2 AN ALARMING GIFT

CHAPTER 2 AN ALARMING GIFT Alexander followed the smell of sizzling steak to his backyard. His dad was standing near the grill. "Hi, AI!" he said, waving a spatula. "Welcome to our last cookout of the summer!" Alexander took a seat at the picnic table. They ace steak-and-cheese sandwiches as the sun went down.

第二章令人震惊的礼物亚历山大跟着牛排的咝咝声来到后院。 他爸爸站在烤架旁边。 “嗨，AI!”他挥舞着一把抹刀说。 “欢迎参加我们夏天最后一次野炊！”亚历山大在野餐桌旁坐下。 日落时分，他们吃起司牛排三明治。

"And now," said his dad, "here's a little back- to-school surprise!" He gave Alexander a gift. "Thanks, dad!" said Alexander. He ripped off' the wrapping paper. "An alarm clock," said Alexander. "Uh, just what I needed." "I know!" said his dad, smiling. "You're always running late, so I thought—" His dad paused. "What's that? Over by the woods?" A tiny green spark flashed at the edge of the yard. A moment later, some more sparks began zigzagging through the air. "Well, rinse my molars!" Alexander's dad said. "Lightning bugs! It's awfully late in the year for them!" He got up and headed toward the house. "I'll be right back, AI!"

“现在，”他爸爸说，“这是一个小小的返校惊喜！”他给了亚历山大一份礼物。 “谢谢，爸爸！”亚历山大说。 他撕掉包装纸。 “一个闹钟，”亚历山大说。 “嗯，这正是我需要的。”“我知道！”爸爸笑着说。 “你总是迟到，所以我想——”他爸爸顿了顿。 “那是什么?在树林那边？”一个小小的绿色火花在院子的边缘闪烁。 过了一会儿，又有一些火花在空中窜来窜去。 “好吧，把我的臼齿冲洗一下！”亚历山大的爸爸说。 “闪电bug !对他们来说，现在已经太晚了！”他起身朝房子走去。 “我马上回来，AI!”

Alexander watched the glowing bugs drift across his backyard. There were now hundreds of them. He felt like an astronaut in a galaxy of tiny green stars. Alexander's dad came back out, carrying an empty jar. "Let's catch some lightning bugs!" he said. Alexander looked at the jar. "Will they be okay in there?" he asked. "Sure!" said his dad. "I poked holes in the lid. They'll be fine!" Alexander and his dad ran around the yard, snatching lighting bugs. Before long, the jar was glowing like a lantern.

亚历山大看着发光的虫子漂过他的后院。 现在已经有好几百只了。 他觉得自己就像一个宇航员，在一个由绿色的小星星组成的星系里。 亚历山大的爸爸回来了，手里拿着一个空罐子。 “我们去抓一些萤火虫吧！”他说。 亚历山大看着罐子。 “他们在里面会没事吗？”他问。 “当然！”爸爸说。“我在盖子上戳了几个洞。 他们会没事的！”亚历山大和他的爸爸在院子里跑来跑去，抓照明虫子。 没过多久，罐子就像灯笼一样发光了。

"Perfect," said Alexander's dad. "Now, off to bed! I'll come tuck you in after I clean up." Alexander carried the glowing jar into his bedroom. He put on his pajamas, brushed his teeth and plopped into bed. A minute later, Alexander's dad came in, carrying the new alarm clock. "You left this outside!" he said. He put the clock on the nightstand and pressed a few buttons. "There. Your alarm is set for 6:30 A.M. That should give us plenty of time for a nice, fresh start." Alexander's dad turned out the light and closed the door. The bugs glowed green, but a little dimmer than before.

“太好了，”亚历山大的爸爸说。 “现在，去睡觉吧！”我打扫完后就来给你盖被子。” 亚历山大把发光的罐子拿进卧室。 他穿上睡衣，刷完牙，扑通一声躺在床上。 一分钟后，亚历山大的爸爸进来了，手里拿着新的闹钟。 “你把这个忘在外面了！” 他把钟放在床头柜上，按了几个按钮。 ”。你的闹钟定在早上6点半 这样我们就有足够的时间重新开始。” 亚历山大的爸爸关了灯，关上了门。 虫子发出绿光，但比以前暗了一点。

Alexander tapped on the jar. "Poor little guys," he said. He got out of bed and opened his window. Then he unscrewed the lid on the jar. "You're free," he whispered. "Now shoo!" The lightning bugs flew out of the jar. But they didn't leave his room. One landed on his alarm clock, olowino extra bright. "Good night, bugs," said Alexander, climbing back into bed. He watched the twinkling bugs swirl around his ceiling until he fell asleep.

亚历山大敲了敲罐子。 “可怜的小家伙们，”他说。 他下了床，打开窗户。 然后他拧开了瓶盖。 “你自由了。”他低声说。 “嘘!”闪电虫飞出了罐子。 但他们没有离开他的房间。 一颗落在了他的闹钟上，显得格外明亮。 “晚安，虫子们，”亚历山大说着爬回床上。 他看着闪烁的虫子在天花板上盘旋，直到他睡着了。