兒童英語讀物《神奇樹屋》 第六冊 Afternoon on the Amazon 04

4 Millions of Them!

Jack didn’t move. He kept staring down at the forest floor.

“What’s wrong?” Annie called from above.

Jack didn’t answer.

“You don’t see any giant spiders， do you?” Annie said.

“Well...no.” Jack took a deep breath.

We have to keep going， he thought. We have to find the special thing for Morgan.

“No spiders.Nothing scary，” Jack called. And he started down the ladder again.

Jack and Annie climbed down through the understory. Finally they stepped onto the forest floor.

Only a few rays of light slanted through the gloom.

The trees were very， very tall and very wide. Vines and moss were hanging everywhere. The ground was covered with dead leaves.

“Before we do anything， I’d better check the book，” said Jack.

He pulled out the rain forest book. He found a picture of the dark world under the treetops.

He read：

In the rain forest， many living creatures blend in with their surroundings. This is called camouflage.

“Oh， man，” said Jack. He closed the book and looked around. “There’re tons of creatures down here. We just can’t see them.”

“Really?” whispered Annie.

She and Jack peered around at the quiet forest. Jack felt unseen eyes watching them.

“Let’s hurry and find the special thing，” whispered Annie.

“How will we know when we find it?” Jack said.

“I think we’ll just know，” said Annie. She headed off through the gloom.

Jack followed. They crept between the huge trees and past hanging vines.

Annie stopped. “Wait—what’s that?”

“What’s what?”

“Listen—that weird sound.”

Jack listened. He heard a crackling sound. It sounded like a person walking over leaves.

Jack looked around. He didn’t see anyone.

But the sound got louder.

Was it an animal? A giant bug? One that had never been named?

Just then the silent forest came alive.

Birds took off into the air. Frogs hopped over the leaves. Lizards ran up the tree trunks.

The weird noise grew louder and louder.

“Maybe the book explains it，” said Jack. He opened the book. He found a picture of different animals running together. He read：

When animals hear a crackling sound， they flee in panic. The sound means that 30 million flesh-eating army ants are marching through the dead leaves.

“It’s army ants!” cried Jack.“Millions of them!”

“Where?” cried Annie.

Jack and Annie looked around wildly.

“There!” Annie pointed.

Army ants—millions and millions of them—were marching over the leaves!

“Run to the tree house!” cried Annie.

“Where is it?” said Jack， whirling around. All the trees looked the same. Where was the rope ladder?

“Just run!” cried Annie.

Jack and Annie took off.

They ran over the dead leaves.

They ran between wide tree trunks.

They ran past the hanging vines and mosses.

They climbed over thick roots.

Jack saw a clearing ahead. It was filled with sunlight.

“That way!” he cried.

Jack and Annie hurried toward the light. They pushed their way through the bushes.

They burst onto the bank of a river.

They stared at the slow-moving brown water.

“Do you think the ants will come this way?” Annie said， panting.

“I don’t know，” said Jack. “But if we wade a few feet into the river， we’re safe. The ants won’t go into the water. Come on.”

“Look!” said Annie.

She pointed to a big log rocking at the edge of the river. The inside of the log was dug out.

“It looks like a canoe，” said Jack. He listened to the crackling sound in the distance. “Let’s get in it. Quick!”

Jack shoved the book into his backpack. Then he and Annie carefully climbed into the dug-out log.

Annie leaned out of it. She pushed away from the bank with her hands.

“Wait!” said Jack. “We don’t have paddles!”

“Oops，” said Annie.

The canoe started moving slowly down the muddy river.

4成千上萬的軍蟻!

杰克沒有動，他一直俯視著地面。

“出什么事兒了?”安妮從上面叫道。

杰克沒有回答。

“你不是看到巨大的蜘蛛了吧?”安妮說。

“這個……沒有。”杰克深吸了一口氣。我們必須繼續(xù)前進，他想，我們必須幫摩根找到那樣東西。

“沒有蜘蛛，沒什么可怕的!”杰克喊道，他繼續(xù)順著梯子向下爬。

杰克和安妮穿過了灌木層，他們最終到達了地被層。

只有幾道細細的光線斜射進這片黑暗中。

樹木非常非常高大寬闊，藤蔓和苔蘚掛得到處都是，地面被落葉覆蓋得滿滿的。

“在行動之前，我們最好還是先看看書上是怎么說的。”杰克說。

他把那本熱帶雨林的書拿出來，找到了一幅樹冠層下這個黑暗世界的圖片。他讀道：

在熱帶雨林里，很多生物靠著周圍的環(huán)境掩飾自己，這叫做偽裝。

“哦，我的天哪。”杰克說。他合上了那本書四下環(huán)顧。“這下面有很多的生物，只是我們看不見它們。”

“真的嗎?”安妮小聲說。

她和杰克仔細打量著這個安靜的森林，杰克覺得有很多看不見的眼睛正盯著他們。

“我們快走吧，去找那樣特別的東西。”安妮小聲說。

“當我們找到它了我們怎么知道是不是呢?”杰克說。

“我想到時候我們自然會知道的。”安妮說。她已經(jīng)朝著陰暗的前方走去了。

杰克跟著她，躡手躡腳地穿梭在大樹和懸掛著的藤蔓中。

安妮突然停了下來：“等等!那是什么?”

“什么是什么?”

“聽啊，那奇怪的聲音!”

杰克聽了聽，他聽見了一些噼里啪啦的聲音，那聲音好像一個人從落葉上走過。

他四處望了望，一個人也沒看見。

可是那聲音卻越來越大了。

是不是什么動物?一種巨大的蟲子?一種不為人知的蟲子?

就在這時原本安靜的森林突然騷動起來。鳥兒都飛向了天空，青蛙在樹葉間跳躍，蜥蜴也飛奔著爬上了樹干。

那奇怪的聲音越來越大，越來越大了。

“也許書上有解釋。”杰克說。他打開書，找到一幅各種動物一齊飛奔的圖片。

他讀道：

當動物們聽到噼里啪啦的聲音，它們會驚恐地四處逃跑。這聲音意味著3 000萬只食肉的軍蟻正在落葉上行進。

“是食肉的軍蟻!”杰克喊叫道，“成千上萬呢!”

“在哪里?”安妮喊道。

杰克和安妮驚恐地到處張望。

“在那兒!”安妮指著一個地方說。

軍蟻——成千上萬的軍蟻——正在落葉上前進呢!

“跑回樹屋去!”安妮喊道。

“樹屋在哪兒?”杰克一邊來回找一邊說。所有的樹看上去都是一樣的，繩梯在哪兒?!

“趕快跑吧!”安妮喊道。

杰克和安妮撒腿就跑。

他們跑過落葉，在大樹間穿行;跑過四處懸掛著的樹藤和苔蘚，爬到厚實的樹根上。杰克看到了前面有一個空地，灑滿陽光。

“那邊兒!”他喊道。

杰克和安妮趕快朝著陽光的方向跑，一路使勁扒開濃密的灌木。

突然一條大河闖入眼簾。

他們看著緩緩流動的棕色的河水。

“你覺得那些螞蟻會朝這邊兒來嗎?”安妮喘著氣問道。

“我不知道。”杰克說，“但是如果我們涉水離開岸邊幾步，我們就安全了。那些螞蟻不會到水里來的。來吧!”

“看啊!”安妮說。她指著一個在岸邊隨著水搖擺的巨大原木，木頭的中間被挖空了。

“看上去是一個獨木舟!”杰克說。他邊說邊仔細聽著遠處那些噼里啪啦的聲音，“快上去，快點!”

杰克把書塞進背包，和安妮一起小心翼翼地爬進了那個被挖空的木頭。安妮傾斜著身子，用手把舟推離了岸邊。

“等等!”杰克說，“我們沒有槳!”

“對啊!”

獨木舟開始緩緩地隨著泥濘的河流向下游漂去了。