8. Lucy’s Brilliant Idea

Chapter 8 Lucy's Brilliant Idea "We found them!" Nate said. "We get the treasure!" "Well, the swans really found them first," Bradley said. "Guys, let's move away from the pond," Lucy said. "The swans think we're going to steal the eggs." The kids and Pal walked over to the band shell and sat. Pal flopped on the ground with his head on his front paws.

第八章露西的妙计“我们找到他们了！”内特说。 “我们得到了宝藏！”“嗯，是天鹅先发现了他们，”布拉德利说。 “伙计们，我们离开池塘吧。”露茜说。 “天鹅们以为我们要去偷蛋。” 孩子们和帕尔走到乐队壳边坐下。 帕尔扑通一声趴在地上，头埋在前爪上。

"So what should we do?" asked Brian. "I want the prize!" "I feel sorry for the swans," Lucy said. "Why?" asked Nate. "Because I think something stole their eggs," Lucy said. "Maybe it was the raccoons or that snake. But now they don't have any eggs to hatch. That must be why they took ours." "Yeah, the swans think the eggs will hatch," Bradley said. "But they won't because they're hard-boiled." "That's a bummer," Nate said. "The swans will keep waiting and waiting, but nothing will happen." "I have an idea!" Bradley said. "Let's get them another swan egg. One that will hatch!" "Where do we get one?" Brian asked. Bradley stood up and Pal jumped to his feet. "There are swans at the petting zoo," Bradley said. "Maybe they have eggs!"

“那我们该怎么办？”布赖恩问。 “我要奖品！”“我为天鹅感到难过。”露茜说。 “为什么？”内特问。“因为我认为有什么东西偷走了它们的蛋。”露茜说。 “也许是浣熊或者那条蛇。 但是现在它们没有蛋可以孵了。 所以他们才会抢走我们的。” “是的，天鹅们认为蛋会孵化，”布拉德利说。 “但他们不会，因为他们很顽固。” “这太令人失望了，”内特说。 “天鹅们会一直等啊等啊，但什么也不会发生。” “我有个主意！”布拉德利说。 “我们再给他们拿一个天鹅蛋吧。 一个会孵出来的！”“我们到哪里去找呢？”布莱恩问。 布拉德利站了起来，帕尔跳了起来。 “宠物动物园里有天鹅，”布拉德利说。 “也许他们有蛋！”

"Cool!" Nate said. "And we know someone who works there!" Five minutes later, the kids and Pal walked through the petting zoo gate. They stopped to pet a baby goat. Then they found the office and went inside. "Well, hi, gang," said a smiling man with gray hair. He was sitting at a desk, typing on a computer. It was Mr. Neater, who used to be the janitor at their school. The kids had helped him find a home for his pet rabbit at the petting zoo. "Hi, Mr. Neater!" Bradley said. "How's Douglas?" "Ask him yourself," Mr. Neater said. "He's here, on my lap." The kids walked closer. A large rabbit was sound asleep on Mr. Neater's knees. Pal whimpered and tried to lick Douglas. Bradley held the leash tightly. "Can I pet him?" Lucy asked. Mr. Neater smiled. "Douglas will be sad if you don't!" he said.

“酷!”内特说。“而且我们认识在那里工作的人！”五分钟后，孩子们和帕尔走进了宠物动物园的大门。 他们停下来抚摸一只小山羊。 然后他们找到了办公室，走了进去。 “嗨，伙计们，”一个花白头发的男人微笑着说。 他坐在桌子前，在电脑上打字。 是尼特先生，他以前是他们学校的看门人。 孩子们帮他在宠物动物园为他的宠物兔子找到了一个家。 “嗨，尼特先生！”布拉德利说。 “道格拉斯怎么样?”“你自己去问他，”尼特说。 “他在这儿，在我腿上。”孩子们走近了。 一只大兔子在尼特先生的膝盖上睡得很熟。 帕尔呜咽着，想舔道格拉斯。 布拉德利紧紧抓住皮带。 “我能摸摸它吗？”露西问。 尼特先生笑了。“如果你不这样做，道格拉斯会伤心的！”他说。

Lucy patted the rabbit's soft head. Douglas twitched his ears and wiggled his tail. "What brings you kids here?" Mr. Neater asked. Bradley told Mr. Neater about the golden eggs in the swans' nest. "My goodness, that is a problem," Mr. Neater said. "It's a sad thing, but a lot of wild birds lose their eggs to other animals who want to eat them."

露茜拍了拍兔子柔软的头。 道格拉斯扭着耳朵，摇着尾巴。 “什么风把你们这些孩子吹来了？”尼特先生问。 布拉德利告诉尼特先生天鹅窝里的金蛋。 “天哪，这是个问题，”尼特说。 “这是一件可悲的事情，但许多野生鸟类的蛋被其他想要吃掉它们的动物吃掉了。”

"We were wondering if the petting zoo still has swans," Bradley said. "Why, yes, we have a pair out in the barn," Mr. Neater said. Then he grinned. "Say, I'll bet I know what you're thinking. You want one of their eggs, right?" "Do they have any eggs, Mr. Neater?" Nate asked. Mr. Neater nodded. "You bet. I think they have a bunch this season." "Wow! Could we get one?" Bradley asked. "Let's go talk to Tom, our swan expert," Mr. Neater said. He put Douglas on the floor and stood up. "Follow me!" Mr. Neater led the kids and Pal into a small barn. The first thing they saw was a mother hen and a batch of yellow baby chicks. "Over this way," Mr. Neater said. They followed him to a pen. Inside the pen, two swans were lying on some straw. An open door led to an outdoor area with a small pond. "The momma is

布拉德利说：“我们想知道宠物动物园是否还有天鹅。” “噢，是的，我们在谷仓里有一对，”尼特先生说。 然后他笑了。“喂，我敢打赌我知道你在想什么。 你想要一个他们的蛋，对吗？”“他们有蛋吗，尼特先生？”内特问道。 尼特先生点点头。“你的赌注。 我想他们这一季会有很多。” “哇!我们能得到一个吗？”布拉德利问。 “我们去和我们的天鹅专家汤姆谈谈吧，”尼特说。 他把道格拉斯放在地板上，站了起来。 “跟我来!”尼特先生领着孩子们和帕尔进了一个小谷仓。 他们首先看到的是一只母鸡和一群黄色的小鸡。 “这边走，”尼特说。 他们跟着他来到一个钢笔前。 围栏里，两只天鹅躺在稻草上。 一扇敞开的门通向一个带有小池塘的户外区域。 “妈妈是

the one with her head down. And there is her clutch of eggs." Bradley gasped. Up close, the swans were really big! They were as white as snow, with orange beaks and bright, shiny eyes. "Hi, Mr. Neater," a voice said. A young man walked over to the pen. He was wearing a dark green sweatshirt with a PETTING ZOO patch on one sleeve. "Hi, Tom," Mr. Neater said. He introduced the kids and Pal. Then he told Tom about the swans in the park. "My young friends here are hoping your swans won't mind giving one of their eggs," Mr. Neater said. "I'm sure they won't mind," Tom said. "In fact, they have too many eggs. They usually lay from three to eight, but this year we have ten!" Tom entered the pen and spoke softly to the mother swan. Then he reached into the nest and pulled out two greenish-colored eggs. "These

低着头的那个。 这是她的一窝蛋。” 布拉德利气喘吁吁地说。近距离看，天鹅真的很大！它们像雪一样白，长着橙色的喙和明亮的眼睛。 “嗨，尼特先生。”一个声音说。 一个年轻人向猪圈走来。 他穿着一件深绿色的运动衫，袖子上有一个PETTING ZOO的补丁。 “嗨，汤姆，”尼特先生说。 他介绍了孩子们和帕尔。 然后他告诉汤姆公园里的天鹅。 “我的年轻朋友们希望你们的天鹅不会介意给我一个蛋，”尼特先生说。 “我相信他们不会介意的，”汤姆说。 “事实上，它们的蛋太多了。 它们通常是三到八只，但今年我们有十只！”汤姆走进围栏，轻轻地对天鹅妈妈说。 然后他把手伸进窝里，拿出两个绿色的蛋。 “这些