces. Then Mrs. Piccolo could have taught me how to make new batches17.” Laurie looked up at Violet. “After Violet came up with the outdoor freezer idea, I thought of another way to find out about the secret sauce.”

Laurie stopped talking. She looked scared. “I was the one who called the health inspector.”

The Aldens and Piccolos felt as if Laurie had thrown ice water on them.

“It’s not what you think,” Laurie said quickly. “See, I knew the health inspector, at least I knew the one who used to stop by my parents’ place. I figured you wouldn’t have any problems since Piccolos’ is so clean all the time. I just wanted to find out everything about how you run the restaurant and make your sauces and sausages. I had no idea the new health inspector would be so mean. I’m most ashamed of that,” Laurie said, sniffling. “I feel so terrible.”

The Aldens felt terrible, too. The Piccolos were so generous and good. What Laurie had done was very wrong.

“I’ll just go,” Laurie said sadly. “I’ve caused you enough trouble.”

“Now, now, now,” Mr. Piccolo said. “You don’t get away that easy, young lady. No, no. We have a plan, don’t we, Nina?”

Mrs. Piccolo looked as surprised as everyone else. Then Mr. Piccolo whispered something in her ear. She nodded her head.

“Yes, that’s a fine idea.” Mrs. Piccolo turned to Laurie. “If you’re willing to work free for the next few weeks, we will teach you all we can about running a pizza restaurant. What do you think about that?”

Laurie’s answer was to give a huge hug to both Piccolos. “I think I’m a lucky person. I’ll make up for everything, I promise. Thank you for giving me a chance.”

“Well, miss, your lessons start right now,” Mr. Piccolo joked. “So get out your notebook.”

“What are you doing, Benny?” Laurie asked when he sat down with a pencil and paper.

“I’m going to Piccolos’ Pizza School, too!” he answered.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 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。
2 crates crates     
n. 板条箱, 篓子, 旧汽车 vt. 装进纸条箱
参考例句:
  • We were using crates as seats. 我们用大木箱作为座位。
  • Thousands of crates compacted in a warehouse. 数以千计的板条箱堆放在仓库里。
3 baker wyTz62     
n.面包师
参考例句:
  • The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
  • The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。
4 marketing Boez7e     
n.行销,在市场的买卖,买东西
参考例句:
  • They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
  • He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。
5 mighty YDWxl     
adj.强有力的;巨大的
参考例句:
  • A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
  • The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。
6 shuffled cee46c30b0d1f2d0c136c830230fe75a     
v.洗(纸牌)( shuffle的过去式和过去分词 );拖着脚步走;粗心地做;摆脱尘世的烦恼
参考例句:
  • He shuffled across the room to the window. 他拖着脚走到房间那头的窗户跟前。
  • Simon shuffled awkwardly towards them. 西蒙笨拙地拖着脚朝他们走去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 acting czRzoc     
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的
参考例句:
  • Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她,她只是假装的。
  • During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代,她的表演生涯黯然失色。
8 inspector q6kxH     
n.检查员,监察员,视察员
参考例句:
  • The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
  • The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。
9 dough hkbzg     
n.生面团;钱,现款
参考例句:
  • She formed the dough into squares.她把生面团捏成四方块。
  • The baker is kneading dough.那位面包师在揉面。
10 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。
11 cloves 5ad54567fd694738fc0b84d05623a07a     
n.丁香(热带树木的干花,形似小钉子,用作调味品,尤用作甜食的香料)( clove的名词复数 );蒜瓣(a garlic ~|a ~of garlic)
参考例句:
  • My country is rich in cinnamon, cloves, ginger, pepper, and precious stones. 我国盛产肉桂、丁香、生姜、胡椒和宝石。 来自辞典例句
  • Ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper and cloves are common spices. 姜、肉豆蔻、肉桂、胡椒、丁香都是常用的香料。 来自辞典例句
12 teaspoons 2373c24f8a940bcba4d8d55a1e80e98c     
n.茶匙( teaspoon的名词复数 );一茶匙的量
参考例句:
  • Add two teaspoons of salt. 加两小匙盐。
  • Add 3 heaped teaspoons of sugar. 加满满的三匙糖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 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。
14 sneak vr2yk     
vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝);偷偷摸摸做;n.潜行;adj.暗中进行
参考例句:
  • He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。
  • I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。
15 peeked c7b2fdc08abef3a4f4992d9023ed9bb8     
v.很快地看( peek的过去式和过去分词 );偷看;窥视;微露出
参考例句:
  • She peeked over the top of her menu. 她从菜单上往外偷看。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • On two occasions she had peeked at him through a crack in the wall. 她曾两次透过墙缝窥视他。 来自辞典例句
16 sneaking iibzMu     
a.秘密的,不公开的
参考例句:
  • She had always had a sneaking affection for him. 以前她一直暗暗倾心于他。
  • She ducked the interviewers by sneaking out the back door. 她从后门偷偷溜走,躲开采访者。
17 batches f8c77c3bee0bd5d27b9ca0e20c216d1a     
一批( batch的名词复数 ); 一炉; (食物、药物等的)一批生产的量; 成批作业
参考例句:
  • The prisoners were led out in batches and shot. 这些囚犯被分批带出去枪毙了。
  • The stainless drum may be used to make larger batches. 不锈钢转数设备可用来加工批量大的料。
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