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儿童英语读物 The Outer Space Mystery CHAPTER 8 A Pale Blue Clue

时间:2017-09-01 07:09:07

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(单词翻译)

The next morning, the Aldens reported to the dining room a half hour before the breakfast crowd.

Hazel Watson was waiting for them. “Good morning,” she greeted. “I’m so thankful you children are pitching in.”

“We’re glad to help out,” said Jessie.

Hazel handed the three older children aprons2. A special pocket stitched on the front contained a small notepad and pencil. “Your uniforms,” she said.

“Where’s my uniform?” Benny asked.

“Remember? You and I are going to roll silverware in napkins. Let’s see who can roll the most.”

“Me!” said Benny.

A tray was pushed through the window that divided the kitchen and the dining room.

“Here are your breakfasts,” Hazel told them. “Eat up, before the rush comes.”

The children sat down and dug into bacon and eggs. While they ate, Hazel instructed the new servers.

“A pot of coffee and a pitcher3 of juice is on each table. Menu cards are already by each place. There are only three meals a diner can choose.”

“Number one is the Mountaineer Breakfast,” Jessie said, reading a menu card. “Hash browns, scrambled4 eggs, bacon, and toast. So if a customer chose that, I’d write Number 1 on my notepad.”

“Exactly!” Hazel said. “You will simply write down breakfast number one, two, or three.”

“How do we know when the food is ready?” Jessie asked.

“And whose order is whose?” Henry wanted to know.

Hazel shook her head in amazement5. “You kids are pros6! After writing each order, bring it to me. When the food is ready, I’ll call your name as the orders come up from the cook. The plates will already be on trays. Questions?”

“Yes,” said Benny. “Do we get extra food?”

Hazel laughed. “You can have all you want when this is over! Thank heavens this is the last day of the conference.” She held out her hand to him. “Let’s go roll silverware.”

The other three Aldens divided the dining room into sections.

“The tables have little flags with numbers,” Henry observed. “So when you write an order, be sure to write down the table number, too.”

By the time they had agreed on territories, it was eight o’clock. The first two diners entered the room.

They sat at table number fifteen, one of Violet’s. Nervously7, Violet stepped up, order pad and pencil in hand.

“Our new waitress is very cute,” said a student with a wink8. Violet giggled9. “I’ll have breakfast number one.” Violet wrote down Number 1 very carefully.

His companion reached for the coffeepot. “I’ll have the same. We heard Rachel’s okay. Did she say when she was coming back?”

“No,” Violet replied. “But we hope it’s soon.” Then she remembered to write 15 at the top of her order slip. Wouldn’t it be awful if her customers’ meals went to the wrong table?

Soon the trickle10 of diners turned into a regular stream. Henry, Jessie, and Violet scurried11 around, taking orders and delivering meals.

Violet was delighted that she got to serve Grandfather and Dr. Porter. Grandfather seemed proud of her.

One of Jessie’s last customers was Mark Jacobs. He didn’t want anything to eat, only juice and coffee.

“Mark looks terrible,” Jessie commented to Henry as they passed each other. “As if he’s been up all night.”

 

“He’s so upset about losing his paper,” Henry said. “It was his big chance.”

Mark gulped12 the rest of his juice, then left. Jessie wished she could help him.

Eugene Scott was the last diner to straggle in. Though he was dressed nicely in a jacket and tie, the student’s eyes were dark-circled. He sat down at one of Henry’s tables and wearily rested his head on his arms.

Henry went over to the table. “Excuse me, Eugene. Are you having breakfast?”

“What?” Eugene looked around blearily. “Oh, yeah.” He glanced at the menu. “Give me number three.”

As Henry hurried off with the order, he passed Violet and Jessie. With the rush over, the pace had slowed. The girls were leaning against an empty table near the kitchen.

“What’s wrong with Eugene?” Jessie asked. “He looks just as tired as Mark.”

“He seems beat,” Henry agreed. “But I can’t figure out why. His paper wasn’t stolen.”

“That’s right,” Violet said. “In fact, all Eugene does is brag13 about his discovery. He doesn’t seem very excited, though.”

When Henry left to deliver the order, Jessie kept an eye on Eugene’s table.

First Eugene poured a cup of coffee. Then he pulled a pale blue packet from his jacket pocket. He unwrapped a small object and popped it in his mouth. He left the wrapper on the place mat.

Jessie grabbed Henry as he came by with Eugene’s breakfast.

“See that piece of blue paper on his place mat?” she exclaimed. “I think it’s a clue! Get it!”

With a nod, Henry went into action. He skillfully slid the plate of French toast in front of Eugene, while palming the scrap14 of paper. Then he left Eugene’s table.

“Let’s see it!” Benny said. He had finished rolling silverware. When he joined the girls, Jessie told him about Henry’s secret mission.

Henry smoothed the small square. “It’s a mint wrapper, not a gum wrapper! I wonder why he’d eat a mint before his meal instead of after.”

“I don’t know, but it’s the same paper we found in our room!” Benny said.

“And the one Jessie found in the cabin,” Violet added.

“The intruder ate mints,” Jessie concluded. “Rachel chews gum, so it wasn’t her. It was Eugene Scott!”

“But why did Eugene break into our room?” Benny wondered. “What was he looking for?”

“Something’s wrong,” Henry said, watching his customer. “He’s hardly touched a thing on his plate.”

Glancing around, Eugene dumped his French toast and sausage links in his napkin. He crammed15 it into his jacket and stood up to leave.

“What’s he doing?” Benny asked.

Henry knew instantly. “He’s smuggling16 food.”

“To eat later?” Violet wondered. “As a snack?”

“He’s taking that food to somebody,” Jessie declared.

“We have to follow him,” Henry said, shedding his apron1.

“But we can’t leave,” Violet pointed17 out. “We’re still on duty.”

Hazel Watson came over just then.

“I believe that’s the last of the breakfast crowd,” she said with a relieved sigh. “You children did a fine job. I’ve heard nothing but compliments about our new serving staff!”

Jessie was untying18 her apron. “It was fun. Can we go now?” She noticed Eugene Scott through the window. If they hurried, they would still be able to follow him.

“Yes, you may,” replied Hazel. “But there are lots of leftovers19. You must be starved after all that work.”

“No, thanks!” Benny said, practically running out the door. Right now, solving a mystery was more important than a blueberry muffin.

Once outside, the children looked in every direction. Eugene was nowhere in sight. He could have taken any of the trails that wound through the campus or up the mountain.

“We’re too late!” Violet wailed20. “We’ve lost him!”

Henry spotted21 another pale blue wrapper in the driveway at the base of one of the stone pillars.

“No, we haven’t lost him! He left us a sign. This way!”

“I bet he took the secret trail!” Jessie said excitedly.

This time the children quickly spotted the faint trail that branched off the driveway.

“Doesn’t that branch look broken?” Benny asked, pointing to a drooping22 tree limb on the right-hand path. “I bet Eugene did it.”

“But we’ve been on this trail,” Violet pointed out. “It could have been one of us.”

“No, Benny’s right,” Henry said. “That’s a fresh break. And the branch is pretty high. None of us is that tall. But Eugene is.”

“Good detective work, Benny,” Jessie praised.

Soon they saw more snapped branches and stripped leaves. Despite the thick foliage23 and stinging insects, the Aldens hurried down the twisting path and into the glen.

The cabin door stood half open. Voices raised in argument filtered into the clearing.

“Stay back,” Henry cautioned the others.

The children hid behind an oak tree and waited. After a few minutes, Eugene Scott appeared, carrying a folder24. He stomped25 out of the cabin, rudely slamming the door behind him.

Muttering to himself, he found the footpath26 and quickly disappeared into the dense27 underbrush.

Henry stood up. “The coast is clear. Now let’s see who Eugene was yelling at.”

They ran up to the cabin porch and knocked.

None of the children was surprised when Rachel Cunningham opened the door.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 apron Lvzzo     
n.围裙;工作裙
参考例句:
  • We were waited on by a pretty girl in a pink apron.招待我们的是一位穿粉红色围裙的漂亮姑娘。
  • She stitched a pocket on the new apron.她在新围裙上缝上一只口袋。
2 aprons d381ffae98ab7cbe3e686c9db618abe1     
围裙( apron的名词复数 ); 停机坪,台口(舞台幕前的部份)
参考例句:
  • Many people like to wear aprons while they are cooking. 许多人做饭时喜欢系一条围裙。
  • The chambermaid in our corridor wears blue checked gingham aprons. 给我们扫走廊的清洁女工围蓝格围裙。
3 pitcher S2Gz7     
n.(有嘴和柄的)大水罐;(棒球)投手
参考例句:
  • He poured the milk out of the pitcher.他从大罐中倒出牛奶。
  • Any pitcher is liable to crack during a tight game.任何投手在紧张的比赛中都可能会失常。
4 scrambled 2e4a1c533c25a82f8e80e696225a73f2     
v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 );攀登;争夺;(军事飞机)紧急起飞
参考例句:
  • Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 amazement 7zlzBK     
n.惊奇,惊讶
参考例句:
  • All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
  • He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。
6 pros pros     
abbr.prosecuting 起诉;prosecutor 起诉人;professionals 自由职业者;proscenium (舞台)前部n.赞成的意见( pro的名词复数 );赞成的理由;抵偿物;交换物
参考例句:
  • The pros and cons cancel out. 正反两种意见抵消。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • We should hear all the pros and cons of the matter before we make a decision. 我们在对这事做出决定之前,应该先听取正反两方面的意见。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 nervously tn6zFp     
adv.神情激动地,不安地
参考例句:
  • He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇,努力忍着不哭出来。
  • He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。
8 wink 4MGz3     
n.眨眼,使眼色,瞬间;v.眨眼,使眼色,闪烁
参考例句:
  • He tipped me the wink not to buy at that price.他眨眼暗示我按那个价格就不要买。
  • The satellite disappeared in a wink.瞬息之间,那颗卫星就消失了。
9 giggled 72ecd6e6dbf913b285d28ec3ba1edb12     
v.咯咯地笑( giggle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The girls giggled at the joke. 女孩子们让这笑话逗得咯咯笑。
  • The children giggled hysterically. 孩子们歇斯底里地傻笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
10 trickle zm2w8     
vi.淌,滴,流出,慢慢移动,逐渐消散
参考例句:
  • The stream has thinned down to a mere trickle.这条小河变成细流了。
  • The flood of cars has now slowed to a trickle.汹涌的车流现在已经变得稀稀拉拉。
11 scurried 5ca775f6c27dc6bd8e1b3af90f3dea00     
v.急匆匆地走( scurry的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She said goodbye and scurried back to work. 她说声再见,然后扭头跑回去干活了。
  • It began to rain and we scurried for shelter. 下起雨来,我们急忙找地方躲避。 来自《简明英汉词典》
12 gulped 4873fe497201edc23bc8dcb50aa6eb2c     
v.狼吞虎咽地吃,吞咽( gulp的过去式和过去分词 );大口地吸(气);哽住
参考例句:
  • He gulped down the rest of his tea and went out. 他把剩下的茶一饮而尽便出去了。
  • She gulped nervously, as if the question bothered her. 她紧张地咽了一下,似乎那问题把她难住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 brag brag     
v./n.吹牛,自夸;adj.第一流的
参考例句:
  • He made brag of his skill.他夸耀自己技术高明。
  • His wealth is his brag.他夸张他的财富。
14 scrap JDFzf     
n.碎片;废料;v.废弃,报废
参考例句:
  • A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
  • Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。
15 crammed e1bc42dc0400ef06f7a53f27695395ce     
adj.塞满的,挤满的;大口地吃;快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满;填入;临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式)
参考例句:
  • He crammed eight people into his car. 他往他的车里硬塞进八个人。
  • All the shelves were crammed with books. 所有的架子上都堆满了书。
16 smuggling xx8wQ     
n.走私
参考例句:
  • Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
  • The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。
17 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。
18 untying 4f138027dbdb2087c60199a0a69c8176     
untie的现在分词
参考例句:
  • The tying of bow ties is an art; the untying is easy. 打领带是一种艺术,解领带则很容易。
  • As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" 33他们解驴驹的时候,主人问他们说,解驴驹作什么?
19 leftovers AprzGJ     
n.剩余物,残留物,剩菜
参考例句:
  • He can do miracles with a few kitchen leftovers.他能用厨房里几样剩饭做出一顿美餐。
  • She made supper from leftovers she had thrown together.她用吃剩的食物拼凑成一顿晚饭。
20 wailed e27902fd534535a9f82ffa06a5b6937a     
v.哭叫,哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She wailed over her father's remains. 她对着父亲的遗体嚎啕大哭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The women of the town wailed over the war victims. 城里的妇女为战争的死难者们痛哭。 来自辞典例句
21 spotted 7FEyj     
adj.有斑点的,斑纹的,弄污了的
参考例句:
  • The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
  • Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。
22 drooping drooping     
adj. 下垂的,无力的 动词droop的现在分词
参考例句:
  • The drooping willows are waving gently in the morning breeze. 晨风中垂柳袅袅。
  • The branches of the drooping willows were swaying lightly. 垂柳轻飘飘地摆动。
23 foliage QgnzK     
n.叶子,树叶,簇叶
参考例句:
  • The path was completely covered by the dense foliage.小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。
  • Dark foliage clothes the hills.浓密的树叶覆盖着群山。
24 folder KjixL     
n.纸夹,文件夹
参考例句:
  • Peter returned the plan and charts to their folder.彼得把这份计划和表格放回文件夹中。
  • He draws the document from its folder.他把文件从硬纸夹里抽出来。
25 stomped 0884b29fb612cae5a9e4eb0d1a257b4a     
v.跺脚,践踏,重踏( stomp的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She stomped angrily out of the office. 她怒气冲冲,重步走出办公室。
  • She slammed the door and stomped (off) out of the house. 她砰的一声关上了门,暮暮地走出了屋了。 来自辞典例句
26 footpath 9gzzO     
n.小路,人行道
参考例句:
  • Owners who allow their dogs to foul the footpath will be fined.主人若放任狗弄脏人行道将受处罚。
  • They rambled on the footpath in the woods.他俩漫步在林间蹊径上。
27 dense aONzX     
a.密集的,稠密的,浓密的;密度大的
参考例句:
  • The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
  • The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

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