TED FINDS THE RING

 Jimmy was looking out of the nursery window, watching the big steam shovel¹ lift the rocks and earth out of the lot opposite, to make room for the cellar of the house which was to be built there. First the shovel would scoop² down into the earth and then carry the stones and soil to the wagon³ into which it dumped its contents.

 

Jimmy was kept indoors on account of the mumps⁴, and therefore spent much of his time at the nursery window watching what was going on outside. He was very glad, however, when he was able once more to run and watch the builders lay the bricks and stones, for the work of excavating⁵ was over by this time. When the house was completed, a family moved in. There were a boy and girl, and the boy was just about Jimmy's age. Very soon Jimmy made his acquaintance, and soon all three were going out into the park every afternoon; Ted⁶ went too, and also the little dog that belonged to Jimmy's new friends. This little dog's name was Flip⁷.

 

On his birthday Jimmy had a party, and invited his two new friends, Herbert and Helen, with a number of other children, to come and help him eat his birthday cake. In this beautiful cake was hidden a little ring, and the lucky person in whose piece was found the prize, was entitled to keep it. Every one was very much excited, and each little boy and girl looked anxiously through his piece in the hope of finding the ring. But it was not to be found. Suddenly Jimmy, who had given Ted a small bit of cake, looked down on the floor and there beside Ted's little white foot was the ring.

 

1 shovel   

n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出

参考例句：

• He was working with a pick and shovel.他在用镐和铲干活。
• He seized a shovel and set to.他拿起一把铲就干上了。

2 scoop   

n.铲子，舀取，独家新闻；v.汲取，舀取，抢先登出

参考例句：

• In the morning he must get his boy to scoop it out.早上一定得叫佣人把它剜出来。
• Uh,one scoop of coffee and one scoop of chocolate for me.我要一勺咖啡的和一勺巧克力的。

3 wagon   

n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车

参考例句：

• We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
• The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。

4 mumps   

n.腮腺炎

参考例句：

• Sarah got mumps from her brother.萨拉的弟弟患腮腺炎，传染给她了。
• I was told not go near Charles. He is sickening for mumps.别人告诉我不要走近查尔斯， 他染上了流行性腮腺炎。

5 excavating   

v.挖掘( excavate的现在分词 )；开凿；挖出；发掘

参考例句：

• A bulldozer was employed for excavating the foundations of the building. 推土机用来给楼房挖地基。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A new Danish expedition is again excavating the site in annual summer digs. 一支新的丹麦探险队又在那个遗址上进行一年一度的夏季挖掘。 来自辞典例句

6 ted   

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。

7 flip   

vt.快速翻动；轻抛；轻拍；n.轻抛；adj.轻浮的

参考例句：

• I had a quick flip through the book and it looked very interesting.我很快翻阅了一下那本书，看来似乎很有趣。
• Let's flip a coin to see who pays the bill.咱们来抛硬币决定谁付钱。