《神奇树屋》 第二十一册 Civil War on Sunday 06 Keep Low!

　　The wagon¹ jerked and swayed as it bumped over the dryground.

Jack² felt as though he were frying pan the hot sunlight. Dustfrom the road filled his throat and eyes.

The boom of cannons⁴ grew louder and louder. Jack heardpopping sounds, too, like the noise of firecrackers.

"What's that popping noise?" he shouted, blinded by the dustand sunlight.

"Musket⁵ fire!" said Clara.

Jack remembered that muskets⁶ were long, old-fashioned guns.

"What are those flashes?" asked Annie.

Jack tried to open his eyes and see what she was talkingabout.

He saw bright flashes of light in the distance and puffs⁷ ofsmoke in the sky.

"Cannon³ shells exploding," said Clara Bar-ton. "Shells are likesmall bombs. They have ruined much farmland." Jack squinted⁸ at the passing countryside. The ground wasfilled with ugly holes. Long ditches were also cut through thefields.

"Did the shells make those ditches, too?" he asked.

"No. Those are trenches⁹ the soldiers dug for a battle," Clarasaid. "Each side digs their own. Day after day, they sit in thetrenches, firing their muskets at one another."Jack tried to imagine how terrible it would be to sit in a trenchall day, waiting to be shot--or waiting to shoot someone else.

"We have to get some water," said Clara.

She drove the wagon to a narrow creek¹⁰. A stream of waterflowed downhill, running over rocks.

The wagon came to a halt. Jack heard a whistling sound, thenanother.

"Keep low!" cried Clara.

"What's that?" Jack asked. "Cannon fire!" she said. Jack andAnnie crouched¹¹ down in the driver's seat.

Jack felt a rush of panic. He pulled out their list. His handswere shaking as he read:

Be braveOh, great, he thought.

Another cannon shell whizzed overhead, then another.

The ground exploded over and over in flashes of light. Dirtclods flew everywhere. Clouds of smoke and more dust filled theair.

The horses neighed and whinnied.

Be brave! Jack thought. Be brave!

1 wagon   

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。

2 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

3 cannon   

n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮

参考例句：

• The soldiers fired the cannon.士兵们开炮。
• The cannon thundered in the hills.大炮在山间轰鸣。

4 cannons   

n.加农炮，大炮，火炮( cannon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Cannons bombarded enemy lines. 大炮轰击了敌军阵地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One company had been furnished with six cannons. 某连队装备了六门大炮。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 musket   

n.滑膛枪

参考例句：

• I hunted with a musket two years ago.两年前我用滑膛枪打猎。
• So some seconds passed,till suddenly Joyce whipped up his musket and fired.又过了几秒钟，突然，乔伊斯端起枪来开了火。

6 muskets   

n.火枪，（尤指）滑膛枪( musket的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The watch below, all hands to load muskets. 另一组人都来帮着给枪装火药。 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
• Deep ditch, single drawbridge, massive stone walls, eight at towers, cannon, muskets, fire and smoke. 深深的壕堑，单吊桥，厚重的石壁，八座巨大的塔楼。大炮、毛瑟枪、火焰与烟雾。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

7 puffs   

n.吸( puff的名词复数 )；（烟斗或香烟的）一吸；一缕（烟、蒸汽等）；（呼吸或风的）呼v.使喷出( puff的第三人称单数 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧

参考例句：

• We sat exchanging puffs from that wild pipe of his. 我们坐在那里，轮番抽着他那支野里野气的烟斗。 来自辞典例句
• Puffs of steam and smoke came from the engine. 一股股蒸汽和烟雾从那火车头里冒出来。 来自辞典例句

8 squinted   

斜视( squint的过去式和过去分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看

参考例句：

• Pulling his rifle to his shoulder he squinted along the barrel. 他把枪顶肩，眯起眼睛瞄准。
• I squinted through the keyhole. 我从锁眼窥看。

9 trenches   

深沟，地沟( trench的名词复数 )； 战壕

参考例句：

• life in the trenches 第一次世界大战期间的战壕生活
• The troops stormed the enemy's trenches and fanned out across the fields. 部队猛攻敌人的战壕，并在田野上呈扇形散开。

10 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

11 crouched   

v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He crouched down beside her. 他在她的旁边蹲了下来。
• The lion crouched ready to pounce. 狮子蹲下身，准备猛扑。