讀英文微小說，習得英語詞彙 | The House That Waited
英語閱讀能力是英語學習者語言水平的體現。閱讀對於學習者具有重要的作用，不僅能培養學生英語語感，還能促進詞彙積累，提高寫作水平。對培養學習者的英語綜合能力大有幫助，同時也是學好英語的主要手段和有效途徑。今後 給大家安排了每天500字的小說閱讀，期待大家加入，一起讀英文原創小說。
每天500字閱讀（朗讀更棒），每個月就是1萬5千字，每年的閱讀量就可以達到高達18萬， 這是一個很了不起的閱讀量。同時，我們把詞彙提取出來，真實語境，更有利於習得詞彙，一起讀起來。
單篇小說
At the end of a long, winding road surrounded by fields of wildflowers stood an abandoned house. It had been there for as long as anyone in the nearby town of Red Hollow could remember. No one knew who had built it, or why it had been left behind. Over time, it became a source of fear and fascination, the subject of whispered stories passed down through generations.
Twenty-year-old Daniel had heard those stories his entire life. Some said the house was alive, waiting for someone foolish enough to step inside. Others claimed it was cursed, that anyone who entered would never leave. Daniel didn’t believe in curses, but he couldn’t deny the strange pull he felt whenever he passed it on his way home.
One warm summer evening, with the sun dipping below the horizon and curiosity gnawing at him, Daniel decided to see the house for himself. Armed with nothing but a flashlight and his courage, he followed the overgrown path leading to the front porch. The house loomed above him, its windows dark and empty, its wooden frame creaking in the evening breeze.
The front door was slightly ajar, as if inviting him in. Daniel hesitated, then pushed it open. The air inside was heavy, stale, and strangely warm. Dust motes floated in the faint beam of light from his flashlight, and the floorboards groaned under his weight.
The interior was surprisingly intact—furniture covered in white sheets, a grand staircase winding upward, and a massive chandelier hanging precariously from the ceiling. It looked as if whoever had lived there had left in a hurry, leaving everything behind.
“Hello?” Daniel called out, his voice echoing eerily in the empty halls. No response.
He climbed the staircase, his footsteps slow and deliberate. At the top, he found a long hallway lined with closed doors. One of them, at the very end, was slightly open, and from within came a faint sound—a melody, soft and haunting, like a music box playing somewhere far away.
Curiosity drove him forward. He pushed the door open and found himself in a small room. The walls were lined with shelves full of old books and trinkets, and in the center of the room sat a music box, its lid open, playing the strange tune.
As Daniel stepped closer, the music stopped abruptly. The room grew colder, and the door slammed shut behind him.
“Who’s there?” he demanded, spinning around. The only answer was a faint whisper, so soft he couldn’t make out the words. Then, in the reflection of the glass covering the music box, he saw movement—a shadow that wasn’t his own.
“Leave,” the whisper grew louder, clearer. “While you still can.”
Daniel turned back to the door, yanking on the handle, but it wouldn’t budge. The shadow in the reflection grew larger, darker, taking shape behind him. He could feel its presence—cold, heavy, and suffocating.
Desperate, Daniel grabbed the music box and slammed it shut. The shadow froze, and the room went silent. The door creaked open, and without a second thought, Daniel bolted out of the room, down the stairs, and out into the cool night air.
As he reached the safety of the road, he turned back. The house stood still and silent, but he could feel its gaze, watching him, waiting for someone else to step inside.
Key Words:
abandoned - 被遺棄的
fascination - 着迷
gnawing - 折磨人的
creaking - 吱嘎作響的
ajar - 微開的
chandelier - 吊燈
melody - 旋律
trinkets - 小裝飾品
suffocating - 令人窒息的
bolted - 飛奔
中文全文翻譯：
在一條蜿蜒曲折的小路盡頭，野花田間矗立着一座被遺棄的房子。它在那裡存在了很久，久到附近的紅谷鎮居民都記不得它的來歷。沒人知道是誰建造了它，也沒人知道它爲何被遺棄。隨着時間的推移，它成了人們又怕又迷戀的對象，成爲代代相傳的低語故事主題。
二十歲的丹尼爾從小就聽這些故事長大。有人說，這座房子是活的，等待着某個足夠愚蠢的人走進去。還有人說，它被詛咒了，進入它的人永遠無法離開。丹尼爾不相信詛咒，但他無法否認每次經過時那種奇怪的吸引力。
一個溫暖的夏夜，太陽剛剛沉入地平線，丹尼爾在好奇心的驅使下決定親自去看看那座房子。他只帶了一隻手電筒和滿滿的勇氣，順着被雜草覆蓋的小路走向前廊。房子聳立在他面前，窗戶黑暗而空洞，木製框架在傍晚的微風中吱吱作響。
前門微微敞開着，彷彿在邀請他進去。丹尼爾猶豫了一下，然後推開了門。屋內的空氣沉重、陳舊，而且奇怪地溫暖。灰塵顆粒在手電筒的微光中漂浮，腳下的地板吱呀作響。
室內出奇地完整——傢俱蓋着白色的布，樓梯盤旋而上，天花板上懸掛着一個巨大的吊燈，似乎隨時會掉下來。整個屋子看起來像是某人匆忙離開時留下的一切。
“有人嗎？”丹尼爾喊道，聲音在空蕩蕩的大廳裡迴盪，沒有迴應。
他緩緩爬上樓梯，每一步都小心翼翼。在樓上，他發現了一條長長的走廊，走廊兩邊是關着的門。走廊盡頭的一扇門微微開着，裡面傳來一陣微弱的旋律——像是從遠處傳來的音樂盒聲，柔和而令人不安。
好奇心驅使着他向前。他推開了門，發現自己置身於一間小屋。牆上擺滿了舊書和小裝飾品，房間中央放着一個打開的音樂盒，播放着那奇怪的曲調。
丹尼爾走近時，音樂戛然而止。房間變得更冷，門在他身後猛地關上。
“誰在那裡？”他轉過身，聲音裡帶着顫抖。唯一的迴應是微弱的低語聲，輕到他聽不清內容。隨後，他在音樂盒玻璃反射中看到了一絲動靜——一個不是他的影子。
“離開，”低語聲變得更大、更清晰。“趁你還能走的時候。”
丹尼爾轉向門，用力拉門把手，但門紋絲不動。玻璃中的影子逐漸變大、變黑，形成了一個形狀，緩緩在他身後出現。他能感到它的存在——冰冷、沉重，讓人窒息。
絕望之下，丹尼爾抓起音樂盒，用力將其蓋上。影子頓住了，房間陷入寂靜。門緩緩打開，他毫不猶豫地衝出房間，跑下樓梯，逃入夜晚清涼的空氣中。
當他跑到路上時，他回頭望去。房子依舊靜立，沉默不語，但他能感受到它的注視，等待着下一個踏入它的人。
掃碼加閱讀羣
【特別聲明】本公衆平臺除特別註明原創或授權轉載外，其他文章均爲轉載，版權歸原作者或平臺所有，出於傳遞信息之目的，並沒有任何商業目的。本公號尊重知識產權，如無意中侵犯了您的權益，請及時聯繫後臺，本公號將及時刪除。
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 4
Book 5
Book 6
Book 7
Book 8
Book 9
Book 10
Book 11
Book 12
Book 13
Book 14
Book 15
Book 16
Book 17
Book 18
Book 19
Book 20
Book 21