讀《哈利波特》原著學英語：德思禮家門口那隻怪貓，一直站到半夜

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故事簡介

守在德思禮家門的那隻怪貓，一直不眠不休、一動不動地，直到半夜……

原文片段（選自《哈利波特與魔法石》第一章）

How very wrong he was。

Mr。 Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep， but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness。 It was sitting as still as a statue， its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive。 It didn‘t so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street， nor when two owls swooped overhead。 In fact， it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all。

學習筆記

Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness.

Mr。 Durselty睡得很不踏實，而外面那隻貓卻沒有一點要睡覺的意思。

might/may have done，表示對過去事情的推測，might與may意思相同，但前者的可能性要更小，多用於虛擬語氣。

例：

I don’t know what he might have done.

我不知道他會做出什麼來。

短語drift in/into，指“無意間進入，不知不覺陷入” （to go from one situation or state to another without realizing in）。

例：

Finally she drifted into sleep.

最後，她不知不覺睡著了。

uneasy，形容詞，指“擔心的，憂慮的，不安的”（causing or feeling anxiety； troubled or comfortable）。

其比較級與最高階變形和easy相同，即uneasier和uneasiest。

例：

He felt uneasy at acute piercing sound.

他聽見尖細刺耳的聲音覺得不好受。

drifted into an uneasy sleep的意思就是“忐忑不安地進入夢鄉”。

show no sign（s） of，指“顯示/未顯示……的跡象”（to have or show no indication that something else exists， is true， or will happen）。

例：

The disease shows no signs of diminution.

疾病沒有減輕的跡象。

It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive

這隻貓一動不動地盯著街角。

（stand/sit） as still as a statue的意思是“（站、坐）一動不動地，紋絲不動地”（to stand or sit absolutely still）。

例：

She was staring at her slippers, as still as a statue.

她低頭盯著自己的拖鞋，像個雕塑一樣一動不動。

to stand as still as a statue

It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead.

不論是有人很大聲地關車門，還是兩隻貓頭鷹從頭頂飛過，都沒能讓這隻貓動一下。

quiver（［kwvr］），不及物動詞，指“輕微顫動，抖動，抽動，哆嗦”（to shake slightly； to make a slight movement）。

例：

Bertha’s voice quivered with indignation.

伯莎氣得聲音顫抖。

短語so much as有兩種用法：

甚至（even）

例：

He didn’t so much as glance that way.

他甚至沒有向那邊看一眼。

幾乎，差不多（almost）

例：

By running away, he so much as admitted that he had taken the money.

他逃跑了，這無異於承認他拿了錢。

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