美国国家公共电台 NPR Midnight Release Party Summons Muggles For Eighth Harry Potter Installment

Midnight Release Party Summons Muggles For Eighth Harry¹ Potter Installment²

ELISE HU, HOST:

It was literally³ a dark and stormy night here in Washington, D.C., last night, an appropriate backdrop for the crowds of eager readers in wizard robes. They packed a local bookstore for something no one thought would ever happen again, a midnight "Harry Potter" book release party. NPR's Petra Mayer, who doesn't like to admit she's probably a Hufflepuff, was there.

PETRA MAYER, BYLINE⁴: There are a lot of people in costumes here tonight, but Erica Murray stands out.

ERICA MURRAY: I am dressed up as (imitating British accent) Moaning Myrtle.

MAYER: She's the ghost who haunts a Hogwarts bathroom, so Erica is sporting a toilet seat around her neck.

MURRAY: So I have a toilet over my head to dress up as her (laughter). It's kind of uncomfortable, but it makes the outfit⁵.

MAYER: It's almost midnight. Erica and her fellow "Harry Potter" fans are crammed⁶ into D.C.'s Kramer Books, packing the aisles⁷ and lining⁸ up out the door, all waiting for the minute that "Harry Potter And The Cursed Child" will go on sale. It's the eighth installment of Harry's adventures, though it's not an actual novel. Instead, it's the script of a play that just premiered in London. There are activities while we wait for the magic moment - coloring, quizzes, homemade Marauder's Maps, and Erica is sipping⁹ a definitely-not-for-kids butterbeer.

MURRAY: They're making them strong (laughter).

MAYER: And that's fine 'cause there are barely any kids here. I've spotted¹⁰ a few in the crush, but this is a pretty grown-up crowd. And they all grew up with "Harry Potter."

JALEESA JOHNSON: I'm not sure how old I was. I was in the fourth grade. It was, like, the first book that I really enjoyed.

MAYER: Outside, Jaleesa Johnson is way back at the end of the line.

JOHNSON: We're around the block (laughter). Kramer's Books is, like, in the middle of the block. We're around the block.

MAYER: It's Jaleesa's first time at a midnight release party. As a kid, she wasn't allowed out, and her parents didn't want to stand in line. I asked her how she felt about the new book.

JOHNSON: I didn't read any, like, articles that gave synopsis¹¹ or anything. I wanted to be surprised. So I don't know what to think right now.

MAYER: Back inside, Mariah Carray...

MARIAH CARRAY: I know. It's not the singer.

MAYER: ...Says she loved the book so much, she was angry at actor Emma Watson as a kid because she was convinced that she could be a better Hermione. Mariah's excited for the new book but a little scared.

CARRAY: What if it doesn't live up to my expectations or to the rest of "Harry Potter?"

MAYER: Finally, the moment arrived.

UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: (Chanting) Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. (Cheering).

SAMANTHA ZENLEA: I don't cry at movies. I didn't cry when Hillary Clinton got nominated, but I burst into tears at midnight.

MAYER: That's Samantha Zenlea. She and Debbie Kobrin and two of their friends are clustered on the sidewalk with their brand-new books in hand. Samantha says she's going to try to stay awake and read.

ZENLEA: But I am not in high school anymore. So I'm...

DEBBIE KOBRIN: You can do it.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Do it.

ZENLEA: She's been trying to encourage me to read it all night.

KOBRIN: You can do it.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Do it.

(LAUGHTER)

MAYER: Petra Mayer, NPR News, Washington.

1 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

2 installment   

n.(instalment)分期付款；(连载的)一期

参考例句：

• I shall soon pay the last installment of my debt.不久我将偿付我的最后一期债款。
• He likes to buy things on the installment plan.他喜欢用分期付款法购买货物。

3 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 outfit   

n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装

参考例句：

• Jenney bought a new outfit for her daughter's wedding.珍妮为参加女儿的婚礼买了一套新装。
• His father bought a ski outfit for him on his birthday.他父亲在他生日那天给他买了一套滑雪用具。

6 crammed   

adj.塞满的，挤满的；大口地吃；快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满；填入；临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式)

参考例句：

• He crammed eight people into his car. 他往他的车里硬塞进八个人。
• All the shelves were crammed with books. 所有的架子上都堆满了书。

7 aisles   

n. (席位间的)通道, 侧廊

参考例句：

• Aisles were added to the original Saxon building in the Norman period. 在诺曼时期，原来的萨克森风格的建筑物都增添了走廊。
• They walked about the Abbey aisles, and presently sat down. 他们走到大教堂的走廊附近，并且很快就坐了下来。

8 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

9 sipping   

v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She sat in the sun, idly sipping a cool drink. 她坐在阳光下懒洋洋地抿着冷饮。
• She sat there, sipping at her tea. 她坐在那儿抿着茶。

10 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

11 synopsis   

n.提要，梗概

参考例句：

• The synopsis of the book is very good.这本书的梗概非常好。
• I heard there wasn't a script.They only had a synopsis.我听说是没有剧本的。他们只有一个大纲。