The scientist said that the plants would grow rapidly and produce edible4 food within the next ten days. He gave the children instructions for tending the crops, and they memorized his directions.
136
He had showed Jill, Ted1, and Randy how to attend to the mechanical functions of the home and also how to run the boat. The three helped him to load his gear into the boat, and then stood by as Dr. Kenton bade farewell to his wife. There were tears in Mrs. Kenton’s eyes as she waved good-by from inside the house.
Yank watched the strange goings-on from in front of his own dwelling5. He seemed to understand that Dr. Kenton was leaving, but he still had not made friends with him.
When they were all in the boat, Jill dropped a fuel pill into the tank, and Ted took the steering6 wheel. He skillfully guided the boat along the winding7 watercourse to Main Canal and along its length to the science building. They all helped unload the gear on the dock, and Dr. Kenton said that this was where they must part.
“You three will have to run things while I’m away,” the scientist told them. “You shouldn’t have any trouble, but if anything does happen, call headquarters for help. There’s one thing I want you to be sure to attend to. Bring the empty spare air cartridges8 in the closet down here and have them filled. You never know when you’ll need them.”
137
“We’ll bring them tomorrow on our way to school,” Ted promised.
Jill hugged her father hard and long. Like her mother, she was tearful at his leaving. Ted, himself, felt a tug9 of dread10. He wondered if the trip into the Martian wilds would be a successful one or whether, as in the case of Randy’s father, it would end in disaster.
The children went on to school. Ted was glad to be going because it would take his and Jill’s minds off the melancholy11 of their father’s departure.
Ted found the opening lesson particularly interesting. In it he learned facts about the extinct native Martians. Mr. Garland showed slides on some diggings that had unearthed12 bones of these early people. The bones had been organized to the best of Earth scientists’ ability, but many were missing, and the reconstructed figures were largely guesswork. Ted wondered if his father’s expedition would uncover more information on these mysterious ancient people.
138
As the young Kentons and Randy started for home in the boat that afternoon, Jill complained of having a headache. Ted told her it was probably due to eyestrain from looking at the slides, and this seemed to satisfy her. But when Ted docked the boat at the house, Jill said she felt worse.
Yank came running out to greet them, but the boys were so concerned over Jill that they paid little attention to him. He stood off sulking and watched Ted help his sister out of the boat and through the air lock of their house.
“Mother, Jill is sick!” Ted called when they were inside.
Mrs. Kenton had been spraying the hose on the plastic floor and furniture. She turned it off and allowed the spring on the hose to pull it back into the wall opening. The water swirled13 through the drain in the center of the floor and disappeared in a matter of seconds.
“What’s wrong with her?” Mrs. Kenton asked in alarm.
139
Ted helped Jill off with her helmet. He was shocked to see that her face was feverish14 and her eyes strangely bright. She wandered away from the others and slumped15 tiredly on the divan16.
“Don’t lie on that rubber cushion, dear!” Mrs. Kenton cried. “It’s still wet. What on earth has she got?” Mrs. Kenton asked the boys.
“How could she catch fever?” Mrs. Kenton asked.
“There’s a virus that comes from the sand bogs18 and sometimes gets through the air valve of space suits,” Randy said.
“I’d better call a doctor at headquarters right away!” Mrs. Kenton declared.
She went to the radiophone and put through the call. She was told that all the doctors were out on calls and that it might be an hour before one could come. However, when a nurse on duty in the Medical Center learned about Jill’s symptoms, she gave instructions for caring for the girl until the doctor could come.
140
As Mrs. Kenton switched off the phone, she said, “The nurse said that Jill should be put to bed and kept warm. Come on, Honey,” she added, helping19 Jill to her feet and leading her toward the guest room.
“Is the disease serious?” Ted asked Randy worriedly.
“It can be,” Randy answered soberly. “We’ll probably have to be quarantined,” he added.
“How long does bog fever last?” Ted asked.
“The crisis comes pretty quickly after the first attack,” Randy answered. “I remember, because a friend of mine had it. If they pass the crisis, they’re usually well in a few days.”
Ted was reluctant to ask the next question, but he felt he must know.
“Did your friend recover, Randy?”
Randy shook his head, and Ted felt a cold chill of dread run down his spine20. He didn’t know what he’d do if something happened to Jill. She had to get well.
About twenty minutes later, Mrs. Kenton came back to the living room. Her face was drawn21 and worried.
“She’s sleeping fitfully and her head is burning up!” she told the boys. “Oh, why doesn’t that doctor come?”
141
With nothing else to do, the boys stared through the clear plastic of the side wall at the deepening afternoon. The purple sky was growing darker, and the stars were gleaming steadily22 brighter. On the horizon, where the miniature sun was setting, the sky was painted in gorgeous shades of red. Ted thought he had never seen a more beautiful sunset, but he could not appreciate it at this time.
Suddenly Ted spotted23 a strange yellow mass gliding24 close to the ground and apparently25 coming in the direction of the settlement.
“What’s that, Randy?” Ted asked. “Do you know?”
“We’re in for trouble!” Randy answered.
“What do you mean?” Ted asked, alarmed.
“It’s a dust storm blowing this way,” Randy said.
“I’m glad the house is well anchored to the ground,” Ted muttered. He had already learned in school that such storms were often fierce.
“It may be an awful blow,” Randy said. “It may keep the doctor from getting through to us.”
142
143
Once more Ted had that sinking feeling. He wished desperately27 that there were something he could do. But, against the powers of nature, he knew he was absolutely helpless. All he and Randy could do was wait and hope.
A few minutes later the dust storm struck with howling fury. The boys watched the sand spatter noisily against the house. The whole landscape was blotted out in a blinding, yellowish-red haze28. Mrs. Kenton came running into the room, looking terrified. She had not been prepared for this latest trouble.
“How long will this terrible storm last?” she asked, when Randy explained what it was.
“Sometimes as long as an hour,” Randy replied.
Mrs. Kenton’s hands twisted in frenzy29. “We can’t wait that long. We must have that doctor. Poor Jill is twisting and turning so much, I can’t even keep damp cloths on her forehead.”
“Why don’t we call headquarters again,” Ted suggested, “and see if the doctor will be able to come out in the storm.”
144
As Mrs. Kenton went into the hall to radiophone again, the boys heard the storm striking with renewed power. Fine, cutting sand whipped against the plastic walls with the sound of sleet30, accompanied by an eerie31 roar.
Mrs. Kenton came back quickly. “There’s no sound at all over the phone!” she cried.
Ted instantly thought of the aerial on top of the house. He went to the center room and looked through the clear ceiling. His heart sank. The aerial was swinging loose by the single center pole.
“The storm has blown the antenna32 loose!” Ted told his mother. “We can’t even phone headquarters now, and they can’t reach us either.”
Mrs. Kenton left the room, moaning. They heard her go down the hall to Jill’s room. The only sound was the furious clatter33 of sand against the house and the groaning34 of the terrible wind. Ted’s eyes strained to detect some kind of break in that awful cloud of yellow dust that surrounded the house, hoping that the storm was nearing its end.
145
Suddenly Ted heard a weak sound outside, above the roar of the wind. “Yank!” he cried. “We forgot all about Yank! We’ve got to let him in!”
They ran to the front-door air lock. There they found the color bear clawing at the outer door. The dust covered him so thickly that he nearly blended completely with the yellowish background.
Ted flipped35 a switch opening the outer door. Yank scrambled36 quickly inside. Then, when the air pressure in the little outer compartment37 was equal to that in the house, Ted opened the inner door. Yank tumbled in in a flurry of scattering38 sand.
Ted thought the Martian animal was the most forlorn sight he had ever seen. His fur was dirty and matted, his eyes were bloodshot, and every step he took brought a cascade39 of sand down around his feet.
“He looks like he needs another shower,” Randy said.
“There’s nothing else we can do now,” Ted agreed. Besides, he figured the activity would take his mind off their troubles.
146
Mrs. Kenton was still with Jill. The boys marched Yank down the hallway to the bathroom. When Yank saw what was in store for him, he eagerly jumped into the shower basin. Ted turned on the water, and streams of dark-red liquid poured down Yank into the drain.
“He must have half the sand of Mars on him,” Ted commented.
Suddenly his mother came up to the door and looked in. “Jill’s getting worse!” she said. “Ted, you and Randy must go out after the doctor.”
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
ted
|
|
| vt.翻晒，撒，撒开 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
seedlings
|
|
| n.刚出芽的幼苗( seedling的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
crooks
|
|
| n.骗子( crook的名词复数 )；罪犯；弯曲部分；（牧羊人或主教用的）弯拐杖v.弯成钩形( crook的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
edible
|
|
| n.食品，食物；adj.可食用的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
dwelling
|
|
| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
steering
|
|
| n.操舵装置 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
winding
|
|
| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
cartridges
|
|
| 子弹( cartridge的名词复数 )； （打印机的）墨盒； 录音带盒； （唱机的）唱头 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
tug
|
|
| v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
dread
|
|
| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
melancholy
|
|
| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
unearthed
|
|
| 出土的（考古） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
swirled
|
|
| v.旋转，打旋( swirl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
feverish
|
|
| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
slumped
|
|
| 大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下] | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
divan
|
|
| n.长沙发；（波斯或其他东方诗人的）诗集 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
bog
|
|
| n.沼泽；室...陷入泥淖 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
bogs
|
|
| n.沼泽，泥塘( bog的名词复数 )；厕所v.（使）陷入泥沼， （使）陷入困境( bog的第三人称单数 )；妨碍，阻碍 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
helping
|
|
| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
spine
|
|
| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
drawn
|
|
| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
steadily
|
|
| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
spotted
|
|
| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
gliding
|
|
| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
apparently
|
|
| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
blotted
|
|
| 涂污( blot的过去式和过去分词 )； （用吸墨纸）吸干 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
desperately
|
|
| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
haze
|
|
| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
frenzy
|
|
| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
sleet
|
|
| n.雨雪；v.下雨雪，下冰雹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
eerie
|
|
| adj.怪诞的；奇异的；可怕的；胆怯的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
antenna
|
|
| n.触角，触须；天线 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
clatter
|
|
| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
groaning
|
|
| adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
flipped
|
|
| 轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
scrambled
|
|
| 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： |
|
|
|
|
37
compartment
|
|
| n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
scattering
|
|
| n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
cascade
|
|
| n.小瀑布，喷流；层叠；vi.成瀑布落下 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |