01. 最糟糕的生日（原文讲解）

The Worst Birthday

While Dudley lolled around watching and eating ice cream, Harry cleaned the windows, washed the car, mowed the lawn, trimmed the flower beds, pruned and watered the roses, and repainted the garden bench. The sun blazed overhead, burning the back of his neck. Harry knew he shouldn’t have risen to Dudley’s bait, but Dudley had said the very thing Harry had been thinking himself . . . maybe he didn’t have any friends at Hogwarts. . . .

Wish they could see famous Harry Potter now, he thought savagely as he spread manure on the flower beds, his back aching, sweat running down his face.

It was half past seven in the evening when at last, exhausted, he heard Aunt Petunia calling him.

“Get in here! And walk on the newspaper!”

Harry moved gladly into the shade of the gleaming kitchen. On top of the fridge stood tonight’s pudding: a huge mound of whipped cream and sugared violets. A loin of roast pork was sizzling in the oven.

Harry washed his hands and bolted down his pitiful supper. The moment he had finished, Aunt Petunia whisked away his plate. “Upstairs! Hurry!”

As he passed the door to the living room, Harry caught a glimpse of Uncle Vernon and Dudley in bow ties and dinner jackets. He had only just reached the upstairs landing when the doorbell rang and Uncle Vernon’s furious face appeared at the foot of the stairs.

“Remember, boy — one sound —”

Harry crossed to his bedroom on tiptoe, slipped inside, closed the door, and turned to collapse on his bed.

The trouble was, there was already someone sitting on it. 

必背表达

rise to

- 作出反应，应付

- 例：rise to the occasion / challenge 直面形势 / 迎接挑战

- rise to the bait 上钩

savagely

- adv. 凶残的，充满恶意的

- 相关表达：Wow, that’s savage! 你话说的挺狠啊！

bolt down

匆匆吞下

语言点

- loll around: 无所事事；loll: v. 懒洋洋地倚靠；例句：He was lolling on the sofa in the shadows near the fire. 他懒洋洋地躺在炉火边一个背光的沙发上。

- mow: v. 修剪

- lawn: n. 草坪；植物大战僵尸过关的音乐：There’s a zombie on your lawn.

- trim: v. 修剪，除去；例：to trim six minutes off a speech 把讲话缩短6分钟

- prune: v. 修剪（玫瑰、树枝）

- bench: n. 板凳；to sit on the bench 做替补 / 做法官

- blaze: v. 发亮光，燃烧；例句：Wild fire blazed through the forest. 野火在丛林里熊熊燃烧。

- burn: v. 燃烧，烫伤，火辣辣疼；例句：It burns when I swallow. 我咽东西嗓子疼。

- rise to: 作出反应，应付；例：rise to the occasion / challenge 直面形势 / 迎接挑战

- bait: n. 诱饵；例：rise to the bait 上钩

- savagely: adv. 凶残的，充满恶意的；相关表达：Wow, that’s savage! 你话说的挺狠啊！

- manure: n. 粪肥

- ache: v./n. 疼痛；例：headache 头疼、stomachache 胃痛

- run: v. 排出体液（汗、鼻涕）；例句：My nose is running. 我在流鼻涕。

- exhausted: adj. 筋疲力尽的；exhaust: v. 用光 / n. 废气；例：car exhaust 汽车尾气

- shade: n. 阴凉，阴影；shades: n. 墨镜

- gleam: v. 闪光；例句：His face gleamed with delight. 他脸上显露出欢乐的神情。

- mound: n. 土堆

- violet: n. 紫罗兰，堇菜

- loin: n. 腰肉，里脊肉

- roast: adj. 烤过的；常见搭配：roast 烤肉；bake 烤面包/点心；toast 烤面包片

- bolt down: 匆匆吞下

- pitiful: adj. 可怜的

- whisk away: 匆匆带走；whisk: v. 搅打

- glimpse: n. 一瞥；例句：People waited outside the hotel just to catch a glimpse of the singer. 大家在酒店外面等着，就为了看那个歌星一眼。

- landing: n. 楼梯平台

- furious: adj. 狂怒的

- tiptoe: n. 脚尖；v. 踮起脚走

- collapse: v. 倒塌，晕倒；例句：He collapsed from loss of blood. 他因失血而虚脱倒下。

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