【英语原著】哈利·波特与魔法石 （7）

He’d forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker’s. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn’t know why, but they made him uneasy. This lot were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn’t see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying.
‘The Potters, that’s right, that’s what I heard –’
‘–yes, their son, Harry –’
Mr Dursley stopped dead. Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it.

Rowling, J.K.. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone . Bloomsbury. Kindle Edition.

Summary

这段内容只要描写Mr Dursley在面包店里从穿长袍的古怪人群中忽闻他们谈及Harry Potters的名字而感到恐惧、惊慌失措的场景。

Knowledge Point

• "He eyed them angrily as he passed."
  ⇒ eye的动词用法：to look at someone or something with interest

• "He didn’t know why, but they made him uneasy."
  ⇒ make sb do或者make sb adj. 让人……
  跟动词，表让某人做某事动作；
  跟形容词的，往往接表达感情的词。
  make him uneasy 让他（感到）不安/不舒服
  make you angry 让你（感到）生气
  make her embarrassed 让她（感到）尴尬

• "This lot were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn’t see a single collecting tin."
  ⇒ This lot 指the people in cloaks
  ⇒ whisper [verb]
  to speak very quietly, using the breath but not the voice, so that only the person close you can hear you

• "It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying. "
  ⇒ clutch [verb]
  to take or try to take hold of something tightly, usually in fear, worry or pain
  ⇒ doughnut [none]
  一种cake，油炸圈饼，甜甜圈🍩
  唐纳滋：Donut是dough（生面团）和nut（坚果）的合成词。
  ⇒ "...caught a few words..."
  这里的catch可以理解为hear，如果此处替换成hear又失去了某层含义，也就是catch本身的含义“抓住”。

• "‘The Potters, that’s right, that’s what I heard –’ "
  ⇒ 直接引语，包含了一个表语从句。
  ⇒ 对应的简单句："I heard the Potters."

• "Mr Dursley stopped dead. Fear flooded him."
  ⇒ to stop dead [phrase]
  To stop dead means to suddenly stop happening or moving;
  We all stopped dead and looking at it. （我们都猛然停了下来看着它。）
  ⇒ stop sb dead [phrase]
  To stop someone or something dead means to cause them to suddenly stop happening or moving.
  ⇒ “Fear flooded him.” 地道表达!
  to fill or enter a place in large numbers or amounts
  一阵恐惧涌上心头。他的心中充满恐惧。这种恐惧就如flood（洪水）一般来的快速而又猛烈。

• "He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it."
  ⇒ whisperer [none]
  a person who whispers
  a person who spreads information about someone that may or may not be true
  ⇒ to think better of it
  If you intend to do something and then think better of it, you decide not to do it because you realize it would not be sensible.
  

  【英语原著】哈利·波特与魔法石 （7）