查理和巧克力工厂2

2. Mr. Willy Wonds's Factory

In the evenings, after he had finished his supper of watery cabbage soup, Charlie always went into the room of his four grandparents to listen to their stories, and then afterwards to say good night.

cabbage: (n.) 卷心菜

soup: (n.) 汤

afterwards: (adv.) 之后

Every one of these old people was over ninety. They were as shrivelled as prunes, and as bony as skeletons, and throughout the day, until Charlie made his appearance, they lay huddled in their one bed, two at either end, with nightcaps on to keep their heads warm, dozing the time away with nothing to do. 

But as soon as they heard the door opening, and heard Charlie's voice saying, 'Good evening, Grandpa Joe and Grandma Josephine, and Grandpa George and Grandma Georgina,' then all four of them would suddenly sit up, and their old wrinkled faces would light up with smiles of pleasure — and the talking would begin. For they loved this little boy. He was the only bright thing in their lives, and his evening visits were something that they looked forward to all day long. 

Often, Charlie's mother and father would come in as well, and stand by the door, listening to the stories that the old people told; and thus, for perhaps half an hour every night, this room would become a happy place, and the whole family would forget that it was hungry and poor.

as shrivelled as prunes: 像梅干一样皱巴巴

as bony as skeletons: 骨瘦如柴

huddled: (v.) 挤在一起、缩成一团

doze: (v.) 打瞌睡（打发时间）

suddenly: (adv.) 突然地

wrinkled face: 布满皱纹的脸

light up: 发亮、露出喜色

look forward to: 期待、盼望

as well: 也。。。

thus: (adv.) 如此、从而、以此方式

forget: (v.) 忘记 (forgot; forgotten)

One evening, when Charlie went in to see his grandparents, he said to them, 'Is it really true that Wonka's Chocolate Factory is the biggest in the world?'

'True?' cried all four of them at once. 'Of course it's true! Good heavens, didn't you know that? It's about fifty times as big as any other!'

'And is Mr Willy Wonka really the cleverest chocolate maker in the world?'

is it really true...? 是真的吗？

the biggest: 最大的(形容词最高级）

at once: 立刻

time(s): （多少）倍

the cleverest: 最聪明的

chocolate maker: 巧克力制造厂商

'My dear boy,' said Grandpa Joe, raising himself up a little higher on his pillow, 'Mr Willy Wonka is the most amazing, the most fantastic, the most extraordinary chocolate maker the world has ever seen! I thought everybody knew that!'

'I knew he was famous, Grandpa Joe, and I knew he was very clever . . .'

'Clever!' cried the old man. 'He's more than that! He's a magician with chocolate! He can make anything — anything he wants! Isn't that a fact, my dears?'

raise...up: （把自己从枕头上）抬高一点

amazing: (adj.) 让人惊喜/惊叹的

fantastic: (adj.) 了不起的

extraordinary: (adj.) 非凡的

most: 最。。。

thought: 想（原形: think）

knew: 知道（原形: know)

famous: (adj.) 出名的

magician: (n.) 魔术师

fact: (n.) 事实

The other three old people nodded their heads slowly up and down, and said, 'Absolutely true. Just as true as can be.'

And Grandpa Joe said, 'You mean to say I've never told you about Mr Willy Wonka and his factory?'

'Never,' answered little Charlie.

查理和巧克力工厂2 'Good heavens above! I don't know what's the matter with me!'

'Will you tell me now, Grandpa Joe, please?'

'I certainly will. Sit down beside me on the bed, my dear, and listen carefully.'

nod: (v.) 点头

absolutely true: 完全正确

you mean to say: 你想说 / 你意思是说

what's the matter with me: 我怎么了？

certainly: 当然。。。

carefully: (adv.) 仔细认真地

Grandpa Joe was the oldest of the four grandparents. He was ninety-six and a half, and that is just about as old as anybody can be. Like all extremely old people, he was delicate and weak, and throughout the day he spoke very little. But in the evenings, when Charlie, his beloved grandson, was in the room, he seemed in some marvellous way to grow quite young again. All his tiredness fell away from him, and he became as eager and excited as a young boy.

extremely: (adv.) 极其

delicate: (adj.) 精美的、虚弱的

beloved: (adj.)(n.) 钟爱的、心爱的人

seem: 看起来；显得。。。

marvellous: (adj.) 极好的、了不起的

tiredness: (n.) 疲劳

fall away: 脱落；降低减少

eager: (adj.) 热切的、渴望的

excited: (adj.) 兴奋的、激动的

'Oh, what a man he is, this Mr Willy Wonka!' cried Grandpa Joe. 'Did you know, for example, that he has himself invented more than two hundred new kinds of chocolate bars, each with a different centre, each far sweeter and creamier and more delicious than anything the other chocolate factories can make!'

'Perfectly true!' cried Grandma Josephine. 'And he sends them to all the four corners of the earth! Isn't that so, Grandpa Joe?'

for example: 举例(来说)

invent: (v.) 发明

chocolate bar: 巧克力块（条）

sweeter: 比。。。更甜

creamier: 含乳脂/奶油更多的

delicious: (adj.) 美味的

all the four corners of the earth: 世界各地

'It is, my dear, it is. And to all the kings and presidents of the world as well. But it isn't only chocolate bars that he makes. Oh, dear me, no! He has some really fantastic inventions up his sleeve, Mr Willy Wonka has! Did you know that he's invented a way of making chocolate ice cream so that it stays cold for hours and hours without being in the refrigerator? You can even leave it lying in the sun all morning on a hot day and it won't go runny!'

king: (n.) 国王

president: (n.) 总统

invention: (n.) 发明；动词invent

sleeve: (n.) 袖子

refrigerator: (n.) 冰箱

lie: (v.) 平放、躺在。。。

runny: (adj.) 太稀的、软化的

'But that's impossible!' said little Charlie, staring at his grandfather.

'Of course it's impossible!' cried Grandpa Joe. 'It's completely absurd! But Mr Willy Wonka has done it!'

'Quite right!' the others agreed, nodding their heads. 'Mr Wonka has done it.'

impossible: (adj.) 不可能的

stare at: 盯着。。。看

completely: (adv.) 完全地

absurd: 荒唐的；难以相信的

agree: (v.) 同意

done: do的过去分词

has done: 已经（成功地）做到了

'And then again,' Grandpa Joe went on speaking very slowly now so that Charlie wouldn't miss a word, 'Mr Willy Wonka can make marshmallows that taste of violets, and rich caramels that change colour every ten seconds as you suck them, and little feathery sweets that melt away deliciously the moment you put them between your lips. 

查理和巧克力工厂

He can make chewing-gum that never loses its taste, and sugar balloons that you can blow up to enormous sizes before you pop them with a pin and gobble them up. And, by a most secret method, he can make lovely blue birds' eggs with black spots on them, and when you put one of these in your mouth, it gradually gets smaller and smaller until suddenly there is nothing left except a tiny little pink sugary baby bird sitting on the tip of your tongue.'

going on speaking: 继续说。。。（went为go的过去式）

marshmallow: (n.) 棉花糖 

violet: 紫罗兰

caramel: 焦糖

suck: (v.) 吸、吮吸

feathery: (adj.) 轻软的；像羽毛般的

melt away: 融化

chewing-gum: 口香糖

enormous: 巨大的

pop: (v.) 爆裂

pin: (n.) 大头针

gobble up: 狼吞虎咽

secret method: 秘密的方法

gradually: (adv.) 逐渐地

tongue: (n.) 舌头

Grandpa Joe paused and ran the point of his tongue slowly over his lips. 'It makes my mouth water just thinking about it,' he said.

'Mine, too,' said little Charlie. 'But please go on.'

While they were talking, Mr and Mrs Bucket, Charlie's mother and father, had come quietly into the room, and now both were standing just inside the door, listening.

'Tell Charlie about that crazy Indian prince,' said Grandma Josephine. 'He'd like to hear that.'

pause: 停顿、暂停

water: (v.) 流口水

quietly: (adv.) 安静地、轻声地

crazy: (adj.) 疯狂的

Indian prince: 印度王子

'You mean Prince Pondicherry?' said Grandpa Joe, and he began chuckling with laughter.

'Completely dotty!' said Grandpa George.

'But very rich,' said Grandma Georgina.

'What did he do?' asked Charlie eagerly.

'Listen,' said Grandpa Joe, 'and I'll tell you.'

chuckle: (v.) 咯咯笑/窃笑

laughter: (n.) 笑、笑声

dotty: 疯疯癫癫的、着迷的

[英文名著精读][初级]查理和巧克力工厂(1) Here Comes Charlie

[英文名著精读][初级]《查理和巧克力工厂》简介

查理和巧克力工厂2