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CHAPTER FIFTEEN The Peril Continued
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 “Randy, wake up!”
 
Ted1 was jostling his bedmate. Randy opened sleepy eyes. He seemed to be unaffected by the reduced air pressure in the room. Ted remembered that people vary in their reaction to this.
 
But when Ted told him of the danger, Randy bounced out of bed with no further prompting. Ted switched on a light, and just as he was reading the air-pressure gauge2 on the wall, he heard a shrill3 whistle in the house. It was the air alarm that had gone off automatically. Ted could see that the gauge read dangerously low.
 
170
If he and Randy and the others did not get into space suits in a hurry they would suffer serious consequences, one of which could be an attack of the “bends.” At worst, they would lose consciousness and die of anoxia—oxygen starvation.
 
Even before Ted could leave the room to rouse his mother and sister, both were standing4 at the boys’ door.
 
“We’ve got to get on space suits right away!” Ted told them. “It looks like all the air pressure in the house is leaking out!”
 
They went immediately to the closet and began dragging out space dress in a mad flurry of fear. They pulled on the suits and helmets with haste and inflated5 the airtight outfits6 with fresh, pressurized oxygen from the small tanks on their backs.
 
“What do you think has happened to the air drum in the basement?” Mrs. Kenton asked her son over her helmet radio.
 
“I don’t know, but Randy and I can go down there and see,” Ted answered.
 
171
The boys went downstairs, made a light, and walked over to the giant metal tank recessed7 in one of the walls. Checking the gauges8 on the tank, Ted turned to Randy with a frown.
 
“There’s nothing wrong with this,” Ted said.
 
“Then where is the trouble?” Randy asked.
 
(uncaptioned)
“There must be a leak somewhere in the house,” Ted said. “We’ve got to find out.”
 
The boys went upstairs, and Ted told his mother and sister that all of them should spread out and search the entire house for a leak. There were emergency sealers on hand to plug such a leak when it was found. The sealers were only temporary, but they would last until a full repair could be made by a repairman.
 
172
Each of them took a room and worked toward the middle of the house in their search, all lights having been turned on to give maximum illumination. The job was no easy one. Even the slightest crack anywhere would be sufficient to cause the loss of pressure; it was just like a tire tube with a tiny puncture9. Ted was the first to finish his assigned area. He had found nothing. Presently Randy was through, then Mrs. Kenton, then Jill. No one had found a leak anywhere, and the entire house had been covered.
 
“We must have missed it somewhere!” Ted said. “We’ve wasted a whole hour!”
 
“The spare cartridges10 your father told us to have filled!” Randy suddenly exclaimed. “We didn’t do it!”
 
“We forgot to in all the excitement after he left!” Ted groaned11.
 
“What’ll we do?” Mrs. Kenton asked, horrified12. “In another hour or so, we’ll have used up the air in our suits!”
 
“Can’t we refill our suit cartridges from the air drum downstairs?” Jill asked.
 
173
Ted shook his head. “It’s not built that way.”
 
“Then we must phone for help right away,” Mrs. Kenton said and rushed off to the radiophone.
 
In a few moments she was back. “They’ll send someone from town with spare cartridges right away,” she said, “but the man said we couldn’t get a repairman until morning to fix the leak. We’ll have to stay in our space suits if we don’t find the leak.”
 
“Then let’s look for it again,” Ted suggested.
 
Once more they spread out all over the house, but this time they changed areas, so that if a mistake had been made before there was less chance of repeating it this time. They renewed their search, and it was not until all were through, again without having found the leak, that they realized that another hour had passed and the man with the spare cartridges had not shown up.
 
“The gauge in my helmet shows I’ve got only ten minutes of air left!” Jill said.
 
174
The others checked their gauges. All showed about ten minutes’ supply remaining. And there was no guarantee that the spare cartridges would arrive in that time.
 
Just as Mrs. Kenton was going to the radiophone to call the air-supply center again, the phone buzzed and she answered it. After listening a moment, she turned to the children with a white face. “The man’s boat developed some trouble on the way. He says he can’t get here for fifteen minutes.”
 
“That’ll be too late!” Jill cried.
 
Mrs. Kenton relayed this information and then said, “He wants to know if we have any neighbors close by we can borrow from.”
 
“I know it’ll take us more than ten minutes to get there and back!” Ted answered, recalling the goodly distance to their closest neighbor.
 
Mrs. Kenton reported this and then, after listening for several seconds, she finally hung up. “He says that he’ll call back to headquarters and get an emergency truck here as quickly as possible. But he can’t be certain that it will get here in time either.”
 
175
Jill began sobbing13. Ted could see his mother’s lips trembling, but she was trying to be brave. Mrs. Kenton hugged Jill to her, trying to calm her. Ted saw Randy fidgeting nervously14. His own stomach felt queasy15, and waves of terror went through him as he thought of the consequences of running out of air.
 
“Come on, Ted,” Randy said finally to his friend, going from the hall into the living room. “We’ve just got to find that leak. If we can find it and plug it, the house pressure will rise to normal in a couple of minutes. I remember our own place doing that once before!”
 
“But we’ve gone over the whole place twice!” Ted argued. “There’s no hope!”
 
“Either we’ve passed the leak without seeing it,” Randy went on, “or the leak is in a spot that we didn’t look at.”
 
“But there isn’t any place we didn’t look!” Ted said. “Of course, there are some places we couldn’t get to, like....”
 
They both thought of it at the same time. Both boys’ eyes shifted to the drainage hole in the center of the plastic floor. Here was one spot they had not been able to check. There was a grillwork molded into the plastic that was not easily removable.
 
176
“Suppose it is the drain hole, though,” Randy said. “How can we find out?”
 
(uncaptioned)
“I’ve got it,” Ted answered. “We’ll plug up the whole thing with a sealer, then check the room gauge to see if the pressure builds up.”
 
177
A rubberoid sealing patch was taken out of its case and applied16 over the hole. They flattened17 it out tightly to assist the adhesive18 to cling fast in place. Then all four of them went over to the wall to watch the pressure gauge.
 
A minute passed, and the needle failed to move even the tiniest bit. If this did not work, they knew they would surely be lost, because from where they stood, they could see outside for quite a distance, and still no one was coming.
 
Over his radio, Ted heard the nervous intake19 of breath from the others. He knew his hurried breathing must sound the same to them. Actually, fear was hastening their doom20 because the more scared they were the more oxygen they used up.
 
Ted stole a look at his helmet gauge. Only three minutes of air remained! His eyes turned to the wall gauge again. He wished he could put out his hand and push it along toward normal. How desperately21 he wished for it to move!
 
Ted thought he noticed a flicker22 of the needle. He blinked his eyes. Yes, it had moved! The others had seen it too.
 
“It moved!” cried Jill, almost hysterically23.
 
“It certainly did!” her mother burst out. “I saw it!”
 
178
The needle continued to climb toward normal. Ted had nothing to say. He was so filled with relief that he was speechless for the moment.
 
They were all so concerned over the snaillike movement of that all-important needle that they paid no attention to the last few dwindling24 draughts25 of air in their suits. Ted was the first to realize that his tank was empty. He began feeling that same lightheadedness he had experienced in his room.
 
“Our suits,” he cried out. “Pull them off! The room is just about normal!”
 
He unclipped his own helmet, then pulled it off and drank in precious gulps26 of fresh air. The others followed suit. Soon the needle was vertical27, indicating that normal pressure and air supply had been restored.
 
It was five minutes before a light came swiftly across the desert, moving in their direction. They heard the pop of an exhaust a moment later as a big-wheeled truck pulled up to a roaring stop outside.
 
179
Ted knew it must be the arrival of the emergency cartridges. But they had been five minutes late. A shudder28 shook him as he realized what a close call this had been. Had they not found the leak when they did, none of them in the house would now be alive to greet the men.
 

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 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。
2 gauge 2gMxz     
v.精确计量;估计;n.标准度量;计量器
参考例句:
  • Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗?
  • It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。
3 shrill EEize     
adj.尖声的;刺耳的;v尖叫
参考例句:
  • Whistles began to shrill outside the barn.哨声开始在谷仓外面尖叫。
  • The shrill ringing of a bell broke up the card game on the cutter.刺耳的铃声打散了小汽艇的牌局。
4 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。
5 inflated Mqwz2K     
adj.(价格)飞涨的;(通货)膨胀的;言过其实的;充了气的v.使充气(于轮胎、气球等)( inflate的过去式和过去分词 );(使)膨胀;(使)通货膨胀;物价上涨
参考例句:
  • He has an inflated sense of his own importance. 他自视过高。
  • They all seem to take an inflated view of their collective identity. 他们对自己的集体身份似乎都持有一种夸大的看法。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 outfits ed01b85fb10ede2eb7d337e0ea2d0bb3     
n.全套装备( outfit的名词复数 );一套服装;集体;组织v.装备,配置设备,供给服装( outfit的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • He jobbed out the contract to a number of small outfits. 他把承包工程分包给许多小单位。 来自辞典例句
  • Some cyclists carry repair outfits because they may have a puncture. 有些骑自行车的人带修理工具,因为他们车胎可能小孔。 来自辞典例句
7 recessed 51848727da48077a91e3c74f189cf1fc     
v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的过去式和过去分词 );将(墙)做成凹形,在(墙)上做壁龛;休息,休会,休庭
参考例句:
  • My rooms were large, with deeply recessed windows and painted, eighteenth-century panellin. 我住的房间很宽敞,有向里凹陷很深的窗户,油漆过的十八世纪的镶花地板。 来自辞典例句
  • The Geneva meeting recessed while Kennety and Khrushchev met in Vienna. 肯尼迪同赫鲁晓夫在维也纳会晤时,日内瓦会议已经休会。 来自辞典例句
8 gauges 29872e70c0d2a7366fc47f04800f1362     
n.规格( gauge的名词复数 );厚度;宽度;标准尺寸v.(用仪器)测量( gauge的第三人称单数 );估计;计量;划分
参考例句:
  • A thermometer gauges the temperature. 温度计可测量温度。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The fuel gauges dropped swiftly. 燃料表指针迅速下降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 puncture uSUxj     
n.刺孔,穿孔;v.刺穿,刺破
参考例句:
  • Failure did not puncture my confidence.失败并没有挫伤我的信心。
  • My bicycle had a puncture and needed patching up.我的自行车胎扎了个洞,需要修补。
10 cartridges 17207f2193d1e05c4c15f2938c82898d     
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:
  • computer consumables such as disks and printer cartridges 如磁盘、打印机墨盒之类的电脑耗材
  • My new video game player came with three game cartridges included. 我的新电子游戏机附有三盘游戏带。
11 groaned 1a076da0ddbd778a674301b2b29dff71     
v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 );发牢骚;抱怨;受苦
参考例句:
  • He groaned in anguish. 他痛苦地呻吟。
  • The cart groaned under the weight of the piano. 大车在钢琴的重压下嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》
12 horrified 8rUzZU     
a.(表现出)恐惧的
参考例句:
  • The whole country was horrified by the killings. 全国都对这些凶杀案感到大为震惊。
  • We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. 地方监狱的普遍状况让我们震惊。
13 sobbing df75b14f92e64fc9e1d7eaf6dcfc083a     
<主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的
参考例句:
  • I heard a child sobbing loudly. 我听见有个孩子在呜呜地哭。
  • Her eyes were red with recent sobbing. 她的眼睛因刚哭过而发红。
14 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。
15 queasy sSJxH     
adj.易呕的
参考例句:
  • I felt a little queasy on the ship.我在船上觉得有点晕眩想呕吐。
  • He was very prone to seasickness and already felt queasy.他快晕船了,已经感到恶心了。
16 applied Tz2zXA     
adj.应用的;v.应用,适用
参考例句:
  • She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
  • This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。
17 flattened 1d5d9fedd9ab44a19d9f30a0b81f79a8     
[医](水)平扁的,弄平的
参考例句:
  • She flattened her nose and lips against the window. 她把鼻子和嘴唇紧贴着窗户。
  • I flattened myself against the wall to let them pass. 我身体紧靠着墙让他们通过。
18 adhesive CyVzV     
n.粘合剂;adj.可粘着的,粘性的
参考例句:
  • You'll need a strong adhesive to mend that chair. 你需要一种粘性很强的东西来修理那把椅子。
  • Would you give me an adhesive stamp?请给我一枚带胶邮票好吗?
19 intake 44cyQ     
n.吸入,纳入;进气口,入口
参考例句:
  • Reduce your salt intake.减少盐的摄入量。
  • There was a horrified intake of breath from every child.所有的孩子都害怕地倒抽了一口凉气。
20 doom gsexJ     
n.厄运,劫数;v.注定,命定
参考例句:
  • The report on our economic situation is full of doom and gloom.这份关于我们经济状况的报告充满了令人绝望和沮丧的调子。
  • The dictator met his doom after ten years of rule.独裁者统治了十年终于完蛋了。
21 desperately cu7znp     
adv.极度渴望地,绝望地,孤注一掷地
参考例句:
  • He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
  • He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。
22 flicker Gjxxb     
vi./n.闪烁,摇曳,闪现
参考例句:
  • There was a flicker of lights coming from the abandoned house.这所废弃的房屋中有灯光闪烁。
  • At first,the flame may be a small flicker,barely shining.开始时,光辉可能是微弱地忽隐忽现,几乎并不灿烂。
23 hysterically 5q7zmQ     
ad. 歇斯底里地
参考例句:
  • The children giggled hysterically. 孩子们歇斯底里地傻笑。
  • She sobbed hysterically, and her thin body was shaken. 她歇斯底里地抽泣着,她瘦弱的身体哭得直颤抖。
24 dwindling f139f57690cdca2d2214f172b39dc0b9     
adj.逐渐减少的v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • The number of wild animals on the earth is dwindling. 地球上野生动物的数量正日渐减少。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He is struggling to come to terms with his dwindling authority. 他正努力适应自己权力被削弱这一局面。 来自辞典例句
25 draughts 154c3dda2291d52a1622995b252b5ac8     
n. <英>国际跳棋
参考例句:
  • Seal (up) the window to prevent draughts. 把窗户封起来以防风。
  • I will play at draughts with him. 我跟他下一盘棋吧!
26 gulps e43037bffa62a52065f6c7f91e4ef158     
n.一大口(尤指液体)( gulp的名词复数 )v.狼吞虎咽地吃,吞咽( gulp的第三人称单数 );大口地吸(气);哽住
参考例句:
  • He often gulps down a sob. 他经常忍气吞声地生活。 来自辞典例句
  • JERRY: Why don't you make a point with your own doctor? (George gulps) What's wrong? 杰瑞:你为啥不对你自个儿的医生表明立场?有啥问题吗? 来自互联网
27 vertical ZiywU     
adj.垂直的,顶点的,纵向的;n.垂直物,垂直的位置
参考例句:
  • The northern side of the mountain is almost vertical.这座山的北坡几乎是垂直的。
  • Vertical air motions are not measured by this system.垂直气流的运动不用这种系统来测量。
28 shudder JEqy8     
v.战粟,震动,剧烈地摇晃;n.战粟,抖动
参考例句:
  • The sight of the coffin sent a shudder through him.看到那副棺材,他浑身一阵战栗。
  • We all shudder at the thought of the dreadful dirty place.我们一想到那可怕的肮脏地方就浑身战惊。


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