《哈利波特2》｜单词注释｜Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
1
The Chamber of Secrets
2
‘All those times we were in that bathroom, and she was just three toilets away,’ said Ron bitterly at breakfast next day, ‘and we could’ve asked her, and now …’
3
It had been hard enough trying to look for spiders.
4
Escaping their teachers long enough to sneak into a girls’ bathroom, the girls’ bathroom,
moreover
, right next to the scene of the first attack, was going to be almost impossible.
moreover /mɔːrˈəʊvə(r)/ adv. 而且
5
But something happened in their first lesson, Transfiguration, which drove the Chamber of Secrets out of their minds for the first time in weeks.
6
Ten minutes into the class, Professor McGonagall told them that their exams would start on the first of
June
, one week from today.
June /dʒu:n/ n. 六月
7
‘
Exams
?’ howled Seamus Finnigan. ‘We’re still getting exams?’
exam /ɪg'zæm/ n. 考试
8
There was a loud bang behind Harry as Neville Longbottom’s wand slipped, vanishing one of the legs on his desk.
9
Professor McGonagall
restored
it with a wave of her own wand, and turned, frowning, to Seamus.
restore /rɪˈstɔː(r)/ vt. 恢复
10
‘The whole point of keeping the school open at this time is for you to receive your education,’ she said sternly. ‘The exams will therefore take place as usual, and I trust you are all
revising
hard.’
revise /rɪˈvaɪz/ vt. & vi. 复习
11
Revising hard! It had never occurred to Harry that there would be exams with the castle in this state.
12
There was a great deal of
mutinous
muttering around the room, which made Professor McGonagall scowl even more darkly.
mutinous /ˈmjuːtənəs/ adj. 反抗的
13
‘Professor Dumbledore’s
instructions
were to keep the school running as normally as possible,’ she said. ‘And that, I need hardly point out, means finding out how much you have learned this year.’
instruction /ɪnˈstrʌkʃn/ n. 指示
14
Harry looked down at the pair of white rabbits he was supposed to be turning into
slippers
. What had he learned so far this year? He couldn’t seem to think of anything that would be useful in an exam.
slipper /ˈslɪpə(r)/ n. 拖鞋
15
Ron looked as though he’d just been told he had to go and live in the Forbidden Forest.
16
‘Can you imagine me taking exams with this?’ he asked Harry, holding up his wand, which had just started
whistling
loudly.
whistle /ˈwɪsl/ v. 鸣响
17
Three days before their first exam, Professor McGonagall made another
announcement
at breakfast.
announcement /əˈnaʊnsmənt/ n. 宣布
18
‘I have good news,’ she said, and the Great Hall, instead of falling silent, erupted.
19
‘Dumbledore’s coming back!’ several people yelled joyfully.
20
‘You’ve caught the heir of Slytherin!’ squealed a girl on the Ravenclaw table.
21
‘Quidditch matches are back on!’ roared Wood excitedly.
22
When the
hubbub
had
subsided
, Professor McGonagall said,
hubbub /'hʌbʌb/ n. 喧哗
subside /səbˈsaɪd/ vi. 平息
23
‘Professor Sprout has informed me that the Mandrakes are ready for cutting at last. Tonight, we will be able to
revive
those people who have been Petrified.
revive /rɪˈvaɪv/ vi. 苏醒
24
I need hardly remind you all that one of them may well be able to tell us who, or what, attacked them. I am hopeful that this
dreadful
year will end with our catching the
culprit
.’
dreadful /ˈdredfl/ adj. 可怕的
culprit /ˈkʌlprɪt/ n. 罪犯
25
There was an
explosion
of cheering. Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and wasn’t at all surprised to see that Draco Malfoy hadn’t joined in.
explosion /ɪkˈspləʊʒn/ n. 爆发
26
Ron, however, was looking happier than he’d looked in days.
27
‘It won’t matter that we never asked Myrtle, then!’ he said to Harry.
28
‘Hermione’ll probably have all the answers when they wake her up!
Mind you
, she’ll go mad when she finds out we’ve got exams in three days’ time. She hasn’t revised.
mind you 注意
29
It might be kinder to leave her where she is till they’re over.’
30
Just then, Ginny Weasley came over and sat down next to Ron. She looked tense and nervous, and Harry noticed that her hands were
twisting
in her lap.
twist /twɪst/ v. 缠绕
31
‘What’s up?’ said Ron, helping himself to more porridge.
32
Ginny didn’t say anything, but glanced up and down the Gryffindor table with a scared look on her face that reminded Harry of someone, though he couldn’t think who.
33
‘
Spit it out
,’ said Ron, watching her.
spit it out v. 痛痛快快地讲出来
34
Harry suddenly realised who Ginny looked like. She was
rocking
backwards and forwards slightly in her chair, exactly like Dobby did when he was
teetering
on the edge of
revealing
forbidden information.
rock /rɒk/ vt. & vi. (使)来回摆动
teeter /ˈtiːtə(r)/ vi. 摇晃地站立或移动
reveal /rɪˈviːl/ vt. 透露
35
‘I’ve got to tell you something,’ Ginny mumbled, carefully not looking at Harry.
36
‘What is it?’ said Harry.
37
Ginny looked as though she couldn’t find the right words.
38
‘What?’ said Ron.
39
Ginny opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Harry leaned forward and spoke quietly, so that only Ginny and Ron could hear him.
40
‘Is it something about the Chamber of Secrets? Have you seen something? Someone acting oddly?’
41
Ginny drew a deep breath and, at that
precise
moment, Percy Weasley appeared, looking tired and
wan
.
precise /prɪˈsaɪs/ adj. 恰好的
wan /wɒn/ adj. 乏力的
42
‘If you’ve finished eating, I’ll take that seat, Ginny. I’m starving, I’ve only just come off
patrol
duty.’
patrol /pəˈtrəʊl/ n. 巡逻
43
Ginny jumped up as though her chair had just been
electrified
, gave Percy a fleeting,
frightened
look, and
scarpered
away. Percy sat down and grabbed a mug from the centre of the table.
electrify /ɪ'lektrɪfaɪ/ vt. 使触电
frightened /'fraitnd/ adj. 害怕的
scarper /'skɑːpə/ vi. 溜走
44
‘Percy!’ said Ron angrily. ‘She was just about to tell us something important!’
45
Halfway through a
gulp
of tea, Percy
choked
.
gulp /ɡʌlp/ n. 一大口(尤指液体)
choke /tʃəʊk/ v. 噎住
46
‘What sort of thing?’ he said, coughing.
47
‘I just asked her if she’d seen anything odd, and she started to say –’
48
‘Oh – that – that’s nothing to do with the Chamber of Secrets,’ said Percy at once.
49
‘How do you know?’ said Ron, his eyebrows raised.
50
‘Well, er, if you must know, Ginny, er,
walked in on
me the other day when I was – well, never mind – the point is, she spotted me doing something and I, um, I asked her not to mention it to anybody.
walk in on 撞见
51
I must say, I did think she’d
keep her word
. It’s nothing, really, I’d just
rather
–’
keep one's word 遵守诺言
rather /ˈrɑːðə(r)/ adv. 宁愿
52
Harry had never seen Percy look so
uncomfortable
.
uncomfortable /ʌn'kʌmf(ə)təb(ə)l/ adj. 不安的
53
‘What were you doing, Percy?’ said Ron, grinning. ‘Go on, tell us, we won’t laugh.’
54
Percy didn’t smile back.
55
‘Pass me those
rolls
, Harry, I’m starving.’
roll /rəʊl/ n. 小圆面包
56
Harry knew the whole mystery might be solved tomorrow without their help, but he wasn’t about to
pass up
a chance to speak to Myrtle if it turned up – and to his delight it did,
pass up 放弃
57
mid-morning
, when they were being led to History of Magic by Gilderoy Lockhart.
midmorning /'mɪd'mɔːnɪŋ/ n. 早晨
58
Lockhart, who had so often assured them that all danger had passed,
59
only
to be proved wrong
straight
away, was now
whole-heartedly
convinced that it was hardly worth the trouble to see them safely down the corridors.
only /'əʊnlɪ/ conj. 但是
straight /streɪt/ adv. 立即
wholeheartedly /ˌhəʊlˈh ɑ:tɪdlɪ/ adv. 全心全意地
60
His hair wasn’t as sleek as usual; it seemed he had been up most of the night,
patrolling
the fourth floor.
patrol /pəˈtrəʊl/ vt. 巡逻
61
‘
Mark
my words,’ he said,
ushering
them around a corner,
mark /mɑːk/ v. 留心
usher /ˈʌʃə(r)/ v. 引领
62
‘the first words out of those poor Petrified people’s mouths will be, “It was Hagrid.” Frankly, I’m astounded Professor McGonagall thinks all these
security
measures
are
necessary
.’
security /sɪˈkjʊərəti/ n. 保护（措施）
measure /ˈmeʒə(r)/ n. 措施
necessary /ˈnesəsəri/ adj. 必要的
63
‘I agree, sir,’ said Harry, making Ron drop his books in surprise.
64
‘Thank you, Harry,’ said Lockhart
graciously
, while they waited for a long line of Hufflepuffs to pass.
graciously /'greiʃəsli/ adv. 优雅地
65
‘I mean, we teachers have quite enough to be
getting on with
, without
walking
students to classes and standing guard all night …’
get on with 继续干
walk /wɔːk/ v. 护送……走
66
‘That’s right,’ said Ron,
catching on
. ‘Why don’t you leave us here, sir, we’ve only got one more corridor to go.’
catch on 理解
67
‘You know, Weasley, I think I will,’ said Lockhart. ‘I really should go and
prepare
my next class.’
prepare /prɪˈpeə(r)/ vt. 准备
68
And he hurried off.
69
‘Prepare his class,’ Ron
sneered
after him. ‘Gone to curl his hair, more like.’
sneer /snɪə(r)/ vi. 冷笑
70
They let the rest of the Gryffindors
draw
ahead of them, then
darted
down a side passage and hurried off towards Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom.
dart /dɑːt/ vi. 飞奔
draw /drɔː/ v. 行进
71
But just as they were
congratulating
each other on their brilliant
scheme
…
congratulate /kənˈɡrætʃuleɪt/ vt. 祝贺
scheme /skiːm/ n. 计划
72
‘Potter! Weasley! What are you doing?’
73
It was Professor McGonagall, and her mouth was the thinnest of thin lines.
74
‘We were – we were –’ Ron stammered, ‘we were going to – to go and see –’
75
‘Hermione,’ said Harry. Ron and Professor McGonagall both looked at him.
76
‘We haven’t seen her for ages, Professor,’ Harry went on hurriedly,
treading
on Ron’s foot,
tread /tred/ vi. 踏
77
‘and we thought we’d sneak into the hospital wing, you know, and tell her the Mandrakes are nearly ready and, er, not to worry.’
78
Professor McGonagall was still staring at him, and for a moment, Harry thought she was going to
explode
, but when she spoke, it was in a strangely
croaky
voice.
explode /ɪkˈspləʊd/ v. 大发(雷霆)
croaky /'kroki/ adj.（声音）低沉而沙哑的
79
‘Of course,’ she said, and Harry, amazed, saw a tear
glistening
in her
beady
eye.
glisten /ˈɡlɪsn/ vi. 闪光
beady /'biːdɪ/ adj. 机警的
80
‘Of course, I
realise
this has all been hardest on the friends of those who have been … I quite understand.
realise /'rɪəlaɪz/ vt. 了解
81
Yes, Potter, of course you may visit Miss Granger. I will inform Professor Binns where you’ve gone. Tell Madam Pomfrey I have given my permission.’
82
Harry and Ron walked away, hardly daring to believe that they’d avoided detention. As they turned the corner, they
distinctly
heard Professor McGonagall blow her nose.
distinctly /dis'tiŋktli/ adv. 清晰地
83
‘That,’ said Ron
fervently
, ‘was the best story you’ve ever
come up with
.’
fervently /'fə:vəntli/ adv. 热情地
come up with 想出
84
They had no choice now but to go to the hospital wing and tell Madam Pomfrey that they had Professor McGonagall’s permission to visit Hermione.
85
Madam Pomfrey let them in, but
reluctantly
.
reluctantly /ri'lʌktəntli/ adv. 不情愿地
86
‘There’s just no point talking to a Petrified person,’ she said, and they had to admit she was right when they’d taken their seats next to Hermione.
87
It was plain that Hermione didn’t have the
faintest
inkling
that she had visitors, and that they might
just as well
tell her bedside cabinet not to worry for all the good it would do.
faint /feɪnt/ adj. 微弱的
inkling /ˈɪŋklɪŋ/ n. 略知
just as well 无妨
88
‘Wonder if she did see the attacker, though?’ said Ron, looking sadly at Hermione’s
rigid
face. ‘Because if he sneaked up on them all, no one’ll ever know …’
rigid /ˈrɪdʒɪd/ adj. 僵硬的
89
But Harry wasn’t looking at Hermione’s face. He was more interested in her right hand. It lay clenched on top of her blankets, and bending closer, he saw that a piece of paper was
scrunched
inside her fist.
scrunch /skrʌn(t)ʃ/ v. 把……揉成一团
90
Making sure that Madam Pomfrey was nowhere near, he pointed this out to Ron.
91
‘Try and get it out,’ Ron whispered, shifting his chair so that he blocked Harry from Madam Pomfrey’s view.
92
It was no easy
task
. Hermione’s hand was
clamped
so tightly around the paper that Harry was sure he was going to tear it.
task /tɑːsk/ n. 任务
clamp /klæmp/ v. 紧紧抓住
93
While Ron kept watch he tugged and twisted, and at last, after several tense minutes, the paper came free.
94
It was a page torn from a very old library book. Harry
smoothed
it out eagerly and Ron leaned close to read it too.
smooth /smuːð/ vt. 使平整
95
Of the many
fearsome
beasts and monsters that
roam
our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the
Basilisk
, known also as the King of
Serpents
.
fearsome /ˈfɪəsəm/ adj. <正>很可怕的
roam /rəʊm/ vi. 闲逛
basilisk /'bæzɪlɪsk/ n. 蛇怪
serpent /'sɜːp(ə)nt/ n. 蛇（尤指大蛇或毒蛇）
96
This snake, which may reach gigantic size, and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken’s egg, hatched beneath a toad.
97
Its methods of killing are most
wondrous
, for aside from its deadly and
venomous
fangs, the Basilisk has a
murderous
stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death.
wondrous /'wʌndrəs/ adj. 令人惊奇的
venomous /ˈvenəməs/ adj. 有毒的
murderous /ˈmɜːdərəs/ adj. 杀人的
98
Spiders
flee
before the Basilisk, for it is their
mortal
enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the
crowing
of the rooster, which is
fatal
to it.
flee /fliː/ vi. 逃走
mortal /ˈmɔːtl/ adj. 不共戴天的
crow /krəʊ/ vi. 啼叫
fatal /ˈfeɪtl/ adj. 致命的
99
And beneath this, a single word had been written, in a hand Harry recognised as Hermione’s. Pipes.
100
It was as though somebody had just
flicked a light on
in his brain.
flick on （通过轻按）咯哒地一声打开（开关等）
101
‘Ron,’ he breathed,
102
‘this is it. This is the answer. The monster in the Chamber’s a
Basilisk
– a giant
serpent
!
basilisk /'bæzɪlɪsk/ n. 蛇怪
serpent /'sɜːp(ə)nt/ n. 蛇（尤指大蛇或毒蛇）
103
That’s why I’ve been hearing that voice all over the place, and nobody else has heard it. It’s because I understand Parseltongue …’
104
Harry looked up at the beds around him.
105
‘The Basilisk kills people by looking at them. But no one’s died – because no one looked it straight in the eye.
106
Colin saw it through his camera. The Basilisk
burned up
all the film inside it, but Colin just got Petrified.
burn up 烧起来
107
Justin … Justin must’ve seen the Basilisk through Nearly Headless Nick!
108
Nick got the full
blast
of it, but he couldn’t die again …
blast /blɑːst/ n. 冲击波
109
and Hermione and that Ravenclaw Prefect were found with a mirror next to them. Hermione had just realised the monster was a Basilisk.
110
I bet you anything she warned the first person she met to look round corners with a mirror first! And that girl pulled out her mirror – and –’
111
Ron’s jaw had dropped.
112
‘And Mrs Norris?’ he whispered
eagerly
.
eagerly /'i:gəli/ adv. 急切地
113
Harry thought hard, picturing the scene on the night of Hallowe’en.
114
‘The water …’ he said slowly, ‘the flood from Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom. I bet you Mrs Norris only saw the reflection …’
115
He
scanned
the page in his hand eagerly. The more he looked at it, the more it
made sense
.
scan /skæn/ vt. 细看
make sense 讲得通
116
‘the crowing of the rooster is fatal to it!’ he read aloud.
117
‘Hagrid’s roosters were killed! The heir of Slytherin didn’t want one anywhere near the castle once the Chamber was opened! Spiders
flee
before the Basilisk! It all
fits
!’
flee /fliː/ vi. 逃走
fit /fɪt/ v. 使……相符
118
‘But how’s the Basilisk been getting around the place?’ said Ron. ‘A dirty great snake … Someone would’ve seen …’
119
Harry, however, pointed at the word Hermione had
scribbled
at the foot of the page.
scribble /ˈskrɪbl/ v. 潦草地写
120
‘Pipes,’ he said. ‘Pipes … Ron, it’s been using the
plumbing
. I’ve been hearing that voice inside the walls …’
plumbing n. 自来水管道
121
Ron suddenly grabbed Harry’s arm.
122
‘The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets!’ he said
hoarsely
. ‘What if it’s a bathroom? What if it’s in –’
hoarsely /'hɔ:sli/ adv. 嘶哑地
123
‘– Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom,’ said Harry.
124
They sat there, excitement
coursing
through them, hardly able to believe it.
course /kɔːs/ v. （感情、思想）涌动
125
‘This means,’ said Harry, ‘I can’t be the only Parselmouth in the school. The heir of Slytherin’s one, too. That’s how they’ve been controlling the Basilisk.’
126
‘What’re we going to do?’ said Ron, whose eyes were flashing. ‘Shall we go straight to McGonagall?’
127
‘Let’s go to the staff room,’ said Harry, jumping up. ‘She’ll be there in ten minutes, it’s nearly
break
.’
break /breɪk/ n. 休息
128
They ran downstairs. Not wanting to be discovered hanging around in another corridor, they went straight into the
deserted
staff room.
deserted /dɪ'zɜːtɪd/ adj. 空无一人的
129
It was a large,
panelled
room full of dark wooden chairs. Harry and Ron
paced
around it, too excited to sit down.
panelled adj. 有饰板的
pace /peɪs/ vt. & vi. 踱步于
130
But the bell to
signal
break never came.
signal /ˈsɪɡnəl/ v. 发信号
131
Instead, echoing through the corridors came Professor McGonagall’s voice, magically
magnified
.
magnify /ˈmæɡnɪfaɪ/ vt. 放大
132
‘All students to return to their house
dormitories
at once. All teachers return to the staff room. Immediately, please.’
dormitory /ˈdɔːmətri/ n. 集体宿舍
133
Harry
wheeled
around to stare at Ron.
wheel /wiːl/ v. 猛然转身
134
‘Not another attack? Not now?’
135
‘What’ll we do?’ said Ron,
aghast
. ‘Go back to the dormitory?’
aghast /əˈɡɑːst/ adj. 惊骇的
136
‘No,’ said Harry, glancing around.
137
There was an ugly sort of
wardrobe
to his left, full of the teachers’ cloaks. ‘In here. Let’s hear what it’s all about. Then we can tell them what we’ve found out.’
wardrobe /ˈwɔːdrəʊb/ n. 衣柜
138
They hid themselves inside it, listening to the rumbling of hundreds of people moving overhead, and the staff-room door
banging
open.
bang /bæŋ/ v. 猛敲
139
From between the
musty
folds
of the cloaks, they watched the teachers
filtering
into the room.
musty /'mʌstɪ/ adj. 发霉的
fold /fəʊld/ n. 褶皱
filter /ˈfɪltə(r)/ v. 陆续步入
140
Some of them were looking puzzled, others
downright
scared. Then Professor McGonagall arrived.
downright /'daʊnraɪt/ adv. 完全地
141
‘It has happened,’ she told the silent staff room. ‘A student has been
taken
by the monster. Right into the Chamber itself.’
take /teɪk/ vt. 带(去)
142
Professor Flitwick let out a squeal. Professor Sprout clapped her hands over her mouth. Snape gripped the back of a chair very hard and said, ‘How can you be sure?’
143
‘The heir of Slytherin,’ said Professor McGonagall, who was very white, ‘left another message. Right underneath the first one. Her
skeleton
will lie in the Chamber for ever.’
skeleton /ˈskelɪtn/ n. 骨架
144
Professor Flitwick burst into tears.
145
‘Who is it?’ said Madam Hooch, who had sunk,
weak-kneed
into a chair. ‘Which student?’
weak-kneed /'wi:kni:d/ adj. 软弱的
146
‘Ginny Weasley,’ said Professor McGonagall.
147
Harry felt Ron
slide
silently down onto the wardrobe floor beside him.
slide /slaɪd/ vi. 跌落
148
‘We shall have to send all the students home tomorrow,’ said Professor McGonagall. ‘This is the end of Hogwarts. Dumbledore always said …’
149
The staff-room door banged open again. For one
wild
moment, Harry was sure it would be Dumbledore. But it was Lockhart, and he was beaming.
wild /waɪld/ adj. 疯狂的
150
‘So sorry –
dozed off
– what have I missed?’
doze off 打瞌睡
151
He didn’t seem to notice that the other teachers were looking at him with something
remarkably
like
hatred
. Snape stepped forward.
remarkably /ri'ma:kəbli/ adv. 明显地
hatred /ˈheɪtrɪd/ n. 憎恨
152
‘Just the man,’ he said. ‘The very man. A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Taken into the Chamber of Secrets itself. Your moment has come at last.’
153
Lockhart
blanched
.
blanch /blɑːntʃ/ v. （受惊吓）脸发白
154
‘That’s right, Gilderoy,’
chipped in
Professor Sprout. ‘Weren’t you saying just last night that you’ve known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?’
chip in 插嘴
155
‘I – well, I –’
spluttered
Lockhart.
splutter /'splʌtə/ v. 急促地说
156
‘Yes, didn’t you tell me you were sure you knew what was inside it?’
piped up
Professor Flitwick.
pipe up 开始（大声）讲话
157
‘D-did I? I don’t
recall
…’
recall /rɪˈkɔːl/ vt. & vi. 回忆起
158
‘I certainly remember you saying you were sorry you hadn’t had a
crack
at the monster before Hagrid was arrested,’ said Snape.
crack /kræk/ n. 尝试
159
‘Didn’t you say that the whole affair had been
bungled
, and that you should have been given a
free rein
from the first?’
bungle /ˈbʌŋɡl/ vt. &vi. 搞糟
free rein n. 完全地行动自由
160
Lockhart stared around at his
stony-faced
colleagues
.
stony-faced adj. 冷漠的
colleague /ˈkɒliːɡ/ n. 同事
161
‘I … I really never … You may have
misunderstood
…’
misunderstand /ˌmɪsʌndəˈstænd/ vt. 误会
162
‘We’ll
leave
it to you, then, Gilderoy,’ said Professor McGonagall.
leave /liːv/ 把…交给
163
‘Tonight will be an excellent time to do it. We’ll make sure everyone’s out of your way. You’ll be able to
tackle
the monster all by yourself. A free rein at last.’
tackle /ˈtækl/ vt. 解决
164
Lockhart gazed desperately around him, but nobody came to the rescue.
165
He didn’t look remotely handsome any more. His lip was trembling, and in the
absence
of his usually toothy grin he looked weak-chinned and
weedy
.
absence /ˈæbsəns/ n. 没有
weedy /'wiːdɪ/ adj. 弱不禁风的
166
‘V-very well,’ he said. ‘I’ll – I’ll be in my office, getting – getting ready.’
167
And he left the room.
168
‘Right,’ said Professor McGonagall, whose nostrils were
flared
,
flare /fleə(r)/ v. 张开
169
‘that’s got him out from under our feet. The Heads of Houses should go and inform their students what has happened.
170
Tell them the Hogwarts Express will take them home first thing tomorrow. Will the rest of you please make sure no students have been left outside their dormitories.’
171
The teachers rose, and left one by one.
172
It was probably the worst day of Harry’s entire life. He, Ron, Fred and George sat together in a corner of the Gryffindor common room, unable to say anything to each other.
173
Percy wasn’t there. He had gone to send an owl to Mr and Mrs Weasley, then shut himself up in his dormitory.
174
No afternoon ever lasted as long as that one, nor had Gryffindor Tower ever been so crowded, yet so quiet. Near sunset, Fred and George went up to bed, unable to sit there any longer.
175
‘She knew something, Harry,’ said Ron, speaking for the first time since they had entered the wardrobe in the staff room.
176
‘That’s why she was taken. It wasn’t some stupid thing about Percy at all. She’d found out something about the Chamber of Secrets. That must be why she was –’
177
Ron rubbed his eyes frantically. ‘I mean, she was a pure-blood. There can’t be any other reason.’
178
Harry could see the sun sinking, blood red, below the
skyline
. This was the worst he had ever felt.
If only
there was something they could do. Anything.
skyline /ˈskaɪlaɪn/ n. (以天空为背景的)轮廓线
if only 要是...多好
179
‘Harry,’ said Ron, ‘d’you think there’s any chance at all she’s not – you know –’
180
Harry didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t see how Ginny could still be alive.
181
‘D’you know what?’ said Ron,
182
‘I think we should go and see Lockhart. Tell him what we know. He’s going to try and get into the Chamber. We can tell him where we think it is, and tell him it’s a Basilisk in there.’
183
Because Harry couldn’t think of anything else to do, and because he wanted to be doing something, he agreed.
184
The Gryffindors around them were so miserable, and felt so sorry for the Weasleys, that nobody tried to stop them as they got up, crossed the room, and left through the portrait hole.
185
Darkness was falling as they walked down to Lockhart’s office.
186
There seemed to be a lot of
activity
going on inside it. They could hear
scraping
,
thumps
and hurried
footsteps
.
activity /æk'tɪvɪtɪ/ n. 活跃状况
scrape /skreɪp/ v. (使)发出刺耳的刮擦声
thump /θʌmp/ n. 重击声
footstep /ˈfʊtstep/ n. 脚步声
187
Harry knocked and there was a sudden silence from inside. Then the door opened the tiniest crack and they saw one of Lockhart’s eyes peering through it.
188
‘Oh … Mr Potter … Mr Weasley …’ he said, opening the door a
mite
wider. ‘I’m rather busy at the moment. If you would be quick …’
mite /maɪt/ n. 一点点
189
‘Professor, we’ve got some information for you,’ said Harry. ‘We think it’ll help you.’
190
‘Er – well – it’s not
terribly
–’ The side of Lockhart’s face that they could see looked very uncomfortable. ‘I mean – well – all right.’
terribly /ˈterəbli/ adv. 很
191
He opened the door and they entered.
192
His office had been almost completely
stripped
. Two large trunks stood open on the floor.
strip /strɪp/ v. 使空无一物
193
Robes,
jade
green,
lilac
,
midnight blue
, had been hastily folded into one of them; books were
jumbled
untidily into the other.
jade /dʒeɪd/ adj. 绿玉色的
lilac /'laɪlək/ adj. 淡紫色的
midnight blue 深蓝色
jumbled /'dʒʌmbld/ adj. 乱七八糟的
194
The photographs that had covered the walls were now
crammed
into boxes on the desk.
cram /kræm/ vt. 塞入
195
‘Are you going somewhere?’ said Harry.
196
‘Er, well, yes,’ said Lockhart, ripping a
life-size
poster of himself from the back of the door as he spoke, and starting to
roll it up
. ‘Urgent
call
…
unavoidable
… got to go …’
life-size /'laif'saiz/ adj. (艺术作品)与真人[实物]一样大的
roll up 卷起
call /kɔːl/ n. 呼叫
unavoidable /ˌʌnəˈvɔɪdəbl/ adj. 不可避免的
197
‘What about my sister?’ said Ron jerkily.
198
‘Well, as to that – most unfortunate,’ said Lockhart, avoiding their eyes as he
wrenched
open a drawer and started emptying the contents into a bag. ‘No one
regrets
more than I –’
wrench /rentʃ/ v. 猛拉
regret /rɪˈɡret/ n. 遗憾
199
‘You’re the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher!’ said Harry. ‘You can’t go now! Not with all the dark stuff going on here!’
200
‘Well, I must say … when I took the job …’ Lockhart muttered, now piling socks on top of his robes, ‘nothing in the job
description
… didn’t expect …’
description /dɪˈskrɪpʃn/ n. 描述
201
‘You mean you’re running away?’ said Harry disbelievingly. ‘After all that stuff you did in your books?’
202
‘Books can be
misleading
,’ said Lockhart
delicately
.
misleading /ˌmɪsˈliːdɪŋ/ adj. 欺骗的
delicately /ˈdelɪkətlɪ/ adv. 微妙地
203
‘You wrote them!’ Harry shouted.
204
‘My dear boy,’ said Lockhart,
straightening up
and frowning at Harry.
straighten up 直起来
205
‘Do use your
common sense
. My books wouldn’t have sold half as well if people didn’t think I’d done all those things.
common sense n. 常识(尤指判断力)
206
No one wants to read about some ugly old
Armenian
warlock, even if he did save a village from werewolves. He’d look
dreadful
on the front cover. No
dress sense
at all.
Armenian /ɑ:ˈmi:niən/ adj. 亚美尼亚人的
dreadful /ˈdredfl/ adj. 令人不快的
dress sense 着装品味
207
And the witch who
banished
the Bandon
Banshee
had a hairy chin. I mean, come on …’
banish /ˈbænɪʃ/ vt. 驱逐
banshee /bæn'ʃiː/ n. 女鬼
208
‘So you’ve just been
taking credit
for what a load of other people have done?’ said Harry
incredulously
.
take credit 居功
incredulously /in'kredjuləsli/ adv. 不相信地
209
‘Harry, Harry,’ said Lockhart, shaking his head impatiently,
210
‘it’s not nearly as simple as that. There was work
involved
.
involve /ɪnˈvɒlv/ vt. 包含
211
I had to
track
these people down. Ask them exactly how they managed to do what they did. Then I had to put a Memory Charm on them so they wouldn’t remember doing it.
track /træk/ vt. 追踪
212
If there’s one thing I pride myself on, it’s my Memory Charms.
213
No, it’s been a lot of work, Harry. It’s not all book-signings and
publicity
photos, you know. You want
fame
, you have to be prepared for a long hard slog.’
publicity /pʌbˈlɪsəti/ n. 宣传
fame /feɪm/ n. 名声
214
He banged the
lids
of his trunks shut and locked them.
lid /lɪd/ n. 盖子
215
‘Let’s see,’ he said. ‘I think that’s everything. Yes. Only one thing left.’
216
He pulled out his wand and turned to them.
217
‘Awfully sorry, boys, but I’ll have to put a Memory Charm on you now. Can’t have you
blabbing
my secrets all over the place. I’d never sell another book …’
blab /blæb/ vi. 泄露秘密
218
Harry reached his wand just in time. Lockhart had barely raised his, when Harry
bellowed
, ‘Expelliarmus!’
bellow /ˈbeləʊ/ vt. 大声喊叫
219
Lockhart was
blasted
backwards, falling over his trunk. His wand flew high into the air; Ron caught it, and
flung
it out of the open window.
blast /blɑːst/ v. 轰开
fling /flɪŋ/ vt.抛
220
‘Shouldn’t have let Professor Snape teach us that one,’ said Harry furiously, kicking Lockhart’s trunk aside.
221
Lockhart was looking up at him,
weedy
once more. Harry was still pointing his wand at him.
weedy /'wiːdɪ/ adj. 弱不禁风的
222
‘What d’you want me to do?’ said Lockhart
weakly
. ‘I don’t know where the Chamber of Secrets is. There’s nothing I can do.’
weakly /'wiːklɪ/ adv. 软弱地
223
‘You’re in luck,’ said Harry, forcing Lockhart to his feet at wandpoint. ‘We think we know where it is. And what’s inside it. Let’s go.’
224
They marched Lockhart out of his office and down the nearest stairs, along the dark corridor where the messages shone on the wall, to the door of Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom.
225
They sent Lockhart in first. Harry was pleased to see that he was shaking.
226
Moaning Myrtle was sitting on the
cistern
of the end toilet.
cistern /'sɪstən/ n. 水箱
227
‘Oh, it’s you,’ she said, when she saw Harry. ‘What do you want this time?’
228
‘To ask you how you died,’ said Harry.
229
Myrtle’s whole
aspect
changed at once. She looked as though she had never been asked such a
flattering
question.
aspect /ˈæspekt/ n. 神态
flattering /'flætəriŋ/ adj. 使人感到荣幸的
230
‘Ooooh, it was
dreadful
,’ she said
with relish
.
dreadful /ˈdredfl/ adj. 可怕的
with relish 津津有味地
231
‘It happened right in here. I died in this very
cubicle
. I remember it so well. I’d hidden because Olive Hornby was
teasing
me about my glasses.
cubicle /'kjuːbɪk(ə)l/ n. 小隔间
tease /tiːz/ vt. & vi. 取笑
232
The door was locked, and I was crying, and then I heard somebody come in. They said something funny. A different language, I think it must have been.
233
Anyway, what really
got
me was that it was a boy speaking.
get /ɡet/ v. 使困惑
234
So I unlocked the door, to tell him to go and use his own toilet, and then –’
235
Myrtle swelled
importantly
, her face shining, ‘I died.’
importantly /ɪmˈpɔːtntli/ adv. 自命不凡地
236
‘How?’ said Harry.
237
‘No idea,’ said Myrtle in
hushed
tones. ‘I just remember seeing a pair of great big yellow eyes. My whole body
sort of
seized up, and then I was
floating
away …’
hushed /hʌʃt/ adj. 安静的
sort of 稍稍
float /fləʊt/ vi. 飘动
238
She looked
dreamily
at Harry. ‘And then I came back again. I was determined to
haunt
Olive Hornby,
you see
. Oh, she was sorry she’d ever laughed at my glasses.’
dreamily /ˈdri:mɪlɪ/ adv. 出神地
haunt /hɔːnt/ vt. 经常出没于
you see 你是知道的
239
‘Where
exactly
did you see the eyes?’ said Harry.
exactly /ɪg'zæk(t)lɪ/ adv. <口>(要求得到更多信息)到底
240
‘Somewhere there,’ said Myrtle, pointing
vaguely
towards the sink in front of her toilet.
vaguely /'veigli/ adv. 含糊地
241
Harry and Ron hurried over to it. Lockhart was standing
well
back, a look of
utter
terror
on his face.
well /wel/ adv. 远远地
utter /ˈʌtə(r)/ adj. 完全地
terror /ˈterə(r)/ n. 恐怖
242
It looked like an ordinary sink. They examined every inch of it, inside and out, including the pipes below. And then Harry saw it: scratched on the side of one of the copper
taps
was a tiny snake.
tap /tæp/ n. 水龙头
243
‘That tap’s never worked,’ said Myrtle brightly, as he tried to turn it.
244
‘Harry,’ said Ron, ‘say something. Something in Parseltongue.’
245
‘But –’ Harry thought hard. The only times he’d ever managed to speak Parseltongue were when he’d been faced with a real snake. He stared hard at the tiny
engraving
, trying to imagine it was real.
engraving /ɪn'greɪvɪŋ/ n. 雕刻(作品)
246
‘Open up,’ he said.
247
He looked at Ron, who shook his head.
248
‘English,’ he said.
249
Harry looked back at the snake, willing himself to believe it was alive. If he moved his head, the candlelight made it look as though it was moving.
250
‘Open up,’ he said.
251
Except that the words weren’t what he heard; a strange hissing had
escaped
him, and at once the tap
glowed
with a
brilliant
white light and began to
spin
.
escape /ɪˈskeɪp/ v. 不自觉地说出
glow /ɡləʊ/ v. 发出微弱而稳定的光
brilliant /ˈbrɪliənt/ adj. 明亮的
spin /spɪn/ vi. 旋转
252
Next second, the sink began to move. The sink, in fact, sank, right out of sight, leaving a large pipe
exposed
, a pipe wide enough for a man to slide into.
expose /ɪkˈspəʊz/ v. 暴露
253
Harry heard Ron gasp and looked up again. He had
made up his mind
what he was going to do.
make up one's mind 下定决心
254
‘I’m going down there,’ he said.
255
He couldn’t not go, not now they had found the entrance to the Chamber, not if there was even the faintest,
slimmest
,
wildest
chance that Ginny might be alive.
slim /slɪm/ adj. 渺茫的
wild /waɪld/ adj. 缺乏根据的
256
‘Me too,’ said Ron.
257
There was a pause.
258
‘Well, you hardly seem to need me,’ said Lockhart, with a
shadow
of his old smile. ‘I’ll just –’
shadow /ˈʃædəʊ/ n. 一点点
259
He put his hand on the door
knob
, but Ron and Harry both pointed their wands at him.
knob /nɒb/ n. (门、抽屉的)球形把手
260
‘You can go first,’ Ron
snarled
.
snarl /snɑːl/ v. 龇牙低吼
261
White-faced and wandless, Lockhart approached the
opening
.
opening /ˈəʊpnɪŋ/ n. 洞
262
‘Boys,’ he said, his voice
feeble
, ‘boys, what good will it do?’
feeble /ˈfiːbl/ adj. 虚弱的
263
Harry
jabbed
him in the back with his wand. Lockhart slid his legs into the pipe.
jab /dʒæb/ vt. (用尖物)戳
264
‘I really don’t think –’ he started to say, but Ron gave him a push, and he slid out of sight. Harry followed quickly. He
lowered
himself slowly into the pipe, then let go.
lower /ˈləʊə(r)/ v. 使……降下
265
It was like rushing down an endless,
slimy
, dark slide.
slimy /ˈslaɪmi/ adj. 黏滑的
266
He could see more pipes branching off in all directions, but none as large as theirs, which twisted and
turned
,
sloping
steeply
downwards,
turn /tɜːn/ v. （使）转动，旋转
sloping /sləʊpɪŋ/ adj. 倾斜的
steeply /'sti:pli/ adv. 陡峭地
267
and he knew that he was falling deeper below the school than even the dungeons.
268
Behind him he could hear Ron, thudding slightly at the
curves
.
curve /kɜːv/ n. (道路的)弯曲处
269
And then, just as he had begun to worry about what would happen when he hit the ground, the pipe
levelled
out,
level /ˈlevl/ v. 变成平面
270
and he shot out of the end with a wet thud, landing on the damp floor of a dark stone tunnel, large enough to stand in.
271
Lockhart was getting to his feet a little way away, covered in
slime
and white as a ghost. Harry stood aside as Ron came
whizzing
out of the pipe, too.
slime /slaɪm/ n. 烂泥
whiz /hwɪz/ vi. 发出飕飕声
272
‘We must be miles under the school,’ said Harry, his voice echoing in the black tunnel.
273
‘Under the lake, probably,’ said Ron, squinting around at the dark,
slimy
walls.
slimy /ˈslaɪmi/ adj. 黏滑的
274
All three of them turned to stare into the darkness ahead.
275
‘
Lumos
!’ Harry muttered to his wand and it lit again. ‘C’mon,’ he said to Ron and Lockhart, and off they went, their footsteps
slapping
loudly on the wet floor.
Lumos n. 魔杖照明咒
slap /slæp/ v. 拍打
276
The tunnel was so dark that they could only see a little distance ahead. Their shadows on the wet walls looked
monstrous
in the wandlight.
monstrous /ˈmɒnstrəs/ adj. 巨大的
277
‘Remember,’ Harry said quietly, as they walked cautiously forward, ‘any sign of movement, close your eyes
straight
away …’
straight /streɪt/ adv. 立刻
278
But the tunnel was quiet as the
grave
, and the first unexpected sound they heard was a loud
crunch
as Ron stepped on what turned out to be a rat’s
skull
.
grave /ɡreɪv/ n. 坟墓
crunch /krʌntʃ/ n. 咬碎声
skull /skʌl/ n. 头盖骨
279
Harry lowered his wand to look at the floor and saw that it was
littered
with small animal bones.
litter /'lɪtə/ v. 使(某事物)充满
280
Trying very hard not to imagine what Ginny might look like if they found her, Harry
led the way
forward,
round
a dark
bend
in the tunnel.
lead the way 带路
round /raʊnd/ v. 绕过
bend /bend/ （路）转弯
281
‘Harry, there’s something up there …’ said Ron hoarsely, grabbing Harry’s shoulder.
282
They froze, watching. Harry could just see the
outline
of something huge and
curved
, lying right across the tunnel. It wasn’t moving.
outline /ˈaʊtlaɪn/ n. 轮廓
curve /kɜːv/ vi. (使)呈曲线形
283
‘Maybe it’s asleep,’ he breathed, glancing back at the other two.
284
Lockhart’s hands were pressed over his eyes. Harry turned back to look at the thing, his heart beating so fast it hurt.
285
Very slowly, his eyes as narrow as he could make them and still see, Harry edged forward, his wand held high.
286
The light slid over a gigantic snake skin, of a
vivid
,
poisonous
green, lying curled and empty across the tunnel floor. The creature that had
shed
it must have been twenty feet long at least.
vivid /ˈvɪvɪd/ adj. 鲜艳的
poisonous /ˈpɔɪzənəs/ adj. 有毒的
shed /ʃed/ v. （动物）蜕（皮）
287
‘
Blimey
,’ said Ron weakly.
blimey /'blaɪmɪ/ int. 啊呀!
288
There was a sudden movement behind them. Gilderoy Lockhart’s knees had
given way
.
give way 倒塌
289
‘Get up,’ said Ron sharply, pointing his wand at Lockhart.
290
Lockhart got to his feet – then he dived at Ron, knocking him to the ground.
291
Harry jumped forward, but too late. Lockhart was straightening up, panting, Ron’s wand in his hand and a gleaming smile back on his face.
292
‘The adventure ends here, boys!’ he said.
293
‘I shall take a bit of this skin back up to the school, tell them I was too late to save the girl, and that you two
tragically
lost your minds at the sight of her
mangled
body. Say goodbye to your memories!’
tragically /ˈtræd ʒɪkəlɪ/ adv. 悲惨地
mangle /ˈmæŋɡl/ vt. 撕烂
294
He raised Ron’s Spellotaped wand high over his head and yelled, ‘Obliviate!’
295
The wand exploded with the force of a small bomb.
296
Harry flung his arms over his head and ran,
slipping
over the
coils
of snake skin, out of the way of great
chunks
of tunnel ceiling which were
thundering
to the floor.
slip /slɪp/ vi. 滑倒
coil /kɔɪl/ n. 卷
chunk /tʃʌŋk/ n. 大块
thunder /ˈθʌndə(r)/ v. 砰然重击
297
Next moment, he was standing alone, gazing at a solid wall of broken rock.
298
‘Ron!’ he shouted. ‘Are you OK? Ron!’
299
‘I’m here!’ came Ron’s muffled voice from behind the
rockfall
. ‘I’m OK. This
git’s
not, though – he got
blasted
by the wand.’
rockfall /'rɒkfɔːl/ n. 落石
git /gɪt/ n. [俚]饭桶
blast /blɑːst/ v. 向……射击
300
There was a
dull
thud and a loud ‘ow!’. It sounded as though Ron had just kicked Lockhart in the
shins
.
dull /dʌl/ adj. （声音）不清晰的
shin /ʃɪn/ n. 胫骨
301
‘What now?’ Ron’s voice said, sounding desperate. ‘We can’t get through. It’ll take ages …’
302
Harry looked up at the tunnel ceiling. Huge cracks had appeared in it.
303
He had never tried to break apart anything as large as these rocks by magic, and now didn’t seem a good moment to try – what if the whole tunnel
caved
in?
cave /keɪv/ vi. 塌落
304
There was another thud and another ‘ow!’ from behind the rocks. They were wasting time. Ginny had already been in the Chamber of Secrets for hours. Harry knew there was only one thing to do.
305
‘Wait there,’ he called to Ron. ‘Wait with Lockhart. I’ll go on. If I’m not back in an hour …’
306
There was a very
pregnant
pause.
pregnant /ˈpreɡnənt/ adj. 意味深长的
307
‘I’ll try and
shift
some of this rock,’ said Ron, who seemed to be trying to keep his voice steady. ‘So you can – can get back through. And, Harry –’
shift /ʃɪft/ vi. 移动
308
‘See you
in a bit
,’ said Harry, trying to
inject
some confidence into his shaking voice.
in a bit 一会儿
inject /ɪnˈdʒekt/ vt. 注入
309
And he set off alone past the giant snake skin.
310
Soon the distant noise of Ron
straining
to shift the rocks was gone.
strain /streɪn/ v. 竭力
311
The tunnel turned and turned again. Every nerve in Harry’s body was
tingling
unpleasantly. He wanted the tunnel to end, yet
dreaded
what he’d find when it did.
tingle /'tɪŋg(ə)l/ vi. 感到刺痛
dread /dred/ vt. 惧怕
312
And then, at last, as he crept around yet another bend, he saw a solid wall ahead on which two
entwined
serpents were
carved
, their eyes set with great,
glinting
emeralds
.
entwine /ɪnˈtwaɪn/ vt. 缠绕
carve /kɑːv/ vt. 雕刻
glint /glɪnt/ vi. 闪闪发光
emerald /ˈemərəld/ n. 绿宝石
313
Harry approached, his throat very dry. There was no need to pretend these stone snakes were real, their eyes looked strangely alive.
314
He could guess what he had to do. He cleared his throat, and the emerald eyes seemed to
flicker
.
flicker /ˈflɪkə(r)/ v. 闪烁
315
‘Open,’ said Harry, in a low,
faint
hiss.
faint /feɪnt/ adj. 微弱的
316
The
serpents
parted as the wall cracked open, the halves slid smoothly
out of sight
, and Harry, shaking from head to foot, walked inside.
serpent /'sɜːp(ə)nt/ n. 蛇（尤指大蛇或毒蛇）
out of sight 看不见
317
