5 A Dark Figure

Chapter 5 A Dark Figure "Ouch! That was my foot," gasped Max. He nudged Sofia sideways. "Did I step on it? Sorry!" she whispered. "There's not very much room under here." As she shuffled away, water dripped from the elephant ear leaves above her head. "What was that?" asked Max. He shook his collar and felt something trickle down his back. "Are there

第五章黑影“哎哟！那是我的脚，”马克斯喘着气说。 他把索菲亚推到一边。“我踩到它了吗？” 对不起！”她低声说。“这下面空间不大。” 当她拖着脚离开时，水从她头顶上的象耳叶子上滴下来。 “那是什么？”马克斯问。 他抖了抖衣领，感觉有什么东西顺着他的背往下流。 “有

ants in here?" Paulo stifled a giggle. "Don't worry, they're harmless," he said. "Some animals in the rain forest are dangerous, but they mostly steer clear of people. We'll hear more birds and frogs now that it's getting darker. Listen." He put his finger to his lips. As if on cue, a bird sounded above the buzz of the cicadas. Tonk, tonk, tonk! "That sounded like a bell ringing," said Max. Paulo nodded. "It's called a bellbird." Something roared overhead, and Sofia froze. "What was that? A lion?" Paulo laughed. "There are no lions in the Amazon. That was a howler monkey," he said. The cry echoed through the treetops, followed by a few grunts. Then a low growl. Even Paulo whirled around this time, his eyes wide. "I don't know what that was," he whispered. Max burst out laughing and pointed at Sofia. "I do," he said. "It was Sofia's stomach." "Sorry!" said Sofia sheepishly. "I think it's time for the pastéis." When Paulo handed her the fried treat, she dove right in. Warm vegetables oozed out from the crispy

这里有蚂蚁吗？”保罗强忍住咯咯的笑声。 “别担心，它们是无害的，”他说。 “雨林里的一些动物很危险，但它们大多会避开人类。 现在天黑了，我们会听到更多的鸟鸣和青蛙声。 听。”他把手指放在嘴唇上。 仿佛是在暗示，一只鸟的叫声盖过了蝉的嗡嗡声。 唐克，唐克，唐克！“听起来像铃在响，”马克斯说。 保罗点了点头。“它叫风铃鸟。” 头上有什么东西在咆哮，索非亚僵住了。 “那是什么？”一只狮子?”保罗笑了。 “亚马逊没有狮子。 那是一只吼猴，”他说。 喊声在树梢间回荡，接着是几声咕哝。 然后是一声低吼。这次连保罗也转过身来，眼睛睁得大大的。 “我不知道那是什么，”他低声说。 马克斯突然大笑起来，指着索菲亚。 “是的，”他说。“是索菲亚的肚子。” “对不起！”索菲亚不好意思地说。 “我认为是时候采取过去的行动了。” 当保罗递给她油炸点心时，她立刻吃了起来。 热气腾腾的蔬菜从脆皮里渗出来

crust. "Yum," she said, instantly taking another bite. "Your family can really cook!" Paulo sighed. "My mom's recipes are great. I only wish there were more people visiting so they could appreciate them." Sofia nodded. "It would be terrible if she had to close her restaurant." "Shh!" Max whispered. He'd just heard something —the crunch of leaves and twigs. He held his breath, listening. Snap! Crack! Sofia gasped. She gripped Max's arm and pointed. Through the leaves of the elephant ear plant, they saw a dark figure step into view. A tall, thin man slid a bag off his shoulder and set it on the ground. He unzipped the bag and pulled something out. An axe! Max realized. He's here to cut down the tree!

地壳。“好吃，”她说，立刻又吃了一口。 “你们家真的会做饭！”保罗叹了口气。 “我妈妈的食谱很棒。 我只希望有更多的人来参观，这样他们就能欣赏它们了。” 索非亚点点头。“如果她不得不关闭她的餐馆，那就太可怕了。” “嘘!”马克斯低声说。他刚刚听到了一些声音——树叶和树枝的嘎吱声。 他屏住呼吸，倾听着。 中计了!裂缝!索非亚气喘吁吁地说。 她抓住马克斯的胳膊，指了指。 透过象耳草的叶子，他们看见一个黑影跨进了视野。 一个又高又瘦的男人从肩上滑下一个包，放在地上。 他拉开包的拉链，拉出了什么东西。 斧头!马克斯。他是来砍树的！

Adrenaline shot through his veins. But before he

肾上腺素在他的血管里涌动。 但在他之前

could move, Sofia burst out of their hiding place. Blinding light filled the forest as she flicked on her flashlight. Paulo was right behind her. "Stop right there!" he shouted. The man flung his arms over his eyes to block the light. Paulo gasped. "Antonio?" With a jolt of surprise, Max recognized Antonio's dark eyes and mop of curly hair. As Sofia lowered her flashlight, Antonio blinked. "Paulo?" he asked in a wobbly voice. "Is that you?" "What are you doing?" Paulo cried, his voice rising. Antonio's shoulders slumped. "Those chicks are worth so much money," he said, so quietly that it was almost a whisper. Paulo kicked furiously at the dirt.

索菲娅从他们的藏身之处冲了出来。 当她打开手电筒时，刺眼的光线充满了森林。 保罗就在她后面。 “站住！”他喊道。 那人用双臂捂住眼睛挡住光线。 保罗深吸一口气。“安东尼奥?”马克斯大吃一惊，认出了安东尼奥的黑眼睛和蓬松的卷发。 索菲亚放下手电筒时，安东尼奥眨了眨眼睛。 “保罗？”他用颤抖的声音问道。 “是你吗？”“你在干什么？”保罗喊道，他的声音提高了。 安东尼奥的肩膀耷拉下来。 “那些小鸡值这么多钱，”他说，声音轻得几乎像耳语。 保罗疯狂地踢着泥土。

"I can't believe you would do that! How could you be so greedy?" "It's not for me!" Antonio said quickly. "It's for your mom. So she doesn't have to close the restaurant." He hung his head. "I know it's wrong," he said. "But I didn't know what else to do. Things are bad, Paulo." Paulo stared at his cousin, his face softening. Sofia felt her own anger drain from her. Finally, Paulo spoke. "But there must be another way to save the restaurant that won't harm the macaws or the rain forest."

“我真不敢相信你会那样做！”你怎么能这么贪婪？”“不适合我！”安东尼奥赶紧说。 “这是给你妈妈的。这样她就不用关门了。” 他垂下了头。“我知道这是不对的，”他说。 “但我不知道还能做什么。 情况很糟糕，保罗。”保罗盯着他的表弟，他的脸软化了。 索非亚感到自己的愤怒从她身上消失了。 最后，保罗开口了。“但必须有另一种方法来拯救餐厅，而不会伤害金刚鹦鹉或雨林。”