Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you’d expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn’t hold with such nonsense.
难点1
Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.
Privet女贞,亚热带树木,原产中国,《本草纲目》中说:“此木凌冬青翠,有贞守之操,故以贞女状之。”
Privet Drive,女贞路,Drive一般时驾驶,在地名时一般是路,这不是那种大马路(road),是小路,像小区里面的双向小路。
perfectly normal ,完美的正常,结合下文,是指完完全全的正常人,规规矩矩、特别正经的人,行为举止不会有异常,对这样普通的自己,他们很自豪(were proud to)。
thank you very much 紧接上句,突然来句“谢谢你”,很突兀,感谢别人啥呢?这里隐含着一层语境,就是他们对于自己是普通人很自豪这事,旁人要是就此质疑他们:做个规矩、本分的正常人有啥好pride的?打破常规,不走寻常路,活得跟别人不一样,那才叫精彩,才值得pride。德思礼听了,心里会翻个白眼“咸吃萝卜,淡操心”,表面还是要客气地回一句“劳你费心了,谢谢你啊”。
难点2
They were the last people you’d expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn’t hold with such nonsense.
They were the last people you’d expect to,你最不可能想到的人,the last people并非是最后的人,其相当于no、never,不是(这样的)人。为啥?貌似一男追求女生,女生不喜欢他,说:“除非这世上男人都没了,剩下你一个,我才会答应跟你。”you are the last people I’d marry,不可能轮到你,别想了。
be involved in,与什么有牵连,被卷入/牵扯到,他们是最不可能be involved 那些奇奇怪怪的、神神秘秘的(strange or mysterious)事情中。为什么会这样?因为德思礼夫妇都是根本不(just did’t)认同任何荒谬的事情(nonsense,胡说)。
hold with such nonsense,hold 抓住、容纳,hold with,认可、认同、同意。
由此,我们可以稍微了解到德思礼夫妻是这样的:
他们住在house中,自我感觉良好,they were perfectly normal and they were proud of it,他们觉得自己是良民,很正经,对此感到非常骄傲。夫妻俩有着相同的世界观,they just didn't hold with the nonsense,都是“唯物主义”者。
不是一家人,不进一家门啊。
生词,