As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn’t believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins, he looked so handsome and grown-up. Harry didn’t trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh.
There was a horrible smell in the kitchen next morning when Harry went in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. He went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in grey water.
‘What’s this?’ he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question.
‘Your new school uniform,’ she said.
Harry looked in the bowl again.
‘Oh,’ he said. ‘I didn’t realise it had to be so wet.’
‘Don’t be stupid,’ snapped Aunt Petunia. ‘I’m dyeing some of Dudley’s old things grey for you. It’ll look just like everyone else’s when I’ve finished.’
Harry seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue. He sat down at the table and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his first day at Stonewall High –like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably.

Rowling, J.K.. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone . Bloomsbury. Kindle Edition.

Knowledge Point

• As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life.
  ? gruff [adjective] (UK ? /ɡr?f/ US ? /ɡr?f/)
  If a person’s voice is gruff, it sounds low and slightly damaged.

• Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn’t believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins, he looked so handsome and grown-up.
  ? burst into tears
  to suddenly start to cry

• Harry didn’t trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh.
  ? crack [verb] (UK ? /kr?k/ US ? /kr?k/) ~ break
  to break something so that it does not separate, but very thin lines appear on its surface, or to become broken in this way
  ? 他想他的兩根肋骨可能已經(jīng)因為強忍著不笑而斷裂了。

• There was a horrible smell in the kitchen next morning when Harry went in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. He went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in grey water.
  ? tub [noun] (UK ? /t?b/ US ? /t?b/) ~ container 【參見圖片】
  a large, round container with a flat base and an open top
  ? rag [noun] (UK ? /r?ɡ/ US ? /r?ɡ/)
  a torn piece of old cloth

  
  
  tub

• ‘What’s this?’ he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question.
  ? 如果他敢問問題，她的嘴唇就會像往常一樣繃緊。

• ‘I’m dyeing some of Dudley’s old things grey for you. It’ll look just like everyone else’s when I’ve finished.
  ? dye [verb] (UK ? /da?/ US ? /da?/)
  to change the colour of something using a special liquid

• Harry seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue. He sat down at the table and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his first day at Stonewall High –like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably.
  ? 哈利對此深表懷疑，但他認(rèn)為最好不要爭辯。

知識星球——讀英語原著