《哈利波特2》｜单词注释｜Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
1
The Writing on the Wall
2
‘What’s going on here? What’s going on?’
3
Attracted no doubt by Malfoy’s shout, Argus Filch came
shouldering
his way through the crowd. Then he saw Mrs Norris and
fell back
,
clutching
his face in horror.
shoulder /'ʃəʊldə/ v. (用肩膀)推开
fall back 后退
clutch /klʌtʃ/ vt. (因害怕或痛苦)突然抓住
4
‘My cat! My cat! What’s happened to Mrs Norris?’ he shrieked.
5
And his popping eyes fell on Harry.
6
‘You!’ he screeched, ‘You! You’ve murdered my cat! You’ve killed her! I’ll kill you! I’ll –’
7
‘Argus!’
8
Dumbledore had arrived on the
scene
, followed by a number of other teachers. In seconds, he had swept past Harry, Ron and Hermione and
detached
Mrs Norris from the
torch
bracket
.
scene /siːn/ n. 事发地
detach /dɪˈtætʃ/ vt. 分离
torch /tɔːtʃ/ n. 火把
bracket /ˈbrækɪt/ n. 支架
9
‘Come with me, Argus,’ he said to Filch. ‘You too, Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, Miss Granger.’
10
Lockhart stepped forward eagerly.
11
‘My office is nearest, Headmaster – just upstairs – please
feel free
–’
feel free 随便
12
‘Thank you, Gilderoy,’ said Dumbledore.
13
The silent crowd parted to let them pass. Lockhart, looking excited and
important
, hurried after Dumbledore; so did Professors McGonagall and Snape.
important /ɪm'pɔːt(ə)nt/ adj. 自命不凡的
14
As they entered Lockhart’s
darkened
office there was a
flurry
of movement across the walls; Harry saw several of the Lockharts in the pictures dodging out of sight, their hair in
rollers
.
darkened /'da:kənd/ adj. 没有灯光的
flurry n. 慌张
roller /ˈrəʊlə(r)/ n. 卷发筒
15
The real Lockhart lit the candles on his desk and stood back.
16
Dumbledore laid Mrs Norris on the
polished
surface
and began to examine her. Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged
tense
looks and sank into chairs outside the
pool
of candlelight, watching.
polished /'pɒlɪʃt/ adj. 擦亮的
surface /'sɜːfɪs/ n. 桌面
tense /tens/ adj. 紧张的
pool /puːl/ n. 一小片（液体或光）
17
The tip of Dumbledore’s long, crooked nose was barely an inch from Mrs Norris’s
fur
. He was looking at her closely through his half-moon spectacles, his long fingers gently
prodding
and
poking
.
fur /fɜː(r)/ n. 毛皮
prod /prɒd/ vt. (用手指或尖物)戳
poke /pəʊk/ vt. 拨开
18
Professor McGonagall was bent almost
as
close, her eyes narrowed.
as /æz/ adv. 同样地
19
Snape
loomed
behind them, half in shadow, wearing a most peculiar expression: it was as though he was trying hard not to smile.
loom /luːm/ v. （尤指阴森森地）隐约出现
20
And Lockhart was
hovering
around all of them, making suggestions.
hover /ˈhɒvə(r)/ vi. 走来走去
21
‘It was definitely a curse that killed her – probably the
Transmogrifian
Torture
. I’ve seen it used many times, so unlucky I wasn’t there, I know the very counter-curse that would have saved her …’
transmogrify /trænz'mɒgrɪfaɪ/ vt. 使变形
torture /ˈtɔːtʃə(r)/ v. 拷打
22
Lockhart’s
comments
were
punctuated
by Filch’s dry,
racking
sobs. He was slumped in a chair by the desk, unable to look at Mrs Norris, his face in his hands.
comment /ˈkɒment/ n. 意见
punctuate /ˈpʌŋktʃueɪt/ vt. 不时打断某事物
racking /'rækɪŋ/ adj. 拷问的
23
Much as he
detested
Filch, Harry couldn’t help feeling a bit sorry for him, though not nearly as sorry as he felt for himself.
detest /dɪˈtest/ vt. 厌恶
24
If Dumbledore believed Filch, he would be expelled for sure.
25
Dumbledore was now muttering strange words under his breath and tapping Mrs Norris with his wand, but nothing happened: she continued to look as though she had been
recently
stuffed
.
recently /'risntli/ adv. 新近
stuff /stʌf/ v. 制作（动物）标本
26
‘… I remember something very similar happening in
Ouagadougou
,’ said Lockhart,
Ouagadougou /ˌwɑ:ɡəˈdu:ɡu:/ n.瓦加杜古(非洲布基纳法索首都)
27
‘a series of attacks, the full story’s in my
autobiography
. I was able to provide the
townsfolk
with various
amulets
which
cleared the matter up
at once …’
autobiography /ˌɔːtəbaɪˈɒɡrəfi/ n. 自传
townsfolk /'taʊnzfəʊk/ n. 镇民
amulet /'æmjʊlɪt/ n. 护身符
clear up 处理
28
The photographs of Lockhart on the walls were all nodding in agreement as he talked. One of them had forgotten to remove his
hairnet
.
hairnet /'heənet/ n. 发网
29
At last Dumbledore straightened up.
30
‘She’s not dead, Argus,’ he said softly.
31
Lockhart stopped abruptly in the middle of counting the number of murders he had prevented.
32
‘Not dead?’ choked Filch, looking through his fingers at Mrs Norris. ‘But why’s she all – all stiff and frozen?’
33
‘She has been
Petrified
,’ said Dumbledore (‘Ah! I thought so!’ said Lockhart). ‘But how, I cannot say …’
petrify /ˈpetrɪfaɪ/ vi. 石化
34
‘Ask him!’ shrieked Filch, turning his
blotched
and tear-stained face to Harry.
blotched /blɔtʃt/ adj. 有污渍的
35
‘No second-year could have done this,’ said Dumbledore firmly. ‘It would take Dark magic of the most
advanced
–’
advanced /ədˈvɑːnst/ adj. 高级的
36
‘He did it, he did it!’ Filch spat, his
pouchy
face
purpling
.
pouchy /'paʊtʃɪ/ adj. 松垂的
purple /'pɜːp(ə)l/ v. (使)发紫
37
‘You saw what he wrote on the wall! He found – in my office – he knows I’m a – I’m a –’ Filch’s face worked horribly. ‘He knows I’m a
Squib
!’ he finished.
squib /skwɪb/ n. 哑炮
38
‘I never touched Mrs Norris!’ Harry said loudly, uncomfortably aware of everyone looking at him, including all the Lockharts on the walls. ‘And I don’t even know what a Squib is.’
39
‘Rubbish!’ snarled Filch. ‘He saw my Kwikspell letter!’
40
‘If I might speak, Headmaster,’ said Snape from the shadows, and Harry’s sense of
foreboding
increased; he was sure nothing Snape had to say was going to do him any good.
foreboding /fɔː'bəʊdɪŋ/ n. (对不祥之事的)预感
41
‘Potter and his friends may have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time,’ he said, a slight sneer curling his mouth as though he
doubted
it,
doubt /daʊt/ n. 怀疑
42
but we do have a set of suspicious circumstances here. Why were they in the upstairs corridor at all? Why weren’t they at the Hallowe’en feast?’
43
Harry, Ron and Hermione all launched into an explanation about the Deathday Party, ‘… there were hundreds of ghosts, they’ll tell you we were there –’
44
‘But why not join the feast afterwards?’ said Snape, his black eyes glittering in the candlelight. ‘Why go up to that corridor?’
45
Ron and Hermione looked at Harry.
46
‘Because – because –’ Harry said, his heart
thumping
very fast;
thump /θʌmp/ vt. & vi.(指心脏)急速跳动
47
something told him it would sound very
far-fetched
if he told them he had been led there by a
bodiless
voice no one but he could hear, ‘because we were tired and wanted to go to bed,’ he said.
far-fetched /'fɑ:'fetʃt/ adj. 牵强的
bodiless /'bɒdɪlɪs/ adj. 无形的
48
‘Without any supper?’ said Snape, a triumphant smile
flickering
across his
gaunt
face. ‘I didn’t think ghosts provided food fit for living people at their parties.’
flicker /ˈflɪkə(r)/ v.（表情）掠过
gaunt /ɡɔːnt/ adj. 枯瘦的
49
‘We weren’t hungry,’ said Ron loudly, as his stomach gave a huge
rumble
.
rumble /ˈrʌmbl/ v. （肚子因饥饿而）咕噜作响
50
Snape’s nasty smile widened.
51
‘I suggest, Headmaster, that Potter is not being entirely truthful,’ he said.
52
‘It might be a good idea if he were
deprived
of certain
privileges
until he is ready to tell us the whole story.
deprive /dɪˈpraɪv/ vt. 剥夺
privilege /ˈprɪvəlɪdʒ/ n. 特权
53
I personally feel he should be taken off the Gryffindor Quidditch team until he is ready to be honest.’
54
‘
Really
, Severus,’ said Professor McGonagall sharply,
really /'rɪəlɪ/ adv. 说实在的
55
‘I see no reason to stop the boy playing Quidditch. This cat wasn’t hit over the head with a broomstick. There is no evidence at all that Potter has done anything wrong.’
56
Dumbledore was giving Harry a
searching
look. His
twinkling
light-blue gaze made Harry feel as though he was being
X-rayed
.
searching /'sɜːtʃɪŋ/ adj. (问题、目光)洞察真相的
twinkle /'twɪŋk(ə)l/ vt. 使闪烁
X-rayed 用x光检查
57
‘
Innocent
until proven
guilty
, Severus,’ he said firmly.
innocent /ˈɪnəsnt/ adj. 无罪的
guilty /ˈɡɪlti/ adj. 有罪的
58
Snape looked
furious
. So did Filch.
furious /ˈfjʊəriəs/ adj. 狂怒的
59
‘My cat has been Petrified!’ he shrieked, his eyes popping. ‘I want to see some punishment!’
60
‘We will be able to
cure
her, Argus,’ said Dumbledore patiently.
cure /kjʊə(r)/ vt. 治愈
61
‘Professor Sprout recently managed to
procure
some
Mandrakes
. As soon as they have reached their
full
size, I will have a potion made which will
revive
Mrs Norris.’
procure /prə'kjʊə/ vt. 获得
mandrake /'mændreɪk/ n. [植]曼德拉草（可作镇静药用）
full adj. 足足的
revive /rɪˈvaɪv/ vt. 使苏醒
62
‘I’ll make it,’ Lockhart
butted in
. ‘I must have done it a hundred times, I could
whip
up a Mandrake
RestorativeDraught
in my sleep –’
butt in 插嘴
whip /wɪp/ v. 搅打（奶油或蛋清使成糊状）
restorative /rɪˈstɔːrətɪv/ adj. 有恢复健康作用的
draught /drɑːft/ n. 饮剂
63
‘Excuse me,’ said Snape
icily
, ‘but I believe I am the Potions master at this school.’
icily /'aɪsɪlɪ/ adv. 冷冰冰地
64
There was a very
awkward
pause.
awkward /ˈɔːkwəd/ adj. 尴尬的
65
‘You may go,’ Dumbledore said to Harry, Ron and Hermione.
66
They went, as quickly as they could without actually running.
67
When they were a floor up from Lockhart’s office, they turned into an empty classroom and closed the door quietly behind them.
68
Harry squinted at his friends’ darkened faces.
69
‘D’you think I should have told them about that voice I heard?’
70
‘No,’ said Ron, without hesitation. ‘Hearing voices no one else can hear isn’t a good sign, even in the wizarding world.’
71
Something in Ron’s voice made Harry ask, ‘You do believe me, don’t you?’
72
‘Course I do,’ said Ron quickly. ‘But – you must admit it’s weird …’
73
‘I know it’s weird,’ said Harry. ‘The whole thing’s weird. What was that writing on the wall about? The Chamber has been opened … what’s that supposed to mean?’
74
‘You know, it
rings a sort of bell
,’ said Ron slowly. ‘I think someone told me a story about a secret chamber at Hogwarts once … might’ve been Bill …’
ring a bell 使某人想起某事
75
‘And what on earth’s a Squib?’ said Harry.
76
To his surprise, Ron
stifled
a
snigger
.
stifle /ˈstaɪfl/ vt. 强忍住
snigger /'snɪgə/ vi. 暗笑
77
‘Well – it’s not funny really – but as it’s Filch …’ he said.
78
‘A
Squib
is someone who was born into a wizarding family but hasn’t got any magic powers. Kind of the opposite of Muggle-born wizards, but Squibs are quite unusual.
squib /skwɪb/ n. 哑炮
79
If Filch’s trying to learn magic from a Kwikspell course, I reckon he must be a Squib. It would explain a lot. Like why he hates students so much.’
80
Ron gave a
satisfied
smile. ‘He’s
bitter
.’
satisfied /ˈsætɪsˌfaɪd/ adj. 确信的
bitter /ˈbɪtə(r)/ adj. 愤愤不平的
81
A clock chimed somewhere.
82
‘Midnight,’ said Harry. ‘We’d better get to bed before Snape comes along and tries to
frame
us for something else.’
frame /freɪm/ v. <非正式>诬陷
83
For a few days, the school could talk of little
but
the attack on Mrs Norris.
but /bʌt/ prep. 除…以外
84
Filch kept it fresh in everyone’s minds by
pacing
the spot where she had been attacked, as though he thought the attacker might come back.
pace /peɪs/ vt. & vi. 踱步于
85
Harry had seen him
scrubbing
the
message
on the wall with ‘Mrs Skower’s
All-Purpose
Magical
Mess
Remover’, but to no effect; the words still gleamed as brightly as ever on the stone.
scrub /skrʌb/ vt. 用力擦洗
message /'mesɪdʒ/ n. 消息
all-purpose /'ɔ:l'pə:pəs/ adj. 多用途的
mess /mes/ n. 脏乱
86
When Filch wasn’t guarding the scene of the crime, he was
skulking
red-eyed through the corridors,
skulk /skʌlk/ vi. 偷偷隐躲
87
lunging
out at
unsuspecting
students and trying to put them in detention for things like ‘breathing loudly’ and ‘looking happy’.
lunge /lʌndʒ/ v. 猛冲
unsuspecting /ˌʌnsəˈspektɪŋ/ adj. 无戒备心的
88
Ginny Weasley seemed very
disturbed
by Mrs Norris’s
fate
. According to Ron, she was a great cat-lover.
disturb /dɪˈstɜːb/ vt. 使不安
fate /feɪt/ n. 命中注定的事（尤指坏事）
89
‘But you hadn’t really got to know Mrs Norris,’ Ron told her
bracingly
. ‘Honestly, we’re much
better off
without her.’
bracingly 令人振奋地
better off adj. 更好的
90
Ginny’s lip
trembled
.
tremble /ˈtrembl/ vi. 发抖
91
‘Stuff like this doesn’t often happen at Hogwarts,’ Ron
assured
her.
assure /əˈʃʊə(r)/ vt. 使确信
92
‘They’ll catch the
nutter
who did it and have him out of here in no time. I just hope he’s got time to
Petrify
Filch before he’s expelled. I’m only joking –’
nutter /'nʌtə/ n. 疯子
petrify /ˈpetrɪfaɪ/ vi. 石化
93
Ron added hastily, as Ginny
blanched
.
blanch /blɑːntʃ/ vt. 使变白
94
The attack had also had an effect on Hermione. It was quite usual for Hermione to spend a lot of time reading, but she was now doing almost nothing else.
95
Nor could Harry and Ron get much
response
from her when they asked what she was up to, and not until the following Wednesday did they find out.
response /rɪˈspɒns/ n. 回答
96
Harry had been
held back
in Potions, where Snape had made him stay behind to
scrape
tubeworms
off the desks.
hold back 扣住
scrape /skreɪp/ v. 刮擦
tubeworm 多毛虫
97
After a hurried lunch, he went upstairs to meet Ron in the library, and saw Justin Finch-Fletchley, the Hufflepuff boy from Herbology, coming towards him.
98
Harry had just opened his mouth to say hello when Justin caught sight of him, turned abruptly and sped off in the opposite direction.
99
Harry found Ron at the back of the library,
measuring
his History of Magic homework. Professor Binns had asked for a three-foot long
composition
on ‘The
Medieval
Assembly
of European Wizards’.
measure /ˈmeʒə(r)/ vt. 测量
composition /ˌkɒmpəˈzɪʃn/ n. 作文
medieval /ˌmediˈiːvl/ adj. 中世纪的
assembly /əˈsembli/ n. 集会
100
‘I don’t believe it, I’m still eight inches short …’ said Ron furiously, letting go of his
parchment
, which
sprang
back into a roll, ‘and Hermione’s done four feet seven inches and her writing’s tiny.’
parchment /'pɑːtʃm(ə)nt/ n. 羊皮纸
spring /sprɪŋ/ v. 突然弹开
101
‘Where is she?’ asked Harry, grabbing the
tape measure
and
unrolling
his own homework.
tape measure 卷尺
unroll /ʌn'rəʊl/ vt. & vi. 展开
102
‘Somewhere over there,’ said Ron, pointing along the shelves, ‘looking for another book. I think she’s trying to read the whole library before Christmas.’
103
Harry told Ron about Justin Finch-Fletchley running away from him.
104
‘Dunno why you care, I thought he was a bit of an
idiot
,’ said Ron,
scribbling
away, making his writing as large as possible. ‘All that
rubbish
about Lockhart being so great –’
idiot /ˈɪdiət/ n. 笨蛋
scribble /ˈskrɪbl/ vt. 潦草地书写
rubbish /'rʌbɪʃ/ n. 废话
105
Hermione emerged from between the bookshelves. She looked
irritable
and at last seemed ready to talk to them.
irritable /ˈɪrɪtəbl/ adj. 易怒的
106
‘All the copies of Hogwarts: A History have been taken out,’ she said, sitting down next to Harry and Ron.
107
‘And there’s a two-week
waiting list
. I wish I hadn’t left my copy at home, but I couldn’t fit it in my trunk with all the Lockhart books.’
waiting list n. 等候批准的申请人名单
108
‘Why do you want it?’ said Harry.
109
‘The same reason everyone else wants it,’ said Hermione, ‘to read up on the
legend
of the Chamber of Secrets.’
legend /ˈledʒənd/ n. 传奇故事
110
‘What’s that?’ said Harry quickly.
111
‘That’s just it. I can’t remember,’ said Hermione, biting her lip. ‘And I can’t find the story anywhere else –’
112
‘Hermione, let me read your composition,’ said Ron desperately, checking his watch.
113
‘No, I won’t,’ said Hermione, suddenly
severe
. ‘You’ve had ten days to finish it.’
severe /sɪˈvɪə(r)/ adj. 严厉的
114
‘I only need another two inches, go on …’
115
The bell rang. Ron and Hermione led the way to History of Magic,
bickering
.
bicker /ˈbɪkə(r)/ vi. 斗嘴
116
History of Magic was the
dullest
subject on their timetable.
dull /dʌl/ adj. 无趣的
117
Professor Binns, who taught it, was their only ghost teacher, and the most exciting thing that
ever
happened in his classes was his entering the room through the blackboard.
ever /'evə/ adv. 一直
118
Ancient and
shrivelled
, many people said he hadn’t noticed he was dead.
shrivel /ˈʃrɪvl/ vi. 皱缩
119
He had simply got up to teach one day and left his body behind him in an armchair in front of the staff-room fire; his routine had not
varied
in the slightest since.
vary /ˈveəri/ vt. 改变
120
Today was as boring as ever.
121
Professor Binns opened his notes and began to read in a flat
drone
like an old
vacuum cleaner
until nearly everyone in the class was in a deep
stupor
,
drone /drəʊn/ n. <非正式>单调乏味的讲话
vacuum cleaner 真空吸尘器
stupor /ˈstjuːpə(r)/ n. 目光呆滞
122
occasionally coming round long enough to
copy
down a name or date, then falling asleep again.
copy /ˈkɒpi/ v. 抄写
123
He had been speaking for half an hour when something happened that had never happened before. Hermione put up her hand.
124
Professor Binns, glancing up in the middle of a
deadly
dull
lecture
on the International Warlock
Convention
of 1289, looked amazed.
deadly /ˈdedli/ adj. 非常的
dull /dʌl/ adj. 无趣的
lecture /ˈlektʃə(r)/ n. 演讲
convention /kənˈvenʃn/ n. (某一职业、政党等人士召开的)大会
125
‘Miss – er –?’
126
‘Granger, Professor. I was wondering if you could tell us anything about the Chamber of Secrets,’ said Hermione in a clear voice.
127
Dean Thomas, who had been sitting with his mouth
hanging open
, gazing out of the window, jerked out of his
trance
;
hang open （嘴巴，门等）保持开启状态
trance /trɑːns/ n. 恍惚
128
Lavender Brown’s head came up off her arms and Neville’s
elbow
slipped off his desk.
elbow /ˈelbəʊ/ n. 肘部
129
Professor Binns blinked.
130
‘My subject is History of Magic,’ he said in his dry,
wheezy
voice. ‘I deal with facts, Miss Granger, not
myths
and
legends
.’
wheezy /'wiːzɪ/ adj. 气喘的
myth /mɪθ/ n. 神话
legend /ˈledʒənd/ n. 传奇
131
He cleared his throat with a small noise like
chalk
snapping and continued, ‘In September of that year, a
sub-committee
of
Sardinian
sorcerers –’
chalk /tʃɔːk/ n. 粉笔
subcommittee /'sʌbkəmɪtɪ/ n. (由大委员会成员组成)小组委员会
Sardinian /sɑ:ˈdiniən/ 撒丁(岛)人
132
He
stuttered
to a halt. Hermione’s hand was waving in the air again.
stutter /ˈstʌtə(r)/ vt. & vi. 结结巴巴地说
133
‘Miss Grant?’
134
‘Please, sir, don’t legends always have a
basis
in fact?’
basis /ˈbeɪsɪs/ n. 基础
135
Professor Binns was looking at her in such amazement, Harry was sure no student had ever interrupted him before, alive or dead.
136
‘Well,’ said Professor Binns slowly, ‘yes, one could
argue
that, I suppose.’
argue /ˈɑːɡjuː/ v. 认为
137
He peered at Hermione as though he had never seen a student
properly
before. ‘However, the legend of which you speak is such a very
sensational
, even
ludicrous
tale
…’
proper /ˈprɔpə(r)/ adj. 真正的
sensational /sen'seɪʃ(ə)n(ə)l/ adj. 耸人听闻的
ludicrous /'luːdɪkrəs/ adj. 荒唐可笑的
tale /teɪl/ n. 故事
138
But the whole class was now hanging on Professor Binns’s every word. He looked
dimly
at them all, every face turned to his.
dimly adv. 迟钝地
139
Harry could tell he was completely
thrown
by such an unusual show of interest.
throw /θrəʊ/ v. 使困惑
140
‘Oh, very well,’ he said slowly. ‘Let me see … the Chamber of Secrets …
141
‘You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago – the
precise
date is uncertain – by the four greatest witches and wizards of the
age
.
precise /prɪˈsaɪs/ adj. 精确的
age /eɪdʒ/ n. 时代
142
The four school houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin.
143
They built this castle together, far from
prying
Muggle eyes, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people, and witches and wizards suffered much
persecution
.’
pry /praɪ/ vi. 窥探
persecution /pɜːsɪ'kjuːʃn/ n. 迫害或受迫害
144
He paused, gazed
blearily
around the room, and continued,
blearily /'blɪrəli/ adv. 模糊地
145
‘For a few years, the founders worked in
harmony
together, seeking out
youngsters
who showed signs of magic and bringing them to the castle to be
educated
.
harmony /ˈhɑːməni/ n. 和睦
youngster /ˈjʌŋstə(r)/ n. 年轻人
educate /ˈedʒukeɪt/ vt. 培养
146
But then disagreements
sprang up
between them. A
rift
began to grow between Slytherin and the others.
spring up 出现
rift /rɪft/ n. 不和
147
Slytherin wished to be more
selective
about the students
admitted
to Hogwarts.
selective /sɪˈlektɪv/ adj. 精心选择的
admit /ədˈmɪt/ v. 接收(入学)
148
He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. He disliked taking students of Muggle
parentage
, believing them to be
untrustworthy
.
parentage /'peər(ə)ntɪdʒ/ n. 父母亲的身份
untrustworthy /ʌnˈtrʌstwɜːði/ adj. 靠不住的
149
After a while, there was a serious argument on the
subject
between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Slytherin left the school.’
subject /'sʌbdʒekt/ n. 话题
150
Professor Binns paused again,
pursing
his lips, looking like a
wrinkled
old
tortoise
.
purse /pɜːs/ vt. 缩拢
wrinkled /ˈrɪŋkld/ adj. 有皱纹的
tortoise /'tɔːtəs/ n. 乌龟（等于testudo）
151
‘
Reliable
historical
sources
tell us this much,’ he said,
reliable /rɪˈlaɪəbl/ adj. 可靠的
source /sɔːs/ n. 信息来源
152
‘but these
honest
facts have been
obscured
by the
fanciful
legend of the Chamber of Secrets. The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing.
honest /'ɒnɪst/ adj. 可靠的
obscure /əbˈskjʊə(r)/ vt. 遮掩
fanciful /ˈfænsɪfl/ adj. 想像的
153
‘Slytherin, according to the legend,
sealed
the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his own true
heir
arrived at the school.
seal /siːl/ vt, 密封
heir /eə(r)/ n. 继承人
154
The heir alone would be able to
unseal
the Chamber of Secrets,
unleash
the horror within, and use it to
purge
the school of all who were
unworthy
to study magic.’
unseal /ʌn'siːl/ vt. 开启
unleash /ʌnˈliːʃ/ vt. 把(感情、力量等)释放出来
purge /pɜːdʒ/ vi. 净化
unworthy /ʌn'wɜːðɪ/ adj. 不配的
155
There was silence as he finished telling the story, but it wasn’t the usual,
sleepy
silence that filled Professor Binns’s classes.
sleepy /'sliːpɪ/ adj. 欲睡的
156
There was
unease
in the air as everyone continued to watch him, hoping for more. Professor Binns looked faintly annoyed.
unease /ʌn'i:z/ n. 不安
157
‘The whole thing is
arrant
nonsense
, of course,’ he said.
arrant /ˈærənt/ adj. 彻头彻尾的
nonsense /ˈnɒnsns/ n. 胡扯
158
‘Naturally, the school has been searched for evidence of such a chamber, many times, by the most
learned
witches and wizards. It does not exist. A tale told to
frighten
the
gullible
.’
learned /ˈlɜːnɪd/ adj. 有学问的
frighten /ˈfraɪtn/ vt. & vi. (使)惊恐
gullible /ˈɡʌləbl/ adj. 易受骗的
159
Hermione’s hand was back in the air.
160
‘Sir – what exactly do you mean by the ‘horror within’ the Chamber?’
161
‘That is believed to be some sort of
monster
, which the heir of Slytherin alone can control,’ said Professor Binns in his dry,
reedy
voice.
monster /ˈmɒnstə(r)/ n. 怪物
reedy /'riːdɪ/ adj.（声音）尖细的
162
The class exchanged nervous looks.
163
‘I tell you, the thing does not exist,’ said Professor Binns,
shuffling
his notes. ‘There is no Chamber and no monster.’
shuffle /ˈʃʌfl/ v. 匆忙地整理（或浏览）
164
‘But, sir,’ said Seamus Finnigan, ‘if the Chamber can only be opened by Slytherin’s true heir, no one else would be able to find it, would they?’
165
‘Nonsense, O’Flaherty,’ said Professor Binns in an
aggravated
tone. ‘If a long
succession
of Hogwarts headmasters and headmistresses haven’t found the thing –’
aggravate /ˈæɡrəveɪt/ vt. 使恼火
succession /səkˈseʃn/ n. 继任
166
‘But, Professor,’ piped up Parvati Patil, ‘you’d probably have to use Dark Magic to open it –’
167
‘Just because a wizard doesn’t use Dark Magic, doesn’t mean he can’t, Miss Pennyfeather,’ snapped Professor Binns. ‘I repeat, if the likes of Dumbledore –’
168
‘But maybe you’ve got to be
related
to Slytherin, so Dumbledore couldn’t –’ began Dean Thomas, but Professor Binns
had had enough
.
relate /rɪˈleɪt/ vt. & vi. (把…)联系起来
have had enough 受够了（表示对某事感到厌烦）
169
‘
That will do
,’ he said
sharply
.
that will do 行了
sharply /'ʃa:pli/ adv. 严厉地
170
‘It is a
myth
! It does not exist! There is not a
shred
of evidence that Slytherin ever built so much as a secret broom cupboard! I
regret
telling you such a foolish story!
myth /mɪθ/ n. 神话
shred /ʃred/ n. 最少量
regret /rɪˈɡret/ vt. 后悔
171
We will return, if you please, to history, to solid, believable,
verifiable
fact!’
verifiable /ˈverɪfaɪəbl/ adj. 能证实的
172
And within five minutes, the class had
sunk
back into its usual
torpor
.
sunk /sʌŋk/ v. 陷入
torpor /ˈtɔːpə(r)/ n. 不活泼
173
‘I always knew Salazar Slytherin was a
twisted
old
loony
,’ Ron told Harry and Hermione,
twisted /'twɪstɪd/ adj. 扭曲的
loony /'luːnɪ/ n. 疯子
174
as they
fought their way
through the
teeming
corridors at the end of the lesson to drop off their bags before dinner.
fight one’s way 奋斗前进
teeming /'ti:miŋ/ adj. 拥挤的
175
‘But I never knew he started all this pure-blood stuff. I wouldn’t be in his house if you paid me. Honestly, if the Sorting Hat had tried to put me in Slytherin, I’d’ve got the train straight back home …’
176
Hermione nodded
fervently
, but Harry didn’t say anything. His stomach had just dropped unpleasantly.
fervently /'fə:vəntli/ adv. 热诚地
177
Harry had never told Ron and Hermione that the Sorting Hat had seriously considered putting him in Slytherin.
178
He could remember, as though it was yesterday, the small voice that had spoken in his ear when he’d placed the Hat on his head a year before.
179
‘You could be great, you know, it’s all here in your head, and Slytherin would help you on the way to
greatness
, no doubt about that …’
greatness /'greitnis/ n. 伟大
180
But Harry, who had already heard of Slytherin house’s
reputation
for
turning out
dark wizards, had thought desperately, ‘Not Slytherin!’
reputation /ˌrepjuˈteɪʃn/ n. 名声
turn out v. 生产
181
and the Hat had said, ‘Oh, well, if you’re sure … better be Gryffindor …’
182
As they were
shunted
along in the
throng
, Colin Creevey went past.
shunt /ʃʌnt/ vt. & vi. 把……推到一边
throng /θrɒŋ/ n. 人群
183
‘Hiya, Harry!’
184
‘Hullo, Colin,’ said Harry
automatically
.
automatically /ˌɔːtəˈmætɪkli/ adv. 自动地
185
‘Harry – Harry – a boy in my class has been saying you’re –’
186
But Colin was so small he couldn’t fight against the tide of people
bearing
him towards the Great Hall; they heard him squeak, ‘See you, Harry!’ and he was gone.
bear /beə(r)/ v. 运送
187
‘What’s a boy in his class saying about you?’ Hermione wondered.
188
‘That I’m Slytherin’s heir, I expect,’ said Harry, his stomach dropping another inch or so, as he suddenly remembered the way Justin Finch-Fletchley had run away from him at lunchtime.
189
‘People here’ll believe anything,’ said Ron in
disgust
.
disgust /dɪsˈɡʌst/ n. 嫌恶
190
The crowd
thinned
and they were able to climb the next staircase without difficulty.
thin /θɪn/ v. （使）（拥挤的人群、植物、物品等）变稀少
191
‘D’you really think there’s a Chamber of Secrets?’ Ron asked Hermione.
192
‘I don’t know,’ she said, frowning. ‘Dumbledore couldn’t cure Mrs Norris, and that makes me think that whatever attacked her might not be – well – human.’
193
As she spoke, they turned a corner and found themselves at the end of the very corridor where the attack had happened.
194
They stopped and looked.
195
The scene was just as it had been that night,
196
except that there was no stiff cat hanging from the torch bracket, and an empty chair stood against the wall
bearing
the message ‘The Chamber has been opened.’
bear /beə(r)/ vt. 支撑
197
‘That’s where Filch has been keeping guard,’ Ron muttered.
198
They looked at each other. The corridor was deserted.
199
‘Can’t hurt to have a
poke around
,’ said Harry, dropping his bag and getting to his hands and knees so that he could
crawl
along, searching for clues.
poke around 闲逛
crawl /krɔːl/ vi. 爬行
200
‘
Scorch
marks!’ he said. ‘Here – and here –’
scorch /skɔːtʃ/ vt. 烧焦
201
‘Come and look at this!’ said Hermione. ‘This is funny …’
202
Harry got up and
crossed
to the window next to the message on the wall.
cross /krɒs/ v. 渡过
203
Hermione was pointing at the topmost
pane
, where around twenty spiders were
scuttling
, apparently fighting to get through a small crack in the glass.
pane /peɪn/ n. 窗玻璃
scuttle /'skʌt(ə)l/ vi. 急促地跑
204
A long, silvery
thread
was dangling like a rope, as though they had all climbed it in their hurry to get outside.
thread /θred/ n. 线
205
‘Have you ever seen spiders act like that?’ said Hermione
wonderingly
.
wonderingly /'wʌndəriŋli/ adv. 觉得奇怪地
206
‘No,’ said Harry, ‘have you, Ron? Ron?’
207
He looked over his shoulder. Ron was standing well back, and seemed to be
fighting
the
impulse
to run.
fight /faɪt/ v. 努力抑制(情感)
impulse /ˈɪmpʌls/ n. 冲动
208
‘What’s up?’ said Harry.
209
‘I – don’t – like – spiders,’ said Ron tensely.
210
‘I never knew that,’ said Hermione, looking at Ron in surprise. ‘You’ve used spiders in potions loads of times …’
211
‘I don’t mind them dead,’ said Ron, who was carefully looking anywhere but at the window, ‘I just don’t like the way they move …’
212
Hermione giggled.
213
‘It’s not funny,’ said Ron,
fiercely
.
fiercely /'fiəsli/ adv. 凶猛地
214
‘If you must know, when I was three, Fred turned my – my
teddy bear
into a dirty great spider because I broke his toy broomstick.
teddy bear /ˈtedɪ beə(r)/ n. 泰迪熊
215
You wouldn’t like them either if you’d been
holding
your bear and suddenly it had too many legs and …’
hold /həʊld/ v. 抱住
216
He broke off, shuddering. Hermione was obviously still trying not to laugh.
217
Feeling they had better get off the subject, Harry said, ‘Remember all that water on the floor? Where did that come from? Someone’s
mopped
it up.’
mop /mɒp/ vt. 擦干
218
‘It was about here,’ said Ron, recovering himself to walk a few paces past Filch’s chair and pointing. ‘Level with this door.’
219
He reached for the brass doorknob but suddenly
withdrew
his hand as though he’d been burned.
withdraw /wɪðˈdrɔː/ v. 抽回
220
‘What’s the matter?’ said Harry.
221
‘Can’t go in there,’ said Ron
gruffly
, ‘that’s a girls’ toilet.’
gruffly /'grʌfli/ adv. 生硬地
222
‘Oh, Ron, there won’t be anyone in there,’ said Hermione, standing up and coming over. ‘That’s Moaning Myrtle’s place. Come on, let’s have a look.’
223
And ignoring the large ‘
Out of Order
’ sign, she opened the door.
out of order adj. 无次序的(混乱的, 有毛病的, 出故障的)
224
It was the gloomiest, most
depressing
bathroom Harry had ever
set foot in
.
depressing /dɪˈpresɪŋ/ adj. 令人消沉地
set foot in v. 踏进
225
Under a large, cracked and
spotted
mirror were a row of
chipped
, stone sinks.
spotted /'spɒtɪd/ adj. 有斑点的
chipped /tʃɪpt/ adj. 有缺口的
226
The floor was damp and reflected the dull light given off by the
stubs
of a few candles, burning low in their holders;
stub /stʌb/ n. 树桩
227
the wooden doors to the
cubicles
were
flaking
and scratched and one of them was dangling off its
hinges
.
cubicle /'kjuːbɪk(ə)l/ n. 小卧室
flake /fleɪk/ vi. 剥落
hinge /hɪndʒ/ n. 铰链
228
Hermione put her fingers to her lips and set off towards the end
cubicle
.
cubicle /'kjuːbɪk(ə)l/ n. 小卧室
229
When she reached it she said, ‘Hello, Myrtle, how are you?’
230
Harry and Ron went to look. Moaning Myrtle was floating on the
cistern
of the toilet,
picking
a spot on her chin.
cistern /'sɪstən/ n. 水池
pick /pɪk/ v. 掐去
231
‘This is a girls’ bathroom,’ she said, eyeing Ron and Harry
suspiciously
. ‘They’re not girls.’
suspiciously /səˈspɪʃəslɪ/ adv. 猜疑地
232
‘No,’ Hermione agreed. ‘I just wanted to show them how – er – nice it is in here.’
233
She waved
vaguely
at the dirty old mirror and the damp floor.
vaguely /'veigli/ adv. 含糊地
234
‘Ask her if she saw anything,’ Harry
mouthed
at Hermione.
mouth /maʊθ/ v. 用口型默示
235
‘What are you whispering?’ said Myrtle, staring at him.
236
‘Nothing,’ said Harry quickly. ‘We wanted to ask –’
237
‘I wish people would stop talking behind my back!’ said Myrtle, in a voice choked with tears. ‘I do have feelings, you know, even if I am dead.’
238
‘Myrtle, no one wants to
upset
you,’ said Hermione. ‘Harry only –’
upset /ʌpˈset/ vt. 使心烦
239
‘No one wants to upset me! That’s a
good one
!’ howled Myrtle. ‘My life was nothing but
misery
at this place and now people
come along
ruining my death!’
good one 绝妙的笑话
misery /ˈmɪzəri/ n. 痛苦
come along 一起来
240
‘We wanted to ask you if you’d seen anything funny lately,’ said Hermione quickly, ‘because a cat was attacked right outside your front door on Hallowe’en.’
241
‘Did you see anyone near here that night?’ said Harry.
242
‘I wasn’t paying attention,’ said Myrtle
dramatically
. ‘Peeves upset me so much I came in here and tried to kill myself. Then, of course, I remembered that I’m – that I’m –’
dramatically /drəˈmætɪkli/ adv. 剧烈地
243
‘Already dead,’ said Ron helpfully.
244
Myrtle gave a
tragic
sob, rose up in the air, turned over and dived head first into the toilet, splashing water all over them and vanishing from sight;
tragic /ˈtrædʒɪk/ adj. 悲痛的
245
from the direction of her
muffled
sobs, she had come to rest somewhere in the
U-bend
.
muffled /'mʌfld/ adj. 蒙住的
U-bend n. (尤指污水管的)U形弯头
246
Harry and Ron stood with their mouths open, but Hermione shrugged
wearily
and said, ‘Honestly, that was almost cheerful for Myrtle … come on, let’s go.’
wearily /'wirili/ adv. 百无聊赖地
247
Harry had barely closed the door on Myrtle’s
gurgling
sobs when a loud voice made all three of them jump.
gurgle /'gɜːg(ə)l/ v. 作汩汩声；
248
‘RON!’
249
Percy Weasley had stopped dead at the head of the stairs, prefect badge
agleam
, an expression of complete shock on his face.
agleam /ə'ɡliːm/ adj. 光亮的
250
‘That’s a girls’ bathroom!’ he gasped. ‘What were you –?’
251
‘Just having a look around,’ Ron shrugged. ‘Clues, you know …’
252
Percy
swelled
in a manner
that reminded Harry
forcefully
of Mrs Weasley.
swell /swel/ vi. 膨胀
in a manner 在某种程度上
forcefully 强有力地
253
‘Get – away – from – there –’ he said, striding towards them and starting to
chivvy
them along, flapping his arms. ‘Don’t you care what this looks like? Coming back here while everyone’s at dinner …’
chivvy /ˈtʃivi/ vt. 催促
254
‘Why shouldn’t we be here?’ said Ron
hotly
, stopping
short
and glaring at Percy. ‘Listen, we never laid a finger on that cat!’
hotly /ˈhɔtli:/ adv. 激烈地
short /ʃɔ:t/ adv. 突然
255
‘That’s what I told Ginny,’ said Percy fiercely,
256
‘but she still seems to think you’re going to be expelled; I’ve never seen her so upset,
crying her eyes out
. You might think of her, all the first-years are
thoroughly
over-excited
by this business –’
cry one's eyes out 泪如雨下
thoroughly /'θʌrəli/ adv. 完全地
overexcite /'ovərɪk'saɪt/ vt. 过度刺激
257
‘You don’t care about Ginny,’ said Ron, whose ears were
reddening
now. ‘You’re just worried I’m going to
mess up
your chances of being Head Boy.’
redden /'red(ə)n/ vt. & vi. (使)变红
mess up 搞糟
258
‘Five points from Gryffindor!’ Percy said
tersely
,
fingering
his prefect badge. ‘And I hope it teaches you a lesson! No more
detective
work, or I’ll write to Mum!’
tersely /'tə:sli/ adv. 简洁地
finger /'fɪŋgə/ v. 用手指触摸
detective /dɪˈtektɪv/ n. 侦探
259
And he strode off, the back of his neck as red as Ron’s ears.
260
Harry, Ron and Hermione chose seats as far as possible from Percy in the common room that night.
261
Ron was still in a very bad temper and kept
blotting
his Charms homework.
blot /blɒt/ vi. 弄上墨渍或污渍
262
When he reached
absently
for his wand to remove the
smudges
, it
ignited
the parchment. Fuming almost as much as his homework, Ron slammed The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 shut.
absently /'æbs(ə)ntlɪ/ adv. 心不在焉地
smudge /smʌdʒ/ n. (尤指因擦而形成的)污点
ignite /ɪɡˈnaɪt/ vt. 点燃
263
To Harry’s surprise, Hermione
followed suit
.
follow suit 跟着做
264
‘Who can it be, though?’ she said in a quiet voice, as though continuing a conversation they had just been having. ‘Who’d want all the
Squibs
and Muggle-borns out of Hogwarts?’
squib /skwɪb/ n. 哑炮
265
‘Let’s think,’ said Ron in
mock
puzzlement. ‘Who do we know who thinks Muggle-borns are
scum
?’
mock /mɒk/ adj. 假装的
scum /skʌm/ n. (骂人的话)败类
266
He looked at Hermione. Hermione looked back,
unconvinced
.
unconvince /ˌʌnkən'vins/ vt. 使不确信
267
‘If you’re talking about Malfoy –’
268
‘Of course I am!’ said Ron. ‘You heard him: “You’ll be next, Mudbloods!” Come on, you’ve only got to look at his foul rat face to know it’s him –’
269
‘Malfoy, the heir of Slytherin?’ said Hermione
sceptically
.
sceptically /'skeptikəii/ adv. 怀疑地
270
‘Look at his family,’ said Harry, closing his books, too.
271
‘The whole lot of them have been in Slytherin, he’s always
boasting
about it. They could easily be Slytherin’s
descendants
. His father’s
definitely
evil enough.’
boast /bəʊst/ v. 吹嘘
descendant /dɪˈsendənt/ n. 后代
definitely /ˈdefɪnətli/ adv. 明确地
272
‘They could’ve had the key to the Chamber of Secrets for
centuries
!’ said Ron. ‘
Handing it down
, father to son …’
century /'sentʃʊrɪ/ n. 世纪
hand down 把……传下去
273
‘Well,’ said Hermione
cautiously
, ‘I suppose it’s possible …’
cautiously /'kɔ:ʃəsli/ adv. 谨慎地
274
‘But how do we prove it?’ said Harry darkly.
275
‘There might be a way,’ said Hermione slowly, dropping her voice
still further
with a quick glance across the room at Percy.
still further 更进一步
276
‘Of course, it would be difficult. And dangerous, very dangerous. We’d be breaking about fifty school rules, I expect.’
277
‘If, in a month or so, you feel like explaining, you will let us know, won’t you?’ said Ron
irritably
.
irritably /'iritəbli/ adv. 性急地
278
‘All right,’ said Hermione coldly. ‘What we’d need to do is to get inside the Slytherin common room and ask Malfoy a few questions without him realising it’s us.’
279
‘But that’s impossible,’ Harry said, as Ron laughed.
280
‘No, it’s not,’ said Hermione. ‘All we’d need would be some
Polyjuice Potion
.’
Polyjuice Potion 变身水
281
‘What’s that?’ said Ron and Harry together.
282
‘Snape mentioned it in class a few weeks ago –’
283
‘D’you think we’ve got nothing better to do in Potions than listen to Snape?’ muttered Ron.
284
‘It transforms you into somebody else. Think about it! We could change into three of the Slytherins. No one would know it was us.
285
Malfoy would probably tell us anything. He’s probably
boasting
about it in the Slytherin common room right now, if only we could hear him.’
boast /bəʊst/ v. 吹嘘
286
‘This Polyjuice stuff sounds a bit
dodgy
to me,’ said Ron, frowning. ‘What if we were
stuck
looking like three of the Slytherins
for ever
?’
dodgy /'dɒdʒɪ/ adj. 冒险的
stick /stɪk/ vt. 卡住
for ever 永远
287
‘It
wears off
after a while,’ said Hermione, waving her hand impatiently,
wear off 逐渐消失
288
‘but
getting hold of
the
recipe
will be very difficult. Snape said it was in a book called
Moste Potente Potions
and it’s
bound
to be in the Restricted Section of the library.’
get hold of 得到
recipe /ˈresəpi/ n. 配方
Moste Potente Potions 强力药水
bound /baʊnd/ adj. 肯定的
289
There was only one way to get out a book from the Restricted Section: you needed a signed note of permission from a teacher.
290
‘Hard to see why we’d want the book, really,’ said Ron, ‘if we weren’t going to try and make one of the potions.’
291
‘I think,’ said Hermione, ‘that if we made it sound as though we were just interested in the
theory
, we might
stand a chance
…’
theory /ˈθɪəri/ n. 理论
stand a chance 有希望
292
‘Oh, come on, no teacher’s going to
fall for
that,’ said Ron. ‘They’d have to be really
thick
…’
fall for 上当
thick /θɪk/ adj. <非正式> 愚钝的
293
