4 THE UPSTAIRS BASEMENT

CHAPTER 4 THE UPSTAIRS BASEMENT Since moving to Stermont, Alexander had been swallowed by a fish-monster, squished by a bubble-wrap mummy, and zapped by electric bugs. He'd survived each attack for two reasons: 1. He had the notebook. 2. His friends were by his side. Now, neither of these things was true. And to top it all off, his new teacher was the strictest, most serious person he'd ever known. Alexander dragged himself into the shiny, towering lobby of his school. His shoulders slumped on the long escalator ride to the thirteenth floor.

自从搬到斯特蒙特，亚历山大就被鱼怪吞了，被气泡包裹的木乃伊压扁了，还被电虫蛰了。 他能从每次袭击中幸存下来有两个原因：1。 他拿着笔记本。2. 他的朋友们都在他身边。 现在，这两件事都不是真的。 最重要的是，他的新老师是他所认识的最严格、最严肃的人。 亚历山大拖着沉重的步子走进学校那闪闪发亮、高耸入云的大厅。 在通往13楼的漫长的自动扶梯上，他的肩膀耷拉下来。

Alexander had been all over his new school, but this was his first trip to the principal's office. First of many, he thought. He plodded down the hallway, pausing at a large, stone door. Everything in this school was shiny and high-tech, except for this door. Basement? On the 13th floor?! Heavy stone Five locks UPSTAIRS BASEMENT Alexander cupped his ear to the cold stone. SCRITCHHH! A faint scraping sound came from the door. "Alexander!" Alexander jumped. He turned to see Principal Vanderpants standing nearby, arms folded

亚历山大在他的新学校里到处都是，但这是他第一次去校长办公室。 他想，这是许多事情中的第一个。 他慢吞吞地走过走廊，在一扇巨大的石门前停了下来。 这所学校的一切都是闪亮和高科技的，除了这扇门。 地下室吗?在13楼？！亚历山大把耳朵贴在冰冷的石头上。 SCRITCHHH !门上传来一阵微弱的刮擦声。 “亚历山大!”亚历山大吓了一跳。 他转过身来，看见范德培斯校长站在旁边，双臂交叉

"This way, Alexander." Ms. Vanderpants led him down the hall to her office. Everything in the room was clean and gray. Except for a large white bucket near the door.

“这边走，亚历山大。”Ms。 范德帕斯领着他穿过大厅来到她的办公室。 房间里的一切都是干净而灰暗的。 除了门边有个白色的大桶。

Didn't Nikki say something about a bucket when she got in trouble last week? Alexander thought. "Have a seat," said Ms. Vanderpants. "I expect you to work hard, even when I am dealing with principal matters. Any questions?"

妮基上周惹上麻烦的时候不是说过桶的事吗？ 亚历山大的想法。“请坐。” Vanderpants。“我希望你努力工作，即使是在我处理重要事务的时候。 有什么问题吗?”

"Um," said Alexander. "Why does our school have a 'basement' on the thirteenth floor?" Ms. Vanderpants narrowed her eyes. "It's a ...storage room," she said. "Now, shall we get to work?" She handed Alexander a spelling worksheet. Alexander started writing. The room was silent except for his scratching pencil. At one point, the phone rang. "Ms. Vanderpants," said Ms. Vanderpants. Alexander listened while he worked.

“嗯，”亚历山大说。“为什么我们学校在13楼有一个‘地下室’？”Ms。 范德帕斯眯起眼睛。 “这是……储藏室，”她说。 “现在，我们开始工作吧？”她递给亚历山大一张拼写练习册。 亚历山大开始写作。 房间里静悄悄的，只有他的铅笔声。 这时，电话响了。 “范德培斯女士。” Vanderpants。亚历山大一边工作一边听着。

"I'm not surprised the milk went bad. That cooler has been overheating since our electricity problem a while back," said Ms. Vanderpants. "What?! Someone stole the spoiled milk? Well, clean up the mess and—" HOO-RONNNNNK!!! The call was interrupted by a terrible noise blaring through the window. Alexander gasped. The honk of the caboose- crasher! Ms. Vanderpants looked at Alexander. Then she slammed the phone down. "I'll be right back." She marched out of the room. Did Ms. Vanderpants hear the monster, too? Alexander wondered. I wish lunch would get here I've got to tell my friends the caboose-crasher is back!

“牛奶变质了，我一点也不奇怪。 自从前段时间我们的电力问题以来，冷却器一直过热。 Vanderpants。“什么? !有人偷了变质的牛奶？ 好吧，把烂摊子收拾干净，然后——“嗬——ronnnnnk !!”电话被窗外传来的可怕的喧闹声打断了。 亚历山大气喘吁吁地说。追尾车的喇叭声！Ms。 范德帕斯看着亚历山大。 然后她砰地一声把电话挂了。 “我马上就回来。”她大步走出房间。 范德帕斯女士也听到了怪物的声音吗？ 亚历山大很好奇。我真希望午餐快点到，我得告诉我的朋友，撞车尾的人回来了！