“Certainly they do,” the king said. “They obey instantly. I do not permit insubordination.”
Such power was a thing for the little prince to marvel at. If he had been master of such complete authority, he would have been able to watch the sunset, not forty-four times in one day, but seventy-two, or even a hundred, or even two hundred times, without ever having to move his chair. And because he felt a bit sad as he remembered his little planet which he had forsaken, he plucked up his courage to ask the king a favor:
〖精读笔记〗
◆instantly [ˈɪnstəntli] adv. 立即地；马上地；即刻地
◆permit [pəˈmɪt] v. 许可；允许
◆insubordination [ˌɪnsəˌbɔːdɪˈneɪʃn] n. 不服从，不顺从
◆power [ˈpaʊə(r)] n. 力量，能力；权力
◆marvel [ˈmɑːvl] v.（对…）感到惊奇，惊叹（marvel at惊奇，感到惊讶）
◆If he had been ..., he would have been able to ...
虚拟语气——虚拟条件句：过去虚拟，表达与过去事实相反
if从句的谓语形式：had+过去分词
主语谓语形式：should（would，could，might）+ have + 过去分词
◆master [ˈmɑːstə(r)] n. 主人；控制者
◆authority [ɔːˈθɒrəti] n. 威信；权力；管辖权
◆even [ˈiːvn] adv. 甚至，即使
◆forsake [fəˈseɪk] vt. 放弃；离弃（过去分词 forsaken）
◆pluck [plʌk] v. 采摘；扯；拔掉（pluck up振作，鼓起勇气）
◆courage [ˈkʌrɪdʒ] n. 勇气；胆量
◆favor [ˈfeɪ.vər] n. 帮助，善意行为；恩惠
ask sb. a favor请某人帮忙
