‘Well, Ted,’ said the weatherman, ‘I don’t know about that, but it’s not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they’ve had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early – it’s not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight.’
Mr Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters …
Mrs Dursley came into the living-room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He’d have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. ‘Er – Petunia, dear – you haven’t heard from your sister lately, have you?’
As he had expected, Mrs Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn’t have a sister.
‘No,’ she said sharply. ‘Why?’
Rowling, J.K.. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone . Bloomsbury. Kindle Edition.
Knowledge Point
"……but it’s not only the owls that have been acting oddly today."
⇒ not only……(but also……)
⇒ that引导的定语从句修饰the owls
⇒ oddly [adverb]
in a strange or surprising way"Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they’ve had a downpour of shooting stars!"
⇒ as far apart as
可以先看成as far as，而apart在其中表示 Kent, Yorkshire和Dundee，这几个郡相隔较远。
⇒ have been phoning in to tell me
现在完成进行时，强调动作延续性有未完成的含义。
它对应上文的一句“not only the owls that have been acting oddly today.”
表示到现在为止电话仍不断打来（到现在为止猫头鹰也表现得异常奇怪）。
⇒ "to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday"，宾语从句中包含了定语从句
⇒ promise [verb] say certainly
文中，昨天信誓旦旦地说有雨，却遭遇了流星雨
⇒ a downpour of shooting stars 流星雨"Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early – it’s not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight."
⇒ Bonfire Night
another name for Guy Fawkes Night, the night of 5 November , when many people in the UK light bonfires and watch fireworks
篝火之夜，盖伊•福克斯之夜（11月5日晚上，许多英国人届时会燃烧篝火，燃放烟花）
⇒ have been celebrating
又一句现在完成进行时，一直要延续到next week
⇒ a wet night 雨夜
新概念二Lesson27的课文标题就是“A Wet Night”-
"Mr Dursley sat frozen in his armchair."
⇒ armchair [noun]
a comfortable chair with sides that support your arms
⇒ sat frozen 是系表结构，sat 是系动词，形容词 frozen 是表语，意思是“Mr Dursley（表情显得）呆滞地坐在他的扶手椅上”。
⇒ 英语的系动词有三类：- be 表示“是”或“存在”，可以用名词、形容词、介词短语、非谓语动词等作表语；
- 表示感觉的动词，如 feel（触摸起来）, sound（听起来），taste(品尝起来), smell(闻起来), look(看起来)等。只能用形容词或形容词性的过去分词作表语。
- 表示状态的动词，keep，remain， stand，sit 等，也只能用形容词或形容词性的过去分词作表语。
本句中的 frozen 就是过去分词作表语。
"Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters … "
⇒ 尝试用英语总结：These are several signs of somethins peculiar that Mr Dursley noticed that day."Mrs Dursley came into the living-room carrying two cups of tea."
⇒ “carrying two cups of tea”现在分词作状语。
⇒ 如何区分现在分词作状语和现在分词作定语：
单个的现在分词多作前置定语，具有形容词性质，与作状语的现在分词很好区分。
例：a developing country"一个发展中国家" (现在分词developing作country的前置定语。
现在分词短语比较长，通常作后置定语，容易与现在分词作状语弄混。
区分方法：对于一个现在分词分句，如果它可以转换成一个修饰相应名词的定语从句，那么它就是定语；如果它可以转换成修饰整个句子的状语从句，那么它就是状语。
例：She sat at the desk reading newspaper.她坐在桌旁看报。
现在分词短语为reading newspaper，且位于desk的后面，如果是后置定语的话，基本可以肯定是修饰desk的，所以reading newspaper变为which reads newspaper(which指代desk)，很显然这是错误的，所以reading newspaper在这里作状语。
我们再反过来验证它是否作状语：状语分句有个特点，即状语的逻辑主语与主句主语一定是一致的。在本句中，主句主语为she，状语为"看报纸"，的确是可以由she作主语，还原为：She sat at the desk when she reads newspaper.
再来看一个例句（现在分词作后置定语）：
Most of the workers living in these new houses are ship builders.
住在这些新房中的大部分工人是造船工人。"It was no good. He’d have to say something to her."
⇒ “It was no good.”在此处意为"it's no good (doing something)"
used to say that an action will not achieve what it is intended to achieve
⇒ He’d have to say something to her.
He had have to say something to her.
⇒ 尝试翻译：虽然没什么用，但是他不得不对她说点什么。"He cleared his throat nervously."
⇒ clear one's throat
⇒ 尝试翻译：他紧张地清了清嗓子。"‘Er – Petunia, dear – you haven’t heard from your sister lately, have you?’ "
⇒ “...haven't......, have you?” 这是一句反问句。
⇒ 英语反问句该怎么回答？
It's hard enough, isn't it?——挺难的不是吗？
Yes, it is.——是的，挺难的。
No, it isn't.——不，不难。
It's not hard, is it?——不难，是吗？
Yes, it is.——不，挺难的。
No, it isn't.——是的，不难。
回答方式上完全一致，难就回答Yes，不难回答No。
只是后面一种情况语义上拧一下而已。
⇒ hear from sb
If you hear from someone, you get a letter, email, or phone call from that person, or that person tells you something.
⇒ “额，Petunia，亲爱的，你最近都没有你妹妹的消息了吧？”"As he had expected, Mrs Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn’t have a sister. "
⇒ 尝试翻译：如他所料，Mrs Dursley看起来震惊又生气。毕竟，他们通常假装她没有妹妹。" ‘No,’ she said sharply. ‘Why?’"
⇒ 尝试翻译："是的，（没有她的消息）"她尖锐的说道。“为什么？”
⇒ 参见“英语反问句该怎么回答？”
