14 Mr Willy Wonka

14 Mr Willy Wonka
Mr Wonka was standing¹ all alone just inside the open gates of the factory.
And what an extraordinary little man he was!
He had a black top hat on his head.
He wore a tail coat made of a beautiful plum-coloured velvet².
His trousers were bottle green.
His gloves were pearly grey.
And in one hand he carried a fine gold-topped walking cane³.
Covering his chin, there was a small, neat, pointed⁴ black beard – a goatee. And his
eyes – his eyes were most marvellously bright. They seemed to be sparkling and
twinkling at you all the time. The whole face, in fact, was alight with fun and laughter.
And oh, how clever he looked! How quick and sharp and full of life! He kept making
quick jerky little movements with his head, cocking it this way and that, and taking
everything in with those bright twinkling eyes. He was like a squirrel in the quickness of
his movements, like a quick clever old squirrel from the park.
Suddenly, he did a funny little skipping dance in the snow, and he spread his arms
wide, and he smiled at the five children who were clustered near the gates, and he called
out, ‘Welcome, my little friends! Welcome to the factory!’
His voice was high and flutey. ‘Will you come forward one at a time, please,’ he called
out, ‘and bring your parents. Then show me your Golden Ticket and give me your name.
Who’s first?’
The big fat boy stepped up. ‘I’m Augustus Gloop,’ he said.
‘Augustus!’ cried Mr Wonka, seizing his hand and pumping it up and down with
terrific force. ‘My dear boy, how good to see you! Delighted! Charmed! Overjoyed to
have you with us! And these are your parents? How nice! Come in! Come in! That’s right!
Step through the gates!’
Mr Wonka was clearly just as excited as everybody else.
‘My name,’ said the next child to go forward, ‘is Veruca Salt.’
‘My dear Veruca! How do you do? What a pleasure this is! You do have an interesting
name, don’t you? I always thought that a veruca was a sort of wart⁵ that you got on the
sole of your foot! But I must be wrong, mustn’t I? How pretty you look in that lovely
mink⁶ coat! I’m so glad you could come! Dear me, this is going to be such an exciting day!
I do hope you enjoy it! I’m sure you will! I know you will! Your father? How are you, Mr
Salt? And Mrs Salt? Overjoyed to see you! Yes, the ticket is quite in order! Please go in!’
The next two children, Violet Beauregarde and Mike Teavee, came forward to have
their tickets examined and then to have their arms practically pumped off their
shoulders by the energetic Mr Wonka.
And last of all, a small nervous voice whispered, ‘Charlie Bucket.’
‘Charlie!’ cried Mr Wonka. ‘Well, well, well! So there you are! You’re the one who
found your ticket only yesterday, aren’t you? Yes, yes. I read all about it in this
morning’s papers! Just in time, my dear boy! I’m so glad! So happy for you! And this?
Your grandfather? Delighted to meet you, sir! Overjoyed! Enraptured⁷! Enchanted⁸! All
right! Excellent! Is everybody in now? Five children? Yes! Good! Now will you please
follow me! Our tour is about to begin! But do keep together! Please don’t wander off by
yourselves! I shouldn’t like to lose any of you at this stage of the proceedings⁹! Oh, dear
me, no!’
Charlie glanced back over his shoulder and saw the great iron entrance gates slowly
closing behind him. The crowds on the outside were still pushing and shouting. Charlie
took a last look at them. Then, as the gates closed with a clang, all sight of the outside
world disappeared.
‘Here we are!’ cried Mr Wonka, trotting¹⁰ along in front of the group. ‘Through this big
red door, please! That’s right! It’s nice and warm inside! I have to keep it warm inside
the factory because of the workers! My workers are used to an extremely hot climate!
They can’t stand the cold! They’d perish if they went outdoors in this weather! They’d
freeze to death!’
‘But who are these workers?’ asked Augustus Gloop.
‘All in good time, my dear boy!’ said Mr Wonka, smiling at Augustus. ‘Be patient! You
shall see everything as we go along! Are all of you inside? Good! Would you mind
closing the door? Thank you!’
Charlie Bucket found himself standing in a long corridor that stretched away in front
of him as far as he could see. The corridor was so wide that a car could easily have been
driven along it. The walls were pale pink, the lighting¹¹ was soft and pleasant.
‘How lovely and warm!’ whispered Charlie.
‘I know. And what a marvellous smell!’ answered Grandpa Joe, taking a long deep
sniff¹². All the most wonderful smells in the world seemed to be mixed up in the air
around them – the smell of roasting coffee and burnt sugar and melting chocolate and
mint and violets and crushed hazelnuts and apple blossom and caramel and lemon
peel…
And far away in the distance, from the heart of the great factory, came a muffled¹³ roar
of energy as though some monstrous¹⁴ gigantic machine were spinning its wheels at
breakneck speed.
‘Now this, my dear children,’ said Mr Wonka, raising his voice above the noise, ‘this is
the main corridor. Will you please hang your coats and hats on those pegs¹⁵ over there,
and then follow me. That’s the way! Good! Everyone ready? Come on, then! Here we go!’
He trotted¹⁶ off rapidly down the corridor with the tails of his plum-coloured velvet coat
flapping behind him, and the visitors all hurried after him.
It was quite a large party of people, when you came to think of it. There were nine
grown-ups and five children, fourteen in all. So you can imagine that there was a good
deal of pushing and shoving as they hustled¹⁷ and bustled¹⁸ down the passage, trying to
keep up with the swift little figure in front of them. ‘Come on!’ cried Mr Wonka. ‘Get a
move on, please! We’ll never get round today if you dawdle¹⁹ like this!’
Soon, he turned right off the main corridor into another slightly narrower passage.
Then he turned left.
Then left again.
Then right.
Then left.
Then right.
Then right.
Then left.
The place was like a gigantic rabbit warren, with passages leading this way and that
in every direction.
‘Don’t you let go my hand, Charlie,’ whispered Grandpa Joe.
‘Notice how all these passages are sloping downwards²⁰!’ called out Mr Wonka. ‘We are
now going underground! All the most important rooms in my factory are deep down
below the surface!’
‘Why is that?’ somebody asked.
‘There wouldn’t be nearly enough space for them up on top!’ answered Mr Wonka.
‘These rooms we are going to see are enormous! They’re larger than football fields! No
building in the world would be big enough to house them! But down here, underneath²¹
the ground, I’ve got all the space I want. There’s no limit – so long as I hollow it out.’
Mr Wonka turned right.
He turned left.
He turned right again.
The passages were sloping steeper and steeper downhill now.
Then suddenly, Mr Wonka stopped. In front of him, there was a shiny metal door. The
party crowded round. On the door, in large letters, it said:
THE CHOCOLATE ROOM

1 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

2 velvet   

n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的

参考例句：

• This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
• The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。

3 cane   

n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的

参考例句：

• This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
• English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。

4 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

5 wart   

n.疣，肉赘；瑕疵

参考例句：

• What does the medicaments with remedial acuteness wet best wart have?治疗尖锐湿疣最好的药物有什么？
• Flat wart is generally superficial,or sometimes a slight itching.扁平疣一般是不痛不痒的，或偶有轻微痒感。

6 mink   

n.貂，貂皮

参考例句：

• She was wearing a blue dress and a mink coat.她穿着一身蓝色的套装和一件貂皮大衣。
• He started a mink ranch and made a fortune in five years. 他开了个水貂养殖场，五年之内就赚了不少钱。

7 enraptured   

v.使狂喜( enrapture的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was enraptured that she had smiled at him. 她对他的微笑使他心荡神驰。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They were enraptured to meet the great singer. 他们和大名鼎鼎的歌手见面，欣喜若狂。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 enchanted   

adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• She was enchanted by the flowers you sent her. 她非常喜欢你送给她的花。
• He was enchanted by the idea. 他为这个主意而欣喜若狂。

9 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

10 trotting   

小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走

参考例句：

• The riders came trotting down the lane. 这骑手骑着马在小路上慢跑。
• Alan took the reins and the small horse started trotting. 艾伦抓住缰绳，小马开始慢跑起来。

11 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

12 sniff   

vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视

参考例句：

• The police used dogs to sniff out the criminals in their hiding - place.警察使用警犬查出了罪犯的藏身地点。
• When Munchie meets a dog on the beach, they sniff each other for a while.当麦奇在海滩上碰到另一条狗的时候，他们会彼此嗅一会儿。

13 muffled   

adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己）

参考例句：

• muffled voices from the next room 从隔壁房间里传来的沉闷声音
• There was a muffled explosion somewhere on their right. 在他们的右面什么地方有一声沉闷的爆炸声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 monstrous   

adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的

参考例句：

• The smoke began to whirl and grew into a monstrous column.浓烟开始盘旋上升，形成了一个巨大的烟柱。
• Your behaviour in class is monstrous!你在课堂上的行为真是丢人！

15 pegs   

n.衣夹( peg的名词复数 )；挂钉；系帐篷的桩；弦钮v.用夹子或钉子固定( peg的第三人称单数 )；使固定在某水平

参考例句：

• She hung up the shirt with two (clothes) pegs. 她用两只衣夹挂上衬衫。 来自辞典例句
• The vice-presidents were all square pegs in round holes. 各位副总裁也都安排得不得其所。 来自辞典例句

16 trotted   

小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走

参考例句：

• She trotted her pony around the field. 她骑着小马绕场慢跑。
• Anne trotted obediently beside her mother. 安妮听话地跟在妈妈身边走。

17 hustled   

催促（hustle的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He grabbed her arm and hustled her out of the room. 他抓住她的胳膊把她推出房间。
• The secret service agents hustled the speaker out of the amphitheater. 特务机关的代理人把演讲者驱逐出竞技场。

18 bustled   

闹哄哄地忙乱，奔忙( bustle的过去式和过去分词 )； 催促

参考例句：

• She bustled around in the kitchen. 她在厨房里忙得团团转。
• The hostress bustled about with an assumption of authority. 女主人摆出一副权威的样子忙来忙去。

19 dawdle   

vi.浪费时间；闲荡

参考例句：

• Don't dawdle over your clothing.You're so beautiful already.不要再在衣着上花费时间了，你已经够漂亮的了。
• The teacher told the students not to dawdle away their time.老师告诉学生们别混日子。

20 downwards   

adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地）

参考例句：

• He lay face downwards on his bed.他脸向下伏在床上。
• As the river flows downwards,it widens.这条河愈到下游愈宽。

21 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。