The Footprint
美音、自然拼读、分级阅读与词汇复习
A Dull Day It was Saturday morning, and Angie and Jared were already bored.
杜尔日 当时是星期六早上,安琪和贾瑞已经厌倦了.
Their mother had gone to work, their father was busy cleaning the house, and their older sister, Sara, was getting ready for a diving trip to Mexico.
他们的母亲去上班了,他们的父亲忙于打扫房子,他们的姐姐萨拉正准备去墨西哥潜水.
“Where’s my snorkel?”
“我的潜水器呢? “
Sara shouted.
莎拉喊着
“Where’s my mask?”
“我的面具呢? “
Jared shrugged and Angie sighed.
贾里德灌木和安琪叹息。
“Sara gets all the fun,” Jared said.
Jared说,“萨拉得到一切乐趣。”
“We never get to go anywhere.”
“我们永远无法去任何地方。 “
Then their little brother, Benjamin, came stomping in from the kitchen, trailing his blanket behind him.
然后,他们的弟弟本杰明从厨房走来,从他身后走入被子.
“YARGH!!”
亚戈尔!
he yelled.
他大叫着
“I’m a MONSTER!
“我是怪物!
Act scared!”
装作害怕!
But Angie and Jared were tired of acting scared for Benjamin.
但安琪和贾里德都厌倦了表现害怕本杰明.
He was always playing monster.
他总是扮演怪物。
“Come on, Jared,” said Angie.
安琪说,“来吧,杰瑞德,”
“Let’s get out of here before Dad makes us babysit.”
在爸爸让我们照顾孩子之前, “
They decided to go exploring by the creek that ran behind their apartment building.
他们决定到公寓楼后面的小溪去探索
As they walked along the bank, Jared saw a strange imprint in the mud.
当他们沿着银行走去时,贾里德在泥地上看到了一个奇怪的印记.
“Hey, Angie, look at this!”
"嘿,安琪,看看这个"
They both stared at the print, shaped somewhat like a narrow fan.
他们都盯着指纹看 形状有点像一个狭窄的扇子
“Something with webbed toes made this,” Angie said.
Angie说,
“That must mean it lives in the water.”
“这必然意味着它生活在水中。 “
“It’s way too big to be a duck,” said Jared.
贾里德说,
“And look, here’s a mark that looks like its tail is dragging in the mud.”
“你看,这里有一个标记,看起来它的尾巴被拖入了泥地。 “
“Maybe it’s a completely new kind of animal,” Angie said.
Angie说:“也许这是一种全新的动物,
“Or maybe it’s a fossil—a dinosaur print!”
“也许这是个化石-恐龙活字!”
Jared exclaimed.
贾瑞德赞叹.
Jared picked up a stick and poked at the dried mud.
贾里德捡起一根棍子去戳干泥.
The stick broke.
棍子断了.
“See, this mud is hard.
“看,这泥土是很难的。
It’s petrified!”
它已经石化了！
Angie looked doubtful.
安琪看起来很可疑
“It’s just dry because it hasn’t rained for weeks.”
因为几周没有下雨, “
“You think some living creature made this?”
"你觉得是活生物做的吗? “
Jared asked.
贾瑞问.
“That’s pretty scary.
“这相当可怕。
Suppose it comes after us?”
如果它追上我们呢? “
“Well,” said Angie, “we’d better investigate!”
Angie说:「我们最好调查一下!
Is It a Dinosaur?
是恐龙吗?
Angie and Jared ran home and came back with a notebook, pencil, and tape measure.
安琪和贾里德跑回家,带着笔记本,铅笔和磁带量子回来.
Jared measured the length and width of the footprint, while Angie drew a sketch of it and the tail marks behind it.
贾里德测量了足迹的长度和宽度,而安吉则绘制了它的草图和后面的尾部痕迹.
“We should also make a map of where the creek is and where we found the print,” she said.
她说,“我们还应该绘制出一条小溪位置和印花位置的地图”。
“Then we’ll go to the library.”
" 然后我们去图书馆。 “
But when they stepped into the city library with their map and drawing, they felt overwhelmed.
但当他们带着地图和图画走进城市图书馆时,感到不堪重负.
So many shelves of books, all the way to the ceiling—they did not know where to begin.
许多书架,一直到天花板,他们不知道从哪里开始。
“Can I help you?”
“我能帮你吗? “
asked a librarian.
问图书管理员。
Jared nudged Angie, and she stepped forward to explain what they were looking for.
贾里德给安琪添了麻烦 她站出来解释他们在找什么
“My brother thinks this is a dinosaur print,” she ended by saying, “but I think it might be some kind of water bird.”
她最后说:“但我觉得这可能是某种水鸟。 “
“I believe some dinosaur footprints were recently discovered in Utah,” said the librarian.
“我相信最近在犹他州发现了一些恐龙足迹。”
“We’ll see if they’re anything like your print.”
“我们会看看他们是不是你的指纹。 “
The librarian led them to a computer and typed in a website address.
图书馆员带领他们找到一台电脑,并输入一个网址。
“Here’s the site,” she said.
她说, " 这是网站 " 。
“See if this helps; then come to me if you have any more questions.”
“你们告诉我吧,如果你们还有问题,你们就来找我吧。 “
Jared and Angie crowded up to the computer screen.
杰瑞德和安琪挤到电脑屏幕上
They read about dinosaur prints that were found when a top layer of earth was turned over.
他们读到恐龙的指纹 当一个顶层的地球被翻转时发现。
“But our print was right there on the surface,” said Jared.
Jared说:“但我们的指纹就在地上。”
“That means it can’t be a fossil, after all.
“这说明它毕竟不可能是化石。
Maybe it’s a bird, like you thought.”
或许是一只鸟, “
“Maybe,” Angie agreed.
“也许,”安琪同意。
Is It a Bird?
是鸟吗?
They went back to the librarian.
他们回图书馆了
“Where can we find out about birds?”
“我们在哪里可以发现鸟类? “
Angie asked.
安琪问.
The librarian pointed to an old man sitting at a table, surrounded by books.
图书馆员指着一个坐在桌子上,被书所包围的老人.
“You’re in luck,” she whispered.
" 你走运了",她低声说:
“That’s Professor Featherwhite; he’s an expert on water birds.
“那是费瑟怀特教授;他是水鸟专家。
I’m sure he’ll be interested in your footprint.
我肯定他会对你的脚印感兴趣。
I’ll introduce you.”
我会介绍你。 “
The professor looked closely at Angie’s drawing and made a clucking noise.
教授仔细观察了安琪的画作并发出叫声.
“Hmm, hmm.
“嗯,嗯。
Very unusual.
非常不寻常
I don’t know of any birds in this area that could have made that print.
我不知道有鸟儿能印出来。
It’s quite large, but perhaps a migratory bird from some faraway place.
但可能是远处的候鸟。
“Got blown off course?”
“被吹出航道? “
asked Jared, finishing the professor’s sentence.
问Jared,完成教授的刑期。
“Well, yes, possibly,” said the professor.
教授说,
“Here’s a book that might help you.
" 这是本书,
Good luck!”
祝好运!”
It was a large book, full of pictures, and so heavy that Angie and Jared had to take turns carrying it home.
这是一本大书,满是相片,而且很重,以至于安吉和贾里德不得不轮流携带回家.
They took the book straight to Angie’s room and pored over page after page of birds with webbed feet.
他们把书直接带到安吉的房间,
But nothing looked right.
但看起来没什么
“I don’t think we’ll find any bird big enough to leave a print like that,” said Jared.
Jared说, “我想我们不会发现任何鸟类这么大,
“And besides, what about the tail marks?”
“此外,尾部的痕迹呢? “
“It could be a bird with a long tail, like a peacock,” said Angie.
安琪说,“它可能是尾巴很长的鸟,就像孔雀。”
“Peacocks aren’t water birds!”
「孔雀不是水鸟!
cried Jared.
贾里德哭了。
“Oh, well, maybe we’ve discovered the new water-peacock,” Angie said.
“哦,也许我们发现了新的水孔雀。
Suddenly there was a banging on the door.
忽然有敲门.
“Let me in!
" 让我进去!
Let me in!”
让我进去!”
It was Benjamin.
这是本杰明。
Jared Solves the Mystery Angie opened the door, and Benjamin tumbled in, clutching something under his shirt.
贾里德·索尔夫斯"神秘安琪"打开了门,本杰明倒入了,在衬衫下夹了东西.
They could hear Sara running down the hallway outside.
他们可以听到Sara在走廊外跑
“Come back here!”
回来!
she yelled.
她大叫着
“Give me my fin!”
“给我我的鳍!”
“Benjamin,” Angie said sternly, “are you stealing Sara’s swim fins again?”
“Benjamin,”Angie严厉地说,“你又偷了Sara的游泳鳍吗? “
Jared closed the door.
贾瑞德把门关了
“Angie—that’s it!”
" 安吉 - 就这样了! "
“What?”
“什么情况? “
“Sara’s fin made our footprint!
"萨拉的鳍给我们留下了足迹!
Give it to me, Ben!”
把它给我,本!”
“Oh, no—of course!”
" 哦,不,当然!"
Angie said, slapping her forehead, while Benjamin pulled the fin out from under his shirt.
安琪说,拍她的额头, 而本杰明从他的衬衫下取出鳍。
“Ben, were you down by the creek awhile ago?”
“本,你刚才在小溪边吗? “
Jared asked.
贾瑞问.
“Nooooo.”
“不呜呼。”
Ben said innocently.
本说无相.
“Well, a long time ago.”
“很久以前。 “
Meanwhile Angie measured the fin and compared it to their drawing and notes.
同时安吉测量了鳍并和他们的画和笔记相提并论.
“You’re right, Jared—it’s an almost perfect fit.”
“你说得对,贾里德,这几乎是完美的合身。 “
Then she noticed the blanket tucked into Benjamin’s shorts.
她注意到布被裹入了本杰明的短裤。
“The tail marks must have been his blanket!”
“尾迹一定是他的被子!”
Benjamin grinned up at them.
本杰明笑了起来。
“You mean you found my monster print?”
“你是指你找到我的怪物指纹了吗? “
Angie and Jared looked at each other and laughed.
安琪和贾里德相视取笑.
“First we thought it was a dinosaur,” said Jared.
Jared说,“首先我们认为那是恐龙。”
“Then we thought it was a bird,” said Angie.
安吉说,“然后我们以为是一只鸟。”
“But now we know it was the scariest monster in the whole world!”
“但现在我们知道这是全世界最可怕的怪物了! “
And she gave Benjamin a hug.
她给了本杰明一个拥抱。