20 On Cloud Nine

CHAPTER TWENTY On Cloud Nine Cloud chemistry (noun). The study of chemical changes that take place in the atmosphere. If your head is in the clouds, this might be the branch of chemistry for you! I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT was finally Friday and STEM Night. And I was participating in my first science competition. And Dr. Caroline would be there. My Rube Goldberg machine was working. I had enough lemons. The fan spun perfectly. After testing the machine out a zillion times, I was able to get the tissue paper to turn soggy, which released the plastic arm, which turned on the calculator! My poster board looked better than ever (thank you, Birdie!). Now I just needed to wear something special. In my bedroom, I pulled on my cable-knit sweater because it was new and blue and looked awesome. Then I pulled it off. It was itchy.

第二十章云九云化学（名词） 大气化学对大气中发生的化学变化的研究 如果你的脑袋在云端，这可能是你的化学分支！我简直不敢相信终于到了周五和STEM之夜。 我第一次参加科学竞赛。 卡洛琳医生也会在场 我的Rube Goldberg机器还在工作。 我柠檬吃够了。风扇转得很好。 在测试了这台机器无数次之后，我终于能够让纸巾变湿，从而释放塑料臂，从而打开计算器！我的海报板看起来比以往任何时候都好（谢谢你，小鸟！） 现在我只需要穿件特别的衣服。 在我的卧室里，我穿上了我的针织毛衣，因为它是新的，蓝色的，看起来很棒。 然后我成功了。它很痒。

I couldn't be scratching myself as I was explaining all about electrons. I had to be a non-itchy person. I was sure that scientists like Dr. Caroline probably had non-itchy skin. My dog came up to be scratched. "Hi, Dribble. This is one of the most important nights of my life. And I would love to pet you for ten hours, but I've got to get ready." I put on a cream ribbed turtleneck and skinny jeans. Then I took my turtleneck off again and put on a NASA T-shirt and my lab coat. And of course, I wore the pink cowboy boots my grandparents got me for good luck. Fifteen minutes later, I hurried downstairs and was raring to go. Mom was already at school. In fact, she had never left. I gazed outside the window. It was five and the sunset was swirls of orange, red, and pink. And in that moment, I wanted to understand everything. Why the sunset was so beautiful. Why my heart was beating so fast. I'm pretty sure it all had to do with chemistry. "Kate, we don't have to leave for another"— Dad looked at his watch—"thirty minutes." "I just want to be on time," I said. "Me too!" shouted Liam. "'Cause I want to make slime."

我不能在解释电子的时候挠自己。 我必须是个不会发痒的人。 我确信，像霍金博士这样的科学家。 卡洛琳的皮肤可能不会发痒。 我的狗上来让人抓。 “嗨,运球。这是我一生中最重要的夜晚之一。 我很想宠你十个小时，但我得准备好了。” 我穿上一件奶油色棱纹高领毛衣和紧身牛仔裤。 然后我又脱下高领毛衣，穿上NASA的t恤和实验服。 当然，我还穿着我祖父母送给我的粉色牛仔靴，祈求好运。 十五分钟后，我匆匆下楼，急着要走。 妈妈已经在学校了。 事实上，她从未离开过。 我凝视着窗外。 现在是五点，夕阳是橙色、红色和粉红色的漩涡。 在那一刻，我想了解一切。 为什么日落如此美丽。 为什么我的心跳得那么快。 我很确定这都和化学反应有关。 “凯特，我们不用再等三十分钟了。”爸爸看了看表，“三十分钟。” “我只是想准时，”我说。 “我也是！”利亚姆喊道。“因为我想做黏液。”

"All right, you two," said Dad. "Let's go!" Dribble barked. "I think Dribble wants to go, too!" said Liam. "He would be a good scientist, don't you think?" said Dad as we piled into the minivan. "He's really curious." "Yes," I said, "but he might bury and dig up his lab equipment." And we all laughed. At school, kids and parents milled around the hall. There were tables set up in the corridor and different classrooms were being used as various stations. There was a book fair set up in the library. And a bake sale was in the hallway by the office. It looked like a giant party for science. I passed by Phoenix and met up with Birdie as we went to the multipurpose room to set up. Banners that said: WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DISCOVER? and SCIENCE ROCKS! were on the far wall. Around the perimeter, tables featured hands-on activities like grow your own crystals, magnets, and a way to make a nimbus cloud out of cotton balls. "This is going to be so much fun." My eyes scanned the room. "Do you think Dr. Caroline is here yet?" Birdie shook her head. "I bet she's eating her dinner."

“好吧，你们两个，”爸爸说。 “我们走吧!”运球吠叫。 “我觉得运球也想去！”利亚姆说。 当我们挤进小货车时，爸爸说：“他会成为一名优秀的科学家，你觉得呢？” “他真的很好奇。”“是的，”我说，“但他可能会把他的实验室设备埋起来挖出来。” 我们都笑了。在学校里，孩子们和家长们在大厅里转来转去。 走廊里摆着桌子，不同的教室被用作不同的车站。 图书馆里举办了一个书展。 在办公室旁边的走廊里举行了一场糕饼义卖。 这看起来像是一场盛大的科学派对。 我经过凤凰城，在去多功能厅准备的路上遇到了小鸟。 横幅上写着：你想发现什么？ 和科学岩石！我们在远处的墙上。 在周围，桌子上有动手活动，比如种植自己的晶体、磁铁，以及用棉球制作雨云的方法。 “这将会非常有趣。” 我的眼睛扫视了一下房间。“你认为？ 卡罗琳来了吗？”小鸟摇了摇头。 “我打赌她正在吃晚饭。”

"Imagine. Dr. Caroline eats dinner." I sighed in wonder. "I never thought of her eating like everyone else." Next I headed into the classroom to get my materials from my cubby. All of my lemons were there but no calculator! "What!" I shrieked. "How can this be?" "I'm sorry. This is awful. Maybe you can borrow another calculator," said Biride. I glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's a particular kind of calculator. One that doesn't use a lot of power. I think this time I've... I've got to tell Ms. Daly." I wasn't happy about it, but I didn't see any other way. Without the calculator, there wasn't an end to my project. And I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of Dr. Caroline. That would be even worse than my mom making a big deal about someone trying to mess up my project. "I think that's a good idea," said Birdie softly. I raced away, looking for Ms. Daly in the multipurpose room. She was up onstage, talking to —gulp—Dr. Caroline, who was wearing her pink lab coat and had her pink goggles pushed up on top of her head. Her long dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail. I really wanted to talk with Ms. Daly alone. But there wasn't time. I sped up to her and words

“想象一下。卡罗琳医生吃晚饭。” 我惊奇地叹了口气。“我从没想过她会像其他人一样吃东西。” 接下来，我走进教室，从我的小柜子里拿出我的材料。 我所有的柠檬都在那里，但是没有计算器！“什么!”我尖叫起来。 “这怎么可能？”“我很抱歉。 这太可怕了。也许你可以再借一个计算器，”比赖德说。 我瞥了一眼墙上的钟。 “这是一种特殊的计算器。 一种不需要太多能量的。 我想这次我……我得告诉她。 戴利。”我对此很不高兴，但我也没有别的办法。 没有计算器，我的项目就没法结束。 我也不想让自己在。 卡洛琳。那比我妈把有人想搞砸我的项目小题大做还要糟糕。 “我觉得这是个好主意，”小鸟温柔地说。 我飞快地跑开了，寻找她。 每天在多功能厅。 她站在台上，和“狼吞虎咽”医生谈话。 卡洛琳，她穿着粉红色的实验服，戴着粉红色的护目镜。 她长长的黑发向后梳成马尾。 我真的很想和她谈谈。 戴利。但是没有时间了。 我飞快地跑到她跟前和她说话

rushed out of my mouth. "I can't find your calculator. So my project won't work. Because I need that calculator. It uses about 1.5 volts. There's no way my project will work with a fancier calculator! Maybe I should just... go home." Dr. Caroline met my eyes. "Don't give up," she said. "Don't let anyone dim your spark for science." I sort of nodded. I could barely process that I had finally met Dr. Caroline because I was so upset about the missing calculator Ms. Daly went with me into the classroom. We searched in all of the cubbies. Next we checked the back storage area in the lab. Then she turned to me, a grim look on her face. "I'm afraid it's nowhere to be found."

从我嘴里冲出来。“我找不到你的计算器了。 所以我的项目不会成功。因为我需要计算器。 它使用大约1.5伏特。没有办法我的项目将工作与一个更花哨的计算器！也许我应该… 回家了。”卡洛琳医生看着我。 “不要放弃，”她说。 “不要让任何人熄灭你对科学的热情。” 我点点头。我几乎无法接受我终于见到了。 卡洛琳，因为丢失计算器的事让我很难过。 戴利和我一起进了教室。 我们搜遍了所有的小隔间。 接下来我们检查了实验室后面的储藏区。 然后她转向我，一脸严肃。 “恐怕哪儿也找不到。”