Finding the Tome
美音、自然拼读、分级阅读与词汇复习
“It’s Saturday afternoon,” Sarah whines.
" 今天是星期六下午,
“Why are we spending it at the library?”
“我们为什么把它花在图书馆? “
“I figured this would be the best place to piece together an explanation of why all these weird things have been happening lately,” I reply.
我回答说,“我认为这是解释为什么最近发生所有这些怪事的最佳地点。”
“Learning on a Saturday should be illegal,” she retorts.
“星期六的学习是非法的”,她反悔。
“In fact, Qynn, I’m making it illegal as of this moment, and if you pass through those doors, you’ll be breaking the law.”
“事实上,昆恩,我从此刻起就把它定为非法,如果你通过这些门,你就会触犯法律。 “
“Stop being so dramatic,” I say as I walk up the steps with Jake, my little brother, bounding behind me.
“别那么戏剧化,”我说,当我与我的弟弟杰克走到台阶上,紧跟在我身后。
His backpack is crammed with books to return.
他的背包里塞满了要回的书
Inside, the comforting scent of books fills my nostrils as Jake unloads his backpack onto the counter before meandering to the children’s section.
Jake将背包卸到柜台,
Sarah and I step up to the counter, and I say to the librarian, “Excuse me, but we need some help exploring local history.”
Sarah和我走到柜台,我对图书管理员说:“对不起,但我们需要一些帮助,探索当地的历史。 “
“Oh, are you researching a report for school?”
“哦,你在为学校研究报告吗? “
she asks as she scans Jake’s books.
她问,当她扫描杰克的书。
“Something like that,” I reply, “except we were wondering if you have any historical records of strange events happening around town.”
“类似的事情”我回答说,“除非我们想知道你是否有关于城镇周围发生的奇怪事件的历史记录。 “
“You certainly live in the perfect town for that.
“你确实生活在一个完美的城市里。
Since the founding of Porter’s Mill, people have experienced many odd occurrences.”
自波特磨坊公司成立以来,人们经历了许多奇怪的情况。 “
“You know about this stuff?”
“你知道这些东西吗? “
Sarah asks.
莎拉问.
“Only a tidbit or two, but we have some excellent reference material that might help.”
“只有一两个提法,但我们有一些极好的参考材料,可能有所帮助。 “
The librarian gestures for us to follow her to a table on the opposite side of the building.
图书馆员的手势让我们跟着她走到大楼对面的桌子上。
Large, old leather-bound books line the shelves surrounding us.
我们周围的书架上排满了老旧的皮子
“I don’t think I could even lift some of these massive books,” Sarah whispers.
”莎拉低声说道,
The librarian saunters over and starts running her finger down one shelf.
图书馆馆员们冲过来 开始用手指往下拉
She pauses at an empty space and makes an annoyed face.
她停在空地上 弄出一张烦人的脸
“It appears that the tome I’m searching for is missing.
" 看来我所寻找的玩具不见了。
These books aren’t allowed off the premises, so I can’t imagine who would have taken it.”
我无法想象谁会拿走这些书籍。 “
It seems as though she is talking to herself now.
她好像在自言自语
“Perhaps Mr.
“也许特别报告员是:
Himmel moved it to the attic as part of the reorganization—it certainly wouldn’t be a very popular read.”
Himel将它移至阁楼, “
The librarian returns to us and says, “Sorry dears, but I believe Mr.
图书馆员回到我们面前说:“对不起,但我相信,先生。
Himmel, the head librarian, has placed the book somewhere.
图书馆长希梅尔把书放在某个地方
Unfortunately, he’s on vacation for the next two weeks.
不幸的是,他正在休假两周。
If you’ d like to return then, I’m sure he could assist you.”
如果你愿意回来,我相信他可以帮助你。 “
With that, she strolls back to the desk to assist someone else.
有了这个,她走回桌子 帮助别人。
“Looks like our visit to the library was pointless,” Sarah says as she stands up to leave.
Sarah说:“看来我们访问图书馆毫无意义,
“You heard her about the book possibly being in the attic,” I say.
“你听到她说这本书可能在阁楼里。”
“We should investigate up there.”
“我们应该在那里进行调查。 “
Sarah assesses the doorway behind the librarian’s desk.
Sarah评估图书馆员办公桌后面的出入口。
Narrow stairs lead upward, but suspended on a rope in front of them is a sign that says “ Authorized Personnel Only.”
狭长的楼梯向上行走,但被吊在他们前面的绳子上,这是一个标志,上面写着“只有经授权的人员。 “
“Okay, okay,” Sarah says, surrendering.
莎拉说,投降。
“What do you suggest?”
“你有什么建议? “
“We need Jake to distract the librarian while we sneak upstairs.”
“我们需要杰克在楼上偷偷溜走时分散图书管理员的注意力。 “
Sidetracking the librarian proves easier than we thought.
比我们想象的要容易些 跟踪图书馆员
Jake, who has never suffered a shortage of questions, keeps her attention long enough for us to sneak up the stairs.
Jake从未遇到过问题 让她的注意力足够长 以便我们爬上楼梯
Sarah shoots me her “This is a bad idea” glare.
莎拉对我说,
“Things are getting weirder around here, and I see no sign of them letting up.
“这里的情况越来越怪异了,我看不到他们放弃的迹象。
It’s time to be proactive and start figuring things out for ourselves,” I snap.
现在该是主动行动,
The stairwell is longer and steeper than I expected, curving around the outside of the building.
楼梯井比我想象的要长又陡,在建筑外侧曲折.
After ascending for some time, we emerge into a long, musty room.
经过一段时间的升起,我们 出现在一个长长的, 粗糙的房间。
At the far end, a small, round window allows in the afternoon light.
在最远的一端,一个小而圆的窗口允许在下午的灯光下.
It’s gloomy and dusty, but we can see row after row of books on old shelves.
我们可以看到旧书架上一行一行的书。
“Compared to where we’ve been recently, this might as well be the playground at midday,” Sarah says, and I have to agree.
Sarah说, “与我们最近的情况相当,
Thinking about the Hollow and the Cave of the Lost, the room almost seems comfortable, practically cozy.
想到"洞穴"和"失落"的洞穴,房间几乎显得舒适,几乎舒适.
“C’mon,” I say, “the book must be up here somewhere.
" 来吧, " 我说, " 这本书一定在这里的某个地方。
Scan the titles for anything that looks promising.”
检查标题 任何看起来有前途。 “
Sarah takes one side and I the other, working our way down the shelves.
Sarah站在一边,我站在另一边, 沿着我们的路下架。
None of the titles seem as though they would contain anything helpful.
标题中似乎没有任何标题会有任何帮助。
We’re just about to the end of the shelves when we hear it—footsteps on the stairs.
我们听到书架即将倒下,
We have no good place to hide, so we quickly cross the room and press ourselves into the dark space behind the open door.
我们没有藏身的好地方,所以我们迅速穿过房间,将自己压入开口后黑暗的空间.
We wait as the footsteps grow louder.
我们等待脚步声越来越大
They sound too soft and tentative to be made by an adult, and for a moment I wonder if Jake has followed us.
它们听起来太软了 暂时没有成年人来做 我想杰克有没有跟着我们
Looking through the crack where the door hangs on its hinges, we watch.
透过那扇门挂在门链上的裂缝 我们看着
The footsteps reach the landing at the top of the stairs and suddenly stop.
脚步到达楼梯上方降落,突然停了下来.
No one steps inside, but we can hear shallow breathing.
里面没有人,但我们能听到浅呼吸声
Sarah presses closer to the crack, trying to catch a glimpse of whoever is on the landing.
莎拉逼近了裂口,试图一窥登陆者.
When she brushes against the door, it moves with a creak that sounds like an explosion in the silence.
当她向门冲刷时,会以一股叫声来移动,这听起来像是寂静中的爆炸.
We hold our breath and wait for whoever it is to pull back the door and catch us.
我们屏住呼吸 等待谁拉后门,抓住我们。
It doesn’t happen, and after some time we move out from behind the door.
这不会发生,
No one stands on the landing, even though we never heard anyone go back down or enter the room.
没有人站在起落架上, 尽管我们从来没有听到任何人返回或进入房间。
I carefully go down the steps to the first bend and peer around the corner.
我仔细的走下阶梯 到第一个弯道 和对角。
Nothing.
没什么
A loud thump explodes upstairs, so I quickly climb back up to find Sarah, terrified, staring at a large book on the floor.
楼上爆炸了个大叫声 所以我很快爬上去找到莎拉 吓坏了 盯着地板上的一本大书
“I don’t know what happened,” she says.
「我不知道发生了什么,
“I was waiting for you, and I just heard it fall.”
“我在等你,我刚刚听到它倒下。 “
I pick up the heavy book and examine the title: Porter’s Mill: A History by John Porter III.
我拿起这本重书来审查标题:波特磨坊:约翰·波特三世的一部历史。
Small text fills the yellowing pages, broken up in a few places by drawings.
小文填出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出入出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出出
Someone tore out a few pages here and there, but it looks as though it will provide a lot of information.
有人撕掉了这里和那里几页, 但它似乎会提供很多信息。
Suddenly, we hear the thunderous sounds of many feet rushing up the stairs.
突然间,我们听到许多脚上爬上楼梯的雷声.
I hold the book to my chest as the noise grows.
随着噪音的增加,我把书放在胸口
I can hear something like children’s laughter, but it’s hard to tell.
但很难说。
Sarah and I look at each other and then close our eyes, bracing for whatever is about to happen.
莎拉和我看着对方,然后闭上我们的眼睛, 为即将发生的一切吹嘘。
The door slams shut, startling us, and then everything falls silent.
门关上,吓倒了我们 然后一切就都寂静了
We look around, but we’re alone in the room, and after a few moments we’re able to move again.
我们环顾四周,但我们独自一人在房间里,过了几分钟,我们又能搬走。
“What’s going on?”
" 这是怎么回事? “
Sarah asks.
莎拉问.
“I’m so tired of all this.”
我厌倦了这一切。 “
“I am, too, but maybe this book will help,” I say, trying to soothe her.
“我也是,但也许这本书将有助于安慰她。”
“Let’s get out of here.”
" 让我们离开这里。 “
Sarah nods and we cautiously make our way back down the stairs, where the librarian waits.
Sarah点头 我们小心翼翼地走下楼梯 图书馆员在那里等着