02. 家养小精灵（原文讲解）

Dobby The House-Elf

“Harry Potter will have them, sir, if he gives Dobby his word that he will not return to Hogwarts. Ah, sir, this is a danger you must not face! Say you won't go back, sir!"

"No," said Harry angrily. "Give me my friends' letters!"

"Then Harry Potter leaves Dobby no choice," said the elf sadly.

Before Harry could move, Dobby had darted to the bedroom door, pulled it open, and sprinted down the stairs.

Harry sprang after him, trying not to make a sound. He jumped the last six steps, landing catlike on the hall carpet, looking around for Dobby. From the dining room he heard Uncle Vernon saying, “. . . tell Petunia that very funny story about those American plumbers, Mr. Mason. She’s been dying to hear . . .”

Harry ran up the hall into the kitchen and felt his stomach disappear.

Aunt Petunia’s masterpiece of a pudding, the mountain of cream and sugared violets, was floating up near the ceiling. On top of a cupboard in the corner crouched Dobby. “No,” croaked Harry. “Please . . . they’ll kill me. . . .”

“Harry Potter must say he’s not going back to school —”

“Dobby . . . please . . .”

“Say it, sir —”

“I can’t —”

Dobby gave him a tragic look.

“Then Dobby must do it, sir, for Harry Potter’s own good.”

The pudding fell to the floor with a heart-stopping crash. Cream splattered the windows and walls as the dish shattered. With a crack like a whip, Dobby vanished.

There were screams from the dining room and Uncle Vernon burst into the kitchen to find Harry, rigid with shock, covered from head to foot in Aunt Petunia’s pudding. 

必背表达

dart

- v. 猛冲；例：to dart in/out/away/across 冲进/出/离/过

- n. 飞镖；例：to play darts 玩飞镖

sprint

- n./v. 冲刺；例：the final sprint 最后冲刺

spring

- v. 跳跃；例：to spring into action 飞快行动起来

语言点

- leave: v. 留下；使处于；例：to leave sb. a note 给某人留张纸条；to leave the door open 让门开着

- dart: v. 猛冲；例：to dart in/out/away/across 冲进/出/离/过。n. 飞镖；例：to play darts 玩飞镖

- sprint: n./v. 冲刺；例：the final sprint 最后冲刺

- spring: v. 跳跃；例：to spring into action 飞快行动起来

- hall: n. 门厅

- be dying to do sth.: 迫不及待做某事

- masterpiece: n. 杰作

- crouch: v. 蹲伏

- croak: v. 声音沙哑的说话

- tragic: adj. 悲惨的

- crash: n. 碰撞声；碰撞；例：car crash 汽车事故

- splatter: v. 泼溅；例句：Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut. 海浪拍打小木屋的墙壁。

- shatter: v. 打碎；例句：A failure would shatter the hopes of many people. 一次失败会粉碎很多人的希望。

- crack: n. 裂痕，噼啪声

- whip: n. 鞭子

- burst into: 闯入；burst: v. 使破裂；例：to burst one’s bubble 打破某人的幻想

- rigid: adj. 坚硬的，死板的；例句：He was rigid with fear when he saw the snake. 当看到那条蛇时，他吓呆了。例：rigid rules 死板的规定

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