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儿童英语读物 The Ghost at the Drive-In Movie CHAPTER 8 Speedy Deals

时间:2017-12-06 06:15:03

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(单词翻译)

It was Monday morning, the last fall day of the Aldens’ visit. Tomorrow morning they would return to Greenfield. Since the Diamond Drive-in was closed on Mondays, they had the day all to themselves.

“I’m going over to Dan Brinker’s auto1 store this morning,” said Grandfather at breakfast. “Would you kids like to come along?”

“Are we going to get a new car?” Benny asked.

“No, not this year,” Grandfather said. “But sometimes it’s fun to look at the latest models.”

“Good idea,” said Jessie. The other children nodded.

So they all went across the road to the car dealership2. It was in a big glass building surrounded by rows and rows of shiny3 cars. It seemed more like a circus than a store. There were balloons everywhere, and bright painted signs that said Great Deals! All the salespeople4 wore red jackets. There was a huge showroom with cars on display. The Aldens liked getting into each one and smelling the new car smell.

Dan Brinker seemed very glad to see them. “So! Are you looking for a family car? I love families!”

“Oh, we can’t buy anything right now,” Grandfather said. “We’re happy with the car we have now. But I just like to see the new models! Please don’t mind us—we’re just looking.”

“Ah, yes, it’s good to plan ahead,” said Dan. He was very friendly. But he also followed Grandfather all around the showroom.

“This is the hottest style around,” he told Grandfather, pointing to a bright yellow car. “We’ve got two left. I’ll give you a special low price so you can drive it home today! “

Grandfather shook his head. “As I said before, I’m not interested in buying today. Or even this year.”

“I know you don’t need a car now,” Dan replied. “But you might need one next year. And if you get it now, you’ll be planning ahead!”

“No, thank you,” Grandfather said firmly.

Dan turned to the children. “I bet5 you kids want a new car, don’t you?”

“No, that’s okay,” said Jessie. “But speaking of buying, is it true you’re going to buy the Diamond Drive-In Theater?”

“Yes, indeed!” said the car salesman. “I love the Diamond!”

“So you’re going to keep the place open as a drive-in theater?” Henry asked.

Dan smiled. “I promised Flick6 Fletcher that the screen would always stay standing7,” he said.

The children wanted to ask Dan Brinker more questions. But one of his employees8 walked up and handed him a cordless phone.

“It’s the bank,” the man said.

“Sorry, kids,” Dan told the Aldens. “I’ve been waiting for this important call.” He leaned9 against one of the cars and started to talk on the phone.

Grandfather wanted to look at some of the new cars in the lot outside, so the Aldens walked towards the door. As they were leaving, Dan started to shout into the phone.

“What do you mean he wants a little more time? I want to buy it now! No … I’ve planned ahead for this deal! I want it to be speedy!” He sounded upset. The children didn’t hear the rest, though. It would have been rude to listen in. But they couldn’t help but wonder if he was talking about the Diamond Drive-in Theater.

“Why is he in such a hurry?” Jessie wondered.

“Maybe he just likes to do everything fast,” Violet10 said. “He sure talks fast.”

As the Aldens got back into the minivan, a saleswoman in a red jacket waved good-bye.

“Come back to Brinker’s Auto Store soon! “she said. “We’re the biggest place in town to buy a car. And we’re getting even bigger!”

They had just finished lunch at Uncle Flick’s house when there was an urgent11 knock on the door. It was Mr. Duke12.

“Flick! I heard a rumor13 that you’re selling the theater to Dan Brinker!” he said as he marched into the kitchen where the Aldens were clearing the table.

“Yes, we’re discussing it,” said Uncle Flick.

Mr. Duke shook his head. “Are you crazy? Are you sure he’s not planning to shut it down and turn it into another sales lot? He’s just across the street! How do you know he’s going to keep it open?”

“Well, because he said so,” Uncle Flick replied. “He knows I wouldn’t sell it to him unless he swore that the movie screen would stay standing. And that’s just what he promised.”

Mr. Duke scratched14 his head. “I don’t know,” he said. “I just don’t quite trust him. Maybe you should think about this.”

“I’m not going to rush into this, if that’s what you’re worried about.” He patted15 Mr. Duke on the back.

“That’s good to know,” said Mr. Duke. “Because if you change your mind about selling the theater to Dan Brinker, you can always sell it to me.”

Uncle Flick’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean, Duke?” His voice sounded cold.

Mr. Duke tried to explain. “Nothing! I … I mean … I wish you weren’t selling the theater in the first place. But if you need someone trustworthy to buy it, someone who will keep it going … I could buy it. That’s all I’m saying.” He stepped back. The children could see he hadn’t meant to make Uncle Flick angry.

“Oh, is that what you want?” said Uncle Flick. “To take this place over? Is that why you’ve been playing all those pranks16? You’ve been trying to drive me to sell the place, haven’t you?!”

Now it was Mr. Duke’s turn to get angry. “Now, Flick, you know that wasn’t me. I would never do that! We’ve been working next door to each other for thirty years! We haven’t always gotten along, but how dare17 you think I’d play tricks!” Mr. Duke turned around and walked out of the kitchen. A moment later everyone heard the door slam18.

Uncle Flick’s face was red. He took a deep breath19. “I’m sorry. I guess we lost our tempers20.”

Grandfather put his hand on his old friend’s shoulder. “Flick, do you want to go for a walk?”

“We can finish cleaning up here,” Jessie offered.

Finally Uncle Flick managed a smile. “Thanks, folks21. Yes, perhaps I need to take a walk. And think.” He left the room with Grandfather. After a moment the children saw them walking down the road towards the drive-in.

“We may have solved the mystery of the ghost at the drive-in,” Henry said, “but we still haven’t figured out who’s behind the pranks.”

The oldest Alden was right. They still hadn’t found out who had switched22 the movie sound the other night, or broken the Duke’s Dogs sign, or vandalized the snack bar.

“Someone’s trying to ruin everything,” Benny said.

“We’ll just have to stop that someone,” Jessie replied.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 auto ZOnyW     
n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车
参考例句:
  • Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
  • The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。
2 dealership Kv6zWa     
n.商品特许经销处
参考例句:
  • The car dealership has a large inventory of used cars. 这家汽车经销商拥有数量庞大的二手车。
  • A key to this effort is the experience in the dealership. 达到这个成果的关键是销售的体验。
3 shiny gEyzi     
adj.有光泽的,发光的,辉煌的
参考例句:
  • What shiny shoes you're wearing!你穿的鞋子擦得真亮啊!
  • All the cups are clean and shiny.所有的杯子都很干净明亮。
4 salespeople xjuz25     
n.售货员,店员;售货员( salesperson的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The shop usually employs additional salespeople for the Christmas toy trade. 这家商店通常雇一些临时售货员来做圣诞节玩具生意。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • Under our new system, salespeople sit down with each of our dealers. 根据新的制度,销售人员应逐个地同承销商洽商。 来自辞典例句
5 bet ddZy8     
v.打赌,以(与)...打赌;n.赌注,赌金;打赌
参考例句:
  • I bet you can't do this puzzle.我敢说,你解决不了这个难题。
  • I offered to bet with him.我提出与他打赌。
6 flick mgZz1     
n.快速的轻打,轻打声,弹开;v.轻弹,轻轻拂去,忽然摇动
参考例句:
  • He gave a flick of the whip.他轻抽一下鞭子。
  • By a flick of his whip,he drove the fly from the horse's head.他用鞭子轻抽了一下,将马头上的苍蝇驱走。
7 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。
8 employees HtqzrQ     
n.雇工,雇员( employee的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • She is always polite and considerate towards her employees. 她对待雇员总是客客气气,关心体谅。
  • The company has a strict dress code—all male employees are expected to wear suits. 公司有严格的着装规定—所有男职员都要穿西服。
9 leaned 725f4ee64e460865d2a6749276d2ed06     
v.(使)倾斜,屈身( lean的过去式和过去分词 );倚;依赖;使斜靠
参考例句:
  • He leaned forward, his hands clasped tightly together. 他俯身向前,双手十字交错地紧握着。
  • He leaned back, exulting at the success of his plan. 他向后一靠,为自己计划成功而得意扬扬。
10 violet 8h3wm     
adj.紫色的;n.紫罗兰
参考例句:
  • She likes to wear violet dresses.他喜欢穿紫色的衣服。
  • Violet is the color of wisdom,peace and strength.紫色是智慧的,和平的和力量的颜色。
11 urgent fjSwT     
a.紧急的,急迫的,紧要的
参考例句:
  • He asked to see the manager for something urgent. 他有急事求见经理。
  • A part of this urgent task was allotted to us. 这项紧急任务的一部分分给了我们。
12 duke qm1yJ     
n.公爵
参考例句:
  • His grandfather was a royal duke.他的祖父是王室公爵。
  • The duke was the king's most trusted adviser.公爵是国王最信赖的顾问。
13 rumor qS0zZ     
n.谣言,谣传,传说
参考例句:
  • The rumor has been traced back to a bad man.那谣言经追查是个坏人造的。
  • The rumor has taken air.谣言流传开了。
14 scratched e5036d30fcedf7998f08abbb599229e2     
[体]弃权
参考例句:
  • John yawned and scratched his chin. 约翰打个哈欠,挠挠下巴。
  • The investigation barely scratched the surface of the city's drug problem. 这次调查只是触及了该城市毒品问题的表面。 来自《简明英汉词典》
15 patted 6da7c23c1ea46b18fa6e7a496a795c14     
v.轻拍( pat的过去式和过去分词 );拍成,拍至;表扬,称赞(某人/自己)
参考例句:
  • She patted the dog on the head. 她轻轻地拍着狗的头。
  • He leaned forward and patted me on the shoulder. 他向前倾着身子并拍我的肩膀。 来自《简明英汉词典》
16 pranks cba7670310bdd53033e32d6c01506817     
n.玩笑,恶作剧( prank的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Frank's errancy consisted mostly of pranks. 法兰克错在老喜欢恶作剧。 来自辞典例句
  • He always leads in pranks and capers. 他老是带头胡闹和开玩笑。 来自辞典例句
17 dare qybxH     
n.敢,挑战;aux.敢;vi.敢;vt.敢于,勇于面对
参考例句:
  • He didn't dare to look at her in the face.他不敢正眼看她。
  • How dare you?Take your hand off me at once.放肆!马上把你的手挪开。
18 slam hEvyQ     
v.猛力地推、放或扔;砰地关上
参考例句:
  • They were surprised by the slam of a car door.关汽车门时发出的声音使他们很吃惊。
  • Why should you slam the window?你干吗要使劲关窗户呢?
19 breath 9SCyv     
n.呼吸,气息,微风,迹象,精神,一种说话的声音
参考例句:
  • I'm just going out for a breath of fresh air.我正要出去呼吸新鲜空气。
  • While climbing up the stairs the old man always loses his breath.那老人上楼时总是气喘吁吁的。
20 tempers 819add5a8588c903b92bd5ebdf562a4a     
n.脾气( temper的名词复数 );韧度;怒气;有…脾气的
参考例句:
  • The sea tempers the climates. 海洋调节气候。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • They were so rushed that tempers flared, and arguments followed. 两人忙碌坏了脾气,不免争执。 来自汉英文学 - 围城
21 folks 6e731233fcdf5c9b0f3bae4d1ba97241     
n.人们;父母;亲人;家属;人们( folk的名词复数 );亲属;大伙儿;民间音乐
参考例句:
  • Ask yourself what the folks in Peoria will think of it. 想一想皮奥里亚的人会如何看待这件事。
  • When good folks meet, evil men keep their distance. 好人相逢,恶人远离。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
22 switched 9b01c9d1897991595cfa81b5a9ca4df7     
v.转变,改变( switch的过去式和过去分词 );转换;挥动(棍棒、鞭子等);迅速转动
参考例句:
  • A single red LED shows that the power is switched on. 单支红色发光二极管表示电源已接通。
  • The block becomes magnetic when the current is switched on. 一通上电流,这块板就会有磁性。

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