CHAPTER THREE

1

THE LETTERS FROM NO ONE

2

The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor?

earned

?Harry his longest-ever punishment.

earn /??rn/ vt.?使得到

3

By the time he was allowed out of his cupboard again, the summer holidays had started and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane,

4

and, first time on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her?

crutches

.

crutch /kr?t?/ n.?拐杖

5

Harry was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley’s gang, who visited the house every single day.

6

Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader.

7

The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley’s favorite sport: Harry Hunting.

8

This was why Harry spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where he could see?

a tiny ray of

?hope.

a ray of n.?一線

9

When September came he would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in his life, he wouldn’t be with Dudley.

10

Dudley had a place at Uncle Vernon’s old school, Smeltings. Piers Polkiss was going there too.

11

Harry, on the other hand, was going to Stonewall High, the local?

comprehensive

. Dudley thought this was very funny.

comprehensive /?kɑ?mpr??hens?v/ n.?綜合中學(xué)

12

“They?

stuff

?people’s heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall,” he told Harry. “Want to come upstairs and practice?”

stuff /st?f/ v.?塞進

13

“No, thanks,” said Harry. “The poor toilet’s never had anything as horrible as your head down it — it might be sick.”?

14

Then he ran, before Dudley could work out what he’d said.

15

One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry at Mrs. Figg’s.

16

Mrs. Figg wasn’t as bad as usual. It?

turned out

?she’d broken her leg?

tripping

?over one of her cats, and she didn’t seem?

quite

?as fond of them as before.

turn out?證明是

trip /tr?p/ vi.?絆倒

quite /kwa?t/ adv. (用于否定詞后面表示某事不完全清楚)差不多

17

She let Harry watch television and gave him a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she’d had it for several years.

18

That evening, Dudley?

paraded

?around the living room for the family in his?

brand-new

?uniform.

parade /p??re?d/ v.?展示

brand-new /?br?nd?nu/ adj.?嶄新的

19

Smeltings boys wore?

maroon

?

tailcoats

, orange?

knickerbockers

, and?

flat

?straw hats called boaters.

maroon /m?'run/ adj.?栗色的

tailcoat /?tel?kot/ n.?燕尾服

knickerbockers /?n?k??bɑk?z/ n.?燈籠褲

flat /fl?t/ adj.?扁平的

20

They also carried?

knobbly

?sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren’t looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life.

knobbly /'nɑbli/ adj.?有節(jié)的

21

As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said?

gruffly

?that it was the proudest moment of his life.

gruffly /'gr?fli/ adv. (嗓音)粗啞的

22

Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn’t believe it was her?

Ickle

?Dudleykins, he looked so handsome and?

grown-up

.

ickle n.?小（little，非正式）

grown-up / ?ɡron??p/ adj.?成熟的

23

Harry didn’t trust himself to speak.?

24

He thought two of his?

ribs

?might already have?

cracked

?from trying not to laugh.

ribs /r?b/ n.?肋骨

crack /kr?k/ vt. & vi. (使…)開裂

25

There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Harry went in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal?

tub

?in the?

sink

.

tub /t?b/ n.?盆

sink /s??k/ n.?水池

26

He went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty?

rags

?swimming in gray water.

rag /r?ɡ/ n.?破布

27

“What’s this?” he asked Aunt Petunia.

28

Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question.

29

“Your new school uniform,” she said.

30

Harry looked in the bowl again.

bowl /bo?l/ n.?盆

31

“Oh,” he said, “I didn’t realize it had to be so wet.”

32

“Don’t be stupid,” snapped Aunt Petunia. “I’m?

dyeing

?some of Dudley’s old things gray for you. It’ll look just like everyone else’s when I’ve finished.”

dye /da?/ vt.?染

33

Harry seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue.

34

He sat down at the table and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his first day at Stonewall High — like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably.

35

Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with?

wrinkled

?noses because of the smell from Harry’s new uniform.

wrinkle /?r??kl/ v.?皺起

37

Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley?

banged

?his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table.

bang /b??/ vi.?砰地敲

36

They heard the click of the?

mail slot

?and?

flop

?of letters on the?

doormat

.

mail slot?信件投遞口

flop /flɑp/ vi. (笨拙地、不由自主地或松弛地)移動或落下

doormat /'d?r'm?t/ n.?門墊

38

“Get the?

post

, Dudley,” said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.

post /po?st/ n.?郵件

39

“Make Harry get it.”

40

“Get the post, Harry.”

41

“Make Dudley get it.”

42

“Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley.”

43

Harry?

dodged

?the Smelting stick and went to get the post.

dodge /dɑ?d?/ vt. & vi.?閃躲

44

Three things lay on the doormat:?

45

a?

postcard

?from Uncle Vernon’s sister Marge, who was holidaying on the?

Isle of Wight

, a brown envelope that looked like a?

bill

, and — a letter for Harry.

postcard /'post'kɑrd/ n.?明信片

Isle of wight?懷特島(英國)

bill /b?l/ n.?賬單

46

Harry picked it up and stared at it, his heart?

twanging

?like a giant?

elastic band

.

twang /tw??/ vi.?發(fā)撥弦聲

elastic band [英]?橡皮圈

47

No one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him. Who would? He had no friends, no other relatives — he didn’t belong to the library, so he’d never even got rude notes asking for books back.

48

Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so?

plainly

?there could be no mistake:

plainly /'pleinli/ adv.?清楚地

49

Mr. H. Potter

50

The Cupboard under the Stairs

51

4 Privet Drive

52

Little Whinging

53

Surrey

54

The envelope was thick and heavy, made of?

yellowish

?

parchment

, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no?

stamp

.

yellowish /'j?lo??/ adj.?微黃色的

parchment /'pɑrt?m?nt/ n.?羊皮紙

stamp /st?mp/ n.?郵票

55

Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple?

wax seal

?

bearing

?a?

coat

?of?

arms

;?

wax seal?水漆封印

bear /ber/ v.?刻有

coat /kot/ n.?涂料層

arm /ɑ?rm/ n.?紋章

56

a lion, an eagle, a?

badger

, and a snake surrounding a large letter H.

badger /?b?d??r/ n.?獾

57

“Hurry up, boy!” shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. “What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?” He chuckled at his own joke.

58

Harry went back to the kitchen, still staring at his letter.?

59

He handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down, and slowly began to open the yellow envelope.

60

Uncle Vernon?

ripped

?open the bill,?

snorted

?in?

disgust

, and?

flipped

?over the postcard.

rip /r?p/ vt.?撕

snort /sn?rt/ vt. & vi.?噴鼻息(以表示不耐煩,?輕蔑等)

disgust /d?s?ɡ?st/ n.?厭惡

flip /fl?p/ v.?（使）快速翻轉(zhuǎn)

61

“Marge’s ill,” he informed Aunt Petunia. “Ate a?

funny

?

whelk

?. . .”

funny /'f?ni/ adj.?出故障的

whelk /w?lk/ n.?峨螺

62

“Dad!” said Dudley suddenly. “Dad, Harry’s got something!”

63

Harry was?

on the point of

?unfolding his letter, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked?

sharply

?out of his hand by Uncle Vernon.

on the point of?正要...的時候

sharply /?? ɑrpl?/ adv.?迅疾而突然地

64

“That’s mine!” said Harry, trying to?

snatch

?it back.

snatch /sn?t?/ vt.?奪得

65

“Who’d be writing to you?”?

sneered

?Uncle Vernon, shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it.

sneer /sn?r/ vi.?嘲笑

66

His face went from red to green faster than a set of?

traffic lights

. And it didn’t stop there. Within seconds it was the?

grayish

?white of old?

porridge

.

traffic lights?交通(紅、綠)燈

grayish /'ɡre??/ adj. (美)淺灰色的

porridge /?p??r?d?/ n.?麥片粥

67

“P-P-Petunia!” he gasped.

68

Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach.

69

Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might?

faint

. She?

clutched

her throat and made a?

choking

?noise.

faint /fe?nt/ adj.?昏眩的

clutch /kl?t?/ vt.?緊握

choking /?t?ok??/ adj.?透不過氣來的

70

“Vernon! Oh my goodness — Vernon!”

71

They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Harry and Dudley were still in the room.

72

Dudley wasn’t used to being ignored.?

73

He gave his father a sharp?

tap

?on the head with his Smelting stick.

tap /t?p/ n.?輕打

74

“I want to read that letter,” he said loudly.

75

“I want to read it,” said Harry furiously, “as it’s mine.”

76

“Get out, both of you,”?

croaked

?Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope.

croak /kro?k/ v.?用低沉而沙啞的聲音說話

77

Harry didn’t move.

78

“I WANT MY LETTER!” he shouted.

79

“Let me see it!” demanded Dudley.

80

“OUT!” roared Uncle Vernon, and he took both Harry and Dudley by the?

scruffs

?of their necks and threw them into the hall, slamming the kitchen door behind them.

scruff /skr?f/ n.?頸背

81

Harry and Dudley?

promptly

?had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the?

keyhole

;

promptly /'prɑmptli/ adv.?立即地

keyhole /'kihol/ n.?鎖眼

82

Dudley won, so Harry, his glasses dangling from one ear, lay flat on his stomach to listen at the?

crack

?between door and floor.

crack /kr?k/ n.?縫隙

83

“Vernon,” Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, “l(fā)ook at the address — how could they possibly know where he sleeps? You don’t think they’re watching the house?”

84

“Watching — spying — might be following us,” muttered Uncle Vernon?

wildly

.

wildly /? wa?ldl?/ adv.?狂暴地

85

“But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don’t want —”

86

Harry could see Uncle Vernon’s shiny black shoes?

pacing

?up and down the kitchen.

pace /pe?s/ vt. & vi.?踱步于

87

“No,” he said finally. “No, we’ll ignore it. If they don’t get an answer. . . . Yes, that’s best . . . we won’t do anything. . . .”

88

“But —”

89

“I’m not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn’t we swear when we took him in we’d?

stamp out

?that dangerous nonsense?”

stamp out?撲滅

90

That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he’d never done before; he visited Harry in his cupboard.

91

“Where’s my letter?” said Harry, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed through the door. “Who’s writing to me?”

92

“No one. It was addressed to you by mistake,” said Uncle Vernon?

shortly

. “I have burned it.”

shortly /????rtli/ adv. (說話)不耐煩地

93

“It was not a mistake,” said Harry angrily, “it had my cupboard on it.”

94

“SILENCE!” yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling.?

95

He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a smile, which looked quite?

painful

.

painful /?pe?nfl/ adj.?痛苦的

96

“Er — yes, Harry — about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking . . . you’re really getting a bit big for it . . . we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley’s second bedroom.”

97

“Why?” said Harry.

98

“Don’t ask questions!” snapped his uncle. “Take this stuff upstairs, now.”

99

The Dursleys’ house had four bedrooms: one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle Vernon’s sister, Marge),

100

one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn’t fit into his first bedroom.

101

It only took Harry one trip upstairs to move everything he owned from the cupboard to this room.?

102

He sat down on the bed and stared around him. Nearly everything in here was broken.

103

The month-old cine-camera was lying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over the next door neighbor’s dog;

104

in the corner was Dudley’s?

first-ever

?

television set

, which he’d put his foot through when his favorite program had been canceled;

first-ever adj.?首次的

television set?電視機

105

there was a large birdcage, which had once held a?

parrot

?that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air rifle, which was up on a shelf with the end all bent because Dudley had sat on it.

parrot /?p?r?t/ n.?鸚鵡

106

Other shelves were full of books. They were the only things in the room that looked as though they’d never been touched.

107

From downstairs came the sound of Dudley?

bawling

?at his mother, “I don’t want him in there . . . I need that room . . . make him get out. . . .”

bawl /b??l/ vi.?大叫

108

Harry sighed and stretched out on the bed. Yesterday he’d have given anything to be up here. Today he’d rather be back in his cupboard with that letter than up here without it.

109

Next morning at breakfast, everyone was?

rather

?quiet.

rather /?r?e?r/ adv.?相當(dāng)

110

Dudley was in shock.

111

He’d screamed,?

whacked

?his father with his Smelting stick, been sick?

on purpose

, kicked his mother, and thrown his?

tortoise

?through the?

greenhouse

?roof, and he still didn’t have his room back.

whack /w?k/ vt.?使勁打

on purpose?故意地

tortoise /'t?rt?s/ n.?烏龜

greenhouse /?ɡri?nha?s/ n.?溫室

112

Harry was thinking about this time yesterday and?

bitterly

?wishing he’d opened the letter in the hall. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other?

darkly

.

bitterly /'b?t?li/ adv.?非常

darkly /'dɑ:kli/ adv.?陰郁地

113

When the post arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Harry, made Dudley go and get it.?

114

They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down the hall.

115

Then he shouted, “There’s another one! ‘Mr. H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive —’”

116

With a?

strangled

?cry, Uncle Vernon?

leapt

?from his seat and ran down the hall, Harry right behind him.

strangle /?str??ɡl/ vt.?使窒息

leapt /l?pt/ v.?跳躍（leap的過去分詞）

117

Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him,?

118

which was made difficult by the fact that Harry had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind.

119

After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smelting stick, Uncle Vernon?

straightened

up, gasping for breath, with Harry’s letter clutched in his hand.

straighten /'stretn/ vt. & vi. (使)變直

120

“Go to your cupboard — I mean, your bedroom,” he?

wheezed

?at Harry. “Dudley — go — just go.”

wheeze /wi?z/ vi.?發(fā)出呼哧呼哧的喘息聲

121

Harry?

walked round

?and round his new room. Someone knew he had moved out of his cupboard and they seemed to know he hadn’t received his first letter. Surely that meant they’d try again?

walked round?四處逛

122

And this time he’d make sure they didn’t fail. He had a plan.

123

The repaired alarm clock rang at six o’clock the next morning.?

124

Harry turned it off quickly and dressed silently. He mustn’t wake the Dursleys. He?

stole

?downstairs without turning on any of the lights.

steal /sti?l/ v.?悄悄地移動(steal的過去式)

125

He was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first.?

126

His heart hammered as he crept across the dark hall toward the front door —

127

“AAAAARRRGH!”

128

Harry leapt into the air; he’d?

trodden

?on something big and?

squashy

?on the doormat — something alive!

trodden /'trɑdn/ v.?踩(tread的過去分詞)

squashy /'skw??i/ adj.?柔軟的

129

Lights clicked on upstairs and to his horror Harry realized that the big, squashy something had been his uncle’s face.

130

Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Harry didn’t do exactly what he’d been trying to do.

131

He shouted at Harry for about half an hour and then told him to go and make a cup of tea.

132

Harry shuffled miserably off into the kitchen and by the time he got back, the post had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon’s lap.?

133

Harry could see three letters addressed in green ink.

134

“I want —” he began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces before his eyes.

135

Uncle Vernon didn’t go to work that day. He stayed at home and nailed up the letter box. 137 “See,” he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, “if they can’t deliver them they’ll just give up.”

136

“I’m not sure that’ll work, Vernon.”

138

“Oh, these people’s minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they’re not like you and me,” said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of?

fruitcake

?Aunt Petunia had just brought him.

fruitcake /'fr?t,kek/ n.?摻有干果的糕餅

139

On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for Harry.

140

As they couldn’t go through the letter box they had been pushed under the door,?

slotted

?through the sides, and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs bathroom.

slot /slɑ?t/ vt.?把...放入狹長開口中

141

Uncle Vernon stayed at home again.?

142

After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and?

boarded

?up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out.

board /b??rd/ vt.?用木板覆蓋或封閉

143

He hummed “

Tiptoe

?Through the?

Tulips

” as he worked, and jumped at small noises.

tiptoe /'t?pto/ vi.?踮著腳走

tulip /'t?l?p/ n.?郁金香

144

On Saturday, things began to get?

out of hand

.

out of hand?無法控制

145

Twenty-four letters to Harry?

found their way

?into the house,?

find one's way?找到解決辦法

146

rolled up and hidden inside each of the two dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living room window.

147

While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the?

dairy

?trying to find someone to complain to, Aunt Petunia?

shredded

?the letters in her?

food mixer

.

dairy /?deri/ n.?乳品店

shred /?red/ vi.?撕碎

food mixer?食品攪拌機

148

“Who on earth wants to talk to you this?

badly

?” Dudley asked Harry in amazement.

badly /?b?dli/ adv.?非常

149

On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy.

150

“No post on Sundays,” he reminded them happily as he spread?

marmalade

?on his newspapers, “no damn letters today —”

marmalade /'mɑrm?led/ n.?果醬

151

Something came?

whizzing

?down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head.

whiz /hw?z/ n.?嗖嗖聲

152

Next moment, thirty or forty letters came?

pelting

?out of the?

fireplace

?like bullets.

pelt /pelt/ vt. (連續(xù)地)投擲

fireplace /?fa??rple?s/ n.?壁爐

153

The Dursleys ducked, but Harry leapt into the air trying to catch one —

154

“Out! OUT!”

155

Uncle Vernon seized Harry around the waist and threw him into the hall.

156

When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut.

157

They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor.

158

“That does it,” said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great?

tufts

?out of his?

mustache

?at the same time.

tuft /t?ft/ n. (頭發(fā)、羽毛、草等)一簇；

mustache /'m?st??/ n.?胡子

159

“I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We’re going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!”

160

He looked so dangerous with half his mustache missing that no one dared argue.

161

Ten minutes later they had?

wrenched

?their way through the boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the motorway.

wrench /rent?/ vt. (猛力地)扳

162

Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for?

holding them up

?while he tried to pack his television, video, and computer in his sports bag.

hold sb up?耽擱某人

163

They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn’t dare ask where they were going.?

164

Every?

now and then

?Uncle Vernon would take a sharp?

turning

?and drive in the opposite direction for a while.

now and then?不時

turning /'t?n??/ n.?回轉(zhuǎn)

165

“Shake ’em off . . . shake ’em off,” he would mutter whenever he did this.

166

They didn’t stop to eat or drink all day.

167

By nightfall Dudley was howling. He’d never had such a bad day in his life.

168

He was hungry, he’d missed five television programs he’d wanted to see, and he’d never gone so long without?

blowing up

?an?

alien

?on his computer.

blow up?爆炸

alien /?e?li?n/ n.?外星人

169

Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a?

gloomy

-looking hotel on the?

outskirts

?of a big city.

gloomy /?ɡlu?mi/ adj.?黑暗的

outskirts /?a?tsk??rts/ n.?郊區(qū)

170

Dudley and Harry shared a room with?

twin

?beds and?

damp

,?

musty

?sheets.

twin /tw?n/ adj.?成對的

damp /d?mp/ adj.?潮濕的

musty /'m?sti/ adj.?發(fā)霉的

171

Dudley?

snored

?but Harry stayed awake, sitting on the?

windowsill

, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering. . .?

snore /sn?r/ vi.?打呼嚕

windowsill /'w?ndo,s?l/ n.?窗臺

172

They ate?

stale

?

cornflakes

?and cold?

tinned

?tomatoes on toast for breakfast the next day.?

stale /ste?l/ adj.?味道變壞的

cornflakes /'k?rnfleks/ n.?脆玉米片

tinned /t?nd/ adj. [英]?罐裝的

173

They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table.

174

“’Scuse me, but is one of you Mr. H. Potter? Only I got about an ’undred of these at the front desk.”

175

She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address:

176

Mr. H. Potter

177

Room 17

178

Railview Hotel

179

Cokeworth

180

Harry made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand?

out of the way

. The woman stared.

out of the way?把......移開

181

“I’ll take them,” said Uncle Vernon, standing up quickly and following her from the dining room.

182

“Wouldn’t it be better just to go home, dear?” Aunt Petunia suggested?

timidly

, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn’t seem to hear her.

timidly /?t?m?dl?/ adv.?膽小地

183

Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew.

184

He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car, and off they went again.

185

The same thing happened in the middle of a?

plowed

?field, halfway across a?

suspension

?bridge, and at the top of a?

multilevel

?parking garage.

plow /pla?/ v.?耕

suspension /s??spen?n/ n.?吊

multilevel /?m?lt??l?v?l/ adj.?多層的

186

“Daddy’s gone mad, hasn’t he?” Dudley asked Aunt Petunia?

dully

?late that afternoon. Uncle Vernon had parked at the?

coast

, locked them all inside the car, and disappeared.

dully /?d ?ll?/ adv.?沒精打采地

coast /k??st/ n.?海岸

187

It started to rain.?

188

Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley?

sniveled

.

snivel /'sn?vl/ vi.?哭泣

189

“It’s Monday,” he told his mother. “The Great Humberto’s on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a television.”

190

Monday. This reminded Harry of something.

191

If it was Monday — and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days of the week, because of television — then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry’s eleventh birthday.

192

Of course, his birthdays were never exactly fun — last year, the Dursleys had given him a?

coat hanger

?and a pair of Uncle Vernon’s old socks.?

Still

, you weren’t eleven every day.

coat hanger?衣架

still /st?l/ conj.?但是

193

Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling. He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn’t answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he’d bought.

194

“Found the perfect place!” he said. “Come on! Everyone out!”

195

It was very cold outside the car.?

196

Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea.?

197

Perched

?on top of the rock was the most?

miserable

?little?

shack

?you could imagine.

perch /p??rt?/ vt. & vi. (在較高處或物體邊緣)坐著

miserable /?m?zr?bl/ adj.?可憐的

shack /??k/ n.?簡陋的小屋

198

One thing was certain, there was no television in there.

199

“Storm?

forecast

?for tonight!” said Uncle Vernon?

gleefully

, clapping his hands together. “And this gentleman’s kindly agreed to lend us his boat!”

forecast /?f??rk?st/ vt.?預(yù)報

gleefully /?ɡlif?l?/ adv.?極快樂地

200

A toothless old man came?

ambling

?up to them, pointing, with a rather?

wicked

?grin, at an old?

rowboat

?

bobbing

?in the iron-gray water below them.

amble /??mbl/ vi.?從容漫步

wicked /?w?k?d/ adj.?邪惡的

rowboat /'robot/ n.?劃艇

bob /bɑ?b/ v. (使在水中)上下快速移動

201

“I’ve already got us some?

rations

,” said Uncle Vernon, “so all aboard!”

ration /?r??n/ n.?食物儲備

202

It was freezing in the boat.?

Icy

?sea?

spray

?and rain crept down their necks and a?

chilly

?wind?

whipped

?their faces.

icy /?a?si/ adj.?冰冷的

spray /spre?/ v. (使)飛濺

chilly /?t??li/ adj.?涼颼颼的

whip /w?p/ vt.?抽打

203

After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon,?

slipping

?and?

sliding

, led the way to the?

broken-down

?house.

slip /sl?p/ vi.?滑倒

slide /sla?d/ vt. & vi.?滑動

broken-down /?brok?n?da?n/ adj.?敗落的

204

The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of?

seaweed

, the wind?

whistled

?through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the?

fireplace

?was damp and empty. There were only two rooms.

seaweed /'si'wid/ n.?海藻

whistle /?w?sl/ v.?呼嘯

fireplace /?fa??rple?s/ n.?壁爐

205

Uncle Vernon’s rations turned out to be a packet of crisps each and four bananas. He tried to start a fire but the empty crisp packets just smoked and?

shriveled

?up.

shrivel /??r?vl/ vi.?皺縮

206

“Could do with some of those letters now, eh?” he said cheerfully.

207

He was in a very good mood.

208

Obviously he thought nobody?

stood a chance

?of reaching them here in a storm to deliver post. Harry?

privately

agreed, though the thought didn’t cheer him up at all.

stand a chance?有可能

privately /'pra?v?tli/ adv.?私下地

209

As?

night fell

, the?

promised

?storm blew up around them.?

night fell?夜幕降臨

promise /'prɑm?s/ v.?預(yù)示

210

Spray from the high waves?

splattered

?the walls of the?

hut

?and a fierce wind?

rattled

?the?

filthy

?windows.

splatter /'spl?t?/ vt.?使水等飛劍

hut /h?t/ n.?小屋

rattle /?r?tl/ vt.?使發(fā)出咯咯聲

filthy /'f?lθi/ adj.?骯臟的

211

Aunt Petunia found a few?

moldy

?

blankets

?in the second room and?

made up

?a bed for Dudley on the?

moth-eaten

sofa.

moldy /?mo?ldi/ adj.?發(fā)霉的

blanket /?bl??k?t/ n.?毯子

make up?拼湊成

moth-eaten /'m?θ,it?n/ adj.?蟲蛀的

212

She and Uncle Vernon went off to the?

lumpy

?bed next door, and Harry was left to find the?

softest

?bit of floor he could and to?

curl

?up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket.

lumpy /'l?mpi/ adj.?波浪起伏的

soft /s?ft/ adj.?軟的

curl /k??rl/ vi.?卷曲

213

The storm raged more and more?

ferociously

?as the night went on.

ferociously /f?'r?u??sli/ adv.?野蠻地

214

Harry couldn’t sleep. He?

shivered

?and turned over, trying to get comfortable, his stomach?

rumbling

?with hunger.

shiver /???v?r/ vi.?顫抖

rumble /?r?mbl/ vi.?發(fā)出隆隆聲

215

Dudley’s snores were drowned by the low?

rolls

?of thunder that started near midnight.

roll /ro?l/ n.?持續(xù)地轟隆聲

216

The lighted?

dial

?of Dudley’s watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he’d be eleven in ten minutes’ time.

dial /?da??l/ n.?鐘(表)面

217

He lay and watched his birthday?

tick

?nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all, wondering where the letter writer was now.

tick /t?k/ vi.?發(fā)出滴答聲

218

Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn’t going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did.

219

Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he’d be able to steal one somehow.

220

Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that??

221

And (two minutes to go) what was that?

funny

?crunching noise? Was the rock?

crumbling

?into the sea?

funny /'f?ni/ adj.?奇異的

crumble /?kr?mbl/ v.?崩裂

222

One minute to go and he’d be eleven. Thirty seconds . . . twenty . . . ten . . . nine — maybe he’d wake Dudley up, just to annoy him — three . . . two . . . one . . .

223

BOOM.

224

The whole shack shivered and Harry sat?

bolt

?

upright

, staring at the door.?

bolt /bo?lt/ adv.?筆直地

upright /??pra?t/ adv.?筆直地

225

Someone was outside, knocking to come in.

226