‘ … roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums,’ he said, as a motorbike overtook them.
‘I had a dream about a motorbike,’ said Harry, remembering suddenly. ‘It was flying.’
Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beetroot with a moustache, ‘MOTORBIKES DON’T FLY!’
Dudley and Piers sniggered.
‘I know they don’t,’ said Harry. ‘It was only a dream.’
But he wished he hadn’t said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn’t, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon – they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas.
It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice-creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice lolly. It wasn’t bad either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head and looking remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn’t blond.
Rowling, J.K.. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone . Bloomsbury. Kindle Edition.
Knowledge Point
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‘ … roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums,’ he said, as a motorbike overtook them.
⇒ roaring [adjective] (UK /ˈrɔː.rɪŋ/ US /ˈrɔːr.ɪŋ/)
loud and powerful
⇒ maniac [noun] (UK /ˈmeɪ.ni.æk/ US /ˈmeɪ.ni.æk/)
a person who behaves in an uncontrolled way, not worrying about risks or danger
⇒ hoodlum [noun] (UK /ˈhuːd.ləm/ US /ˈhuːd.ləm/)
a violent person, especially one who is member of a group of criminals
⇒ overtake [verb] ~ go past (UK /ˌəʊ.vəˈteɪk/ US /ˌoʊ.vɚˈteɪk/)
pass to come from behind another vehicle or a person and move in front of them -
‘I had a dream about a motorbike,’ said Harry, remembering suddenly. ‘It was flying.’
⇒ Harry梦到了会飞的摩托车。读到这里你我都可能会心一笑，Harry就是由Hagrid骑着飞在空中的摩托车被带到Dursley家门口的。 -
Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beetroot with a moustache, ‘MOTORBIKES DON’T FLY!’
⇒ gigantic [adjective] (UK /ˌdʒaɪˈɡæn.tɪk/ US /ˌdʒaɪˈɡæn.t̬ɪk/)
extremely large
⇒ beetroot [noun] (UK /ˈbiːt.ruːt/ US /ˈbiːt.ruːt/)【参见图片】
the small, round, dark red root of a plant, eaten cooked as a vegetable, especially cold in salads
A beetroot (called a beet in North America) was the edible taproot of the plant Beta vulgaris.
⇒ a gigantic beetroot with a moustache 【参见图片】
这样一张脸很难以想象啊~ 只能看着图片想象一下了~
⇒ （听到Harry说出会飞的摩托车）Vernon 差点撞到（crash into）前面的车。他坐在驾驶座位上（in his seat）从右边转过身去（turn right around）对着Harry吼到（yell），“MOTORBIKES DON’T FLY!”。
beetroot
a gigantic beetroot with a moustache
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Dudley and Piers sniggered. ‘I know they don’t,’ said Harry. ‘It was only a dream.’
⇒ snigger [verb] (UK /ˈsnɪɡ.ər/ US /ˈsnɪɡ.ɚ/)【参见图片】
to laugh at someone or something in a silly and often unkind way
snigger
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But he wished he hadn’t said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn’t, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon – they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas.
⇒ 这句话很长，但是不难理解。Harry真希望什么都没有说。比起Harry问他们问题，让Dursleys更为憎恨的是Harry谈论起任何天方夜谭的事（talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn’t），不管是在梦里或者只是在卡通片里——他们会觉得Harry可能要打什么坏主意。 -
It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice-creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice lolly.
⇒ lolly [noun] (UK /ˈlɒl.i/ US /ˈlɑː.li/)【参见图片】冰棍
an ice lolly or a lollipop
⇒ van [noun] (UK /væn/ US /væn/)【参见图片】
a medium-sized road vehicle, used especially for carrying goods, that often has no windows in the sides at the back
⇒ “large chocolate ice-creams”和“cheap lemon ice lolly”的对比很明显，但即便是便宜的冰棍，从文中可以看出也不是心甘情愿买给Harry的。
lemon ice lolly
van
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It wasn’t bad either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head and looking remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn’t blond.
⇒ lick [verb] ~ move tongue 【参见图片】
to move the tongue across the surface of something
⇒ gorilla [noun] (UK /ɡəˈrɪl.ə/ US /ɡəˈrɪl.ə/) 【参见图片】
a large ape that comes from western Africa
⇒ scratch [verb] ~ cut
If an animal scratches, it rubs something with its claws (= sharp nails)
⇒ Harry想这样也不坏，一面舔着它，一面看着一只大猩猩抓着它的头，看上去非常像Dudley，只是它不是金发的。
lick
gorilla
知识星球——读英语原著
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