2. Circle in the Snow

2 Circle in the Snow The next morning, Bradley beat Brian to the table. They were dressed alike in warm shirts and jeans. Nate and Lucy came down the stairs next. They wore snow pants, sweaters, and boots. Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose were making breakfast. Josh's dog, Pal, was under the table, chewing his favorite toy, a rubber hot dog. Brian and Bradley's parents rushed into the room. They pulled on coats and hats. "Dad and I are meeting Dink's and Ruth Rose's parents for breakfast," said Bradley's mother.

第二天早上，布拉德利比布莱恩先到桌旁。 他们都穿着暖和的衬衫和牛仔裤。 内特和露西接着下了楼。 他们穿着雪地裤、毛衣和靴子。 丁克、乔希和露丝·罗斯在做早餐。 乔希的狗，帕尔，在桌子下面，嚼着他最喜欢的玩具，一个橡胶热狗。 布莱恩和布拉德利的父母冲进房间。 他们穿上外套，戴上帽子。 “爸爸和我要去见丁克和露丝·罗斯的父母吃早餐，”布拉德利的母亲说。

"We'll be back in a couple of hours. Josh, Dink, and Ruth Rose are in charge." "I saw space aliens in the backyard last night!" Bradley told his parents. "That's nice, dear," his mother said. "Tell me all about it when we get back, but now we have to scoot." "You younger kids listen to the big kids," Bradley's father added. "We don't need babysitters!" Brian said. Brian and Bradley, Lucy, and Nate were all in first grade. The three older kids were in sixth. "Yes, you do," his mother said. "Bye-bye!" Then they were gone. Just the seven kids and Pal were left in the kitchen. "Chow time," Josh said. He and Dink and Ruth Rose brought pancakes, syrup, and glasses of milk to the table. "Did you see lights in the backyard last night?" Bradley asked Josh.

“我们几个小时后就回来。 乔什、丁克和露丝·罗斯负责。” “我昨晚在后院看到了外星人！”布拉德利告诉他的父母。 “太好了，亲爱的，”他妈妈说。 “等我们回来了再告诉我吧，不过现在我们得赶紧走了。” “你们这些小孩子听大孩子的话，”布拉德利的父亲补充说。 “我们不需要保姆！”布莱恩说。 布赖恩、布拉德利、露西和内特都是一年级学生。 三个大一点的孩子排在第六。 “不，你有，”他妈妈说。 “再见!”然后他们就走了。 厨房里只剩下七个孩子和帕尔。 “吃东西的时间到了。”乔希说。他、丁克和露丝·罗斯把煎饼、糖浆和几杯牛奶端到桌上。 “你昨晚看到后院有灯光了吗？”布拉德利问乔希。

"Nope. I was dreaming of surfing in Hawaii," Josh said. The seven kids gobbled up all the pancakes. "We cooked, so you have to clean up," Josh told the younger kids. "I'm not doing any dishes!" Brian yelped. "Just wipe the table and put your dishes in the sink," Ruth Rose said. "Then come out and we'll take Polly for some exercise," Josh said. "Can we ride her?" Lucy asked. "Sure, we all will," Josh said. Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose tugged on their coats and boots and left the house. Pal followed them, carrying his rubber hot dog in his mouth. Lucy and Nate put everything in the sink. Bradley wet a sponge and wiped the table. "You're supposed to help, Bri," he said. Brian grinned. "Nope, I'm older than you." "Yeah, by one minute," Bradley said. He tossed the sponge at his brother.

“不。我一直梦想着去夏威夷冲浪，”乔希说。 七个孩子狼吞虎咽地吃光了所有的煎饼。 “我们做饭，所以你们必须打扫，”乔希告诉年幼的孩子们。 “我没有洗碗！”布莱恩叫喊起来。 “只要把桌子擦干净，把盘子放在水槽里，”露丝·罗斯说。 “那就出来吧，我们带波莉去运动。”乔希说。 “我们能骑她吗？”露西问。 “当然，我们都会的，”乔希说。 丁克、乔希和露丝·罗斯匆匆穿上外套和靴子，离开了家。 帕尔跟着他们，嘴里叼着他的橡胶热狗。 露西和内特把东西都放进水槽里了。 布拉德利弄湿了海绵，擦了擦桌子。 “你应该帮忙的，布莱，”他说。 布莱恩笑了。“不，我比你大。” “是的，差一分钟，”布拉德利说。 他把海绵扔向他弟弟。

Brian caught it. "Let's go out," he said. "Maybe Bradley can show us where the spaceship landed last night!" "I thought you didn't believe me," Bradley said. "I don't," Brian said. "A lot of people in California see UFOs," Lucy said. "See?" Bradley said to his brother. "Come on, I'll prove it." The four kids grabbed hats and coats and mittens. They clumped down the back porch steps in their snow boots. Bradley led the way toward a flat space next to the barn. The other three kids followed him like ducklings.

布莱恩抓住了它。“我们出去吧，”他说。 “也许布拉德利可以告诉我们昨晚宇宙飞船降落的地方！”“我以为你不相信我，”布拉德利说。 “我不知道，”布莱恩说。露西说：“加州很多人都看到过不明飞行物。” “看到了吗?”布拉德利对他哥哥说。 “来吧，我证明给你看。”四个孩子抓起帽子、外套和连指手套。 他们穿着雪地靴，步履蹒跚地走下后门廊的台阶。 布拉德利带路走向谷仓旁边的一块平坦的空地。 其他三个孩子像鸭子一样跟着他。

The snow came up to their ankles. They left bootprints as they trudged across the yard. Bradley was the first to reach it. "See, I told you," Bradley said. His breath made puffs in front of his mouth. The other three kids stopped next to him. "Awesome!" Nate cried. They were looking at a circle in the snow. It was as big as a swimming pool. The perfect size for a spaceship. "You were right," Lucy whispered to Bradley.

雪没过他们的脚踝。 他们艰难地穿过院子时留下了脚印。 布拉德利是第一个到达那里的。 “看，我告诉过你，”布拉德利说。 他的呼吸使他的嘴前喘了几口气。 另外三个孩子在他旁边停下。 “棒极了!”内特哭了。他们在看雪中的一个圆圈。 它和游泳池一样大。 这是宇宙飞船的完美尺寸。 “你说得对。”露西小声对布拉德利说。