Just then, the doorbell rang – ‘Oh, Good Lord, they’re here!’ said Aunt Petunia frantically – and a moment later, Dudley’s best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people’s arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.
Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn’t believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys’ car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life. His aunt and uncle hadn’t been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they’d left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside.
‘I’m warning you,’ he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry’s, ‘I’m warning you now, boy – any funny business, anything at all – and you’ll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas.’
‘I’m not going to do anything,’ said Harry, ‘honestly …’
But Uncle Vernon didn’t believe him. No one ever did.
The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn’t make them happen.
Rowling, J.K.. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone . Bloomsbury. Kindle Edition.
Knowledge Point
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Just then, the doorbell rang – ‘Oh, Good Lord, they’re here!’ said Aunt Petunia frantically – and a moment later, Dudley’s best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother.
⇒ Lord
Lord is used in exclamations such as 'good Lord!' and 'oh Lord!' to express surprise, shock, frustration, or annoyance about something.
⇒ frantically [adverb] ~ hurriedly -
Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people’s arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.
⇒ scrawny [adjective] 骨瘦嶙峋
unpleasantly thin, often with bones showing
⇒ Piers瘦骨嶙峋，脸像老鼠脸。像他这种人总是在达力打人的时候，把挨打人的双手反剪在背后，牢牢抓住。
⇒ hold one's arms behind their backs 【参见图片】
⇒ 颇有意思的是，见到Piers来了就立刻停止假哭了～
hold one's arms behind their backs
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Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn’t believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys’ car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life.
⇒ Harry踏上了他人生中第一次去动物园的旅程～ -
His aunt and uncle hadn’t been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they’d left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside.
⇒ take someone aside
to take someone away from someone else they are with so that you can speak to them in a place where other people cannot watch or listen -
‘I’m warning you,’ he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry’s, ‘I’m warning you now, boy – any funny business, anything at all – and you’ll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas.’
⇒ from now until Christmas
从现在开始直到圣诞节（为止）
⇒ 很显然，Harry被严重警告了。Dursley把Harry拉到了一边，把脸贴向Harry发出警告。这一系列动作描写都很到位。 -
‘I’m not going to do anything,’ said Harry, ‘honestly …’ But Uncle Vernon didn’t believe him. No one ever did. The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn’t make them happen.
⇒ It’s no good by itself means, approximately, “This is a bad situation and something must be done.”
⇒ 虽然Harry也说了不会做任何捣乱的事情，但是Vernon不相信他，也没有任何人相信过他。问题就在于，奇奇怪怪的事总是在Harry周围发生。
知识星球——读英语原著
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