6 DOWNWARD MARCH!

CHAPTER 6 DOWNWARD MARCH! Salamander, you're the most late-to-school kid in history," said Rip, on their way to lunch. "I overslept," said Alexander. "I'm just glad Dr. Tallow wasn't mad. She seems great!" "Yeah, I guess," said Nikki. "Come on, slowpokes!" said Rip. They rushed toward the escalators. "Last one to the cafeteria is a trash-squalch! Huh?!" Rip stopped in his tracks.

第六章向下行进！蝾螈，你是有史以来上学最晚的孩子。”瑞普在去吃午饭的路上说。 “我睡过头了，”亚历山大说。 “我很高兴塔洛医生没有发疯。 她看起来很棒！”“是的，我想，”妮基说。 “来吧，慢性子！” 他们冲向自动扶梯。 “最后一个到自助餐厅的人被扔垃圾！”啊? !”里普停住了脚步。

The escalators were no longer running at super speed. In fact, they weren't running at all. "Uh-oh," said Nikki. "Looks like we're walking down to lunch." CLOMP! CLOMP! They joined the rest of their classmates in the long march down to lunch. Rip's new shoes lit up with each step.

自动扶梯不再以超高速运行。 事实上，他们根本就没在跑步。 “哦哦，”妮基说。“看来我们要去吃午饭了。” 重踏着走!重踏着走!他们和其他同学一起长途跋涉去吃午饭。 每走一步，里普的新鞋都闪闪发光。

They passed a tired-looking teacher huffing and puffing up the opposite escalator. He was carrying a big bunch of pens. "Hi, Mr. Plunkett!" said Alexander. "What's with all the pens?" "Oh, hi, students," he said, "Our electric pencil sharpeners are on the fritz! My class needs something to write with." Mr. Plunkett trudged up to the next floor.

他们经过一个看上去很疲惫的老师，他正气喘吁吁地从对面的自动扶梯上楼。 他拿着一大捆钢笔。 “嗨，普伦基特先生！”亚历山大说。 “这些笔是干什么用的？”“哦，嗨，同学们，”他说，“我们的电动卷笔刀坏了！我们班需要写字的东西。” 普伦基特先生步履沉重地走到下一层楼。

That's strange, thought, Alexander. I saw Mr. Hoarsely's lamp flick off too— all by itself. Alexander, Rip, and Nikki finally reached the shiny new lunchroom on the second floor. "Look!" said Nikki, pointing to an electronic screen on the wall. "A normal lunch, for once!" TODAY'S MENU Pizza Corn Peaches Snickerdoodles "Yes!" Rip shouted. He high-fived Alexander.

这真奇怪，亚历山大想。 我看见嘶哑先生的灯也熄灭了——完全是自己熄灭的。 亚历山大、里普和尼基终于来到了二楼崭新的午餐室。 “看！”妮基指着墙上的一个电子屏幕说。 “一次正常的午餐，就这一次！”今天的菜单披萨玉米桃子士力堡“好！”Rip喊道。 他和亚历山大击掌。

The friends were jolted back by a quick, painful shock. "Ow!" said Alexander. "Why do I keep getting shocked today?" "Are you dragging your feet on the new carpet?" said Nikki. "Sometimes that can make you get zapped."

朋友们被一阵迅速而痛苦的震动震了回来。 “哎呀！”亚历山大说。“为什么我今天总是被吓到？”“你在新地毯上拖着脚吗？”尼基说。 “有时候这会让你被电击。”

BZZZT! Then the menu screen flickered, and the words changed. TODAY'S MENU YOU'D BETTER NOT BUG US. OR ELSE! "You guys." Alexander whispered. "I think that message is a warning! For us!" Nikki scrunched up her face. "What are you getting at, Salamander?" Alexander yanked the notebook from his backpack. "What if there's an invisible monster in our school?!" he said. "Maybe it wrote the message!" He flipped the notebook open.

BZZZT !然后菜单屏幕闪烁，文字也变了。 今天的菜单你最好不要打扰我们。 否则!“你们”。亚历山大低声说。 “我认为这是一个警告！”对于我们!”尼基皱起了眉头。 “你到底想说什么，蝾螈？”亚历山大从背包里抽出笔记本。 “如果我们学校里有一个看不见的怪物怎么办？！” “也许是它写的信息！”他把笔记本翻开。