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首页 » 儿童英文小说 » The Island of Adventure 布莱顿少年冒险团1,幽暗岛的灯光 » 1.The beginning of things
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1.The beginning of things
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  1
  The beginning of things
  It was really most extraordinary.
  There was Philip Mannering, doing his best to puzzle out algebraproblems, lying full-length under a tree with nobody near him at all – andyet he could hear a voice speaking to him most distinctly.
  ‘Can’t you shut the door, idiot?’ said the voice, in a most impatient tone.
  ‘And how many times have I told you to wipe your feet?’
  Philip sat up straight and took a good look round for the third time – butthe hillside stretched above and below him, completely empty of any boy,girl, man or woman.
  ‘It’s so silly,’ said Philip to himself. ‘Because there is no door to shut,and no mat to wipe my feet on. Whoever is speaking must be perfectly1 mad.
  Anyway, I don’t like it. A voice without a body is too odd for anything.’
  A small brown nose poked2 up out of Philip’s jersey3 collar. It belonged toa little brown mouse, one of the boy’s many pets. Philip put up a gentlehand and rubbed the tiny creature’s head. Its nose twitched4 in delight.
  ‘Shut the door, idiot!’ roared the voice from nowhere, ‘and don’t sniff5.
  Where’s your handkerchief?’
  This was too much for Philip. He roared back.
  ‘Shut up! I’m not sniffing6. Who are you, anyway?’
  There was no answer. Philip felt very puzzled. It was uncanny andpeculiar. Where did that extraordinary voice with its rude commands comefrom, on this bright, sunny but completely empty hillside? He shoutedagain.
  ‘I’m working. If you want to talk, come out and show yourself.’
  ‘All right, Uncle,’ said the voice, speaking unexpectedly in a verydifferent tone, apologetic and quiet.
  ‘Gosh!’ said Philip. ‘I can’t stand this. I’ll have to solve the mystery. If Ican find out where the voice comes from, I may find its owner.’ He shoutedagain. ‘Where are you? Come out and let me see you.’
  ‘If I’ve told you once I’ve told you a dozen times not to whistle,’
  answered the voice fiercely. Philip was silent with astonishment7. He hadn’tbeen whistling. Evidently the owner of the voice must be completely mad.
  Philip suddenly felt that he didn’t want to meet this strange person. Hewould rather go home without seeing him.
  He looked carefully round. He had no idea at all where the voice camefrom, but he rather thought it must be somewhere to the left of him. Allright, he would go quietly down the hill to the right, keeping to the trees ifhe could, so that they might hide him a little.
  He picked up his books, put his pencil into his pocket and stood upcautiously. He almost jumped out of his skin as the voice broke out intocackles of laughter. Philip forgot to be cautious and darted8 down the hillsideto the shelter of a clump9 of trees. The laughter stopped suddenly.
  Philip stood under a big tree and listened. His heart beat fast. He wishedhe was back at the house with the others. Then, just above his head, thevoice spoke10 again.
  ‘How many times have I told you to wipe your feet?’
  Then there came a most unearthly screech11 that made poor Philip drop hisbooks in terror. He looked up into the tree near by, and saw a beautifulwhite parrot, with a yellow crest12 on its head that it worked up and down. Itgazed at Philip with bright black eyes, its head on one side, its curved beakmaking a grating noise.
  Philip stared at the parrot and the parrot stared back. Then the bird liftedup a clawed foot and scratched its head very thoughtfully, still raising andlowering its crest. Then it spoke.
  ‘Don’t sniff,’ it said, in a conversational14 tone. ‘Can’t you shut the door,idiot? Where are your manners?’
  ‘Golly!’ said Philip, in amazement15. ‘So it was you talking and shoutingand laughing! Well – you gave me an awful fright.’
  The parrot gave a most realistic sneeze. ‘Where’s your handkerchief?’ itsaid.
  Philip laughed. ‘You really are a most extraordinary bird,’ he said. ‘Thecleverest I ever saw. Where have you escaped from?’
  ‘Wipe your feet,’ answered the parrot sternly. Philip laughed again. Thenhe heard the sound of a boy’s voice, calling loudly from the bottom of thehill.
  ‘Kiki, Kiki, Kiki! Where have you got to?’
  The parrot spread out its wings, gave a hideous16 screech, and sailed awaydown the hillside towards a house set at the foot. Philip watched it go.
  ‘That was a boy calling it,’ he thought. ‘And he was in the garden ofHillfoot House, where I’m staying. I wonder if he’s come there to becrammed too. I jolly well hope he has. It would be fine to have a parrot likethat living with us. It’s dull enough having to do lessons in the hols – aparrot would liven things up a bit.’
  Philip had had scarlet18 fever the term before, and measles19 immediatelyafterwards, so that he had missed most of his school-work. His headmasterhad written to his uncle and aunt suggesting that he should go and stay atthe home of one of the teachers for a few weeks, to make up a little of whathe had missed. And, much to Philip’s disgust, his uncle had at once agreed– so there was Philip, in the summer holidays, having to work at algebraand geography and history, instead of having a fine time with his sisterDinah at his home, Craggy-Tops, by the sea.
  He liked the master, Mr Roy, but he was bored with the other two boysthere, who, also owing to illness, were being crammed17 or coached by MrRoy. One was much older than Philip, and the other was a poor whiningcreature who was simply terrified of the various insects and animals thatPhilip always seemed to be collecting or rescuing. The boy was intenselyfond of all creatures and had an amazing knack21 of making them trust him.
  Now he hurried down the hillside, eager to see if another pupil had joinedthe little holiday collection of boys to be coached. If the new boy owned theparrot, he would be somebody interesting – more interesting than that biglout of a Sam, and better fun than poor whining20 Oliver.
  He opened the garden gate and then stared in surprise. A girl was in thegarden, not a very big girl – perhaps about eleven. She had red hair, rathercurly, and green eyes, a fair skin and hundreds of freckles22. She stared atPhilip.
  ‘Hallo,’ said Philip, rather liking23 the look of the girl, who was dressed inshorts and a jersey. ‘Have you come here?’
  ‘Looks like it,’ said the girl, with a grin. ‘But I haven’t come to work.
  Only to be with Jack24.’
  ‘Who’s Jack?’ asked Philip.
  ‘My brother,’ said the girl. ‘He’s got to be coached. You should have seenhis report last term. He was bottom in everything. He’s very clever really,but he just doesn’t bother. He says he’s going to be an ornithologist25, sowhat’s the good of learning dates and capes26 and poems and things?’
  ‘What’s an— an— whatever it was you said?’ said Philip, wonderinghow anyone could possibly have so many freckles on her nose as this girlhad.
  ‘Ornithologist? Oh, it’s someone who loves and studies birds,’ said thegirl. ‘Didn’t you know that? Jack’s mad on birds.’
  ‘He ought to come and live where I live then,’ said Philip at once. ‘I liveon a very wild, lonely part of the sea-coast, and there are heaps of rare sea?birds there. I like birds too, but I don’t know much about them. I say – doesthat parrot belong to Jack?’
  ‘Yes,’ said the girl. ‘He’s had her for four years. Her name is Kiki.’
  ‘Did he teach it to say all those things?’ said Philip, thinking that thoughJack might be bottom in all school subjects he would certainly get topmarks for teaching parrots to talk!
  ‘Oh no,’ said the girl, smiling, so that her green eyes twinkled andcrinkled. ‘Kiki just picked up those sayings of hers – picked them up fromour old uncle, who is the crossest old man in the world, I should think. Ourmother and father are dead, so Uncle Geoffrey has us in the hols, anddoesn’t he just hate it! His housekeeper27 hates us too, so we don’t have muchof a time, but so long as I have Jack, and so long as Jack has his belovedbirds, we are happy enough.’
  ‘I suppose Jack got sent here to learn a few things, like me,’ said Philip.
  ‘You’ll be lucky – you’ll be able to play, go for walks, do what you like,whilst we are stewing28 in lessons.’
  ‘No, I shan’t,’ said the girl. ‘I shall be with Jack. I don’t have him in theschool term, so I’m jolly well going to have him in the hols. I think he’smarvellous.’
  ‘Well, that’s more than my sister, Dinah, thinks of me,’ said Philip.
  ‘We’re always quarrelling. Hallo – is this Jack?’
  A boy came up the path towards Philip. On his left shoulder sat theparrot, Kiki, rubbing her beak13 softly against Jack’s ear, and sayingsomething in a low voice. The boy scratched the parrot’s head and gazed atPhilip with the same green eyes as his sister had. His hair was even redder,and his face so freckled29 that it would have been impossible to find a clearspace anywhere, for there seemed to be freckles on top of freckles.
  ‘Hallo, Freckles,’ said Philip, and grinned.
  ‘Hallo, Tufty,’ said Jack, and grinned too. Philip put up his hand and felthis front bit of hair, which always rose up in a sort of tuft. No amount ofwater and brushing would make it lie down for long.
  ‘Wipe your feet,’ said Kiki severely30.
  ‘I’m glad you found Kiki all right,’ said the girl. ‘She didn’t like comingto a strange place, and that’s why she flew off, I expect.’
  ‘She wasn’t far away, Lucy-Ann,’ said Jack. ‘I bet old Tufty here got afright if he heard her up on the hillside.’
  ‘I did,’ said Philip, and began telling the two what had happened. Theylaughed loudly, and Kiki joined in, cackling in a most human manner.
  ‘Golly, I’m glad you and Lucy-Ann have come here,’ said Philip, feelingmuch happier than he had felt for some days. He liked the look of the redhaired, green-eyed brother and sister very much. They would be friends. Hewould show them the animals he had as pets. They could go for walkstogether. Jack was some years older than Lucy-Ann, about fourteen, Philipthought, just a little older than he himself was. It was a pity Dinah wasn’tthere too, then there would be four of them. Dinah was twelve. She wouldfit in nicely – only, perhaps, with her quick impatience31 and quarrelsomenature, it might not be peaceful!
  ‘How different Lucy-Ann and Jack are from me and Dinah,’ thoughtPhilip. It was quite plain that Lucy-Ann adored Jack, and Philip could notimagine Dinah hanging on to his words, eager to do his bidding, fetchingand carrying for him, as Lucy-Ann did for Jack.
  ‘Oh, well – people are different,’ thought the boy. ‘Dinah’s a good sort,even if we do quarrel and fight. She must be having a pretty awful time atCraggy-Tops without me. I bet Aunt Polly is working her hard.’
  It was pleasant at tea-time that day to sit and watch Jack’s parrot on hisshoulder, making remarks from time to time. It was good to see the glint inLucy-Ann’s green eyes as she teased big, slow Sam, and ticked off thesmaller, peevish32 Oliver. Things would liven up a bit now.
  They certainly did. Holiday coaching was much more fun with Jack andLucy-Ann there too.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 perfectly 8Mzxb     
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
  • Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
2 poked 87f534f05a838d18eb50660766da4122     
v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 );戳出;拨弄;与(某人)性交
参考例句:
  • She poked him in the ribs with her elbow. 她用胳膊肘顶他的肋部。
  • His elbow poked out through his torn shirt sleeve. 他的胳膊从衬衫的破袖子中露了出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
3 jersey Lp5zzo     
n.运动衫
参考例句:
  • He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
  • They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致,都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。
4 twitched bb3f705fc01629dc121d198d54fa0904     
vt.& vi.(使)抽动,(使)颤动(twitch的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • Her lips twitched with amusement. 她忍俊不禁地颤动着嘴唇。
  • The child's mouth twitched as if she were about to cry. 这小孩的嘴抽动着,像是要哭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 sniff PF7zs     
vi.嗅…味道;抽鼻涕;对嗤之以鼻,蔑视
参考例句:
  • The police used dogs to sniff out the criminals in their hiding - place.警察使用警犬查出了罪犯的藏身地点。
  • When Munchie meets a dog on the beach, they sniff each other for a while.当麦奇在海滩上碰到另一条狗的时候,他们会彼此嗅一会儿。
6 sniffing 50b6416c50a7d3793e6172a8514a0576     
n.探查法v.以鼻吸气,嗅,闻( sniff的现在分词 );抽鼻子(尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气);抱怨,不以为然地说
参考例句:
  • We all had colds and couldn't stop sniffing and sneezing. 我们都感冒了,一个劲地抽鼻子,打喷嚏。
  • They all had colds and were sniffing and sneezing. 他们都伤风了,呼呼喘气而且打喷嚏。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
7 astonishment VvjzR     
n.惊奇,惊异
参考例句:
  • They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
  • I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。
8 darted d83f9716cd75da6af48046d29f4dd248     
v.投掷,投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 );向前冲,飞奔
参考例句:
  • The lizard darted out its tongue at the insect. 蜥蜴伸出舌头去吃小昆虫。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The old man was displeased and darted an angry look at me. 老人不高兴了,瞪了我一眼。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 clump xXfzH     
n.树丛,草丛;vi.用沉重的脚步行走
参考例句:
  • A stream meandered gently through a clump of trees.一条小溪从树丛中蜿蜒穿过。
  • It was as if he had hacked with his thick boots at a clump of bluebells.仿佛他用自己的厚靴子无情地践踏了一丛野风信子。
10 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
11 screech uDkzc     
n./v.尖叫;(发出)刺耳的声音
参考例句:
  • He heard a screech of brakes and then fell down. 他听到汽车刹车发出的尖锐的声音,然后就摔倒了。
  • The screech of jet planes violated the peace of the afternoon. 喷射机的尖啸声侵犯了下午的平静。
12 crest raqyA     
n.顶点;饰章;羽冠;vt.达到顶点;vi.形成浪尖
参考例句:
  • The rooster bristled his crest.公鸡竖起了鸡冠。
  • He reached the crest of the hill before dawn.他于黎明前到达山顶。
13 beak 8y1zGA     
n.鸟嘴,茶壶嘴,钩形鼻
参考例句:
  • The bird had a worm in its beak.鸟儿嘴里叼着一条虫。
  • This bird employs its beak as a weapon.这种鸟用嘴作武器。
14 conversational SZ2yH     
adj.对话的,会话的
参考例句:
  • The article is written in a conversational style.该文是以对话的形式写成的。
  • She values herself on her conversational powers.她常夸耀自己的能言善辩。
15 amazement 7zlzBK     
n.惊奇,惊讶
参考例句:
  • All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
  • He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。
16 hideous 65KyC     
adj.丑陋的,可憎的,可怕的,恐怖的
参考例句:
  • The whole experience had been like some hideous nightmare.整个经历就像一场可怕的噩梦。
  • They're not like dogs,they're hideous brutes.它们不像狗,是丑陋的畜牲。
17 crammed e1bc42dc0400ef06f7a53f27695395ce     
adj.塞满的,挤满的;大口地吃;快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满;填入;临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式)
参考例句:
  • He crammed eight people into his car. 他往他的车里硬塞进八个人。
  • All the shelves were crammed with books. 所有的架子上都堆满了书。
18 scarlet zD8zv     
n.深红色,绯红色,红衣;adj.绯红色的
参考例句:
  • The scarlet leaves of the maples contrast well with the dark green of the pines.深红的枫叶和暗绿的松树形成了明显的对比。
  • The glowing clouds are growing slowly pale,scarlet,bright red,and then light red.天空的霞光渐渐地淡下去了,深红的颜色变成了绯红,绯红又变为浅红。
19 measles Bw8y9     
n.麻疹,风疹,包虫病,痧子
参考例句:
  • The doctor is quite definite about Tom having measles.医生十分肯定汤姆得了麻疹。
  • The doctor told her to watch out for symptoms of measles.医生叫她注意麻疹出现的症状。
20 whining whining     
n. 抱怨,牢骚 v. 哭诉,发牢骚
参考例句:
  • That's the way with you whining, puny, pitiful players. 你们这种又爱哭、又软弱、又可怜的赌棍就是这样。
  • The dog sat outside the door whining (to be let in). 那条狗坐在门外狺狺叫着(要进来)。
21 knack Jx9y4     
n.诀窍,做事情的灵巧的,便利的方法
参考例句:
  • He has a knack of teaching arithmetic.他教算术有诀窍。
  • Making omelettes isn't difficult,but there's a knack to it.做煎蛋饼并不难,但有窍门。
22 freckles MsNzcN     
n.雀斑,斑点( freckle的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • She had a wonderful clear skin with an attractive sprinkling of freckles. 她光滑的皮肤上有几处可爱的小雀斑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • When she lies in the sun, her face gets covered in freckles. 她躺在阳光下时,脸上布满了斑点。 来自《简明英汉词典》
23 liking mpXzQ5     
n.爱好;嗜好;喜欢
参考例句:
  • The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
  • I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。
24 jack 53Hxp     
n.插座,千斤顶,男人;v.抬起,提醒,扛举;n.(Jake)杰克
参考例句:
  • I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
  • He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。
25 ornithologist ornithologist     
n.鸟类学家
参考例句:
  • That area is an ornithologist's paradise.那个地区是鸟类学家的天堂。
  • Now I know how an ornithologist feels.现在我知道做为一个鸟类学家的感受了。
26 capes 2a2d1f6d8808b81a9484709d3db50053     
碎谷; 斗篷( cape的名词复数 ); 披肩; 海角; 岬
参考例句:
  • It was cool and they were putting on their capes. 夜里阴冷,他们都穿上了披风。
  • The pastor smiled to give son's two Capes five cents money. 牧师微笑着给了儿子二角五分钱。
27 housekeeper 6q2zxl     
n.管理家务的主妇,女管家
参考例句:
  • A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.炉子清洁无瑕就表明他母亲是个勤劳的主妇。
  • She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她节约持家,一家人吃得很省。
28 stewing f459459d12959efafd2f4f71cdc99b4a     
参考例句:
  • The meat was stewing in the pan. 肉正炖在锅里。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • The cashier was stewing herself over the sum of 1, 000 which was missing. 钱短了一千美元,出纳员着急得要命。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
29 freckled 1f563e624a978af5e5981f5e9d3a4687     
adj.雀斑;斑点;晒斑;(使)生雀斑v.雀斑,斑点( freckle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Her face was freckled all over. 她的脸长满雀斑。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • Her freckled skin glowed with health again. 她长有雀斑的皮肤又泛出了健康的红光。 来自辞典例句
30 severely SiCzmk     
adv.严格地;严厉地;非常恶劣地
参考例句:
  • He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
  • He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。
31 impatience OaOxC     
n.不耐烦,急躁
参考例句:
  • He expressed impatience at the slow rate of progress.进展缓慢,他显得不耐烦。
  • He gave a stamp of impatience.他不耐烦地跺脚。
32 peevish h35zj     
adj.易怒的,坏脾气的
参考例句:
  • A peevish child is unhappy and makes others unhappy.一个脾气暴躁的孩子自己不高兴也使别人不高兴。
  • She glared down at me with a peevish expression on her face.她低头瞪着我,一脸怒气。


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