读英文微小说，习得英语词汇 | The Carnival That Appeared at Dawn|appeared|carnival|dawn|she|泰莎|英语词汇

英语阅读能力是英语学习者语言水平的体现。阅读对于学习者具有重要的作用，不仅能培养学生英语语感，还能促进词汇积累，提高写作水平。对培养学习者的英语综合能力大有帮助，同时也是学好英语的主要手段和有效途径。今后给大家安排了每天500字的小说阅读，期待大家加入，一起读英文原创小说。

每天500字阅读（朗读更棒），每个月就是1万5千字，每年的阅读量就可以达到高达18万，这是一个很了不起的阅读量。同时，我们把词汇提取出来，真实语境，更有利于习得词汇，一起读起来。

单篇小说

No one knew howthe carnivalarrived—it wasn’t therethe night before. Yet at the break of dawn, the outskirts ofRosewoodwere alive withbright lightscolorful tents, and the echo ofcalliope musicdrifting on the breeze.

Eighteen-year-oldTessahad never seen anything like it. The flyers on the lampposts simply said:“Come and see our wondrous spectacles—admission free!”

Despite her friends’ warnings, Tessa couldn’t resist the lure of an unexplainedcarnival. At sunrise, she made her way through theornate gates, stepping onto the carnival grounds with both excitement and an uneasy sensation.

Inside, apeculiarhush lay over the place. There were no crowds, yet every attraction was lit up and moving, as if waiting for someone to ride or play. A row of mirrorsdistortedher reflection as she passed, and she thought she heardwhispersin the wind.

Then she sawthe Carousel—painted horsesfrozen in mid-gallop, theireyes too bright,smiles too wide. A sign next to it read:“Rides never stop!”

Tessa hesitated. Something about theunmovinghorses made her skin crawl, but a gentle tune began to play,liltingand inviting.Compelledby curiosity, she boarded one of the horses.

The moment shesettledonto the saddle, the Carousellurchedto life, spinning faster than any merry-go-round she’d known. The horsesjerkedunder her,eyes blinkingas if waking from a long sleep.

A voice, soft yet echoing,whisperedin her ear:“You will never leave…”

Panic seized her. She tried to jump off, but themotionwas too violent, andan unseen forceheld her in place. The lights on the Carousel flickered wildly. The horses’painted grinsseemed to twist, and theirbodiesfelt warm, like livingflesh.

Tessascreamed, fighting to release her hands from the reins. The tunewarped, shifting into ahauntingmelody.

Just as terror overwhelmed her, a fierce windrippedthrough the carnival. The Carousel abruptlyshudderedandhalted. Tessa tumbled off the horse and onto the ground.

Gasping, she stumbled away from the Carousel, the world spinning around her. When she finally looked back, themerry-go-roundstoodsilent, its horsesagainfrozen, their eyes lifeless.

The dawn light revealedempty tents,fadingrides, and thescent of decay. Everything lookedaged, as if the carnival had been abandoned for decades.

Tessa found her way out through torn andtatteredgates. Behind her, the calliope musicwheezedonce more, thenvanished.

By midday, thecarnivalwas gone—nothingbut anempty fieldand a few confetti scraps fluttering in the breeze. Tessa stood there, breathless, wondering ifanyof it had been real. But she felt the bruises on her arms and thelingering chillin her veins and knew she would never forgetthe carnival that appeared at dawn.

Key Words & Phrases(With Explanations)