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CHAPTER TWO Hurtling Danger
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 His heart pounding in anxiety at Jill’s plight1, Ted2 opened a door and dashed into the next room of the suite3.
 
“Jill!” he cried. “She’s hurt!”
 
Dr. Kenton looked up, startled, from the desk where he had been studying. “Let’s go, Son!” the scientist said, jumping to his feet.
 
“Where’s Mom?” Ted asked.
 
“She’s down in the magazine shop,” his father answered, and added, “It’s probably for the better.”
 
18
They hurried into the observation room where Ted and Jill had been so happy together only a short time before. The boy pointed4 overhead at the air vent5, where Jill’s limp form hung, lighter6 than a thistle in her weightlessness.
 
Even Dr. Kenton’s tall, stalwart form could not reach high enough to bring her down. “We’ve got to have something to stand on,” he said.
 
Ted thought of the long window seat. He rushed over and knelt down to examine it. “The window seat is in sections, Dad, and has some clamps holding it down,” he said. “We ought to be able to get it loose.”
 
Dr. Kenton’s strong fingers released the catches that held the seat in place. Then he lifted it out and carried it across to the spot beneath the air vent. He stood on the seat and grasped Jill’s slim body, bringing it down.
 
19
The girl was stretched out waist high in the air, in which position her father could best see her injury. Ted held her so that a sudden movement would not send her floating off. The scientist found a cut on Jill’s temple where she had struck the air vent. She began stirring. In a few seconds she had recovered consciousness. She was pale and smiled feebly.
 
“What happened to me?” she asked in a weak voice.
 
Only then did Dr. Kenton seem concerned about the cause of the accident. He looked inquiringly at Ted. “Well, Ted,” he said, “what did happen?”
 
“She wanted to go without her shoes to see what it felt like,” Ted replied. “I should have stopped her.”
 
“You both should be tanned for a trick like that,” his father said gravely. “Jill could have been seriously injured.”
 
They helped Jill to the window seat, then put on her magnetic shoes for her. She said she felt all right, but her father insisted that she have the cut treated. A brief visit to the first-aid cabinet, built into the wall of the room, had Jill’s hurt taken care of in a few moments.
 
20
“What prompted you two to try such a stunt7 as this?” Dr. Kenton asked as he closed the door of the first-aid cabinet. “I thought you had been well grounded on the facts of weightless bodies in space.”
 
Ted, embarrassed, kicked the seat section they had removed, forgetting that it was not fastened down. It scooted off in the air, but Dr. Kenton alertly grabbed it before it got far. “I guess we were just fidgety for something to do,” Ted said.
 
“I suppose the scenery is getting a little monotonous8 for you,” their father replied. “Maybe I can arrange for you to stretch your legs a bit.”
 
“You mean we can tour the ship now?” Jill asked excitedly.
 
“I think so,” Dr. Kenton said, “I believe the confusion that always follows the fire-off is pretty well under control now. I’ll ask Commander Grissom about it.”
 
Their father left and was back in a short while. “We can go,” he told them. “We’ll leave a note for Mom to let her know where we’ve gone.”
 
He scribbled9 it off, after getting a slip of paper from a drawer in the wall desk. Then he asked them, “What would you like to see first?”
 
21
 
“Hi, folks,” he greeted.
 
22
“The pilots’ roost!” Ted said, and Jill nodded in agreement. The three of them clicked along the corridor in their magnetic shoes. Reaching the pilots’ roost in the nose of the space ship, Dr. Kenton knocked on the door and was told to enter. Inside, the children found two men in the light green with gold trim of the Space Transport Command, sitting in big roomy seats in front of a large bank of dials and levers. Above the panel was a broad port looking out into space.
 
One of the pilots appeared to be busy. The unoccupied one spun10 on his swivel seat and smiled at the Kentons. “Hi, folks,” he greeted. “Come on in!”
 
He introduced himself as Lieutenant11 Foran and his copilot as Lieutenant Starky, who took a moment from his work to smile a greeting.
 
“On every trip we make we usually let the passengers come in a few at a time,” Lieutenant Foran said, “to look around.”
 
23
The pilot showed them what each dial on the panel meant. Jill was soon bewildered by it all, but Ted was interested in every gadget12 and meter. He decided13 at that moment that he would like nothing better than one day to be a pilot on an interplanetary space liner.
 
Ted had noticed a huge circular screen built into the middle of the panel, with circles radiating out from the center of it. Suddenly it lighted up, and white spots, or “blips,” began popping out on the glass’s phosphor coating. Ted saw that the pilots’ eyes had flashed swiftly toward the screen.
 
Lieutenant Starky leaned forward and twisted a dial.
 
“What’s he doing?” Ted asked.
 
“That’s the radarscope,” Lieutenant Foran said. “The screen automatically lights up when anything comes directly into our path, even if it’s many thousands of miles away. Those blips are echoes we’re receiving from our approaching neighbors out there.”
 
Lieutenant Foran went over to the panel, looking up at the screen. “What is it?” he asked his companion.
 
24
“Seems to be a ship,” replied Lieutenant Starky. “Probably the mail rocket Moonstone on its way back from Luna. The navigator said we’d pass it.”
 
Lieutenant Foran slid into his seat and pressed a button on the panel. A voice from a speaker said, “Navigation.”
 
The young Kentons heard the two crewmen speak in low tones for several moments. Then Lieutenant Foran switched off and turned to the copilot with an apprehensive14 look on his face. “He says the Moonstone should have turned off course before now! It’s heading straight toward us!”
 
“We’ll call the Commander!” Lieutenant Starky said, jabbing a button.
 
Jill squeezed her father’s arm. “Are we going to crash?” she whispered.
 
“Don’t be scared, honey,” her father said soothingly15. “I’m sure we’ll be all right.”
 
But Ted saw the fear in his dad’s eyes, and his own heart seemed to squirm with terror in his body. Was their very first journey into space going to end tragically16 scarcely before it had started?

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 plight 820zI     
n.困境,境况,誓约,艰难;vt.宣誓,保证,约定
参考例句:
  • The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
  • She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。
2 ted 9gazhs     
vt.翻晒,撒,撒开
参考例句:
  • The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
  • She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。
3 suite MsMwB     
n.一套(家具);套房;随从人员
参考例句:
  • She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.她在那家旅馆有一套房间。
  • That is a nice suite of furniture.那套家具很不错。
4 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。
5 vent yiPwE     
n.通风口,排放口;开衩;vt.表达,发泄
参考例句:
  • He gave vent to his anger by swearing loudly.他高声咒骂以发泄他的愤怒。
  • When the vent became plugged,the engine would stop.当通风口被堵塞时,发动机就会停转。
6 lighter 5pPzPR     
n.打火机,点火器;驳船;v.用驳船运送;light的比较级
参考例句:
  • The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色,色调明朗了一些。
  • The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。
7 stunt otxwC     
n.惊人表演,绝技,特技;vt.阻碍...发育,妨碍...生长
参考例句:
  • Lack of the right food may stunt growth.缺乏适当的食物会阻碍发育。
  • Right up there is where the big stunt is taking place.那边将会有惊人的表演。
8 monotonous FwQyJ     
adj.单调的,一成不变的,使人厌倦的
参考例句:
  • She thought life in the small town was monotonous.她觉得小镇上的生活单调而乏味。
  • His articles are fixed in form and monotonous in content.他的文章千篇一律,一个调调儿。
9 scribbled de374a2e21876e209006cd3e9a90c01b     
v.潦草的书写( scribble的过去式和过去分词 );乱画;草草地写;匆匆记下
参考例句:
  • She scribbled his phone number on a scrap of paper. 她把他的电话号码匆匆写在一张小纸片上。
  • He scribbled a note to his sister before leaving. 临行前,他给妹妹草草写了一封短信。
10 spun kvjwT     
v.纺,杜撰,急转身
参考例句:
  • His grandmother spun him a yarn at the fire.他奶奶在火炉边给他讲故事。
  • Her skilful fingers spun the wool out to a fine thread.她那灵巧的手指把羊毛纺成了细毛线。
11 lieutenant X3GyG     
n.陆军中尉,海军上尉;代理官员,副职官员
参考例句:
  • He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
  • He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官,递上了一张简短的便条进去。
12 gadget Hffz0     
n.小巧的机械,精巧的装置,小玩意儿
参考例句:
  • This gadget isn't much good.这小机械没什么用处。
  • She has invented a nifty little gadget for undoing stubborn nuts and bolts.她发明了一种灵巧的小工具用来松开紧固的螺母和螺栓。
13 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
14 apprehensive WNkyw     
adj.担心的,恐惧的,善于领会的
参考例句:
  • She was deeply apprehensive about her future.她对未来感到非常担心。
  • He was rather apprehensive of failure.他相当害怕失败。
15 soothingly soothingly     
adv.抚慰地,安慰地;镇痛地
参考例句:
  • The mother talked soothingly to her child. 母亲对自己的孩子安慰地说。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He continued to talk quietly and soothingly to the girl until her frightened grip on his arm was relaxed. 他继续柔声安慰那姑娘,她那因恐惧而紧抓住他的手终于放松了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
16 tragically 7bc94e82e1e513c38f4a9dea83dc8681     
adv. 悲剧地,悲惨地
参考例句:
  • Their daughter was tragically killed in a road accident. 他们的女儿不幸死于车祸。
  • Her father died tragically in a car crash. 她父亲在一场车祸中惨死。


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